Backpacking Baby

We took Caleb backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula this summer. He was ten months old. I'm not the most experienced backpacker in the world. I grew up in a Chicago suburb with parents who went car camping once a year with our church. Total city slickers.

While I was used to the idea of loving the outdoors - since I considered myself an animal-and-nature-loving tomboy - I didn't really know what that meant. Marrying an Eagle Scout from a town of 2,000 who hunts, fishes, builds fires, and can forage in the woods changed my concept of "outdoors" and "camping" completely. When he suggested that we take the entire family (baby and two dogs) backpacking, I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. He and I had gone, of course, but never with the dogs or the baby. Why not try them on the same trip?

Well, we survived. To prove it, I thought I'd write this blog and give myself some reminders for the next go around:

• The younger the baby, the better. I carried Caleb in a Kelty baby pack designed for backpacking. If he were older, he could have run around on his own two feet. If he were younger (and lighter), I would have carried him around in the Moby. If you can carry on the front, that gives you much more packing space on your back. As it turned out, Paul carried in all of our supplies. I had the baby and a few extras. Another reason a younger baby is better? You can set them down without them crawling off into unknown dangers. Need another reason? If you're only nursing, you don't have to pack any extra food.
• Sleep, the biggest battle. For the most part, our little guy was a happy camper. He didn't seem to mind the bugs, incredible heat, sitting on my back for hours at a time, and not having a single toy. What he couldn't stand: not having his normal sleep setting. No crib. No fan. No dark room. We did all we could to get him to sleep, blocking the sun with our sleeping bags, singing, fanning him, cooling him off in the lake. It was a bust. Plus, we could hardly sleep because we were constantly worried about him rolling off the bed (we backpacked to rustic cabins - no running water, no toilets, no electricity). We need to find a solution to this, a portable bed for baby that is super light weight?                     
• Bring a glow stick. This entertained our child for at least two hours. 
• Love the dirt. Let your child play in the grass, dirt, water, whatever you have. This is the time when they start to learn to love God's creation. Keep a close eye on them, but let them explore as much as possible. 
• Plan short hikes. Paul and I are pretty ambitious when we set out. This time, our longest hike was five miles. Even that was a little on the long side. Next time three max. 
• Always, always, always bring the hammock. 

I hope Caleb loves the outdoors as much as we do. There's nothing like backpacking to remember how little you need to survive, especially when you're surrounded by the people and animals you love most.