Last weekend, I took my 9 year-old son and his 11 year-old cousin camping and hiking. We hiked only about 3.5 miles with numerous stops at waterfalls and caves along the trail. (We hiked the Lost Valley Trail on the Buffalo National River in Arkansas--I highly recommend it.) By the end of the day on our way back to the car, I could tell he was getting tired.
We're planning a week-long trip to the Wind Rivers next summer. I was thinking that I should prepare him for the trip. I plan on using a 13-week run/walk program along with weekly hikes with a pack and increasing the weight gradually. I know kids should only carry about 20% of their body weight. So, his pack should weigh 12 lbs. I plan on training him up to 15 lbs. so that on the trip 12 lbs. should feel relatively light. And based on his performance this weekend, I think I can reasonably work him up to hiking 6-7 miles a day.
If you take your kids hiking, what have you done or what do you do to train them? How do you prepare them for multi-day hikes in the mountains? Do you modify their diets or menus to include more carbs like adults would? Do you teach them any techniques for hiking?