Hiking. Fresh Air, Great Views and Fun
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
Canada
February 19, 2017 6:39am CST
My sister and I started camping with our children when they were as young as 4. It continues today with all of them in their 30's and 40's. I call it a life time of healthy attitudes...
We climbed mountains. Our first hike up with the small children was a Fire Tower hike in the Adirondacks of New York. The children flew up those trails and their moms trailed behind them. My sister and I were soaked in sweat and exhausted when we got to the top. But the views were breathtaking. We've done that hike a few times and when one of the children was old enough to drive we let them go by themselves.
We continued taking the kids to a different trail or mountain every summer and we loved it, still the kids did it better than we did but we did it.
One overnight hike sleeping in a lean-too was one too many for us moms, It was a lot harder than we thought it was and we were not prepared and ran out of water...not a good thing.
We lived to tell about it but won't be doing that again...
My daughter for several summers during her University life worked for OutLook, an organization that took troubled teens into the wild for 5 to 14 day canoe camping trips in Algonquin Park here in Canada. She loved it and eventually took her brothers into the park with friends for canoe camping.
I found this link on Facebook this morning. Hiking is a healthy thing to do.
Makes me proud we took the time and energy to do that with our children who all grew up into awesome adults.
The photo is just a few of our adult camping children.
Are you a hiker? And if yes, where did you go?
Toggle navigation Those who walk for 90 minutes in a natural environment report lower levels of rumination and they also have reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain By: Daily Times Monitor 09-Feb-17 1466 Top News H
16 people like this
21 responses
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
19 Feb 17
And we still do, all the kids were there last year. Several have children so the grands show up too...
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate I remember reading your posts about it.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
It is a lot of fun and healthy for sure.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
19 Feb 17
We hiked up 2 mountains this year. We did Whiteface, which doesn't really count as we drove most of it and only hiked the last bit (the elevator was out) but it was gorgeous! Then in October we hiked Bald Mountain in Old Forge. That one we did completely as there's no driving up any of it.
This coming summer we plan to hike Panther Mountain. My Godfather's ashes were scattered there. His brother wants me to take his mother's ashes there this year. She's been gone 10 years now and she's just been sitting in a box in his closet all this time. He has heart problems so can't do it himself.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
23 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate Bald Mountain in Old Forge isn't too bad.. it has some steep parts but most of it was easy. Hubby won't do anything too strenuous, he has bad knees. If he can do Bald Mountain, almost anyone can!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
24 Feb 17
@katsmeow1213 Thanks for that we might think about it. I looked it up and its a fire tower hike, They are fun because they are not too difficult, If we get out that way it might be a good one to do.
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
I hope you get there and do spread her ashes, I've hiked and drove up Whiteface, its a lot of fun and most of the NY mountains are steep and not easy..but I was younger back then, I won't be climbing any more mountains. We still hike but mostly fairly flat trails.
@averygirl72 (37716)
• Philippines
21 Feb 17
No we don't do hiking or camping as family. Sounds fun and memorable for your family
1 person likes this
@averygirl72 (37716)
• Philippines
21 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate That's really inspiring I wonder if we can do that too in the future
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
21 Feb 17
@averygirl72 Just find someplace that has a trail and follow it, parks and beaches are a good place to start.
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
20 Feb 17
My daughter is very into hiking. With my bad knees my hiking days are over but I do think everyone who can should indulge.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
21 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate I have never gotten the shots, I am holding off using them as long as possible.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
21 Feb 17
@BelleStarr I'm seeing my surgeon about getting the really strong shot but need to know how long it lasts and if my surgery can take place if I have the shots.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
21 Feb 17
I use walking sticks and shots in my knee... Hopefully by the end of the year I won't need the shots...
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
19 Feb 17
I enjoy hiking. Friday afternoon I managed a three mile hike....this afternoon I plan to go again.
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
20 Feb 17
If it stays warm I need to get on the Bruce Trail and take some photos and enjoy the warmth. Good for you!!!
@shaggin (71666)
• United States
27 Feb 17
I absolutely love hiking. I try to go hiking to at least one new place each summer. My kids hate the outdoors so it is a bummer for me :-( That is so wonderful your sister and both your kids went on so many hiking trips together. What a wonderful hobby with I am sure many memories!
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71666)
• United States
28 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate some people love nature and some do not. My kids are like their father he hated being outside.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
I like both but I know a lot of people who do not like to camp[. Hiking is fun and healthy, I'm glad you enjoy it.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
24 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate I have always enjoyed hiking, since I was very young. My father loved hiking.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
24 Feb 17
@LadyDuck I never started until my sister and I camped together.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
23 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate I see and do missed it terribly.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38657)
• Midland, Michigan
1 Mar 17
That's great, marilyn, that your kids and grandkids got into the habit of hiking. Where we live in Michigan, it's fairly flat. Therefore we didn't do any hiking as children, but there was woods behind our house that we spent a lot of time in each summer.
Personally I've hiked up the White Mnts in New Hampshire, and there was a smaller mountain near where we lived that we hiked up several times in the year we lived there.
Maybe I'll write more about my other hikes when I can sit at my desktop again.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38657)
• Midland, Michigan
6 Mar 17
@PainsOnSlate I don't remember any of that either, and probably didn't remember once we went back home. But, that was over twenty years ago now.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
1 Mar 17
WE took a lot of hikes (NYS trails in the Adirondacks). We were in the mountains to camp but many hikes were to see waterfalls and other interesting places (the largest/ oldest Pine tree in the Adirondacks) and the treails were flat and easy so i consider that hiking too, you don't have to go up to be hiking... I did the New Hampshire White Mountain while at college in Vermont..I don't remember what trail or mountain we were on....It was gorgeous....
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
19 Feb 17
I like to walk and hike, now with bad knees I use walking sticks where ever I go..I would like to see Scotland.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246819)
• United States
20 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate Scotland is beautiful, but you must get your knees fixed up first.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
20 Feb 17
It just a matter of driving out of your town and find public land to walk on, hikes and walks to lakes, waterfalls, or interesting mountains. I hope you get there..
1 person likes this
@Yadah04 (3363)
• Philippines
21 Feb 17
@PainsOnSlate yes, i hope too. there are actually several places to go on hiking in our place, but have a little trouble finding time.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
20 Feb 17
I wish I was, I lack endurance. Great exercise too. Nice picture of family, thanks for sharing :-)
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
21 Feb 17
We are proud and now they are doing it with their children,
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
19 Feb 17
I would be a hiker if I could.
I so admire you Paints and the kind of life you have given to your children and family.
So lovely places you have seen and yes it is healthy.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
We still enjoy it but we don't hike mountains anymore, too old and bad knees keep us on level ground.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
19 Feb 17
I remember before telling me about the wonderful times you had camping with your children and now grand children. I must tell you I admire you for it.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
It is something I grew up with and continued with my own children. We love it.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
19 Feb 17
I love to hike but hate the snakes. I do go into my own woods often. We used to go camping when I was younger.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
20 Feb 17
I don't see snakes in my woods and we don't see them while camping. Once out of the 30+ years we have camped a snake was sunning itself on a hot rock. It swam away...Never saw any while hiking, perhaps we weren't looking down... snakes tend to terrify me...
But hiking is something I might enjoy since I jog regularly along a forested area.@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Feb 17
My husband camped once with me and felt the same way about camping as you do. I grew up doing it so I love it and I'm not afraid of animals in the campground, the rangers look after us.
1 person likes this
