Taking Your Second Child on Their First Backpacking Trip

Bishop Pass Trailhead

Having successfully taken my 10 year old son on his first backpacking trip several months prior as I had chronicled in Taking Your Child on Their First Backpacking Trip, it was time to introduce my 5 year old to the activity. I knew the timing was right as when I got a new small summit pack for my recent birthday and my 5 year old put it on immediately and thought it was for him. He proudly wore it around the house for almost an hour, blowing the whistle built into the yolk strap buckle I did not even know it had. He had seen his brother pack and return from his backpacking trip and assumed he was next.

I wanted to strike while the iron was hot. It wasn’t long before we had a planned boy’s trip to Mammoth with friends. We would take a few lazy days exploring and camping on the way up and then stay with our friends in their condo once in Mammoth. Our friends had to be home on a Friday but I saw no reason to rush home and thought this would be a good opportunity to fit in a backpacking trip for both of my boys and I. After speaking with my friend Edd about it, he suggested a great location he had taken his niece for her first backpacking trip near South Lake in the Sierras outside of Bishop.

With the location now selected the trip was nearly set. I needed to obtain a wilderness permit for our overnight stay. These can be reserved for $5 per person in advance or obtained free after 11:00AM the day prior to entry into the backcountry. As I was trying to show my boys on this trip that you do not have to pay to camp I opted for the free, walk in option. We visited the ranger station in Mammoth and obtained our permit with no problem.

The trail above South Lake

The following morning we arrived in the South Lake parking lot and found the trailhead for Bishop Pass which was the trail we would be hiking. The itinerary took us from South Lake up to Long Lake, about a 2 mile hike with about 500 ft. of elevation gain. We would enter the John Muir Wilderness about halfway into our route. The altitude at Long Lake was around 11,000 ft. but the boys had been acclimatized at Mammoth so the elevation was not much of a factor. We got our packs ready. My 5 year old carried my ultralight sleeping bag and his clothes. My 10 year old had his own gear plus a stove and the tent poles while I carried the rest. After a quick lunch near the trailhead overlooking the beautiful South Lake and a quick gear check, we were off.

The hike starts by climbing up and out of the South Lake basin. The views were incredible but the trail was uphill and it was early afternoon. My youngest, Eric, needed frequent breaks and said his legs were tired after only a ¼ mile or so. I let him know that there was plenty more hiking but that we would take breaks regularly. We slowly made our way along the trail, stopping to talk to other hikers who were most impressed at the efforts of my two boys.

Gregory points out a waterfall to his brother.

Eric started to get fairly tired at about the halfway point. His older brother Gregory did a good job encouraging him but it was not enough. I remembered that my parents always kept some high energy (sweet and sugary) snacks to motivate my sister on hikes so I figured I would give that a try. I offered him a chewy granola bar which he gladly accepted and he devoured it in no time. Within about 15-20 minutes it was quite apparent that it was working. We got to a short section of switchbacks and he started running up them! His brother and I laughed at the transformation. The trail soon leveled out and I informed the boys that this meant we had climbed out of the South Lake basin and would soon be arriving at Long Lake.

Eric evaluates a creek crossing

Arriving at Long Lake

Chocolate Peak in the background

While the thought of reaching our destination was appealing, mosquitoes began to appear. We quickly put on some bug repellant and stepped up the pace to get out of that area. Not too much further brought us to the first views of the lovely alpine Long Lake. The lake sits nestled between two mountain ridges with some of the best scenery you could ever imagine surrounding it. Tall craggy peaks and ridges contrasted by white snow and glaciers filled the upper elevations. The area around the lake was a mix of granite and pine trees mixed with a few meadows. We saw a few people hiking and fishing but they all looked like they were packing up to head back down. We proceeded to a secluded camp location that my friend Edd had informed me of. As this is the backcountry, there are no designated camps. You need to be 100 ft. from lakes, creeks and trails and follow the Leave No Trace guidelines. After a little searching we found the exact location my friend had suggested.

The boys and I set up our tent and put our gear inside. Our food was packed in our bear canister and we located that and our stoves about 100 ft. from our camp. The lake was calling us so down to the water we went with our water filter in-hand. Gregory just wanted to take pictures but Eric and I took off our shoes and socks and put our feet in the cold water. We pumped water through the filter and cooled off. Since we had the entire lake to ourselves I suggested skinny dipping to the boys. Eric took me up on it and he and I stripped down. Eric got about waist deep before he decided it was too cold. I got in about as far and he was right, but went on in anyway. Brrrrrrrrrrrr! I guess those glaciers we could see above us were melting directly into this lake. I lasted about 10 seconds in the water and it was time to get out. We dried off, pumped some more water and decided it was time to start dinner.

Trail alongside Long Lake

Our dinner consisted of one of our homemade freezer bag meals and a store bought freeze dried entre. Our freezer bag meal, chicken stuffing, was far superior to the store bought beef enchilada. It further confirmed my opinion that we can make better tasting meals than the experts. We heated our water on our homemade alcohol stoves and enjoyed our dinner in the last direct sunlight of the day before it dropped behind the ridge to the West.

With the sun down it was time to think about getting our stuff ready for the night. I wanted to pump enough water so that we would have all we needed for the morning and the hike out. The visit to the shoreline was an experience. The mosquitoes had been thickening since the sun went down. The worst time for mosquitoes is in the early morning or early evening, when there is no wind and especially near swampy areas or standing water. Guess what the conditions were like at that time at waters edge? You guessed it, prime time mosquito happy hour. While pumping water I had both my boys swatting them off of me. Despite the bug repellant, the mosquitoes descended upon us like gold panners to the American River upon the discovery of gold at Sutters Mill. After pumping water we headed back to our camp area.

Our mosquito free refuge!

The mosquito issue was not improving so I took the boys on a short hike to get a few pictures along the lake. We returned to camp in about 20 minutes and still the mosquitoes were horrible. While it was only 7:30PM, I decided it was time to crawl into our only safe haven from these vampires! Into the tent we went. We exterminated the few blood suckers that snuck in with us and began to enjoy this bug free zone. Since it was early we needed something to do. Unfortunately, we brought nothing in the form of entertainment. We began by reading every word on our wilderness permit. That lasted about 15 minutes. The boys then wanted me to tell them stories. I told some past tales of my childhood which put Eric to sleep. After almost an hour of story telling I had Greg tell me a story and that put me to sleep. He was on his own but he did not last long after me, he says.

The boys and I on our way out.

Our final view of Long Lake.

I awoke early and delayed getting out of the tent until at least I could see a slight change in the color of the sky so I knew the sun would be up fairly soon. I rousted the boys out of the tent by 7AM and we made our oatmeal breakfast and had cereal bars. We got all packed up and on the trail by 8AM. To keep Eric motivated I informed him that the sooner we finish the sooner he would get to see Mom. It had been just over a week since we left home and both boys were excited to get back home to tell Mom all about their adventures. We got back to the truck by about 10:00AM and cleaned up. We headed on down the highway to Lone Pine for some lunch. After backpacking I let them know that they could have anything they wanted for lunch. Thinking they were getting away with the crime of the century they both ordered a cherry coke with their lunch as I kept them on a no soda diet for the last week.

Over that lunch I asked Eric what was his favorite part of his first backpacking trip. He replied, “putting my feet in the water.” Not what I had expected to hear from him but it certainly helps me understand what a 5 year old enjoys. I will make sure that future backpack trips with the boys include stops along creeks, rivers and lakes for plenty of time to soak their feet, and perhaps a cold swim for Dad!

Taking Your Child on Their First Backpacking Trip

I still remember my first backpacking trip. My Boy Scout Troop headed to the back hills of Malibu to a place called Circle X. My Dad was on the trip as well so this was our first Father/Son backpacking experience. The weather was hot, my cheap backpack did not fit well and was heavy and it was 5 miles into camp, uphill! Needless to say, I was not very excited about backpacking and it was quite a few years before I did it again.

I love day hiking and have just recently started to backpack. My boys don’t necessarily like to hike but they do enjoy going to remote waterfalls or lakes to fish in. It is all about the destination for them, not the means by which we get there. Being a Scout leader myself and having attended every training course available for a Cub Scout Leader and even some Boy Scout ones, I think I have good platform on how to put on a fun first backpacking trip.

Planning this great day started over a year ago. The family knew I wanted to get my 9 year old son a good backpack. They gave him a gift card for REI for his birthday and said it was for he and Dad to use to pick out the perfect pack. Now his name is Gregory and I happen to really like the backpacks made by…..Gregory. What kid would not appreciate a pack with his name all over it! I selected one of appropriate size for him for a big daypack or light overnighter, about 35L capacity. Now he had a pack just like Dad, although his was a little smaller.

Over the next year, we went on some day hikes and he was proud to wear his pack. The family always talked it up at how impressive it was when he wore his backpack. He did a 7 mile day hike up in Mammoth to Rainbow Falls which was really impressive. He really liked it when we went about a mile to arrive at an alpine lake we had all to ourselves. He carried his own fishing pole and gear and was rewarded with a fish. This made for a perfect day hike and really showed him the fun that could be had on the trail.

We camp all the time so the outdoors are nothing new to him. He has camped in rain, wind and cold, fortunately never all three at the same time. The Spring seemed like the right time of year for our trip as the weather would be mild. I wanted to find a place for our first backpack trip that was a short hike, a mile or two at most but still remote. I needed a place with a water source nearby so we did not have to carry much water and if this place had something fun to do once we arrived it would be even better.

My coworker Clark and his wife Michelle told me about a first backpacking trip they were going to do to Tenaja Falls and Fisherman’s Camp in the San Mateo Wilderness of the Cleveland National Forest. They would do a longer hike than what I wanted but would be visiting the falls and a wilderness camp area that sounded appropriate. I would have joined them but I was in Mammoth that weekend for a snow and ice class.

They gave me their report on the trip and the conditions at the office the following Monday. I looked at the map and figured out how I could combine a short 1.4 mile roundtrip day hike to the Tenaja Falls with a 4 mile roundtrip backpack to Fisherman’s Camp. The whole trip would be following a flowing creek and the waterfall had a great swimming hole. I faxed off my application for an overnight permit and got it back approved. The trip was on!

I invited some friends and Gregory’s Uncle Jeff. They both have dogs and my son enjoys being around dogs, just not picking up after them which is a reason we don’t have one. Our friends would join us for the first part of our trip, the day hike to the falls and back. Gregory and I were on our own after that.

Two nights before the trip I had Gregory sit with me as we both loaded our packs. He got out his clothes. Before putting them in his pack I explained to him that we are not out there to smell good or impress the girls with our good smells and clean clothes. We ditched about half of the clothes he had selected. We would be doing freezer bag cooking so both headed to the kitchen to assemble our meals, some of which we created ourselves and others from some recipes I had recently used myself.  He carried his sleeping bag, clothes, ten essentials, alcohol stove he had made, snacks, a deck of cards and mini chess set. I carried the rest. His pack was around 15 lbs. and mine was, well……more.

After a very scenic drive we arrived at the trailhead to the falls. We all headed up the short trail and enjoyed the falls. The dogs played in the water, I jumped off the rocks into the swimming hole and Gregory enjoyed wading and laying on the rocks. We packed in a hearty lunch and enjoyed about 3 hours goofing off. We headed back to the car and said goodbye to our friends. As they drove off, Gregory and I put on our packs as it was time to start our first backpack adventure. It was about 3:00PM and I figured we could cover the two miles in about 1 ½ hours tops, at kid speed with plenty of breaks.

The hike to Fisherman’s Camp was gently downhill. The trail alternated between sun and shade and several creek crossings needed to be done. We even came across a family we had camped with before on the trail, the only other people we saw on the way into Fisherman’s Camp. We took frequent rest breaks and drank plenty of water. Since I had all the water, I was happy to drink it as it meant a lighter pack for me. We had great Father/Son chat and enjoyed our hike together.

We arrived at Fisherman’s Camp a little after 4:00PM. Other than another father/son group about a ¼ mile away, we had the whole camp to ourselves. As the following day was Mother’s Day I guess this was not a popular weekend. We saw what looked like the perfect camp site. Before pitching our tent we evaluated it under the Leave No Trace principles and deemed it to be an appropriate location. Camped out under a nice oak tree with a log for sitting on and a couple of flat rocks to use as a table with a small meadow surrounding us, we were ready for the evening.

We headed to the nearby creek (100 ft. away of course) and pumped water with our water filter to purify it. We headed back to camp and began our dinner prep. We figured out how much hot water we needed for our meals. We were trying a new experimental recipe we developed, stuffing with chicken. We also had another favorite, chicken gravy rice. We boiled our water in homemade alcohol stoves. I have been using one for sometime now but Gregory made his when I had his Webelos Den make them as a project to earn their Craftsman Activity Pin. We boiled our water and poured it into the freezer bags with our dinner. We waited for them to hydrate properly and dug into them. We both agreed that our new chicken stuffing creation was the best of the two and that with some dried apples tossed in it would be even better the next time.

We played some cards and Gregory did some whittling. I taught him how to tie some new knots. We decided to brew up some hot cocoa for dessert. Out came the alcohol stove for more hot water. We enjoyed our hot beverage consumed from our Heineken beer can we use for a pot with a silicone wrist band at the top to keep from burning our lips. I asked him if he was having a great time and he enthusiastically replied “Yes!” It was now about 8:30PM and time for bed as we had an early morning start ahead of us. We had promised Mom we would be home as soon as possible on Sunday and should be home for lunch.  

Upon crawling in the tent I discovered that the old insulated air mattress from 20+ years ago had a hole and provided about nothing for comfort. Gregory had a ½" closed cell foam mat that I had been using lately but I decided to carry the heavier “more comfortable” air mattress that now did little for comfort or insulation. It was a cool night and Gregory got a little cold but I had him put on his fleece jacket and we snuggled a little closer and went back to sleep.

By just before 7:00AM we were both up and I was getting water going for our quick oatmeal breakfast. By 8:00AM we had camp packed up and checked to make sure we left only footprints behind. We headed out on our 2 mile trip back to the truck. We took some pictures and talked about the fun we have had on this trip. The time passed quickly and I could tell he was ready for this. We got back to the truck at 9:15AM and took our packs off. I asked him if he would like to do more backpacking similar to this in the future. I was full of joy when again he replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

My master plan had paid off! It was nearly a year in the making but I now have a child who is happy to go backpacking with me. We discussed possible locations for future trips and instead of the usual frown when I mention hiking I was seeing a smile. Now I just have to repeat this in a few years with his younger brother and I am set! We even made it home by 10:45AM for Mother’s Day and all went out to lunch together and off to my Sister’s for a family gathering that evening. If anyone knows how to get Mom to join us in all the fun let me know as I have not figured that one out yet?

Please click here for our pictures of the whole trip.