#hiking with kids

[strategicallyignoringmytodolist]

One of the best things:

Taking my son on a long hike, which is something he does not particularly like, and distracting him for over two hours with a story about him, his friends, and a zombie apocalypse.

My kid is not much of a reader, unlike me. I've been a book worm since I can remember.

Pausing the story when we had lunch by a lake, and having him ask, "When can we watch the next one?" And then his face when it clicked that this wasn't a TV show.

[travelingonanemptystomach]

Hawaii Family Vacation: Island of Hawaii & Kauai Itinerary

[mountainnamemama]

Birthday Fun | Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, North Carolina, United States

I turned 31 with less fan fair than I ever have for a birthday, however it felt the most memorable. Our first family vacation. I’m feeling so much joy in many dreams coming true. The challenges I had to overcome to get here make every bit of that suffering worth it. Thankful for my sweet and loving husband, as I couldn’t ask for a better partner.

[theliveswithinphotos]

“Kids are curious, and if you don’t lose that, then everything is an adventure.” -Diane Greene

pin

[bricktoygrapher]

Monkey King 🐒

Exploring the forest 🌳🌲🌳🌲

[trailsnacks]

We started out on the Chocolate Lakes Loop trail out of Bishop, CA, on Friday, July 22. The skies were clear, it was a very toasty 100 degrees in Bishop and by the time we got to the trailhead at 2pm, the overnight parking area was packed. Something to keep in mind is that dayhikers likely use the overnight parking area because it is the closest parking area to the trail. Boooo! There are plenty of other parking areas just a bit farther away for dayhikers. Don't be lazy, people. 🙄 Once we got on the trail, it was a constant uphill charge along South Lake to the junction of Bishop Pass and Chovolate Lakes. We opted to hike this loop CW and were glad we did. We first stopped at Bull Lake for a swim and boy was this Lake warm! 👌 Thwn we hiked up to the first Chocolate Lake but it was too small for camping/fishing/swimming/etc. But it was very pretty, especially from the trail at the top, looking down. After another climb we arrived at middle Chocolate Lake and boy oh boy, this was the place. Scenic and big enough for all the things. We found a great campsite which was up the hill about 150 feet from the lake's edge. We walked down to the water after setting up camp and dipped our feet in the chilly water - dang, that felt good! We ended up having the lake to ourselves that evening and the next morning saw a few day hikers. On Saturday, we swam, fished, and explored Chovolate Peak and then packed up camp. We headed over to Ruwau Lake and despite the big climb out of upper Chocolate Lake, we enjoyed the challenge and the views of all the surrounding lakes. Ruwau Lake was one of the most amazing lakes I've ever been to and I've been to a lot. I could have sat at the lakes edge all day staring up at the surrounding mountains. They looks so foreboding and I can't even imagine climbing any of them for fun. There are plenty of tall, lean, folk that do it everyday; we passed several of them on the trail. My son fished Ruwau and was very successful catching the Brook trout that were popping up all over the lake. He convinced me to pull out my Tenkura Teton rod and I'm so glad I did. First cast and I caught a fingerling. Second and third fish were 9-10 inch Brookies! Yes! That night we camped just up off the lake in a nice spot for one tent. Lots of boulders were around for a "nature kitchen" and "nature table" as my kids like to call them. 😜 The hike out on Sunday, the 24th, was hot but mostly downhill. We passed Long Lake which was absolutely gorgeous and then began the slow, steady trek down to South Lake and our vehicles. The biggest thing to know about hiking the Chocolate Lakes Loop trail is that the trail is very primitive in some places, mainly around the lakes. You will lose it and scratch your head wondering where it went. Using a trail app with a built in map or following someone else's track will help immensely. And please, if you go, hike to Chocolate Peak. It's so worth the extra bit of effort!

[wizard-legs]

I’ve always wanted to make a fantasy field guide because my brain chemistry was permanently altered by the kids’ media landscape of the early 2000s. I’ve also really needed to sort of get back to what I love about art lately. So, here’s a little sampler of some… field paintings I did today of some very real subjects.

[portraitoftheoddity]

Foot Care for Hiking - A Guide

Hiking is rough on your feet. Any activity where you spend a lot of time moving around upright is going to be, but between the added weight of a pack, the irregularity of the terrain, and the intensity of conditions in the outdoors with heat, cold, wet, etc., hiking for miles can leave your feet far more sore than walking an equal distance on a flat paved road. From getting blisters to bruising toenails to even cases of trench foot among thru-hikers, there’s a lot of problems that can arise. 

But if you’re out in the backcountry and your feet are blistered and miserable... you still need them to walk out. So it’s essential that you take care of them, so they can carry you and back safely! 

Here are some tips for foot care and maintenance for the new hiker:

BEFORE YOU PLAN TO HIKE

1 - Get Hiking Shoes That Fit Well. This is honestly the biggest thing. 

Proper hiking footwear with decent support and traction is really important, not just for comfortable feet, but also for overall safety. A lot of injuries among novice hikers stem from inappropriate footwear that leads to slipping and falling. Hiking boots, hiking shoes, or hiking sandals designed for cushioning your feet and gripping the terrain are worth investing in, since even an expensive shoe is cheaper than the doctor’s bill for a broken leg (ask me how I know!)

But the right type of shoe won’t matter if it doesn’t fit your foot. If your shoe is too tight, it’s going to pinch and rub against your foot uncomfortably and give you blisters. If your shoe is too big, your foot is going to slip around in it, rubbing against the shoe... and give you blisters. If your toes repeatedly ram into the end of the toebox of your shoe because of poor fit, this will result in achy toes, bruised toenails, and possibly even toenail loss on long-haul hikes. 

When you buy hiking footwear, try to do so in person. Different brands will have different fits, and you may find one in particular is better suited to the shape of your foot. For instance: I almost exclusively wear Keens because of the wide toe box, since I have narrow heels and wide toes on my weird-ass Daffy Duck feet. An associate may be able to guide you, especially if you’re in an outdoors-oriented store.

So once you have some shoes that fit comfortably and are hiking appropriate--

2 - Break Those Bad Boys In. 

Don’t immediately go on a long hike in a brand new pair of shoes you’ve never worn. Practice first wearing them around the house, running errands in them, going for walks in them, running up and down stairs in them, and letting them mold to your feet. Then try some longer walks or short hikes before setting out on a lengthy expedition. If you’re like me and wear specific insoles, wear them in your hiking boots while breaking them in. 

If you notice certain issues, like heel slippage or pressure on the top of your foot if you have high arches, try looking into different lacing techniques. This article has some suggestions, and there’s a lot more techniques out there. Experiment with what lacing technique is most comfortable for you!

PREPARING FOR YOUR HIKE

You have your boots and you’re planning to hike. Awesome! Here are some foot care steps that should be part of your hiking prep routine:

1 - Trim Your Nails. Long toenails can snag, and also can ram into the ends of your shoes, causing bruising, pain, and even ingrown toenails. Google “Hiker’s Toe” at your own risk. Keeping your toenails neatly trimmed is a good preventative step, and one I always take the night before a hike.

2 - If you’re prone to blistering, Tape Your Feet. I know that because of some weirdness in my stance and gait and the shape of my feet, there are spots where I am always prone to blistering on a hike. If you’re a brand new hiker, you might not be aware of any problem spots yet -- or you might be the lucky sort who doesn’t have any! -- but if you know you tend to get blisters on the backs of your heels, or anywhere else, get your tape out. 

I use Leukotape P, since it’s breathable and sticks well even when it gets damp from sweat, but plain old drug store brand cloth medical tape will do in a pinch. Tape up any problem areas preventatively before setting out -- the tape will provide a barrier between your skin and the area of your boot that’s rubbing against it, reducing the friction. It also secures that top layer of skin in place, reducing the shearing effect between upper and lower layers of skin that results in blister formation from repetitive rubbing. 

3 - Put on Good Socks. Your socks should be the right height for your shoe. If you have ankle-high boots, don’t wear low-cut socks; you want your socks to be a consistent barrier between your shoe and your skin. You also want socks that-- like your shoes -- fit. You don’t want them so snug that they’re digging into your calves and cutting off circulation, but they shouldn’t be loose and moving around in your boot either, and the heel cup should line up with your foot’s heel.

For sock material, merino wool is the go-to choice among hikers, though polyester and nylon also make appearances. Wool socks are great because wool stays warm even when it gets a bit damp, and wool socks can absorb a lot of moisture before they feel wet, and dry quickly. As a bonus, wool doesn’t hold on to stink as much as some other fabrics!

4 - Stock Your First Aid Kit. You should always hike with first aid supplies, and I always keep extra blister pads, blister dressings, and medical tape in mine...

ON THE TRAIL

So now you’ve finally hit the trail and you’re heading out into the wilderness -- but you still shouldn’t forget about your feet! Pay attention to any pain, pinching, rubbing, or other discomfort in your feet, and don’t hesitate to take a pause to fix problems as they come up. Got a pebble in your shoe? Don’t suck it up-- stop and take it out! 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to foot first aid, and smart hikers address small problems early on before they have a chance to become big problems and potentially incapacitate you out in the backcountry. So never be afraid or ashamed to stop if something is up with your feet -- you might feel like a pain in the ass if you’re calling a stop while hiking with a group, but I guarantee you, it’s way less trouble to stop for five minutes for someone to fix their shoe than it is to half-carry your friend with horrible blisters the last mile back to the parking lot.

KEEP YOUR FEET DRY

For hikes with a lot of water crossings, I usually pack extra socks in case I fall in and soak a foot. Wet socks and shoes can cause a whole host of problems for your feet, from blisters on a short hike  to trench foot in multi-day hikes in wet conditions. Wearing wool or quick-dry materials in your socks will help, but a spare pair if you get drenched is always helpful. If you get wet and need to change socks -- do it. If you need to take a break to dry out your feet -- do so. 

SPOT THE HOTSPOTS

If you’re hiking at an incline, such as going through hilly terrain or up a mountain, you may feel your shoes slipping and rubbing in new ways, causing chafing or pinching that didn’t happen when you were breaking your shoes in on flat ground. This is unfortunately pretty normal, as the angle of your foot and ankle are different when you’re going up a slope than on flat ground. Be very mindful of hotspots forming from this change in angle and stop to deal with them ASAP!

“Hotspots” are precursors to blisters. When you pause to take your shoe and sock off, you might see an angry red patch of skin, but no visible injury -- yet. At this point, you can still prevent a blister from forming. I mentioned earlier taping up with Leukotape, and I always keep a roll of medical tape in my pack, along with a knife I can cut it with. Blister pads (that essential thing to have in your hiking first aid kit!) are also great -- I’ve kept a bad hotspot from fully turning into a blister and rupturing by putting on a blister pad directly over the affected area, and then securing it in place by taping up the entire back of my foot before continuing. 

DEAL WITH BLISTERS SOONER THAN LATER

If you didn’t notice the warning signs until it’s too late and you’ve got blisters -- again, blister pads. Keep them as cushioned as possible to try to avoid rupturing them. If your feet are in a lot of pain and you’re still outbound, seriously consider turning around and heading back -- it’s only going to get worse, and you’ll be even further from help. There’s being tough, and then there’s being stupid. 

Again: try not to let your blisters rupture. A torn blister is an open wound and an easy vector for infection, plus they take longer than intact blisters to heal. If your blisters do tear, immediately get your first aid kit out and clean and bandage them. Don’t just slap a standard band-aid on them either -- use an actual blister dressing that seals it in on all sides to minimize infection risk. If your blisters are extremely fluid-filled and you can’t get your shoes back on and can’t hike out without draining it and have NO OTHER CHOICE... (this is anecdotal advice and NOT the advice of a medical professional)... sterilize the area and your tools with alcohol wipes, then make a small incision with a knife or pin from your repair kit (again, STERILIZE IT FIRST) at the EDGE of the blister to drain the fluid. Make the incision as small as you can while still allowing it to drain, don’t tear or remove the top of the blister, and then clean and bandage the area thoroughly. Check on your dressings periodically when you take breaks, and change them as needed. 

Side note: Do not apply medical tape directly on an unruptured blister. When you peel that tape off at the end of the day, there’s a good chance it will rip that blister right open and you will scream like a banshee and scare the dog.

TAKE REST BREAKS IF YOU NEED THEM

If you’ve been doing mile after mile and your feet are just sore, take a break, even if there isn’t a blister emergency. Sit down on a nice rock, take your shoes off, rub your feet, air out your socks, and enjoy the scenery. You’re out in nature -- enjoy it for a minute. I’ve stopped by an ice cold babbling mountain brook and let my feet soak for some nice chilling hydrotherapy and to listen to the running water, just because I could. Allow your body to rest a bit, and then continue onward.

AFTER YOUR HIKE / BETWEEN HIKES

You’ve successfully completed your hike and made it home! Now what?

Immediately:

Take off your hiking shoes, and undo the laces so they can air out. Those puppies are gonna be ripe, so maybe toss in some baking soda to soak up the stank. Hot, wet conditions inside hiking boots are a good place for bacteria and fungus to bloom, so don’t just stuff them in a dark and musty closet until they’re good and dry.

Carefully peel off any tape on your feet you’ve added, and tend to any blister dressings or injuries.

WASH YOUR FEET. I shower pretty much immediately after a hike, but always put extra attention into cleaning and scrubbing my feet -- again, don’t want bacteria or fungus. Afterwards, I often rub in some lotion.

After that: 

Take note of any issues you had, and think about how to deal with them in the future. If you got hot spots in certain places, write that down and tape those places up preemptively next time you hike. If your socks kept riding down in your boots, try different socks next time. If you forgot something in your first aid kit, or used up something that needs replacing, make sure you’re well stocked for your next hike.  

If your feet are sore after a hike, a nice hot soak can be very soothing. If they’re swollen, try icing them for 15-20 minutes and elevating them. If foot pain still persists after a couple of days and hasn’t improved, you may want to check in with your doctor as there could be a bigger problem such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, or a stress fracture.

You might find yourself developing calluses in certain places, and while calluses can have protective qualities as your feet’s homemade armor, letting them get too thick can also cause problems. I shave down my calluses periodically and try to keep them at the texture of “supple worn leather” and not “crunchy horn” to avoid cracking and blistering. 

--

Hiking can be a lot of fun, and it’s even more fun when your feet aren’t an absolute disaster zone. So get good shoes, be prepared to address any problems that come up, and listen to your feet. Take good care of them, and they’ll take you anywhere!

[tinkertea]

Dadbod!konig with 2 or 3 of your squealing happy kids hanging in his strong arms while he stands in the deep end of the pool cause he's so tall. Smiling at you over in the shallow end with the smallest baby. He'd be such a fun chill, dad. I just know it 😭

nonnie you're so right about this!!!! dad!bod könig who just looks so incredibly happy and relaxed in the pool outside your family home, regardless of the loud boisterous laughters of your sons, one hanging from each of könig's arms like a spidermonkey. his eyes crinkle when he spots you in your bathing suit, all soft curves with your babygirl cradled in your arms as you make your way towards your family. könig looks so good. he no longer gets deployed and instead opted for desk duty after the birth of your last child. leaving you with two boys already broke his heart each time he flew away but leaving you with two boys and his freshly born princess? he couldn't do it. but that's fine. the money is still enough to provide for your every need. the family life had changed him -- no longer did he have a well-trained six pack of steel but instead a soft tummy covered in hair. you loved it, his soft warm body beneath yours when he was holding you, his arms were still the size of your thighs though. slight laught-lines accentuate his face now and he's got the first streaks of grey in his hair yet he still could make your heart flutter like no other, yet you still felt like the girl who fell in love with the stoic colonel.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Whooooo could have predicted this?

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[chickenoptyrx]

Tag :U

[queen--kenobi]

You know what? Unpopular opinion, but. The first circle of Hell is reserved for people who make hikes marathons. The hell do you want to go so quick for. It's a mountain, it's not gonna move. Stop and look at the leaves

[bonkalore]

Look. I just want that good big brother Jayce content so I can cry over it.

[musubiki]

What was mochi’s exact moment of being in love with lime? We know that like got hit with the truck of feels when mochi started showing Thigh™ but what about childhood crushing mochi?

Also funny if the mob spell keeping mochi on the down low took a dramtic dip in effectiveness when she started showing Thigh™

i think there was a time where he saved her from some bullies in middle school!!! actually it used to be "saved her from being bullied," but since the mob spell development,.., i think the more probable scenario is that mochi tried to help someone else from being bullied (lime didnt care to interfere), but when they turned on her, THEN he stepped in. middle school lime was a bit of a punk so he got into his first REAL fight there. black eye and everything. he won though (mochi high five) and they all got sent to the principles office

that was also the turning point for their friendship pretty much!! because before it was like "ugh the weird girl across the street" / "that jerk who put dirt in my backpack and calls me names" (with an odd sense of camaraderie because its the orders(tm) from the parents that they walk home together and watch out for each other)

but after this event its better between them..,.. mochi thought what he did was cool and starts bringing him sweets from the cat cafe, and limes like "Maybe shes not so bad."

anyway thats when mochi first started to like him!! it was that weird middle school type crush where they seem so cool and you daydream about them being a cool prince and you feel awkward talking to them but still want to be around them as much as possible.

and it just never went away. in fact she tried to ignore it and also didnt tell her mom about it because she knew about the whole witch-love thing, and she didnt want her mom to start separating them (which she definitely would have to prevent mochi having a huge weakness right away)

and obviously over time it got worse. WAY worse when he hit puberty. middle school lime was an average kid. maybe one of those kids that you go "Oh he looks like he'll be cute when he grows up!" but puberty hit him like a fucking TRUCK. got way too tall and handsome way too fast!!! AND with time he also got more and more comfortable with her so he spent more time teasing her. but luckily at the same rate mochi was developing her early witch skills(tm) so she was still good at hiding her feelings (thank god. especially since hed throw in the occasional flirty line to mess with her. a weaker woman would have folded)

and on the side note of the mob spell dipping with mochis shorter skirt: IT DIDNT!!!!!! which is why lime thought he was losing his damn mind!!!!! hes all hot and bothered and no one else seems to give a shit hes like "????? is it just me???" and everyone else is like "is it just you what?"

but i think limes feelings didnt start with the thigh thing, it actually started with the cuddle thing. that time she spent a night or two at his house (first sleepover in forever since tiramisu banned it when they were around 13) and one way or another they fell asleep together, and when lime wakes up to mochi cuddled into his arms hes like "Oh boy....thats not bad actually..." and little did he know admitting that to himself opened a floodgate that he locked shut for years and years

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

I like to think that Wally, Bart and Ace are massive sneaker heads. They aren't into the fashionable sneakers though, they like the sneakers with the 4 inch triple plated soles that got banned from sports for being too good.

Can they wear them? No, of course not. They wear super cheap sneakers and boots because they burn through shoes faster than you can blink. If they bought the super fancy banned sneakers they would shred them in seconds.

They respect them though. They admire from a distance. They know they can't touch the thing they love without destroying it.