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  1. #1

    Default My 6 year old daughters first trip on the AT May 2016

    Hello all! Wanted to share my 6 year old's first trip on the AT. She had been begging me to take her on an overnight trip, so I figured I would take her to one of my favorite sections that I have completed. It was one of those last minute drop everything trips, I wasn't really thinking about the time of year it was but figured there would be a few people in the area so I chose the Overmountain shelter do to the size and also not bringing a tent to cut weight. We accessed the AT via Overmountain Victory Trail. When we reached the junction of the AT and Overmountain Victory Trail we headed north on the AT to Little Hump so that she could take in the 360 degree views. On the way back from Little Hump we came into the field that is above the shelter, to my surprise there was already several tents near the shelter and I began to worry that the shelter was full. Once we reached the shelter it finally clicked in my head that we were right in the middle of Thru-hikers making their way north. Luckily the shelter had plenty of room left in the loft for us to set up in a corner. After we unpacked we made our rounds talking with several hikers and she was completely amazed once I told her where everyone was headed and how long it would take to complete what they had set out to do. The next day we woke early to the sounds of everyone getting ready to head out so I told her to grab her sleeping bag and that we would head down to the platforms to eat breakfast and watch the sun rise down in the valley. After we finished breakfast we packed up all our gear and said our goodbyes to a few of the hikers and wished them good luck on their journey. As we hiked back to the car she was non stop talking about her first night on the AT. By the time we got back to the car she had already decided that her next trip she wanted to do 2 nights and experience more of the AT. She could not wait to get back home to tell her mom and all her friends at school about her weekend. I believe she has caught the bug. McKinley AT 11.jpgMcKinley AT 9.jpgMcKinley AT 8.jpgMcKinley AT 7.jpgMcKinley AT 10.jpgMcKinely AT 6.jpgMcKinley AT 5.jpgMcKinley AT 4.jpgMcKinley AT 2.jpgMcKinley AT 3.jpgMckinley AT 1.jpg

  2. #2
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    Your daughter is adorable, and an absolute inspiration to this "old lady".

    Several years ago I met a young girl hiking south with her grandmother to complete the AT in Georgia. I think she was around 10 years old, but I know that she celebrated her birthday out there. She clearly loved her hike and had caught the bug, too.

  3. #3
    Yellow Jacket
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    Fun! Her pack looks as big a she is! I hope it is just an expanded sleeping bag.

    My girls are adults now, but they still talk about backpacking trips.
    Yellow Jacket -- Words of Wisdom (tm) go here.

  4. #4
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    that's awesome!
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by tlbj6142 View Post
    Fun! Her pack looks as big a she is! I hope it is just an expanded sleeping bag.

    My girls are adults now, but they still talk about backpacking trips.
    She has grown into that pack now. She insisted that she carry her own gear.
    Gear List for her bag:
    Sleeping mat
    Sleeping bag
    2 liter water bladder
    head lamp
    hygiene products
    a couple of toys that she insisted on bringing but never played with

  6. #6
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    That's awesome, thank you for sharing!! I'm taking my son on his first overnight hiking trip soon, and hope he has as good a time as your daughter did.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by JackieO View Post
    That's awesome, thank you for sharing!! I'm taking my son on his first overnight hiking trip soon, and hope he has as good a time as your daughter did.
    What is the age of your son? Are you looking to do an overnighter on the AT? If so I am planning a trip for my daughter for sometime this spring for one possibly two nights. Not really worried about mileage. Her last backpacking trip she ran into another girl close to her age (9) and they had a blast playing in the woods together. If you are interested just hit me up.

  8. #8
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Glad I clicked on this post!

    Perfect.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
    Glad I clicked on this post!

    Perfect.
    Yep! This is what it’s all about.

    I went on my first hike with my granddaughter. Can’t wait for our first overnight!
    Last edited by Traffic Jam; 03-07-2020 at 07:37.

  10. #10
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    when our son first hiked with us he carried his "blanky" and "sleeping buddy" and his snacks. Also some water. I think it was 1.5L. It was basically a camelbak with enough room for a few things but not enough room for him to get too much weight. He was probably 4 years old the first time we went out. Unfortunately we got away from backpacking when he was young and he's not "a fan" at this point.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  11. #11
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    Thanks for sharing! I took my kids hiking this past weekend on the Pinhoti, including my 2 year old. Out of the 9 miles we did, he hiked about 3 of them. He kept wanting down whenever we picked him up. It helped that he was copying his older siblings.

    We had a cold overnight, but the kids did better than the parents.

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