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ok I took my 10 year old daughter on her first hike last week up Mt willard....she loved it. she asked if hiking is a sport, i said yes, she says can I play soccer and hike? ....you bet you can i tell her. she wants to go again soon, and i cant wait. I never thought a 10 year old would be the best hiking partner i could have.
she asked about hiking up washington, I was going to pull her out of school tomorrow to take her just to the base of tuckermans..... mom said no. I told her that as soon as she gets out of school, we will go again, and before summer is over we will do washington. I told her we will hike up and take the cog down....she looks at me and says "dad thats cheating" . so my fellow hikers, is hiking up and taking the cog down cheating?
Hikes in Rain
04-27-2010, 20:54
If your ten year old daughter says it's cheating, then it is!
Toolshed
04-27-2010, 21:06
when is having fun with your kids cheating? Do what feels right and be glad you can.
white_russian
04-27-2010, 21:06
There can only be cheating if there is a competition or a test. If you want to consider hiking a competition or test then yes you would be cheating if you don't follow whatever rules you limit yourself with.
Personally I am out there to experience interesting things; hiking Washington and riding the cog are both pretty interesting so doing them both in one trip is even better.
MTW is an easy hike up and down my 4 yr old did it no problem.
There can only be cheating if there is a competition or a test. If you want to consider hiking a competition or test then yes you would be cheating if you don't follow whatever rules you limit yourself with.
Personally I am out there to experience interesting things; hiking Washington and riding the cog are both pretty interesting so doing them both in one trip is even better.
she said it was cheating because if we hike up, we must hike down. not that it was a test or a competition.
white_russian
04-27-2010, 21:24
she said it was cheating because if we hike up, we must hike down. not that it was a test or a competition.
The fact that she thinks cheating can occur means that in her mind some people are greater than others. It doesn't have to be a formal test or competition. If you look at humanity people compete against each other for mates, social status, ect without being formal.
The fact that she thinks cheating can occur means that in her mind some people are greater than others. It doesn't have to be a formal test or competition. If you look at humanity people compete against each other for mates, social status, ect without being formal.
looks like I will we will be hiking up and down.
Blue Jay
04-28-2010, 09:21
This is exactly why hiking is a great sport. Everyone wins, therefore you cannot cheat, as cheating means attempting to gain an unfair advantage.
You get the exhileration of competing against yourself as to maximum exertion without the need for rules or time limits. It's not even called on account of darkness or rain. The energy output overall is greater than most other sports.
We even have uniforms, GO TEAM.
Ha, not "cheating," but I personally need to hike down to consider it a complete hike.
That being said, the cog scares the tofu outta me....I'll take my chances with the trail.
Happy to hear she liked Willard and is in to hiking, and I applaud thee for being a cool parent and taking her.
Rain Man
04-28-2010, 09:30
Too much fixation in this thread on "cheating." I wonder if what she really meant was "I don't want to miss even a little bit of the FUN experience of hiking this mountain."
Anyway, GREAT that a father is out hiking with his daughter! Would that more dads and daughters had the opportunity ... and took it.
Rain:sunMan
.
There can only be cheating if there is a competition or a test. ......
Well maybe. I'm not so sure "hiking" can be classified as a sport according to commonly held definitions. Classifying the "cheating" aspect gets a little trickier unless you subscribe to the notion that since there are no established rules, no cheating can occur.
Here's what Wikipedia says (highlights added):
A sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. It is governed by a set of rules or customs.
Cheating is an act of lying, deception, fraud, trickery, imposture, or imposition. Cheating characteristically is employed to create an unfair advantage, usually in one's own interest, and often at the expense of others,[1] Cheating implies the breaking of rules.
Convince me otherwise. Let the banter begin!
According to Wikipedia hiking is an outdoor activity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiking) NOT a sport.
Jonnycat
04-28-2010, 09:55
I remember one day my Grandfather showed up and got me out of school (I think it was fourth grade) just after lunch.
We ended up going to the beach, and we walked around on the sand for awhile. It wasn't a big ticket trip, but I felt like I was a VIP for a long time afterwards.
Ha, not "cheating," but I personally need to hike down to consider it a complete hike.
That being said, the cog scares the tofu outta me....I'll take my chances with the trail.
Happy to hear she liked Willard and is in to hiking, and I applaud thee for being a cool parent and taking her.
She loved Willard, and for her first hike she did great, never said she was tired, never wanted to turn back.
I just asked her if she want to go up willard again, she said no, there are many other mountains we can hike up.
Anyone selling a pack that will fit a 10 year old girl? LOL
Graywolf
04-28-2010, 16:25
Sounds like we have a Thru Hiker in the making here..A Purist at that..
Graywolf
The Old Fhart
04-28-2010, 16:56
philly-"...she looks at me and says "dad thats cheating" . so my fellow hikers, is hiking up and taking the cog down cheating?" The answer to that question is-it depends. If a hiker hikes the 48 peaks over 4000 feet in NH they qualify for the 4000 Footer Club and as of this year there are 9000 hikers who have completed the list. For a hike to be considered, the 4000 Footer Committee expects all the hikes to be by foot both ways.
So if she knew of these requirements and was planning to complete the list, she was correct in wanting to do it as a hike both ways, in the same way that a 'thru hiker' who applies for a 2000 Miler rocker patch is expected to have substantially walked the entire trail.
I don't know that she's planning to do the list but meant that in her mind climbing the mountain also meant hiking back down. I would leave a trip down on the Cog open as a possibility. She just might think riding down on the train would be neat after she sees it, or she may be tired enough to reconsider. Just keep in mind that you should hike up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to Lakes, then to the summit, so your car will be at the Cog parking lot if you decide to take the train down.
Slo-go'en
04-28-2010, 17:36
Good thing you aren't going up Tucks tomorrow - we got a foot of wet snow overnight which changed to real cold rain. Thats down here in the valley. I'm sure up at the notch and Tucks, they got a lot more. But since it will be summer again in a day or two, guess it won't last long, but will be sloppy for a while. Better wait until you can count on better weather.
Good thing you aren't going up Tucks tomorrow - we got a foot of wet snow overnight which changed to real cold rain. Thats down here in the valley. I'm sure up at the notch and Tucks, they got a lot more. But since it will be summer again in a day or two, guess it won't last long, but will be sloppy for a while. Better wait until you can count on better weather.
You know I was thinking about going to Tuckermans this morning, but changed my mind last night....glad I did.
Tuck away enough green so you have the option of riding down. Injury. Weather.
They have vans up there that go back down the road side. Bet you could buy a ticket on one. As OF says the cog goes down the side opposite Tuckerman's.
Wait for good weather, and snow/ice free trail.
Migrating Bird
04-28-2010, 18:38
My experience was very similar to yours. My two daughters at that age would go on canoe trips, camping, hiking and always had a blast except when I let my goals/wants/desires - trump theirs. Philly, let your daughter call the shots you may learn something in the process or at least experience things from a totally different perspective. Let her get involved in the complete planning process as a way to keep her interest level high and excitement growing. HHH (hike her hike) and if things turn a little sour she will not hold you accountable. Oh, BTW, my youngest (now 24) thru hiked SOBO last year.
My experience was very similar to yours. My two daughters at that age would go on canoe trips, camping, hiking and always had a blast except when I let my goals/wants/desires - trump theirs. Philly, let your daughter call the shots you may learn something in the process or at least experience things from a totally different perspective. Let her get involved in the complete planning process as a way to keep her interest level high and excitement growing. HHH (hike her hike) and if things turn a little sour she will not hold you accountable. Oh, BTW, my youngest (now 24) thru hiked SOBO last year.
HHH....i like that alot, and thats just what I am going to do. we will be doing monadnock in a few weeks, after that, she will pick the next.