Overland with children

[Iluvtheoutdawz]

I have just successfully completed the Overland Track with my seven year old daughter; prior to making the trip I did a lot of research looking for others experiences hiking with young family members, existing information is to say the least limited, particularly relating to Australia. Initially it is worth saying that I did not take this trip lightly, I have walked extensively in the Central reserve over the last 10 years and this would be my seventh time completing the Overland so I am well aware of the inherent risks . I spent considerable time outfitting my daughter with the right clothing and gear, researching weather and training with my daughter prior to our trip. The following are some of the key things I learnt and or found valuable based on our experience.

First up let me overview the trip we completed; we traveled down to Launceston in the last week of January, coached down to Cradle Mountain on the following day and set off from Ronny Creek just after midday. We walked up to Kitchen Hut via Marion’s Peak. Because it was late in the day I elected not to climb Cradle Mountain, instead heading directly for Waterfall Valley. We camped every night on the track except for the last night at Bert Nichols. The first night a cold front, that had not been forecast, rolled in and we were buffeted by strong winds and rain, this was the only bad weather we experienced over the 6 day trip. Day two we walked to Windermere. Day three, Windermere to Pelion. Day four Pelion to Kia Ora. Day Five Kia Ora to Bert Nichols, via the waterfalls. Day six Bert Nichols to Narcissus, where we caught the lunchtime ferry to Cynthia Bay. In terms of side trips we got to the summit of Ossa and we also visited Hartnett and Ferguson Falls. Short legs made climbing Ossa a long day, we took 5.5 hours to do the return trip. I spent much of the climb heaving her up and over the rock slabs, the 30m rock hop directly below the saddle proved particularly challenging.To her credit she still walked strongly down to Kia Ora late in the afternoon.

In terms of walking speeds, I knew, based on our preparation prior to the trip that we would be averaging, including rest stops, 1.8 - 2 kph, This meant that we were normally 30 mins to an hour slower than the recommended walking times. For example it took us 3.5 hours from Waterfall Valley to Windermere, Parks and Wildlife refer to a 3 hour walk time. I carried a GPS that proved very useful, less as a navigation tool but more to adequately respond to “are we there yet?”. By the end of the trip my daughter could fairly reliably work out how much time was left till we arrived at a destination.

We treated all of our water with Puritabs for the entire trip, I was particularly diligent about trying to ensure we avoided any stomach upsets, we carried small bottles of hand sanitiser that we used before eating and after using the toilets. Going to the toilet in the bush is in itself a new experience for many children, this was one thing I hadn’t actually thought through prior to the walk and had to spend the first couple of days ‘supervising’ to ensure clothes didn’t get in the way and toilet paper was not discarded into the bush, dad’s may well laugh but physically little bladders can’t make it from hut to hut, so we were frequently ducking off track. At the huts the biggest challenge was the morning dash from warm sleeping bag to the cold toilets and trying to remind her to bring the loo paper back with her!

Gear selection was important, essentially I had to buy pretty much everything for my daughter for the trip with the exception of her sleeping bag. As an observation, outfitting a child in Australia is difficult in terms of size availability and when you do find the right gear it is invariably expensive, accordingly I spent a lot of time on US websites and had much of the gear shipped over, REI.com proved invaluable. Her bag is a Lafuma kids bag, temperature rated to 1°c, it weighs 1 kg, it is suitable for 3 season camping. In addition to this we got an Alps ¾ length mat which proved ideal. In the layers department, we had a set of polypro long johns, North face fleece, beanie and gloves. To keep dry an REI kids waterproof jacket and overpants, the overpants never saw the light of day! The pack was a Deuter Fox 30 which was outstanding for a child, the harness was fully adjustable, and with the exception of one hot spot on her hip, caused by rubbing where her tee shirt rode up we had no problems. The pack proved large enough to carry my daughters, bag, mat, rain gear, her clothes, towel and personal items, all up a total weight of 5.5Kg. Parents need to be aware they will be carrying all the food for themselves and their kids, this added almost 3kg to my pack, but didn’t prove an issue. Footwear was divided between a $5 pair of imitation Crocs for around camp and her walking boots, Vasque, high cut, waterproof hiking boots. For the Overland I personally feel a proper pair of boots with adequate ankle support for a child is essential, the one thing I insisted on doing every morning was checking her laces to ensure the boots provided adequate support. On more than one occasion I am convinced the boots saved her from badly turning an ankle as she slipped on the ever present rocks and roots. On our last day on the track a young guy was air lifted off the track near the Pine Valley turnoff after severely spraining his ankle.

In terms of food I made sure that my daughter taste tested everything on the trip menu before we left home. We had staples of instant porridge for breakfast, rice or pasta for dinner and mountain wraps with cheese, salami and or cheese for lunch; With the exception of sultana’s and the nuts in the scroggin which were carefully eaten around, the menu worked well and provided adequate variety and nutrition (though my daughter insists she will not eat porridge for the next 6 months!). In terms of drinking, water was made more interesting by adding powdered lemon/lime flavored Gatorade. It surprised me just how reluctant my daughter was to drink directly from streams and creeks, she much preferred water she had seen come from a tap albeit from the tanks at the huts.

For me the trip exceeded all expectations, in no small part due to the physical prowess my daughter demonstrated. She walked without fuss nor fanfare, and whilst there were a couple of occasions where I had to coax and cajole (walking up the hill from Frog Flats to Pelion Hut), for the most part she just got on and did it. Around camp I had to contend with a few unanticipated realities, preparing for meals and packing up each morning I was constantly reminded of my daughters lack of years, at times the importance of routine, the need to get going and account for your own gear was lost on her. This was a lesson learnt for me. I had expected that she would be able to help set up and pack up her stuff and generally assist with meals, instead, despite ongoing pleas for her help, at days end I had to just get on and did everything myself. This did prove somewhat frustrating at times, but on reflection I had to acknowledge she simply didn’t know any better. I think if I was ever to do it again, I might prepare a daily check list of routine things she can help with - or bring her mum along, she listens to her!

Overall it was a great trip, made more memorable by the sense of achievement I shared with my daughter and some of the fantastic people we met along the track who seemed to go out of there way to be friendly and were keen to encourage her. The rangers at the Lake Saint Clair visitors centre also made a fuss of her which she enjoyed. Over December through to February when the weather on the track is a bit more predictable and the days are long, (we had daylight to 9pm every night), I don’t believe it is impractical to consider walking the Overland with children. With the right level of planning and preparation and the over riding qualification - that the kids are keen to do the walk (my daughter had be badgering me to walk in Tassie since she was five), it is certainly doable. Easy, definitely not, without risk, no, the Overland is by its very nature risky due to the isolation and unpredictable weather. But worth it, in hindsight, absolutely! The scenery, the wildlife, the experience, sure beats Nintendo and school holiday TV. I now look forward to 2012 and walking the Overland with my now 5 year old son.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks very much for this report. Well done for having a go, but more importantly, for doing the right research, preparation and training beforehand!

I was particularly interested to hear of your lessons learnt. I'll be doing some of this over the next few years as my 3.5 and 1.5 year olds get more capable. We've already taken them both on two overnight walks, but both were quite short and easy (for them, not for us who had to carry them both on the first walk, and one of them on the second one).

We've already trained the eldest to squat when necessary, but I can see that the routine stuff could be an issue for her to, so I appreciate the warnings from some of your anecdotes.

I think our next walk with the kids will be their first staying in tents, and will probably be Lees Paddocks next Summer (short and flat). After we see how they cope with the tenting and other such camping issues, we can start to consider longer or harder walks. I think it's important not to push them into anything too hard too early, so as not to put them off.

[Drifting]

I'm planning on doing the OT with my daughter when she's 6-7. Very interesting- thanks for sharing!

[samh]

Thanks for the great and detailed report. It shows what can be done and maybe encourages people to get out there with their kids/families, instead of waisting time infront of the TV. I think it's a great privilege if someone has time, energy and courage to do such things. Looking forward to hear more of your adventures

[SueOfTheSouth]

Thanks for the great write up of your trip. Thoroughly enjoyed the read and it brought back many memories of our early camping days with young children, 2 1/2 years apart, with one enthusiastic son and one not so enthusiastic daughter. Encouragement and praise went a long way !

[turtle]

How wonderful to hear of a parent getting "out there" with their child.

Our 2 always went everywhere with us and even on Christmas holiday trips to Fraser Island or other populated areas there would be very few other children. Only groups of singles or older couples. My husband and I remarked on it every year - where are the children? At home in front of the TV? Never did figure it out.

All of us have wonderful memories of these trips and the kids (now late 20's) learnt so much in the way of looking after themselves, cooking, making themselves comfortable and entertained with minimal "things".

Both of them also developed a love of reading on these holidays. Every Christmas we would buy 2 or 3 trilogies or the like and devour them while camping. A favourite author for anyone trying to encourage a boy to read is David Gimmel. He tells a good yarn with Battleaxe and other fantasy characters and faced with the boredom of either watching his parents and sister all reading or picking up a book himself, Gimmel managed to get him hooked.

[Phil]

Thanks for the trip report! It is very encouraging as a father of 3 young kids (5, 3 and 2) to hear stories such as this and to start 'planning' when to get my kids involved!

As you said Iluvtheoutdawz, kids are certainly up to the challenge.........especially with a bit of encouragement There was a group of us that wandered up Mount Roland in April last year (about 16 of us actually). The group ranged from some in their early twenties through to mid-thirties, all of different fitness levels........and my best mate brought along his daughter (whom at the time was almost 5 years of age) and his 2 year old son whom he carried for the day. His daughter pretty much walked the whole 16km from Gowrie Park (I had to carry her on my shoulders for a few steep sections), and 'complained' much less than a number of the adults!!

I can't wait to get my kids involved! As Nik is also planning to do, I have pencilled in Lees Paddocks for the first walk/camp with my son.

[flatfoot]

As an observation, outfitting a child in Australia is difficult in terms of size availability and when you do find the right gear it is invariably expensive, accordingly I spent a lot of time on US websites and had much of the gear shipped over, REI.com proved invaluable.

Did you have any trouble with import duties, high shipping costs or customs issues?

Some US websites just don't seem to be setup for reasonable international shipping. Due to the limited international shipping options available, one large US supplier wanted to charge me USD $90 to ship a headlamp to Australia!

[ninjapuppet]

sorry for hijacking the thread,

but regarding the shipping, it really amazes me why some suppliers have to charge so much. I was charged $80US for postage of a pair of scarpas from the US. It still ended up cheaper than buying locally with our strong dollar However I buy from from the US & UK regularly on ebay sites and postage is usually only $20-30 registered for a similar sized/ similar weighted item.

I bought a stainless steel cup that fits perfectly onto the bottom of a nalgene wide mouth bottle for $10 delivered. one large US supplier wanted to charge $20 US for it! locally, i dont even think ive seen it in australia?

and its good to hear stories like the original poster, trying out new things which you dont see every day. makes wasting all this time of these forums, not so wasteful after all. I wished my father would have taken me hiking like that at 7.

[Nuts]

Just to note that the OP and others mention personal experience and from other topics they obviously do have some but for the 'average' OT walker it may not be so simple! On (OT) tours we have a minimum age of 12 (sometimes going below this (10/11) if the children are particularly well developed (physically as well as mentally)). At this age they are able to (at least) carry enough of their own gear and understand enough to get them out of trouble On Their Own. I worry about parents carrying everything for a child who is not capable. It should also be remembered that most of the track is quite remote from immediate help and many of the incidents and circumstances that would slow an adult will stop a child. In bad weather medical help can be many hours coming. I'm all for kids getting out n about but I would have serious reservations personally for such a commitment. Like I said, just a note... just to temper the enthusiasm of those who may be less aware of the potential dangers (I can think of many (and have seen some) of the pitfalls on this particular track).

[Iluvtheoutdawz]

I certainly welcome Nut's comments on the thread as I think it provides a balanced and pragmatic view. The last thing I want is for anyone to underestimate the realities of doing the Overland, either as an adult or an adult contemplating the hike with their children. There were times both in the lead up to the walk and on the walk itself (climbing the chain line up Marion's Peak or going up Ossa) where I harboured real reservations and I had to rely on my own judgement- my fall back was always waiting for my daughter to let me know she felt she couldn't or was unable to push on. This never happened and at no stage did she look to be near her limit of physically or mentally coping. From a risk perspective I was always attentive to make sure we didn't push any boundaries, she was keen to climb Cradle Mountain, but I didn't feel there was enough hours left in the day. I certainly wouldn't consider doing other walks I've done In Tassie with a child, but the Overland, with it's infrastructure and presence of both Rangers on the track and the constant company of other walkers (during the walking season) is not out of the question. It certainly is no 'walk in the park', excuse the pun, and at risk of repeating myself, with kids should only be considered by those who genuinely have the right experience, the right gear and the right preparation.