I went on my first backpacking trip at age 6. I don't remember a lot about it, but I do remember that I was supposed to make a collection for school and that my parents almost immediately changed my collection from rocks to moss! My kids were older, because their father wasn't intererested in backpacking. I started taking my grandkids out at age 5.

I would suggest short overnighters to start with, to destinations that the kid would like. Lakes are always good! Keep the distances short and the kid's pack light. It's gotta be the kid's hike, not yours!

This excellent article on hiking with children will not only give you some good ideas, but may reduce Mom's fears a bit.

Taking a SPOT or one of those DeLorme things would let you send Mom an "OK" message daily. Sometimes the messages don't go through, so you'd have to point out that no message doesn't mean something is wrong with you, just with the SPOT reception.




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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey