You Don’t Have to Be an Outdoorsy Family to Start Having Adventures

You don’t need expensive gear, expert-level skills, or kids who never complain

Sometimes I think we make getting outside with kids harder than it needs to be.

You look online and see families hiking ten miles into the backcountry.

Everyone has expensive backpacks.

The kids have matching hiking clothes.

They know exactly what they're doing.

Nobody appears to be complaining.

And somehow they all still look clean.

That isn't our reality.

We love being outside, and Jessie has always been more comfortable in the outdoors, but traveling around the country with three kids has taught me that you don't need to be an expert outdoor family to start having adventures.

You don't need all the gear.

You don't need to know everything.

You don't need kids who already love hiking.

And you definitely don't need to quit your job, buy an RV, and travel around the country for a year.

You just need to start somewhere.

Because one thing I've learned watching our own kids is this:

You don't become an adventurous family before you start having adventures.

You become one by doing them.

You Don't Need to Know Everything

This might be one of the biggest things that stops people.

What if we don't know how?

How do we take kids hiking?

What gear do we need?

How do we camp?

Where do we go?

What if something goes wrong?

There is always something you don't know.

We still run into this constantly.

We arrive somewhere and have to figure out where to fish.

We research a trail we've never hiked.

We learn new national park rules.

We figure out where we're allowed to park our motorhome.

We change plans because the weather isn't cooperating.

Jessie has been learning more about fly fishing right alongside Hudson.

There are things we're comfortable doing now that we weren't comfortable doing years ago.

You don't need to know everything before you begin.

You need to know enough to do the thing you're doing safely.

Then you learn from there.

Start With Something Easy

If your family doesn't hike, don't make your first family hike ten miles.

Walk a mile.

Seriously.

Find somewhere close to home.

Pack some snacks.

Go walk through the woods.

Maybe everyone loves it.

Great.

Next time go two miles.

Maybe everyone hates it.

Also useful information.

Try something different.

The same applies to camping.

You don't need to take your family deep into the backcountry for their first camping trip.

Camp at a campground.

Camp close to home.

Heck, camp in your backyard if that's where you need to start.

The point isn't doing something impressive.

The point is doing something.

Your Kids Don't Have to Love It at First

I think parents sometimes try something once with their kids, the kids complain, and we decide:

“Well, I guess our kids don't like hiking.”

Maybe.

Or maybe they're kids.

Our kids complain too.

Sometimes before we've even started.

They don't always want to hike.

They don't always want to wake up early.

They don't always want to leave the campground.

There have been plenty of times when Jessie and I were excited about an adventure and the kids were considerably less enthusiastic.

Then we go.

Sometimes they still don't love it.

Other times something happens.

They see an animal.

Find a cool rock.

Reach the waterfall.

Catch a fish.

Get to the lake.

Suddenly the entire day changes.

If we only did things our kids enthusiastically agreed to beforehand, we'd miss a lot.

Kids Get Better at Things They Practice

Four months into this trip, our kids can handle things differently than they could when we started.

That's not because they suddenly got older.

They've had practice.

They've walked more miles.

Spent more time outside.

Learned how hiking feels.

Learned what they need to carry.

Learned that sometimes the trail goes uphill for a long time.

Learned that being tired doesn't mean they're done.

Learned how to entertain themselves around camp.

Learned how to sit through long driving days.

Learned how to fish.

Learned how to deal with plans changing.

Capability grows through experience.

That applies to adults too.

The first time you take three kids hiking might feel like a disaster.

The tenth time probably won't.

You Don't Need the Best Gear

Good gear is useful.

There's no question about that.

We have gear we love.

We've learned what works for us.

And there are certain situations where having the right equipment is extremely important.

But you don't need to spend thousands of dollars before your family can start getting outside.

You don't need the fanciest backpack to walk a local trail.

Your child doesn't need $150 hiking pants to explore a state park.

You don't need a fully outfitted overlanding vehicle to go camping.

Start with what you have.

Then buy things when you understand why you need them.

Four months of living in an RV has made us much more aware of how easy it is to accumulate stuff.

There will always be another piece of gear someone says you need.

Most of the time, experience is more valuable.

You Definitely Don't Need Our Setup

We're traveling in a motorhome.

We tow a 4Runner.

We have camping gear.

Fishing gear.

Hiking gear.

All kinds of things we've accumulated over years.

But that's what works for the trip we're doing right now.

You don't need any of it to start.

Some of our favorite adventures have involved parking the car, putting on shoes, and walking.

That's it.

You can explore a national park from a tent.

A hotel.

A rental cabin.

A minivan.

A motorhome.

Or your house twenty minutes away.

The equipment isn't what makes you an adventurous family.

Adventure Doesn't Have to Mean Extreme

I think this is another place where social media can mess with our perception.

Adventure doesn't have to involve summiting a mountain.

Sometimes adventure is a two-mile trail your five-year-old has never walked before.

It's catching their first fish.

Sleeping in a tent.

Walking behind a waterfall.

Seeing a wild animal.

Swimming in a mountain lake.

Getting caught in the rain.

Making dinner over a campfire.

Driving somewhere you've never been.

Our kids don't measure adventure by elevation gain or mileage.

Sometimes they think riding their bikes around a new campground is an adventure.

And they're probably right.

Let Your Kids Be Beginners

We've watched this with fishing.

Hudson didn't pick up a fly rod and immediately know what he was doing.

There were tangles.

Missed fish.

Bad casts.

Frustration.

Plenty of times when the fish wanted absolutely nothing to do with whatever he was throwing.

Then one day he caught one.

He looked at Jessie with a huge smile.

“I think I'm finally getting it.”

That's what learning looks like.

Our kids don't need to be naturally good at everything we introduce them to.

They need permission to be bad at something long enough to get better.

So do we.

Let Yourself Be a Beginner Too

This might be harder for adults.

Kids are expected to be beginners.

Adults sometimes feel like we should already know.

But maybe you've never camped.

Maybe you've never taken your kids hiking.

Maybe you don't know how to fish.

Maybe you have no idea what you're supposed to put in a hiking backpack.

Fine.

Learn.

Ask questions.

Read.

Watch someone.

Go with a friend who knows more.

Start somewhere easy enough that mistakes aren't a big deal.

You don't have to pretend you know what you're doing.

There's something pretty great about letting your kids watch you learn something too.

Don't Compare Your Beginning to Someone Else's Middle

This is probably one of the easiest traps.

You see a family hiking eight miles with their kids and think:

Our family could never do that.

Maybe not today.

That doesn't mean never.

Hudson didn't start hiking at nine years old by going to Skeleton Point in the Grand Canyon.

There were years of smaller hikes before that.

Our kids didn't suddenly wake up able to spend months traveling around the country.

They adjusted.

So did we.

You're usually seeing the result without seeing everything that came before it.

Start at your family's beginning.

Not somebody else's.

Your Kids Might Surprise You

This has been one of my favorite parts of our trip.

Our kids have repeatedly done things I wasn't sure they could do.

They've hiked farther.

Gotten up earlier.

Handled longer days.

Tried new things.

Adapted to new places.

Walked through rain.

Dealt with heat.

Learned new skills.

And kept going when something got hard.

That doesn't mean we push them through everything.

We've changed plans.

We've stopped.

We've taken slow days.

We've decided something wasn't right for a particular child.

But I've become much more careful about saying:

“They can't do that.”

Sometimes what I really mean is:

“They haven't done that yet.”

Those are two very different things.

You Don't Need a Year on the Road

I think this is especially important coming from us.

We're currently doing something unusual.

We're spending a year traveling around the country with our kids.

That's not realistic for every family.

And it doesn't need to be.

The message behind Field to Ridge isn't:

Quit your job and travel for a year.

It's much simpler than that.

Go do something with your kids.

Maybe that's a two-week national park road trip.

Maybe it's a weekend camping trip.

Maybe it's Saturday morning.

Maybe it's the trail five miles from your house you've driven past a hundred times.

You don't need more vacation time to take your kids fishing tonight.

You don't need an RV to go hiking this weekend.

You don't need to cross the country to find adventure.

Start Before You Feel Ready

I think there will always be a reason to wait.

We need better gear.

The kids are too young.

We don't know enough.

We're too busy.

Maybe next summer.

Once work slows down.

Once we buy the right vehicle.

Once we're in better shape.

Some of those reasons are legitimate.

But sometimes we're just waiting until something unfamiliar feels comfortable.

And the problem is:

It usually doesn't become comfortable until you do it.

Start small.

Pick something your family can realistically handle.

Prepare for it.

Then go.

Maybe it goes perfectly.

Probably not.

Someone will complain.

You'll forget something.

The weather might change.

Your kid may decide halfway through that this was the worst idea you've ever had.

Welcome to family adventure.

Try again.

Because eventually something changes.

The kids know what to expect.

You know what to pack.

The hike that once felt long becomes easy.

You go farther.

You try something new.

And one day you look around and realize people might actually describe you as an outdoorsy family.

But that isn't where you started.

You started with one adventure.

Then you went on another.

That's really all it takes.

-Kayla