Father hiking with teenage daughter who might have her period

[spindle]

Thanks for all the good advice. As it turns out my daughter did have her period on our hike (we went ahead anyway as we were in the area after pickup at spend the night camp). Her mother had had a good conversation with her before the hike and she apparently also discussed this with the older counselors at camp who were experienced in this. Anyway, she was prepared and was a trooper. She was also able to acknowledge what was going on with me which impressed me.
Overall, a great trip.
Kneegrinder

Awesome.

Well done parents!

[olla86]

Asked your wife about help. It is the female bussines

[Jayboflavin04]

Glad to hear things went smoothly on your hike!

[Sweet]

I've hiked hundreds of miles with my teenage daughter, and have found the best solution is to be as open, and natural, about this as possible. Don't make a big deal about it, just remind them to pack for the possible alternative of her period. Give her lots of privacy, particularly if she's a private person. Defend her privacy when around other hikers. (Defend her around bothersome young men, too, by the way.) I found that our trust of each other in the "private times" was one of the most treasured elements of our hike.

My daughter deals with this issue just like she does at home, and she's been using the Cat Hole disposal method... not endorsed by many of the women on White Blaze, by the way. I leave that up to her. Don't make a big deal about it, and enjoy your time together. She'll be more relaxed that way.

[*Monkey*]

Concerned dads could give mom a copy of this article to pass along to their daughters:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Hike-During-Your-Period

Good luck!

[ShoelessWanderer]

Concerned dads could give mom a copy of this article to pass along to their daughters:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Hike-During-Your-Period

Good luck!

What a great article! I'm posting it on my hiking groups page for all our newbie female backpackers.

[ShoelessWanderer]

Asked your wife about help. It is the female bussines

May be female business, but, if the wife isn't around (like on the trail) Dad needs to be ready to deal with it.

[ShelterLeopard]

I've been section hiking for a number of years with my son and my younger daughter wants to do a short section with me this summer. She now has her period which is relatively new to her and is concerned that she will have it when our hike is planned.
I know about packing in and packing out but this is something she has only discussed with my wife and apparently doesn't want to raise with me. How can we get her not to worry about it and avoid the awkwardness of addressing with her father?
Any advice?
Kneegrinder

I haven't read the other posts, so I'll probably repeat some of what has been said. First of all, it really sucks (I never say "sucks" because I don't like the word, except for talking about this) to have your period on trail. But, it always does, on or off trail.

First- I know you really want to hear about how to address the issue about talking with her, but about paking out- she should use a brown paper bag, inside a thick double ziploc bag, inside another thick double ziploc. The brown paper bag is there to basically make it not such a visually disgusting site.

Second- when I was younger (until I got more comfortable with my period), I was pretty much mortified talking with female members of my family about it. But that's because it was a new thing to me. Honestly, it depends on the relationship you have now with your daughter. If you're very comfortable talking about everything, then just bring up the subject of her period on trail, and go with her reaction.

[Rhapsodist]

I work at a coed summer camp and the funniest thing that ever happened was when my coworker Pete FREAKED OUT because we had seven girls on their periods at the same time without a means of disposal. It really isn't a big deal. If you had a cut and bandaged the wound you would carry out the first aid materials you used. Give her a couple small plastic bags that she can carry herself. That way she doesn't have to tell you about it if she doesn't want to. Wet-wipes are also important for maintaining hygiene during that time of the month. She'll be infinitely more embarrassed if she gets toxic shock syndrome or an infection from not taking care of herself.

I know it is awkward, but try to talk to her about it before hand. Nothing graphic, just say that you'll be understanding of her moods or fatigue. It's totally natural and she should be proud of her new womanly status.

[hpark]

As a teen, I used to travel on the road with my dad during the summer. He is a truck driver and I was always scared that I would get my period on the road. It only happened a couple of times. I realize that this is so small in comparison, but I can totally imagine how she might be worried about it. I would let mom prepare her for this.

She might want to check out the Diva Cup. Could be a good option. I wish I would have had it when I was younger.

[Kneegrinder]

As a teen, I used to travel on the road with my dad during the summer. He is a truck driver and I was always scared that I would get my period on the road. It only happened a couple of times. I realize that this is so small in comparison, but I can totally imagine how she might be worried about it. I would let mom prepare her for this.

She might want to check out the Diva Cup. Could be a good option. I wish I would have had it when I was younger.

So was thinking about the AT today and found these posts. Daughter had a great hike and we had some more on the AT. Backpacking was ultimately not her thing but water polo and improv comedy were. She went on to high school and then college and was the comedic graduation speaker at her college. She is now employed and engaged to be married to her college sweetheart next year. The AT was a great experience for her. She learned that if she could do that she could do anything.

[Birthright]

Oh. Just don't hike during that time of the month. Have an exit strategy if it starts on trail.