Bea's Tough Girls' Guide to Hiking
even with stubborn three-year-olds
Bea and Harriet and I all belong to something we call the Tough Girls’ Club. Tough girls can fall down without crying; they aren’t afraid of snakes or spiders; of course they love frogs. Tough girls can also walk a long way without whining.
We have a well-worn path—up the hill and through the woods, down the gravel drive behind our house, over to see our neighbor David, then down to the river, down the side of the road, and back up our steep driveway. In the winter, when the banks are clear of brush, we can follow the river all the way to the bridge. Our normal hike with Harriet is about two miles, but Bea and I sometimes hike about five miles. Bea says the difference between a walk and a hike is that hikes are more adventurous.
Bea is president of the Tough Girls’ Club; Harriet is treasurer. I am the secretary, and I took the following notes, from Bea, about how to prepare for and enjoy a long walk.
1. First, you need to dress properly. Wear good clothes for the weather and comfortable shoes, like hiking boots or sneakers. It’s best not to go in costume, unless it’s Halloween. Put on bug spray in the summer. Wear a hat if you’ll be in the sun.
2. Take snacks and water, but not too many snacks because you don’t want your bag to be heavy. Apples and oranges, or things you can pack without a wrapper, are good snacks for a hike.
3. If you’re with a young child, try to keep them in front of you so they feel like a leader. Make it a game—can you swim like a tadpole? Can you gallop like a unicorn? Fly like Pegasus?
4. Try looking for things along the way. We like to look for animals, especially frogs, toads, and turtles. We have also found salamander larvae in a stream, snakes, bald eagles, tree frogs, and one time we saw a beaver.
5. You can also look for animal tracks and scat. Even really little kids can get good at identifying deer tracks, racoon prints, etc. You can make a game out of this too—let’s hop like a frog, or run like a fox!
6. Sometimes Harriet just sits down under a tree and won’t move. You do need to rest. But don’t rest for too long!
7. If you know how to forage, this is also a great activity. We like foraging for mushrooms, but only with our mom.
8. We also sometimes like to pretend we are characters in a book or a movie. Sometimes I’m Omakayas from the Birchbark House series, Harriet is Zozie, and Mommy is Nokomis. Sometimes we’re Satsuki and May, and Mommy is Totoro.
9. Give your young hiker lots of encouragement. Tell her she’s amazing, wow, she didn’t cry at all when she stumbled! It doesn’t hurt to make up awards—like the best hiker of the day, or top adventurer. The award can just be a leaf, or something from nature that looks cool.
10. Think about your hiking partners when you plan your hike. I like to hike in a big loop, because I think it’s more adventurous. But other people might like to walk to their destination, then come back on the same path. You can vote, then change things up next time. Have fun!
What do you call a scared cow?
A cow-ard!
What do you call two octopuses that look the same?
I-tentacle twins
Do you like hiking? What are your favorite journeys on foot?
Oh my goodness! Is Harriet three already? The time is passing so fast! My hike today was to the mailbox and back ..... I will take a bigger hike later. May be I am not a big girl yet, cause the pollen bothers my head! And I do complain sometimes when it gives me a headache. I want you all to stop in and see me when you are up near NYC because I live in Toms River now.... and I love my house! It has two bedrooms so you all can stay overnight. Then we will hike through the woods behind my house. Yesterday my neighbor had a black snake next to her door .... it liked her so much that it would not go back to the woods...., so she called animal control to come take it to another location. I like snakes, but not in the house. My dad would hunt for snakes in the woods because he wanted to put them in his garden. They ate the Moles and voles and mice that chew on the little dwarf apple trees ( and then the trees die). So he taught us to admire black snakes. And I do! You mom has my address, so I will tell you more stories when we visit. I send lots of love and hugs. Pat Hoppe💕💕💕💕
I love to hike with Miles, and I know Beth and Miles go hiking, too. We don't have a name for ourselves, but our mantra is "it's okay to cry" ( show your emotions). We love to look for interesting rocks, plants,sticks, pieces of bark, trees, flowers, insects, animals, and nests. Miles and I went on a "hike" in my neighborhood yesterday. We borrowed Robinette's small backpack to carry fruit, peanut butter crackers, and water, and also because of its many pockets for Miles to store anything he found to add to his many "special things" collections. He carried it to our destination, and I carried it home. Miles always says, "We're a team. Why should you have to carry everything?" We like to sing songs when hiking. Yesterday we sang " The Ants Go Marching" about a bazillion times, and we pretended we were at summer camp. Miles doesn't know what summer camp is but he was wearing his favorite shirt which says YMCA Summer Camp on it. Technically it could be considered a costume but it was very appropriate for the weather and this particular hike.