Recent Thread about introducing boys - obvious not the same as girls...

[Wise Old Owl]

If you want to know what sometimes is talked about at the "bar" about taking boys into the woods, occasionally a husband talks about bringing a daughter to the AT. My knowledge tells me - "I know nothing" So when I saw this thread I posted...

CLICK HERE

You nailed something very close to my heart. Papa D is very close to what needs to be done. - first make sure its a ten or less. Second - kids are impressionable and it going to be a longer hike than he thinks and you also need a TON of patience.

1 stop at streams and show what is under rocks - get your feet wet. (no cotton socks)
2 suddenly stop and point out poison ivy or a salamander.... (my son found a baby non-poisonous snake)
3 discuss drinking water with an added flavor - keep them hydrated
4 pick up a rock and tell him how old it is - even if you are wrong...
5 ask him to remember a bird sound- so you and he can identify it later.
6 don't put a pack on him till later - ask him to carry his "personal water"
7 ask him if he would like to include a friend on the hike.
8 Hard Candy Yes Sugar! and Jerky!
9 Slower pace.
10 Key - show him a map ask him what he would like to plan or see.
11 ALWAYS find a ice cream store on the way home and praise him, even if U have to bail. (always have an second plan)

In the real world - I do not have daughters. I have a son, and this conversation cropped up again tonight between two guys,,,, and I am not in a position to add advice... SO

I am going to put this thread in front of a really cool guy that wants to make a difference with main girl. He is about to subscribe to WB - and what can we do as a group to help him make a "home run" with his Daughter?

[just dad]

It is easy for us to go on our hike and take our daughter along, but she will likely not enjoy our hikes. What we need to do is pay attention to what interests our daughter and adapt the hikes so she makes the hikes her own. The focus may be different for each child. One may enjoy art, another photography. One may enjoy racing down the trail. Another may enjoy moving slowly. When our hikes match the interests of our daughter, she will be more likely to want to return.

[Wise Old Owl]

Thanks Cliff But this is the woman's forum and I am looking for a woman's perspective or take on this.... Lets keep it coming....

[Amanita]

Prior to the puberty I don't see a lot of difference between hiking with sons/daughters. The only caveat about a daughter might be to get mom to show her how to pee in the woods (I had to figure it out myself because I always hiked with dad). Now once a girl hits the age where cultural gender stereotypes hit home things might change.

Some notes on teenage girls:
Don't push her to come with you or hike to hard/fast. Let her make her own choices and set her own pace.
Never tell her to "tough it out" or "man up" (!)
Let her bring friends if possible
Bring extra TP!! girls run through it at a rate many men cannot comprehend.
Have a change of clothes in the car so she doesn't have to ride home in hiking clothes.
It's possible she likes hiking, but doesn't want to hike with YOU. Get her involved in groups (summer camp, local rec club, ect) that bring out a group of teenagers with 1-2 college age "counselors" to keep an eye on things.

[Wise Old Owl]

Makes a lot of sense. - at first I was about to recommend GS but they rarely do hikes or outdoor stuff here in PA... Camp Ware once a year is the only motive.

[Wise Old Owl]

I just read the Prejudice thread and here I am trying to get a dad off to a better start... I really do not post in this forum - unless I am really looking for help here. What makes hiking fun for daughters?

[The Solemates]

i take my son and daughter (ages 2 and 4, respectively) into the woods on a very frequent basis. going next weekend in fact. they are still young so not sure how my advice would help....but wanted to chime in because i love to see families in the woods. we've never done more than 5 miles. its more about the camping experience. we always bring marshmellows, and always build a fire. we usually arrive at the campsite by 2-3 pm. we talk about nature - they always notice the little stuff. i carry everything for the whole family, including my wife's stuff. that way they are free to wander and explore, and my wife can easily chase them if needed. my pack usually weighs 60 lb or so for a 3 day weekend trip. but due to their wandering, we never go more than 1.5 mph or so, sometimes much less than that, so the weight isnt something that slows me down.

there is not much difference between my boy and girl - with one exception. the boy knows no fear and we have to watch him a little more closely. other than that - nothing special for a girl - although once they get older i am sure that will change.

[Wise Old Owl]

I have to admit I am a little surprised by the lack of response, for those that posted a big thank you... but 206 views and 3 posts is more than disappointing and a waste of time. When I am with the Wilmington Trail Club, there are more women than men in a hike, and few are of teen / coed years... most are in their 30's,40's, and 50's so I am going to have to guess I am asking an uncomfortable question here. I am being sincere and saying that I am moving on and for me I am not going to revisit this thread.

My only other thought here is as adults/parents that perhaps due to the internet, games and other vocations - that there is a clear lack of interest in introducing younger women in participating in hiking.

Thanks again -woo.

[Turtle2]

Hey Owl, I guess I never knew a difference in the girl/boy thing. My folks always had us out camping and we wandered the woods by ourselves (early latch key kids - no keys to the house tho). Just go and do. I see parents freak out when a child tries something outside the parent's experience or comfort level. Remember to take a deep breath, folks! I'm glad my folks didn't freak when we would climb sweet gum trees and ride them to the ground. (for those who haven't done so, you climb as high or higher than you feel safe in a young gum tree and as it is so flexible when young it will simple bow down and let you off.) or wander into the house with a snake. Just point out interesting things or make a list prior to leaving home and do a scavenger type hunt as you go. i.e. look for different types of trees, look for a common bird (robin, blue jay, sparrow), who can find the best looking rock that fits in you hand... you get the picture. Minimize the dos and don'ts and point out the differences in species, such as what to look for in a poisonous snake. I will say, my mother was teaching LNT to us 50 years ago. She would always say "look around, we have to leave this area better than we found it". Remember, it doesn't have to be much. Just the time spent with your child.

[Northern Lights]

I think what dad's need to remember is, that sex does not matter in the woods. No matter your sex you still need to do all of the same things a male would have to do. When I was growing up, if I wanted to go hiking, I had to haul wood, make fires, etc. Activities were not assigned by sex. I think that is probably why I can say I enjoy hiking, because I actually know what it is. She may not like it so much if she is not allowed to completely experience it and then heads out with her boyfriend or husband 20 years from now and hates it because it wasn't what she experienced going hiking with dad.

I have a great deal of respect for the men on the trail who do not treat me like I am inferior because I am female. They just treat me like I'm a hiker. I think that's all your friend has to do.

[just dad]

Thanks Cliff But this is the woman's forum and I am looking for a woman's perspective or take on this.... Lets keep it coming....

Sorry Mark. Do you want a women's perspective on what makes a daughter want to backpack? Or do you want a girl's perspective on what makes her want to backpack? I could offer the perspective of a dad who has backpacked over 1,000 miles with his daughter.

[Kookork]

I am single so no child but I had my best conversations with my past dad when we were hiking( he started to hike late in his 60s).I found hiking time started to break some barrier between us.

To your answer, I would love my father to give me the map and asks me to be responsible to navigate(under his supervision)

I would say whoever finds less wildlife today should wash the dishes tonight and as a parent try my best to make him her win.

[kayak karl]

my daughter hated to hike, but she loved hanging out and walking around Brandywine Creek Park (they had nice bathrooms).
Just say center city Philly and she was THERE. walked for hours and miles. South St, Art museum, Billy Penn, Boat house row etc. we would jump the $1 bus and she would tell me where we were getting off. the back to the ferry and home. she still talks about those days (got married 3 months back ) and still things the woods are ICKY.
2 off the 3 boys like to hike

[MuddyWaters]

depends on the kid.

My daughter is so freaking competitive with me she will try to out do me at anything. Athletically, there is few things left that I can do better than her anymore, and she is only 16.

I really dont think there is much difference between girls and boys besides one pees standing up, the other squats. big deal.

[Odd Man Out]

depends on the kid.

It certainly does depend on the individual. When my kids were growing up, we often would go on family camping trips, take hikes in the woods, make leaf collections, visit national parks, etc. We didn't do any backpacking, but they got a healthy dose of nature appreciation. Now that both daughters are older (college age), one wants nothing to do with the out-of-door, but the other is quite adventurous. Here she is climbing up Bear Rocks on the AT in PA (day hike). The other pic is her resting by Lake MI when I took her backpacking on North Manitou Island. Can't say I treated my daughters any differently than my son. Of the three, this daughter is certainly wants to get out more than the others.

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[JAK]

I have a daughter. She is 12 now. We have hiked alot together. Father and daughter. Mother is not a hiker, other than day hikes. No son, so I can't really compare, but I think up to the age of 10 there was probably no difference. It's mostly a matter of relearning how kids think vs adults. I think with a group of kids there are more boy and girl differences, but one on one, it is mostly a matter of patience and understanding. I carried everything, but not because she was a girl. She had no trouble keeping up, but she needed to stop and play and discover more, because that is what kids need to do. They are very smart, and it is a natural environment for them to learn, from their parents and from nature. Nature has lots of bandwidth. It is a parents best allie against the electronics and the internet. The challenge becomes getting them out there as they get older, when none of their friends are interested. Having a dog might help. Best regards.