Mt Anne Track: High camp hut with kids

[klaashartmann]

Given the awesome mid winter weather we've had over the last week, I decided to take my daughters (3 and 4 years old) on their first overnight hike. We ended up settling on the High Camp Hut (below Mt Eliza on the Mt Anne track) as the hut looked cute to them and they were pretty keen on the idea of staying in a hut. It was a bit of a mission fitting all the gear for the three of us in one pack!

The kids had a good time walking, drawing in the sand and building sand castles along the way, but were rather relieved when the hut finally came in view (700m elevation gain later)! They enjoyed the hut, setting up our sleeping quarters upstairs and playing games and reading stories. We had intended to head up to the top of Mt Eliza the next day before walking back, but they were a bit too exhausted for it. The way back was a bit more challenging for them as they were still sore from the day before and they were delighted to get back to the car for lunch. I really enjoyed taking them on this trip and apparently they did too as they are keen to go again (although they reckon they'd like a hut that's a bit closer)!

I thought I would share this for anyone else contemplating on hiking with their kids! It's a great track with perfect views, lots of age appropriate challenges - climbing up steps and getting through a bit of mud. The 4 (almost 5) year old walked the whole way, the 3.5 year old walked the whole way up but got carried about half the way back. We don't have UL hiking gear and carried a tent and water for the whole trip, so the pack was probably around ~20-25kg. Add a child on your shoulders and that makes a fair load. With a bit better gear and more thoughtful packing (I over-catered substantially!) I think the pack could easily have been 10kg lighter.

I think for the next trip we might head over to the Twilight Tarn Hut and camp somewhere nearby (or along the way if the little legs run out of steam!)

The uphill gps track
http://www.strava.com/activities/171035717

The downhill gps track
http://www.strava.com/activities/171035714

[eggs]

Great effort. I took my 13 year old daughter up to the hut and onto Eliza plateau a few years back.

[Scottyk]

Thanks for the report. Great walk and I have often thought it would be a good one for kids as the track is well constructed for the most part and the knowledge there is a hut at the end to get everyone out of the rain if its coming down would be good.

[Travis22]

Fantastic trip with your little ones. Glad they enjoyed it!

Travis.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Travelling just in general with kids can be a real challenge.

But it's a wonderful legacy to pass to your kids.

I don't have a very good memory in general, but by far my strongest and best childhood memories were travelling to places like the Flinders Ranges and Grampians.

[Mechanic-AL]

So cool to see parents getting their kids out into the bush....especially at that age!! Well done.

but seriously, how did you keep those two young grommets SO clean ??
I can get dirtier than they are just getting my pack out of the boot........couldn't they find any mud??!!

[klaashartmann]

Thanks for the kind words. As Scottyk says, the track is well constructed and there is limited overhanging scrub which is great for kids. On some other walks there's lots of scrub that brushes past my legs which gets the kids in the face -- not much fun for them!

Also, being on a ridge with some excellent track work means it's largely mud free. The sections with mud are short enough that I carried them over them (maybe 10-15 sections a few meters long -- a real mud-free anomaly for SW Tas!), hence the surprisingly clean kids. I slipped and fell in one of the few muddy bits near the end, much to their amusement so I was the mud monster (although nothing like the real mud monster I've become on other SW tracks!)

[ben.h]

Nice work Klaas. Great photos, looks like the kids enjoyed it!

[devoswitch]

Wow that is an absolutely amazing effort for your girls to get up there. It's a steep demanding walk. Don't know if you have been up there before but the track up to Eliza is not as well formed and a lot steeper. There's some bouldering to be done and I think you'd be carrying the little one for the most part of it.
Aren't the views just amazing up there. Such a beautiful outlook a very spectacular part of the world.
Congrats again on the walk with he little ones

[Kainas]

Thanks for that. I have a 2.5yo and a 4.5yo and am wanting to start getting the family walking again.

[tibboh]

What a great dad you are. I am doing this (when the weather improves) with my son.

[naturelover]

Lucky kids to have a dad like you. What a great start in life, to be introduced to views like that so young. They'll grow up fit, that's for sure.

[Burnsy]

Great photos, we are currently gearing up to be able to get our two girls onto the track as a whole family, till now it has just been off road touring and small walks. Can't wait. Have you done any more over nighters with them since?

Keen to see gear and food lists and comments about what worked what didn't when walking with two kids.

[klaashartmann]

Have you done any more over nighters with them since?

Sorry for the late reply Burnsy. We've only done one over nighter since, a much more relaxed walk to Bivouac Bay (I posted on it here viewtopic.php?f=42&t=18280 )

We would have done more but spent most of the spare time since then getting ready for a family sailing trip up to New Caledonia. We're sailing back to Tassie in the next month and hopefully will get all three girls (the youngest is 1.5 years old) out for some overnight hikes this Summer.

Keen to see gear and food lists and comments about what worked what didn't when walking with two kids.

I wrote about our gear here: viewtopic.php?f=58&t=17843 . The new setup is much nicer and should make it possible to carry the 1.5 year old along.

[stinky_pete]

Awesome effort!