Little Explorers: Hiking with a Toddler

We used to hike everywhere with Audette in our Baby Bjorn carrier. These days she is just too big, so Eric hunted down a new backpack carrier for Father's Day. Read on for our hiking adventure with a toddler on the beautiful 5.4 mile hike up to Lake Twentytwo.

Planning your trip

Not every hike is suitable for a toddler, or a dad carrying a toddler. You need to make sure your trip is right for you. Most states have great websites that categorize and describe all of the major hikes, either by state or region. Washington has the Washington Trail Association, complete with directions to trailheads, mileage, elevation gain, highest point and what you will encounter along the trail. We were pretty thrilled with what we found on our hike!

What to pack

Kelty Kids Hiking Backpack: We found a used carrier, so the one pictured is an older version, but whether you find it used on Craigslist or buy a new one, this is a great backpack. It is super comfortable. I even took a turn carrying her down the mountain and had no problem because of the padded straps and hip belt. Despite Eric's experimenting with her buckles, which Audette didn't like too much, she was a happy hiker for most of the trip. It also has plenty of space to carry snacks and a water bottle. The hike, with plenty of stops to take pictures, eat snacks and rest, took us a LONG time. We had Audette in the backpack for about 4 hours and she was a good little trouper the entire time.

Lunch and snacks: We packed a lunch that we ate at the trail head. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, grapes, goldfish, the good stuff. We knew a 5.4 mile hike would be a long one so we put a couple snack items in our pack as well: Craisins, granola bars, popcorn and water. Our little eater cleared us out by the time we were done.

Grandma and Grandpa Laird: What better company on a long hike than grandparents! Grandpa Laird took a turn with Audette in the backpack too and ended up carrying her most of the way down the mountain.

Take breaks and explore

As we were hiking along, Audette seemed to be enjoying just about everything, at least her little songs made us think she was happy! Then, every so often, we would start to hear a couple of cries for attention. That is when Dad or Grandpa would jump in to save the day and find some rocks for her to carry. She would keep them in her little fists until we found the next stream. Throwing rocks was an easy way to keep her happy, entertained, and in her pack.

We also made plenty of stops for Grandma to take pictures. That was the perfect time to let Audette out to eat snacks and snow.

The scenery was so incredible, I took my fair share of pictures too. A few too many...