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Mount Monadnock > Josh's first scramble!
Josh's first scramble!
Trip Report
Josh's first scramble! Featured on the Front Page

Page Type: Trip Report

Location: New Hampshire, United States, North America

Date Climbed/Hiked: Nov 30, 1999

Activities: Hiking, Scrambling

 

Page By: tazz

Created/Edited: Jun 13, 2006 / Jun 13, 2006

Object ID: 200154

Hits: 4686 

Page Score: 89.17% - 60 Votes 

Vote: Log in to vote

 

Breaking him in slowly. : )

I know a lot of you folks are against seeing stuff submitted with or about children. This is my take on it. We all had to start somewhere. I believe it is great for kids to learn about climbing ,preserving, respecting, and enjoying mountains at an early age. It is important to pass down our knowledge to our kids. Plus it is great exercise for the body and mind. A hell of a lot better than video games! Hopefully someone will read this TR and submissions by Mr. Patterson and other members. Maybe they will take a chance and get there kids out there too. As long as they are safe and protected it is the best education.

We have taken Josh (2.5 yrs old) hiking and camping since he was 2 months old. He enjoys so much. He also learns great lessons while out in the mountains. He talks about it all the time when at home. We had a chance to climb Mt Monadnock again when we visited NH recently. We figured this would be a great first scramble for Josh.



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Mt Monadnock is the first scramble/hike I did as a teen and many times after. I have not been up it in 7-8 years since we moved. For me it was neat for my son to have this mountain as his first scramble too. Although much younger than my first time.

Josh’s first scramble some would say class 1-2 for us adults. For Josh it is definitely class 2-3. We took him up the white dot route. I was on pins and needles the whole time he was climbing the rock. He would climb a section then sit and say, “I need to figure it out”. Then pick a line and climb his way up and repeat. This took a lot of time but it was rewarding for us to watch him climb and think his way through the rock and ledges. He would ask for help when needed but for the most part he wanted to climb on his own.


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Josh climbed 90% of the rock and ledges and was very unhappy when we decided to put him in the pack (for my peace of mind) for the last very short section with the most exposure. We let him out of the pack just before the summit so he could find the marker and touch it. He was very proud that he was on top and so were we. The highlight was all the little puddles from the recent rains. He had to go to each one and put his hands in the water.

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We decided to put him in the pack for the trip down because he would have to down climb the whole way and I was scared he would fall. He was NOT happy about that at all! He kept saying every time we hit a small flat section, “ I can do this section, it is not dangerous.” (Yes he speaks very well for 2.5 yrs old) We let him try the last section of rock/ledge but he was too clumsy for my comfort and we both had to hold a hand. So back in the pack until the trail improved.

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Monadnock is perfect for little ones because there are cairns for them to find the route and also white dots. Great granite rock slabs to climb around on and quite short. The black flies SUCKED and we don’t miss them a bit! It was a beautiful day for a climb. The summit was not crowded partly because we started out early.

For us as climbers and parents, it is all about educating our future climbers!

Images



Comments

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Viewing: 21-40 of 49 « PREV 1 2 3 NEXT »

jsorberThat is awesome!

Voted 10/10

What a great TR. I took my daughter out for her first backpacking overnighter when she was 5. She carried a little packpack with some water and snacks the whole way! We went 2 miles to a lake and she keeps asking when we will go again. I loved it and I love reading about other kids involved.
Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:29 pm

tazzRe: That is awesome!

Hasn't voted

Josh still has to do a backpack with us. He has done a ton of camping. He gets one camp/hike trip a month the rest of the weekends are OURS :) for climbing. I am not looking forward to hauling all the extra gear just yet! I think I will wait till he is able to carry some of it first! :) Thanks
Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:46 pm

mrwsierraWonderful...

Voted 10/10

trip report.
Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:35 pm

tazzRe: Wonderful...

Hasn't voted

Thanks mrwsierra!
Wow! I am shocked that so many have commented and voted! I was not expecting it at all. I have read all of it to Josh and now running around saying he wants to go climb a big mountain LOL. He likes summitpost (mainly the pics >grin<). I only wanted to submit it so it could be added to the great article "climbing with Children" By Scott Patterson. Thank you EVERYONE for the votes and comments.
Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:12 pm

BobSmithGreat report!

Voted 10/10

You're a great dad with a great kid!
Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:30 pm

tazzRe: Great report!

Hasn't voted

well... I am the MOM (tazz) but Dan is a great dad too. hehehe ;)
Thanks! Oh and yes he is a great kid!
Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:37 pm

BobSmithRe: Great report!

Voted 10/10

Duh.
Posted Jun 15, 2006 12:39 am

reinhard2Enjoying story

Hasn't voted

Brilliant idea to tell such a story among all the other heavy-loaded north face reports. The experience for Josh may be a deeper one than any other everyday climbing trip for us.
I myself am still based on a somewhat similar experience when I soloed my first mountain, a steep Swiss 2100m, at the age of 10 on a brilliant day.

Thanks tazz
reinhard
Posted Jun 14, 2006 8:35 pm

MoapaPkI love it!

Voted 10/10

I was carried up Monadnock in 1956. I don't remember anything (as I was 2 years old). I think it's great that your kid did it by himself (sort of). My sister taught her kids to swim when they were less than 2; I feel there are similar benefits to getting kids to climb early on.

Power to you!
Posted Jun 15, 2006 12:47 am

MoniGreat report!

Voted 10/10

We started our daughter Tanya at 1.5 years and have contiued - there are quite a few pics of her on this site from Fred and me. She is 26 years old now and still loves hiking, skiing and climbing. It takes great love and patience to introduce and instill the love of the outdoors in your children, but it is totally worth it. Thanks for the fine report and pictures.
Posted Jun 15, 2006 12:56 am

challengehikesMemories!

Voted 10/10

I used to climb this several times a year when I was growing up. I think about once a year it's clear enough to see Boston. We live in Colorado now and we take our kids hiking pretty much every Sunday. Keep it up!
Posted Jun 15, 2006 5:27 am

magellanGreat report

Hasn't voted

Thanks Tazz, my boy is almost 12 weeks old, and it's time for a simple summit for him. He loves the bjorn, but I think the backpack will be better.
Posted Jun 15, 2006 7:34 am

thothGood Job

Hasn't voted

The more parents we have who teach their children to love the outdoors the more we will have protecting it in the next generation. No one should get angry about kid posts.

Posted Jun 15, 2006 2:11 pm

truchasGood stuff

Hasn't voted

I have a friend that takes his 3 year old with us out to the crags and has another one on the way. They definitely learn to enjoy the outdoors at an early age and appreciate it when they get older. Nice scenery up there too. I love New Hampshire and Vermont.
Posted Jun 15, 2006 4:00 pm

kamil:)

Voted 10/10

Thanks for a nice report, Tazz! My parents started to take me for hiking when I was 8 and so I stayed in the mountain world...
cheers,
kamil
Posted Jun 15, 2006 4:15 pm

janick2Wonderful story!

Hasn't voted

This is a wonderful and inspirational report – many thanks. We have taken our two boys out hiking and now climbing since they were toddling about. Now they are 5 and 8 and hardly a week goes by when they don’t ask what mountain we’ll be off to next. It’s such a natural playground full of fun and learning – and from your pictures and report you certainly know how to bring that to your son – Bravo! Our boys have been tramping about mountains now from the Cascades to the Alps to the Himalaya – and the wonderful thing is that they enjoy hiking in our local parks just as much as any of it. As their social network of friends grows with age it has become trickier – most of their peers are not into outdoor adventure like they are – all the more reason to put stories like this out there to inspire more parents inclined in that direction. Thanks again!
Posted Jun 15, 2006 10:59 pm

CRiedel2Hiking with kids

Voted 10/10

Great report there! I've taken my son on several hikes up in the Adirondacks and he loves it. There's so much to explore and figure out for little kids, it's a blast. Just keep 'em safe and let 'em have fun at their own pace...builds a healthy lifestyle from the start too.
Posted Jun 16, 2006 11:22 pm

SkydiveKenGreat stuff

Voted 10/10

What pack are you using to carry your son? My son is 11 months old and getting to big for the Bjorn.
Posted Jun 16, 2006 11:30 pm

XimPerfect

Voted 10/10

This is what its all about.. to enjoy the mountains.. to enjoy the kids.. and to let the kids enjoy the mountains and the excitement of the first climbs and scrambles!
Posted Jun 17, 2006 9:00 am

GeneGreat story

Hasn't voted

Your shared adventure brings back great memories of my daughter's first summit. She bagged Sentinel Dome in Yosemite at about six weeks of age. Mom fed her under the famous (now gone)tree in the Ansel Adams' picture. We did our first multi-day backpacking trip when she was four. Half Dome via the trail at nine. Although she now has her own interests, the latter two adventures gave her the confidence to try new challenges with confidence. A classic moment was when she phoned her third grade classmates from the top of Half Dome.
Posted Jun 19, 2006 1:38 am

Viewing: 21-40 of 49 « PREV 1 2 3 NEXT »


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