Interview: Audrey Withycombe (hiking, camping, biking, boating, skiing)

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Our latest interview is with Audrey Withycombe who has created an amazing podcast called Outdoorsy Families - I suggest you all go and subscribe to it right now. I've been looking for a while for an outdoor parenting podcast and I was excited to hear about hers. In this interview, she shares what it's like to be an outdoor parent while raising kids full-time on a summer camp. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful like I did! Name: Audrey WithycombeLocation: Northern Minnesota at a summer camp on a lakeFamily Activities: Hike, camp, mountain bike, motorboat, fish, canoe,…

Interview: Molly and Cole Foss (camping, hiking, fishing, biking)

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After a hiatus, we are back with a new interview, this time with a family I met through the Backpacking with Babies and Kids Facebook page. They have created a website and blog (Camping Critterz) dedicated to helping parents go camping with their families. We hope you enjoy the interview and also check out their website! Name: Molly Foss (Momma Critter) and Cole Foss (Daddy Critter) Location: Minneapolis area, MN, USAFamily Activities: Camping, hiking, fishing, bikingKids: 4 yo (aka Tiny Critter)Work Schedule: Cole works a standard 8-4 M-F job (working from home the last 1.5 years) and Molly is a…

Interview: Penny Hutchinson (camping, backpacking skiing, hiking, cycling, paddling)

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I am excited to share an interview with my friend Penny this week. What has impressed me the most about the outdoor adventures she goes on with her family are all the trips she takes in the winter. I haven't taken our kids snow camping yet, but hopefully we will try it this winter and I will be asking her for advice. I hope you enjoy the interview! Name: Penny HutchinsonLocation: Bay Area, CA, USAFamily Activities: Camping (including snow camping), backpacking. skiing (backcountry/alpine/telemark), hiking, cycling (road and mtn bike), some paddling ​​Kids: 11 & 13Work Schedule: ​​​Before COVID I worked part time…

Interview: Dennis & Laura (climbing, camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, canoeing)

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We're excited to share another interview this week! This one is really interesting because we have a husband and wife giving two perspectives on how they make outdoor parenting work.  Name: Laura & DennisLocation: MA, USAFamily Activities: Climbing, camping, hiking, downhill skiing, kayaking, canoeing. ​Kids: 10 & 6Work Schedule: ​​​ 2 full-time Transitioning to parenthood: What outdoor activities did you do before you had kids? Same, just much more frequently before kids!​ If you or your spouse were pregnant, did that person continue any of the activities and how did they modify the activity while pregnant?  Laura: I climbed until my harness didn’t fit anymore. Skiing stopped…

Hiking Food for Kids and Babies

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This week's post is a new section for the Hiking Page that covers the topic of what food to bring while hiking. As always, this is intended to be a living document and we'll add in any new tips we get from comments or from any interviews we do, so please give us improvement ideas! Having the right food can be the difference between a joyful hike with kids and a miserable slog. Kids don't understand "powering-through" when you're running low on food and almost at the trailhead or don't like the food you bring. They can often just refuse to…

Hiking Gear

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You don’t need lots of special gear for hiking - that’s the beauty of it! But it is a skill that sets kids up for so many other adventures, so it is worth it to do your best to ensure they are comfortable and having fun. Here are the key items to think about selecting gear:Babies: Child carrier or baby backpack carrier: If you use a backpack carrier, it’s helpful to get one with a rain or sun cover Make sure it's comfortable for you (and your partner, or have a separate one for them) An attached mirror can be…

Interview: Shannon (Skier and Backpacker)

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This week I'm excited to introduce our friend Shannon. She and her wife are masters of organizing group camping trips, which we have been lucky to be part of for many years now. (They created the camping spreadsheet I shared last week). They have also started taking their kids backpacking and skiing, while impressively managing sports and activity schedules. She is right about how friends help kids hike more - when my kids hike with them they go much farther! Name: ShannonLocation: Bay Area, CA, USAFamily Activities: hike, camp, backpack, cross country ski, downhill ski​Kids: 5 and 9Work Schedule: ​1 full time, 1 newly self…

Interview: Karl Klemmick (Skier, snowboarder, backpacker, canoist, climber, biker)

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For our second interview we are excited to share Karl's experience as an outdoor dad. We have known him and his family for a few years. They are part of a group of families we go on group camping trips with a few times a year, until they moved back to Colorado. I have always been impressed with how they find the time to get into the mountains so often while they both worked full time jobs and also with the impressive hiking stamina of their daughter. Name: Karl Klemmick Location: Boulder, Co, USA Family Activities: Mostly downhill skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, camping,…

Interview: Emily F. (Climber and Backpacker)

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We are so excited to introduce our first interview of an Outdoor Parent! We are hoping to do about two of these each month and use this information to improve our information pages. If you're interested in being interviewed, please contact us. Name: Emily F. Location: Bay Area, California, USA Family Activities: Hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing ​Kids: 6 and 2 years old Work Schedule: ​Both parents are full time with some flexibility. I have large chunks of time off because I'm a teacher. Steve is self-employed in event production so can set his schedule somewhat.​ ​Transitioning to parenthood: What outdoor activities did…

First Aid Planning

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This week we have an update to our General Advice section: first aid planning. This list is based on my experience and my wilderness medicine training that I take every 2-3 years and I updated it based on the course I just took in January.  As always, we love hearing feedback from readers so we can make this page as helpful as possible. First aid planning is more than just building a good first aid kit. Our recommendation is for at least one and preferably both parents to take first aid and wilderness medical training to match what you would…