Taking 11 year old on first hike

[PsychoHemi]

I will be taking my 11 year old son on his first hike, it will also be my first hike in 20 years. I am thinking about going from Newfound Gap to the shelter past Clingmans Dome. This will be a overnight hike. Will this be a good starter hike for me and my son? I eventually want to do a week hike maybe next year. Any ideas or suggestions to make this a good trip for both of us?

[kayak karl]

my first hike with my son at the Delaware Water Gap. went bad. we had to hitch back to car. Packs hurt. Food was bad. Buggy and hot. We were laughing about it on fathers day. that hike was 20 years ago. hes a Dad now and will be taking Jaxon hiking in a few years. my point? just go. your one of the GREAT Dads.

[k2basecamp]

Snickers minisDon't hike too far and stop early

[Uncle Walkie]

Brother,

last August I took my ten year old son on his fist backpackpacking trip. We did three days, two nights on the Art Loeb Trail in the Shining Rock Wilderness. He carried 15lbs, (he weighed around 50lbs at the time). We had a great time and talk about it regularly. It rained on day one which was a pretty tough hike, he even cried a bit with wet feet, steep hills and a "heavy" pack (which I carried for a little while)....but eventually he worked through it. By the time we pitched camp by the river I needed a quick power nap but he was skipping rocks. looking for crawdads and full of energy.

We picked blueberries, had coffee & cocoa together in the morning watching the fog roll in below us. It was grand! When we got home he told mom and the sisters how he hiked 12-14 miles over the three days...he was a little hero. That trip is a topic of conversation weekly in our home. Pics from that trip are my screensaver at work and help me get through some challenging days

He is 11 now and we have a trip planned for Sept-Oct-ish on the AT near Hot springs.

Go for it, you definitely will not regret it, good luck and happy trails my friend.

[weary]

I will be taking my 11 year old son on his first hike, it will also be my first hike in 20 years. I am thinking about going from Newfound Gap to the shelter past Clingmans Dome. This will be a overnight hike. Will this be a good starter hike for me and my son? I eventually want to do a week hike maybe next year. Any ideas or suggestions to make this a good trip for both of us?

Well you are a number of years late-- both for you and your son. But just go slow, let him take the lead, and you will be okay.

[jbsbestfan]

In my opinion, I do not think that would be a good starter hike. Why? Becasue for a youngster on his first hike getting from Newfound to Clingmans is no gimme. A lot of work and not much payoff before Clingmans Dome. Not really a lot of payoff from there towards Silers Bald and that shelter in between. I would suggest that if you are going to use shelters, go on down to Georgia. The shelters are nice and the privies....... Maybe start at the beginning so he might get the fever. If you are going to use tents, some of the best spots are Max Patch, Roan Highlands, Beauty Spot, or the rolling hills of southern Virginia. If you plan it right and end near a trail town like Roan Mountain you could get a shutttle back to your car with no backtracking.

[WingedMonkey]

Does it have to be on the AT? That part of the trail is beat to death. Does it have to be to a shelter? There are a lot of places in the GSMNP or in Pisgah Forest where you can take him to enjoy the hiking and the camping more. Keep the miles low and let him explore without being worn out. Give him a reason to go to the woods besides walking.

[BJStuart]

With my daughters (8 & 10) I have found that keeping their packs to 8-10lbs or less makes all the difference. For them that means they carry sleeping bag, pad, and a little water. That's 20% of their body weight. I carry everything else. The lighter their packs, the happier they are.

[moldy]

This is just a suggestion, park in the Clingmans Dome parking lot and hike South on the AT and have lunch 2.5 miles at Double Spring Gap Shelter, then head back North again on the AT 6.8 miles to Mt Collins Shelter (where you have reservations to spend the night). Next day you either hike back to the car if you have had enough or you go down hill 5.0 miles to Newfound Gap then catch a ride back to your car. Don't forget the get the reservation and a back country permit. This is now an easy hike with no big climbing.

[rpenczek]

I take younger (11/12 year olds) backpacking several times a year. I am a Scout Master and introduce them to backpacking slowly. I am in central IN, so we never have any huge climbs like you might in GSMNP. Also, I have had my youngest son (at 8 years old) out with me on an overnight, just 2.5 miles in (to a river) and 2.5 out, he only carried his rain gear, water and a camp pillow.

The 11 year olds (depending on their size) can handle more than you might think (weight and miles). They may not like it, but they can handle it. I just had an 11 year old on a 18 mile weekend trip with 4 straight hours of downpouring rain while hiking. He was slow but he was full of energy after each days miles. We keep the younger boys pack weight down to an appropriate level, but as you might imagine, even at an appropriate level, it is new to them so it feels heavy after a 100 yards into the trail.

I have found the key with younger boys (I imagine girls would be no different) is to hike to a payoff (bald, waterfall, lake, stream). They need a place to play once you stop to camp. Also, if at all possible, fresh fruit (grapes) make young ones happy after a long hot hike. If you can stash a cheep cooler at a road crossing with ice and fresh fruit you are golden. Finally, timing of your hike is important. If you don't have a payoff spot to camp, getting to that spot at 1:00 PM is no good, try to arrive at 5:00 PM, do camp chores, eat and then it is time for bed (no time to get bored).

Finally, I have hiked the section you mention and can tell you for payoffs, going a little further North is better. My first choice with a young one would be Mt. Rodgers/Graynson Highlands and my second choice would be Roan Highlands. Mt. Rodgers/Grayson has the ponies, and balds, and river/creeks. Roan has the goats, balds and some water. In both areas you can camp in shelters or tent (can't tent in GSMNP). Tenting allows you to stay away from the mice in the shelters. I wish I lived closer to this area, all my weekend hikes would be there.

Hope this helps.

[Lord Helment]

took my duaghter..then 8 on her first trip from hightower gap in ga to amicalola falls...camped on top of springer mountain...she loved it....as stated earlier...take it slow....let himlead the way and set the pace...stop when you want.....make it fun....above all make it fun....my daughter is now 28 and we are thruhiking this year......now that's a great reward for dad

[sbhikes]

My parents took me backpacking as a child. Some of these trips were pretty miserable but I look back on them fondly now. We always seemed to get lost or something.

One particular trip, I was 9, we wandered around in the snow lost for hours and hours. The best part of that trip was that for some reason my mom brought a cookie sheet. We kids took turns sliding down the snow on the cookie sheet. We ate pizza cooked on that cookie sheet for years afterwards and the dents in the cookie sheet always reminded me of that trip.

On another trip I found a puppy! We kept her because we met the owner on the trail and he insisted we leave her there to die since her leg was broken. I'll never forget such cruelty!

On another trip it was girls against the boys and no matter how hard the boys tried to beat us, we wouldn't let them win. Our leader got us lost going over Donahue Pass, but over it we did go and when we got to Yosemite Valley, whenever someone asked us if we liked to get high (I guess there were a lot more drugs in the 70s), we said yeah! 11,056 feet high!

That led me to go backpacking with only a group of girls and our dogs (same dog I found as a puppy!) when I was in high school. What fun that was! We still talk about that one whenever we see each other.

Anyway, I'm sure that all my childhood backpacking made me who I am today.

If you do go hiking with girls, bring some feminine hygiene supplies. Sometimes the effort and change triggers unexpected events for young girls.

[PsychoHemi]

Thanks for the advice. I thought that Clingmans Dome was to tough. I will keep looking for an easier trail. Springer sounds good. It has been over 20 years since I have been there.

[Uncle Walkie]

good point about the cooler...reminds me...

when I took my son on his first trip, I staged two sodas in the creek on our hike up the mtn...two days later when he was pretty tired we hiked out by the river and pulled out the two ice cold sodas...I'm pretty sure that is what drove him to make it to "check point Orange Crush"..it was pretty refreshing