Beginner Backpacking with Kids | Stephanie from The Backpacking Mom

TSF Podcast Ep 3 | Stephanie | The Backpacking Mom Tiffany: [00:00:00] Welcome to The Stoke Fam, the podcast designed to help families adventure more and stress less on this show. We give you the confidence and inspiration you need to find your stoke by sharing interviews from real families, doing amazing things, conversations with brands who make adventures easier and all the things we wish we’d known sooner. [00:00:19] Kids: [00:00:19] Come on, let’s go. [00:00:23] Tiffany: [00:00:23] Hey, Stoke Fam. Welcome back. Today, I am talking with Stephanie from The Backpacking Mom over on Instagram, and she is a mom of three who loves to backpack with her kids. She’s been everywhere from places like to Kauai, to the mountains of Idaho. And she even does it when she’s pregnant and when she has babies. [00:00:39] So she’s awesome. Some of her big goals are to raise a generation of adventurers that value sustainability and conservation, and to inspire other families to create memories that are outside and unplugged, their motto is experiences over things. And I just love that. It is so what we try to do is give our kids experiences so that they can grow out of those versus just having things that there are not going to be there forever. So there’s really nobody I’d rather discuss backpacking with kids with, and today we’re diving into just that. So thanks again for being here, Stephanie. [00:01:09] Stephanie: [00:01:09] Thank you for having me. Backpacking is a topic I can talk a lot about. So I’m excited to be here. [00:01:15] Tiffany: [00:01:15] Yay. And I’ll actually tell you, we’ve done a lot of camping over the years and John has backpacked but the kids and I haven’t, so I’m actually really excited about this conversation too, because it’s something we want to do with the kids, but it is -we it’s just like. All the things, we can only do so much at once. So we’re working towards that goal, but I actually just bought my first backpack last night. So I’m really excited because it’s like actually happening. [00:01:36] Stephanie: [00:01:36] Yeah. Congratulations. That’s a huge first step. [00:01:40] Tiffany: [00:01:40] I’m super excited. And this is like the perfect timing for this conversation. [00:01:43]I would love to start off the conversation though, with hearing a little bit about your adventure story and how you got started in backpacking in the first place. [00:01:51] Stephanie: [00:01:51] Totally. So I think I did things a little backwards. I actually started backpacking when I was already a mom. I had moved to Washington state, which is a beautiful state. [00:02:00]We were like right on the coast, you could see two different mountain ranges. There’s the Olympic mountains on one side, the cascade range, which is incredible. And they just call to you. And you’re like, we got to get in these mountains. We need to experience them. And I had already had my son. [00:02:15] And so naturally he just had to come with us. I started backpacking pretty small, some just pretty easy overnights and worked into now we can do multi-day very long trips together as a family. So it’s been a progression, but yeah, it started when we were in Washington state and I started in as adults fell in love with the mountains and I’ve been chasing them ever since. [00:02:36] Tiffany: [00:02:36] So I love that. So I don’t know if we’ve talked about this before, but a lot of this stuff that we are doing now with our family I started as an adult too. I didn’t do a ton of it as a kid. So I love hearing other people say the same thing. Cause there’s so many people who are like, Oh, I’ve just always done it -it’s always been a part of life, but it’s a different thing when you’re learning as an adult. So I love hearing other people who’ve done the same thing anyway. So a little tangent there, but I really love that perspective when somebody else is like, Oh, I started it and picked it up as an adult. [00:03:04] It means that you can do it anytime. It doesn’t matter. [00:03:06]Stephanie: [00:03:06] It’s never too early and it’s never too late to start is what we like to tell people. [00:03:11] Tiffany: [00:03:11] Yes. Yes. I love that so much. So one of the first things I wanted to ask you is -can you tell us- I know that a lot of our listeners are parents who maybe want to get started in backpacking or more outdoor adventures and they just aren’t sure how to do it, or maybe they’re a little nervous. [00:03:29] And so if you had anything that you would tell them before they started backpacking what would you say would be some of the most important things they should do or consider or. Or have first. [00:03:41]Stephanie: [00:03:41] So I think the first thing that you need to do is just go, and that sounds a little crazy. But you do just need to go and experience it and start small. [00:03:50]Don’t charge into a 30 mile trip on your first trip. Pick an easy overnight I’m talking like two or three miles, so that. If things really go poorly, you can bail. If you need to, especially if you have kids or young kids involved, you want a confidence boosting trip a trial run to test like, Oh, this worked really well. [00:04:08] Or, Oh my gosh, that was horrible. We never want to do it again. And you’re just not going to get those fine tuning moments. We could talk for 24 hours on this topic and it still would not replace experience and like you experiencing those things for yourself. So I would say starting small. And then using the things that you already have. [00:04:26] So for that first backpacking trip, my husband, then the time only, he was the only one that had a true backpacking pack. I had a backpack that was not made for backpacking. We had a tent that was not made for backpacking. It didn’t even have a matching rain fly. We had stolen that from another tent that didn’t have all its parts. [00:04:45]We brought all the wrong things like canned food, which in the backpacking world is like a huge, like that’s so heavy. We packed in all our water. We didn’t need to, but we didn’t have any way to filter water. So we just packed all our water. We did a lot of things now that like I would never do, but we didn’t know. [00:05:02] And we just had to go. And that first experience on the beach. We backpack to this remote beach with our son was magical and you’re camping on the beach and there’s a sunset and it was like, we want to do this and we want to do this a lot. And that first trip ignited this spark. And those memories that we created were memories we wanted to keep creating. [00:05:24] So you have to go have to experience it and to do that. You just need to jump in with whatever you might or might not have. [00:05:32] Tiffany: [00:05:32] I absolutely love that because actually that was a conversation we were having last night is. And we haven’t really announced this anywhere yet, but I will, I’ll drop it here. [00:05:39] We are- we have a camper on order that’s like an off-road style camper. And so it’s a truck bed camper. So it’s just going to go in the back so we can do still like forest service roads to get deeper. And then our hope is to then take backpacking to be like, Even deeper. So like to stage those and have a home base, but then also be able to go a little further with backpacking. [00:05:57] So what we were talking about last night is that we have a standard car camping tent, but we’re also dropping this money on the camper. And so we’re like, I don’t really want to buy like technical backpacking tents for us right now. But as we were talking, we’re like, Everybody has hammocks and we all love our hammocks. [00:06:16] Why can’t we just start with that? Because we have it, right? And then if we decide, we want to get the backpacking tents later, we can totally do that. But there’s nothing that says that we can’t sleep in our hammocks. And so use what I love that use what you have and it’s more economical and you can see how it goes and then decide what works and what doesn’t. And so that’s, I love that. And we could totally plan around the weather right now. So not a huge deal. [00:06:39] Stephanie: [00:06:39] Yeah. And that’s a hundred percent the mindset you need to have, because if you’re on Instagram, if you’re on anywhere, there is this feeling like. Oh, my gosh. I need to have all these things. And while those things make it easier you’re not going to know what’s important to you to drop that money on until you’re out there and Oh my gosh, I just experienced the worst night of my life. Like maybe you’re not a hammock sleeper, but you won’t know until you try the things that you already have, and it doesn’t need to be an expensive sport. [00:07:06] Use what you have. So I love that mentality that you already have just go just try it out. [00:07:12] Tiffany: [00:07:12] Yes. I agree so much with that. So when you took that first trip with your kid, how old was he? [00:07:18] Stephanie: [00:07:18] So he was three at the time and I didn’t know it, but I was actually pregnant with my daughter and I didn’t know it then, but I was yeah, he was three. [00:07:28]It was an experience. [00:07:30] Tiffany: [00:07:30] And you guys did just a couple of miles. [00:07:32] Stephanie: [00:07:32] Yeah. It’s about a three mile trip and then it brings you to a beach and you can walk, up to two miles on that beach, wherever you want to find a camping spot, but three miles to the beach. I think maybe we walked another half mile or so to find our spot. [00:07:46] Tiffany: [00:07:46] Awesome. And another thing I think sometimes parents worry about, especially with like young kids, like babies and toddlers is sleep. So I know that’s always, like my kids are getting older, so it’s a little easier now. But I remember when we went camping the first few times when they were younger, it was definitely more of a challenge to get them to settle down into bed. [00:08:02] And I just, are there any tips or things you can do to ease parents’ mind about trying to get them to sleep out in the wilderness? [00:08:10]Stephanie: [00:08:10] I think my best tip would be to just let it go. Like you just gotta let it go. They might sleep. They might not. If you’re stressed about them all my gosh, just go to sleep. Just go to sleep. They’re not going to sleep. [00:08:22] So we’ve always just thrown routine out the window. And I say that as someone who values routine, my baby right now is six months. We have him on a sleep schedule that has worked really well. That being said, we just took him to Guatemala and totally rocked his little baby world. [00:08:39]And it’s okay. We knew that we were going to do that. We’re back home and he’s back on his schedule. So you just have to let go of your expectation. And even adopt the expectation that it might be challenging. Kids are going to want to be close to you. So it might not be that they keep their regular bedtime. [00:08:55] They’re probably going to want to sleep when you sleep. So when you’re all ready to go to bed, you all go to bed together. And bringing some comfort items that they always sleep with a blankie we’ve always packed in blankies and one special comfort item that really helps with babies -white noise. [00:09:12] We camped with our baby recently and we used white noise on our phones. There’s just an app you can use, even if you’re not in service to continue that if that’s something that they’re used to. So trying to not totally abandon everything that they’re comfortable with bringing a few comfort items. Or the white noise and then just knowing that yep. -They’re going to be off their schedule and it might be really hard at first. [00:09:37] Tiffany: [00:09:37] Yeah. I love that because I think that we were very much the same way- like how to schedule. Especially with our first ,our second was a little different, but our oldest needed the schedule, but we also would take him on trips and he’d stay up super late with us. [00:09:50] And. It’s just get back to the routine when we came back and I think there’s so much value in. And also, I was always worried about like his attitude and stuff. Is it he going to have utter meltdowns? But honestly, when we were outside, his attitude was so much better. It was really okay. [00:10:03]There’s a total difference with being at home and not getting enough sleep and being on an adventure that’s exciting and fun and where they’re enjoying being outdoors and all of those things it’s completely different. So I think those are great tips. [00:10:15]Stephanie: [00:10:15] It is different. And they do just, they are adaptable. [00:10:18] I think they’re more adaptable than we think that they are. And kids I know from being from my experience and actually evidence-base will tell you that they do better than the outdoors. It’s good for them. That’s where they can really flourish and thrive. So yeah, you do have to let go of some of that and understand, Hey, it probably is going to be a little better than you think it is. [00:10:37] Tiffany: [00:10:37] Yes. Yes. All right. Awesome. I love that. So the next thing I think people often think about is how do they make sure that they are prepared in case, something bad happens or what precautions should they take to be safe? Do you have any tips or suggestions for listeners. [00:10:55] Stephanie: [00:10:55] Totally. I’ve said this before. [00:10:57] There is a difference between being educated and just jumping in knowing what you’re getting into, but like we’re committing and we’re going to try this out versus wandering like blindly into the woods without taking the time to educate yourself. So there’s a difference between the two. [00:11:14] Tiffany: [00:11:14] Yes. [00:11:15]Stephanie: [00:11:15] Researching the trail conditions. [00:11:18] Seeking out expert opinion, like what is a good beginner backpacking trail? I have hundreds for the Pacific Northwest -Idaho specifically, but I have a lot of suggestions for Pacific Northwest as far as what trails would be great for beginners. So seeking out that guidance, there’s a blog post about it. [00:11:36] Google’s your best friend. If you just type in beginner backpacking trip for your area. So go in with a knowledge of the trail, what you might encounter. Are there river crossings? Are there tides that we need to worry about? Knowing what you might encounter, being ready for it. Or the wildlife -is this bear country? Cause you’re going to want to take some more precautions if it is. [00:11:57]In addition, check the weather. A nice beach backpacking trip is not so nice if you have sideways, wind and rain, that’s, you’re going to want to prepare a little bit differently. So be educated. Do your due diligence. Seek out that expert advice so that you can be ready for the adversity that you might encounter. [00:12:21] And there are other practical things. We use an app called Gaia that’s G a i a, and it is a satellite locator. So you can use it when you’re not in service. It’s run off satellites. It’ll tell you exactly where you are on a map on the trail. I always look at it ahead of time. Okay. This is where we’re headed. [00:12:40] This is the goal. This is how far we’ve come, so if you get off route, you will quickly know. That’s definitely something I would recommend to have a program like that around. And of course they always take a paper map with me if we are. Truly out in the middle of nowhere. You want to not always rely on your electronics that have a paper map also, and know how to read it. [00:13:00] So there are some prep work that you need to do, but starting small with those smaller trails, those beginner trails will build confidence so that you can take on some of those bigger, more remote trips. Later on, but you do want to be ready and know what adversity you might encounter. [00:13:15] Tiffany: [00:13:15] I absolutely love that we are huge fans of Gaia too. [00:13:17] I use it for our hikes. I use it for when we go off-roading on forest service roads, and we’re trying to find little trails and spots for camping, dispersed camping later. And I love that you can also like pinpoint things to come back to it’s I want that app. We use it all the time. And I love your your tips too, about having the paper map, because we have a story which I won’t get into today. [00:13:36] Cause it would take too long. I’ll have to tell this story sometime, but when we were not prepared and did almost get lost, didn’t have a map ran out of cell phone signal. It was a whole thing and trails weren’t properly mapped and it was really supposed to be one of those short trails. Like it was a day trip. [00:13:49] It was -should not have been difficult. Something had happened to one of the signs and there was a river crossing that had -anyway, it was over full. And so things weren’t clear. And so things happen even on what are supposed to be just short day hikes. It was only supposed to be a couple miles and no big deal, very highly trafficked area. [00:14:04] We didn’t think it was necessary. This was way back in early days, but it definitely can happen no matter what. So having that backup and knowing how to use it as super important, we learned our lesson and I think… selfish question. This was something else that we were asking or talking about last night is what do you personally do when it comes to your food? [00:14:24] Do you use a bear canister? Do you use an, is it an Ursack? Is that what they’re called? I think, or I know there’s or do you hang, what did, what is your preference? [00:14:32] Stephanie: [00:14:32] So it depends where we are. In national parks, a lot of them. So Olympic national park requires bear canisters to be backpacking. So that kind of answers our question. [00:14:41]We use a bear canister, it’s the rules. Whereas an Idaho, I’m a little more relaxed. They don’t really care what you do with your food. Best practice though, is to hang your food from a tree, I think it’s at least six feet away from the base and like 10 feet up. Honestly, even if you’re not worried about something large, like a bear, I have had squirrels and chipmunks and marmots, which is an Alpine rodent chew through my backpack to get to food. [00:15:10]They’ll chew through tenths. So they’re just pesky things that you don’t want to get to your food either. So best practice is to hang your food. If there aren’t any regulations, if there are regulations or if you are in bear country, you definitely want to be more careful to take that seriously in Glacier National Park, which has a lot of very large bear activity, we were very careful with our food. You don’t want the scent on you. You don’t want that near your tent anywhere. And they are very specific on what they want you to do with your food. In fact, at all back country sites, they have a hanging station there for you. So you clip your bag of food on there. [00:15:48]Raise it way up in the air. They have a designated eating area, so you’re not eating close to your tent. So following the regulations of where you might be, and then when in doubt, hang your food. [00:16:00] Tiffany: [00:16:00] Yeah, super smart. And John was saying the same thing about rodents. He’s honestly said, that was what we had growing up that’s what he had the biggest issue with was like squirrels and mice and stuff, trying to get into things. So yeah totally hear you there. So I know that you do a lot of work on preparing for, making sure now that you’ve been there and you’ve done that, you’ve practiced, you’ve done the small trips. [00:16:18] You’re doing bigger trips and you do a lot of work preparing to make sure that everything is it set and safe. You do your research ahead of time. You do all of these things to make sure things go smoothly, but I’m guessing it doesn’t always go. Can you share with us a time where maybe things didn’t quite go as planned, that all of your planning and all of your experience was extremely beneficial or has, or made a big difference for you so we can learn from your experience? [00:16:45] Stephanie: [00:16:45] I can, and I have one experience in mind. We took on a pretty ambitious trip to the Napali coast in Kauai. Perhaps you’ve heard of it or you’ve maybe seen pictures of it. It’s where Jurassic park part of it was filmed, big, impressive, jagged peaks that are like lush. [00:17:02] It’s a gorgeous area. And I had read all about the trail. Definitely strenuous, definitely some dangers I wanted to be prepared. I joined a Facebook group all about the trip. I sought out people who had done it with kids, ask them for their opinion. I like scoured YouTube for video footage of the trail. [00:17:22] I wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into. And when I looked at it, when I read it, I said, you know what? My family has done more dangerous things in this -we’ve climbed mountains. Like we can definitely handle this trail. The biggest danger of those trails, there have been fatalities on the Napali coast is when those rivers -you have to cross quite a few, get flashed flooded due to rain. [00:17:45]That is probably the number one danger there. So knowing that, it’s don’t cross a flash flooded river. Okay. We got it. So we did, we took on this hike. It was amazing. I was right. We definitely could handle the strenuous trail. I had my kids at the time. They were 10 and six. I want to say when we did it, I did not have my baby then. [00:18:07] And it was hard, but we did it. We backpacked into this gorgeous beach. It was amazing. I had checked the weather forecast beforehand. It had called for scattered showers, which did not seem like a big deal. And we were just on cloud nine. We had an amazing trip. So we are the night before we’re supposed to hike out. [00:18:27]It starts raining in the middle of the night and I’ll never forget it’s. It’s not raining, it’s pouring it’s down pouring. My son woke up thinking there was a helicopter landing, cause there was a helicopter, like a grassy area with a sign that said Hey, in emergency helicopters, land here. [00:18:42] So he’s like mom, there’s a helicopter coming. I’m like, no, it’s just the rain. It’s that loud man. And my husband’s like tapping me. He’s Hey. Hey, that’s not good. I’m like, thank you. [00:18:56] Tiffany: [00:18:56] Yeah no, it’s not. [00:18:58] Stephanie: [00:18:58] It is not good. You’re right. Like astute observation, dear. So it’s raining a ton and we’re really worried about it. So the next day it let up in the morning. We pack all our soaking wet bags. We have a huge hike ahead of us, but we’re like, let’s check this out. Cause flash flooded rivers, they can rise very quickly. They can also go down pretty quickly. So the rain let up, we packed up, we get to the first river crossing, which is not very far, maybe half a mile away from this gorgeous beach. [00:19:28] That river was raging and we were there with some other backpackers that was trying to get out as well. And we’re all okay, we’ll wait this out. While we’re waiting there, it starts down pouring again. And in that 24 time, 24 hour time period, this beach received 50 inches of rain, which is record setting. [00:19:49]It was a huge national disaster for Hawaii. It was insane. So needless to say, we did not cross that river. We went back with the backpackers. We pooled our resources. The coast guard eventually did come. We could see them flying to the town like American red cross helicopters were flying by us the whole time. [00:20:10] The town where the trail head was actually several houses had been like washed out to the ocean. The bridge had been washed out. Like even if we had made it to the Trailhead, our rental car, we later found out it was gone and yeah, we wouldn’t have got made it very far if we had gotten to the Trailhead and tried to cross those rivers. But we didn’t because we knew that would be putting our kids in on, in unsafe conditions we stayed. So the coast guard dropped us a radio, almost Hey, are you guys okay? [00:20:39] We know you’re there. We’re going to come get you, but we’re busy evacuating this larger town. So we’re like, no, we’re okay. We’re here. And the sun had come out. So we’re like stranded on this gorgeous beach for the next two days. We hung out again. We pooled our resources with the other folks that were stuck there. [00:20:55]Played some fun UNO games. And we actually had a good time and then the coast guard did come and airlift us out two days later. And that being said, I did do my research. We had everything we needed to be successful. I had looked at the weather report that called for scattered showers. [00:21:12]Which is now a running joke in our family, just scattered showers, mom. So you just never know. Yeah, I got you just totally fine. But yeah, you never know what could happen and you want to be prepared and you want to know what your dangers are so that you can stay safe. So that’s one kind of very large example of when things didn’t go as planned. [00:21:34] But I feel like we made decisions that kept our kids safe. Like I never, at any point felt like we were in harm’s way we just stayed put. [00:21:43]Tiffany: [00:21:43] Which is really smart. I think too is knowing when you’re in a location or a situation where you’re not comfortable -knowing when to either turn back or just stay put right. [00:21:53] Listening to your gut when something doesn’t feel right. And just saying, Nope, the best scenario is for us to hold tight or to turn around when you’re on a trail. It’s so tough sometimes when you’re like, we’ve gotten so close, we’re almost there. But sometimes the smartest thing is to listen to that gut instinct and do what it’s telling you to do. [00:22:08]And your training, of course, like it all comes into play, but. Your experience and your training and your gut instinct are invaluable when you’re outdoors. I think. So I have to I wanted to go back for a second to your story. So you, how long was this trail in all? And remind me on this one, is it’s an out and back, right? [00:22:24] It’s not a thruhike, right? So it’s so you guys were like, basically as far in, as you could go almost at when this happened. And how many miles in is that? [00:22:34] Stephanie: [00:22:34] Yeah. So it’s about 11 miles. It is out and back. It’s 11 miles to the beach and then 11 miles back there. Isn’t like a middle point to halfway point. [00:22:43] You can camp at. It’s about six miles in. We had done that on the way in, and then the plan was to just hike all 11 miles on the way out in a day. [00:22:52] Tiffany: [00:22:52] Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah. We actually went to Kauai two years ago as a family and it was after this incident, which had washed out everything. So unfortunately we did not really get to explore it in Napali that much. [00:23:04] We did take a helicopter ride that was as close as we got, but there were. All the roads were still closed because of this incident that you were trapped in, everything was wiped out. [00:23:12]Stephanie: [00:23:12] Adventure family community. But it is crazy. We were some of the last people to backpack in because you’re right. [00:23:18] The trail was washed away. They had to do so much trail maintenance. A lot of the roads were still under landslides. I think they had to rebuild a bridge even. It really caused a lot of damage and harm to that area. I believe -like I know that it’s rebuilt and open now, but there’s quite a few more restrictions on like permit access and even permits to park at the Trailhead and in that area around Kauai, because it is beautiful and they’re trying to protect it from overuse. [00:23:45]Tiffany: [00:23:45] Yeah. Yeah. And I I, yeah I think that is a smart thing in certain areas because especially highly. High tourist areas. It’s beautiful. We all want to experience it, but if we’re not careful, we can really destroy it. If we’re not taking some precautions there. [00:24:01] And but yes, I heard that it was open to, and we’re like, Oh, it’s time to plan a trip and go back. Cause now we can actually do that part of the Island that we couldn’t do before. I really love that. And how did your kids handle being stuck out there? Did they freak out? Were they calm? [00:24:13] Did they, how did they react? [00:24:15]Stephanie: [00:24:15] This is a huge point that I’m glad you’re bringing up. They matched my anxiety level directly. Just keep that in mind. And, as a nurse that tends to happen to either family or other nurses or even other healthcare professionals will match your anxiety level. [00:24:31] So I remember distinctly sitting on that side of the river. We had put up this makeshift tarp over us so we’re not just getting soaked and I’m looking at this river and I’m looking at my husband and we’re in exchanging like a “Oh man…” look. And I realized that these kids are sitting there watching us, and I was like, okay. [00:24:52] “Hey guys looks like we’re going to be here for a minute. How about some candy?” And immediately… [00:24:59] Tiffany: [00:24:59] Pro mom tip right there. Pro mom, tip. [00:25:01]Stephanie: [00:25:01] Just out the candy. Yeah, candy and snacks. That’s all they really want. And I broke out some like the good candy, like high sugar, like they really wanted it. It was my bribe candy for the hike, but I broke it out. I like gave him the whole bag and I was like, here guys, like we’re going to be here for a minute. [00:25:17] And then the next thing you know, they’re like, okay, smiling and chatting. And I think my eldest started building like little, like dams, trying to stop the trail that had become a river itself. And they just started playing and I realized in that moment, I’m like, okay you need to keep this in check. [00:25:35]These kids are going to match your anxiety levels. So me and my husband did have several conversations, how are we going to handle this? We can only stay here so long. Like at some point our food reserves are going to run out. So there’s this constant do we stay, do we go and face the risk of the unknown, but we have those conversations separately and we put on a good front for the kids. [00:25:57] They stayed very calm and actually they contribute to an overall fun vibe for almost all the backpackers there. Like there, they were the only kids, there were the only parents crazy enough to March are six and 10 year olds, 11 miles to the beach. But they kept it light and fun and we laughed and we actually had a pretty decent two days there with them. [00:26:16] But we did have to check our own feelings and bring it down so that they weren’t feeling scared or unsafe or anxious themselves. So, yeah. [00:26:26]Tiffany: [00:26:26] That makes total sense. And I think you’re so right. It happens. I think we all know as parents, right? Like it happens in every situation. Those are just the situations where it really tests us and our ability to remain calm when stress happens so that they don’t feed off of that and get terrified because it can happen so quickly. [00:26:46] Stephanie: [00:26:46] Yeah. And when you think of how you want your kids to handle any emergency, whether you’re in the back country or not -Usually anyone freaking out or adding anxiety to any type of emergency or stressful situation, doesn’t help, no matter what it is. So it was also a good lesson to me is like modeling how to deal with stress, modeling how to deal with potential life threatening stress. [00:27:09]And it’s never going to be helpful to freak out. So just staying calm was a good practice for me and then modeling to them, Hey, this is how you handle real life issues. You’re not gonna freak out. You’re not gonna run around crazy. Cause that’s not going to help anything. We’re going to think through this and we’re going to have these conversations logically and calmly. [00:27:27] So that was a good lesson for us as parents to, to be reminded in. [00:27:31] Tiffany: [00:27:31] Yeah. I love that. And it goes across with so many other situations too, when you can learn to think calmly and logically through so many applications in life. I love that. Are there any last tips or anything you really wanted to share with our audience about backpacking? [00:27:45] I have a couple of questions we’ll ask you that I’d like to ask everybody, but I just wanted to know if there’s anything else that you thought of while we’ve been talking that you’re like, Oh, that’s something I really would love to share with the audience about getting started with backpacking. [00:27:58] Stephanie: [00:27:58] So backpacking, we already did touch on it. It, it can be very intimidating. There’s a lot of gear that goes into it. Again, you’ll hear me often just say, just go take what you have use what it is, whatever it might be and go, you will figure out the rest as you go along. The other thing is you need to expect from your kids. Like they’re going to be kids, whether you’re at home or in the middle of nowhere. So if you can train your mind to go into any backpacking experience, knowing that your child is going to whine, they are going to complain, they’re likely to throw a tantrum at some point -they’re out of their element too. [00:28:38]And if you can expect that when it happens, you’re not like, Oh my gosh, we put in all this energy and they’re just melting down and complaining. From, Oh, Hey, I expected this to happen. Here it is. Yeah. We knew this was coming. We’re just going to wait it out or responding to your child, however they need to be responded to when they’re having a meltdown or tantrum, whether it’s a snack, whether it’s just a few quiet moments, you’re more prepared because it will happen. [00:29:04] My family does this all the time and not once has anyone ever marched happily uphill for miles singing a song. Like, Nope, we’re on the side of the trail, melting down tears. You name it, these kids are kids, whether we’re in the middle of nowhere or at home. So you have to expect some of that and be just ready for it. [00:29:24] So if you’re ready for it, it’s not as horrible. [00:29:27] Tiffany: [00:29:27] Yes. I’m so glad you brought that up because it’s something that we noticed no matter what, like some days. We like- when we go snowboarding some days it will be like this mostly perfect day. But even on the days that we’re like, that was the best day ever. [00:29:40] Somebody had a meltdown somewhere and we had to break out the Skittles. Let’s be real. Like it happens to everyone. And I love that. You said kids are kids no matter where they are, because it really doesn’t matter. The meltdowns are still going to happen. You don’t ever go through a whole day with your kids, that nobody has any ups and downs ever anywhere. So you can’t really expect it when you take them out of their element and add extra stresses to that too. It’s fun, but there’s also extra stresses on them. Like they’re being pushed in their physical limitations and their mental limitations when you take them on these adventures and they’re very character building and there’s a lot of great things about it, but it’s more of a stretch for them. [00:30:14] So I love, love, love that you brought that out and we 100% use bribe candy, too. Yeah, 100%. If you get nothing else out of this episode, bribe candy! [00:30:25]So one last thing I wanted to ask you is with, is there actually two things? Is there anything that you wish you knew sooner about backpacking? Something you wish somebody had told you before that first beach backpacking trip? [00:30:39]Stephanie: [00:30:39] I do have one thing. So this is contradictory. We have figured this out for ourself in the backpacking community, proper, I’m going to say your majority of backpackers don’t bring kids, right? They’re like ultra light there. They’ve got an ultra light pack. They’ve got an ultra light tent. Some of them don’t even bring stoves and they like cold soak their food. Yeah. They’re going for 30 mile days, hardcore, right? That’s the back real backpacker, right? [00:31:09] Me and my husband have actually morphed into what we call like luxurious backpacking. Bringing, all the things like, we’re out there with a packed raft. We’ve got the tent, we’ve got our hammocks all week. I think we’ve brought a kite to the beaches that we go to. [00:31:27] We’re like- why wouldn’t we, this is fun. We brought fishing poles, like things are strapped to our pack. We’ve evolved from this take as little as you can, to know where you want to take all the things that we can, because it’s fun. We’re out there with kids, so you’re not, you’re never going to get in a 30 mile day with kids, so that’s not going to happen. Your pack is already heavy because you’re hauling all this stuff for kids. Like you’re already packing a lot of things, right? So we’re like, you know what, we’re gonna make this really enjoyable. So we bring twinkle lights, that kind of Christmas lights that are battery powered to have as like a nightlight when you have to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. [00:32:07]I wished that I would have just indulged more in some of these fun things earlier on. And when you’re new, your pack’s going to be heavy and you have to train your body anyway to carry that much weight. Anything extra feels like a lot. So maybe don’t dive right into that. [00:32:23] But as soon as I was like, no, like this can be fun. We’re going to bring some toys. I was just like, yeah, we should. Why wouldn’t we like, this is great. I love having all this stuff out in the middle of nowhere. [00:32:32]Tiffany: [00:32:32] And some things don’t have to weigh a lot too. So you can figure out what the fun factor items are that aren’t super heavy. [00:32:38]And obviously, leave the super heavy ones at home, but figure out your fun factor items or your comfort items that are lightweight, like your twinkle lights don’t weigh a whole lot. But it’s fun. And it makes the, I love that. Cause it’s like, it gives you like a whole vibe at your campsite, right? [00:32:49] Like that just changes things. So I love that tip, but I also really love that. You said maybe don’t start there the first time. So you’re not like, Oh my gosh, why do I have a million pounds on my back? You can find that balance that works for you. Figure out your packing game and all of that, and then go from there. But I love that tip. [00:33:03]And then my last question for you today is what is the one piece of gear you couldn’t do without? And I know a backpack is obvious, so I wasn’t really thinking of that. Some sort of a pack to carry your gear in. Even if it’s you just what you already have at home, but I would, and it may be that it’s even what you, we already talked about is Gaia or something like that. [00:33:19] But what is there one piece of gear that just has made things so much easier for you that you could not do this without, or the moment you got it? You were like, I wish I’d had this five years ago. [00:33:30] Stephanie: [00:33:30] Definitely. So I have two I can’t isolate to one. I have to first off being a Jetboil, those are pretty expensive. [00:33:36]They’re pricey. It took us a while to get one. We did not start with one. You do not need to start with one, but the convenience factor of a jet boil, it boils water very quickly. You need boiled water for most dehydrated food. If you’re bringing kids, you’re bringing dehydrated food, there’s no other way. [00:33:51]So it’s just so convenient and easy and fast, you can get dinner going really quickly. It’s self-contained I love the Jet Boil. They make a Sumo jet boil that can boil, like it’s close to two liters, so it can feed our it’s enough water for our family of four with one go. You don’t have to like, do another round. [00:34:10] So Jet Boil I love that piece of gear. The other thing we tried out this last summer for the first time was a double air mattress and double sleeping bag. And this is twofold because it saves weight. It saves space. One person can carry the pad. The other person can carry the sleeping bag. [00:34:30] Whereas you’re usually both carrying both items. So it saves space. And Oh my gosh. I did not know. I could be that comfortable in the middle of nowhere. I was like, this is amazing. Like that pad that we have, it’s a Big Agnes Double Sleeping Pad and it is like almost three inches when you inflate it. And it just feels so nice. [00:34:55] And yeah, and the sleeping bag, you’re cuddled up with your husband and cause normally you’re cold, but I can just use all of his extra warmth. And it was great. I was not cold ever. It saves space. Like win that being said, those are fairly expensive backpacking items we invested because I’m the backpacking mom. Like we do a lot of backpacking, so it was worth it for us to invest in those items. But we didn’t figure that out -that’s just last year and we’ve been doing this for almost 10 years. So those are my favorite products. I love them so much. [00:35:28] Tiffany: [00:35:28] Yeah. It doesn’t mean that you have to absolutely start with the most expensive things and actually think Big Agnes in the world of outdoor gear, I think is very reasonably priced. [00:35:35]They but they tend to make really good gear. So I think that’s awesome. And I am a huge fan of a Jetboil. My husband had a backpacking stove from them before, but then we recently replaced our camping stove. Cause my old vintage Coleman, that was my great-grandfather’s died [00:35:50] But we like, it was… [00:35:51]Stephanie: [00:35:51] so cool. [00:35:52] Tiffany: [00:35:52] I know. I’m like- it’s it actually finally quit working. I would love to have it refurbed because I just hate to get rid of it. It’s still on a shelf in the garage, but we bought the Jet Boil Genesis for our camping stove that has the two burners and opens up and it has like folds into itself. [00:36:06] It is so nice. And that thing has so much control. It boils so fast. It literally gives us almost as much control as we have on like our home gas stove. It’s amazing. We can actually cook dinner so quickly while we’re outside. And I just, I love it. Love it. So I suspect that I would absolutely love the Sumo as well because. [00:36:22] We’re already huge fans and you can even with the Genesis you can actually attach. A backpacking on as a third burner. So then onto the same system. Yeah, it’s super cool. So you can actually end up with three burners. So if you’re at camp for awhile, like if you’re car camping or camper camping and you’re dispersed, you can set up your outside, set up and have three burners and have coffee and breakfast going at the same time. [00:36:43] I know it sounds like such a luxury, so I’m like swanky. So anyway, we really love that stove and adding the third Jet Boil or the backpacking one would just make it even more versatile for us. Super cool. Thank you so much for those tips. I love it. And now I’m like even more excited to do our first trip. [00:37:00] So thank you again so much for joining us and for sharing all of these things. I am super excited to share this with our audience and just to learn more from you too, because I think that it’s super valuable when you have other families too, that are doing these outdoor adventure things. Cause it’s so different when you talk to a friend who solo adventures or just two adults who go then when you have to bring kids in the mix, it changes so much. And I just really appreciate you coming on and sharing your expertise with us. [00:37:30] Stephanie: [00:37:30] Thank you for having me and you’re right. Kids do change the dynamic, but not in a bad way. [00:37:35] Like I’ve done more adventuring with my kids than I ever did without. So it’s totally different ball game, but we love it. It can absolutely be done. It is not unattainable. And I’m so happy that you invited me on here and I am available honestly, to answer any other questions anyone might have. [00:37:53]So feel free to always shoot them my way. [00:37:55] Tiffany: [00:37:55] Awesome. Thank you so much. Can you actually share with our audience how they can find you? [00:37:59] Stephanie: [00:37:59] Yeah. So my biggest platform right now is Instagram. I’m The Backpacking Mom on Instagram. I always answer all my DMs if anyone has questions. So feel free to reach out to me there.. [00:38:11] Thanks again, Stephanie, for joining me today for this conversation, it was such a blast to chat about backpacking with kids. And now I’m even more excited to get some of our first backpacking trips underway. I wanted to leave you guys with a few takeaways from our conversation and the first one is to start small with what you already have. For your first backpacking trip pick a hike that is short, just a few miles, something that, you can easily bail on if all goes terribly and to start with what you already have, like Stephanie did for her first backpacking trip with a regular backpack and a regular tent. Or take your hammocks if you have those, like we plan to do just start and get out there and you can adjust each trip after that. Number two let go of those sleep schedules. It’s not going to be the same out there, but your kids will adjust. They’re adaptable and it’s all going to be okay. You can get everybody back on schedule. When you get home, everybody’s going to have a blast and it’ll be fine. [00:39:01] And number three, just get started. But that doesn’t mean to walk into things blindly. It is important to take the time to be knowledgeable about where you’re heading and research the trail and the weather so that you are prepared when you get there. [00:39:16] I hope these tips and this conversation with Stephanie was helpful for you. And I just want to thank you again for joining us today. We’re so excited to be showing up each week for you. And if you’re enjoying the show, we would be so grateful if you’d take just a moment and give us a rating and review on iTunes, it helps us grow so we can reach more people and continue to bring more awesome guests to you. [00:39:34] Adventure more, stress less. [00:39:35] We’ll see out there.