Grooming a New Hiking Partner

A few weeks ago I took my son fishing on Hope Lake in South Eastern Ohio. After catching and releasing a "monster" catfish and a tiny bass my mind began to wonder to the trails in the area, and my son soon grew bored.

My son is 4 so I knew the Zaleski Backpacking trail, which is 24 miles, would be too much for his little legs. I've never been an ultra light backpacker so I am used to a 40 lb pack, but the thought of carrying my pack and a very tired 40 lb child was just too much!

With all of this in mind I did something I haven't done in a very long time... I looked at the map for short trails. To start with we hiked the .5 mile Buzzard cave trail. This turned out to be perfect because there is a small cave (more of a recess in the rock really). What I didn't expect was the excitement I witenessed when a 4 year old sees this small cave for the first time. It might as well have been 300 miles deep!

After a break at the camp office to discuss the local trails we started down the .25 mile White Oak Trail. This was a shorter trail, but offered connections to alternative routes in case we felt adventureous. The first part of the trail was pretty steap, but once down by the lakes edge we saw a beaver lodge, and a feld tree. The sense of wonder and amazement made me feel like a kid. After hiking about a mile we turned back. When we reached the .25 mile hill back to the trailhead the 4 year old legs were worn out. It was at that point I found out that a 40 lb boy on your back squirms more than a 40 lb pack.

Next time I think the Wildcat Hallow trail in Wayne National Forest (12 miles) will be a good adventure for us. It has been a while since I hiked it, but I remember the Cedar Ridge portion of the trail. Seems like a great place to make camp, and cultivate the imagination.

Joe