Mini-Adventures: Winter Night Hikes
Confession time: When I hear the word “adventure”, it sometimes stresses me out.
Earlier in life, as a single person, I could just hop in the car and go do whatever caught my fancy.
As a wife and mother, that is SO NOT TRUE anymore! All of a sudden, “adventure” means prepping and packing food, making sure everyone has layers of clean clothing appropriate for whatever climate we’re going to encounter, making sure we have equipment to sleep, cook, hydrate, and participate in whatever activity we’re pursuing that day (rafting/hiking/running/biking/climbing/skiing/etc), stocking the car with snacks and water, and feeding everyone before we go.
(Do I have too much focus on food? Perhaps… but we all know everyone is nicer when they’re not hungry. 😉 )
Over the years we’ve slowly realized that adventures don’t have to be huge, expensive, month-long endeavors. We can have mini-adventures right where we are. For us these are often the ones our boys remember most!
A favorite in our family is night hiking in the winter. I love to hike early mornings with my girlsfriends in the winter (up the groomed ski slopes), and my boys told me years ago that they wanted to come along.
Early mornings with the girls are sacred times though, so I talked the boys into evening hiking.
Why winter? First of all, there is a stillness and beauty on winter evenings that can’t be matched in other seasons. Snow or no snow, the cold, crisp air and the clear sky are amazing in the winter. Next, the stars are better in the winter (or at least our favorite constellations come up earlier in the winter… in the summer they don’t show up til the wee hours of the morning!). And lastly, it gets dark earlier in the winter, so while we’re up past bedtime, it’s not that long after!
We don’t go on night hikes often, which makes it a special treat for kids! Really, anything that involves staying up past bedtime, drinking hot cocoa, and having mom’s undivided attention is sure to get their vote.
WHAT TO PACK:
- Headlamps for each person
- Snowshoes, Yak Trax, or Kahtoola Microspikes (I highly recommend Microspikes if snow is groomed!)
- A thermos of cocoa
- A thermos of tea or other warm drink
- Water bottle
- Snacks (just in case)
- Hand and/or toe warmers if you have them
- Extra layers
WHAT TO WEAR:
- Wool or synthetic base layers
- Wool socks
- Ski pants (aka snowpants)
- Warm fleece or similar
- Warm jacket
- Warm hat
- Mittens
- Snowboots
Check the weather before you go, and know what dangers are possible. Know what to do if you see a mountain lion or encounter a fiesty neighborhood dog. Tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return.
We honestly don’t hike that far, although I find myself mentioning to them that “someday we’ll hike all the way to the top and ski down”. They do not care about distance at all, so I don’t either. They love to be outside after dark. They love the stars and the moon. They love sliding down the steep parts that we’ve just hiked up. They love being out after bedtime.
I just love that a memory is made.
I’d love to hear your mini-adventure ideas too. Please share in the comments!