Taku Lake - Campbell Creek Trail

10 moms, 2 dads, 1 grandma and about 18 kiddos hit the trail today. We took the Campbell Creek Trail from Taku Lake (Corner of King St. & 76th) and headed west as the snow was falling all around us. Yes glorious beautiful snow! We've had very little so far this winter, a stark contrast to the record breaking load we had last year. What snow we did have melted with the recent warm spell and rain.


Despite my oldest son throwing up his hands and exclaiming"It's a snowy snowland out there Mommy!" when he looked out the window this morning, today was one of those days, when I almost called the whole Trek off. I didn't get much sleep last night due to a teething infant. I didn't want to clean off my truck. I wasn't excited about locating all our gear, something I usually do the night before, but hadn't. I didn't know how the roads were going to be. My husband is going to be home for a long weekend tomorrow and I wanted to clean... I had a long list of "didn'ts...." BUT... we did. I know that the days I most want to stay home are the days I most need to go out, especially in the winter to ward off the onset of the Winter Blues.

When I arrived at the parking lot and saw all the cars parked with their hatches up, sleds and gear strew about and kids playing, my heart did jumping jacks! All these people wanting to hit the trail in this "snowy snowland" with each other and their kids, brought joy to every fiber of my being. Parents pulled each other's kids in sleds. Boys pretended to be dragons. Parents meeting for each other for the first time  immediately started exchanging stories of parenthood. One wise mama knew she wasn't going to get far down the trail with her two year old who was reveling in the freshly fallen chrystals. She didn't rush him and let him do his thing. It was simply beautiful and so worth the pushing through beyond my snowy morning urge to hibernate!

Favorite Baby Carrier Cover - Hands Down!

We've had the Kowalli Cover in our lending library for a while now. When it first arrived, my oldest was starting to become an independent little Trekker and I didn't get much use out of it personally. Now with the addition of our newest son, I've had the chance to really use it and totally fall in love with it. It is hands down my favorite baby carrier cover. Here's why:

• Most of the other carriers have a small hole or slit through which baby has to put their head. Besides the fact that babies don't tend to like putting their heads through small holes, it makes it that much more difficult when wearing them on your back. Still other benefits of the wide opening is that you can easily adjust the baby and use the sleep hood (like on an Ergo). This too can not be said for some of the other covers.
• My other pet peeve with some of these carriers is that your own jacket must remain open. With the Kowalli, My own jacket can be zipped up. (I also recently found the best baby wearing, no bulk, super warm jacket... we'll save that for another review). 
• The fleece is super soft.
• A pocket!
• The design is no frills, simple & smart.
• Not only is the Kowalli constructed in the USA, the fabric is made here too! Usually clothing and gear may be constructed here, but the material is outsourced. Not in this case. I also happen to love that the company is out of Providence, RI. I grew up in Lil Rhody and my family still resides there, most of them in Providence.
• Alizah, the owner of the company is accessible and so generous! She sent Taiga Trekkers the cover, free of charge to keep in our lending library. Just drop me an email to let me know if you want me to bring it along for you to use! It is also available for use during other Anchorage Outdoor Family Network events too. Again just shoot me an email.

South Bivouac Trail

Today's Trek took us on the South Bivouac Trail, part of the Bicentennial Park. Take Tudor to Campbell Airstrip Rd. which turns into Basher Dr. The trailhead is well marked by the above sign on your right. There's lots of parking. This area of trails is one I personally avoid during the summer, as it is known bear territory. The trail conditions were better than expected. This is a undulating terrain with some rather steep sections, or at least they seem that way when its icy or your pulling a sled full of kids! Ice grippers were very helpful. We could certainly use some more snow to spruce things up a bit though!

6 moms, 1 dad and 11 kiddos rounded out our group today. There are lots of new babies in the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network these days with a whole bunch more on the way! This new AOFN family took their little 6 week old out for their first Trek. We look forward to seeing them more in the future!

There are a lot of trails options in this area. We stuck on the South Bivouac trail, but you can hit Rover's Run and Spencer Loop from here, link up with the Hilltop trail system and many others as well.

My oldest took advantage of the comfort of the sled ride to relax a little. We joked that he looked like a mountain rescue volunteer "victim."

Sleds were the predominant vehicle of choice today, though one strong mama pushed her littlest one in a chariot while pulling her oldest in a sled. She must have gotten a good work out!

My oldest has turned into a gear junkie. He's sporting the hydration pack he requested from Santa. He's still a little upset we didn't get him the avalanche beacon he also had hoped for.

We were out for over an hour. Having the start time delayed by the half hour during the winter, makes a huge difference. The sun was just making its way over the ridge line as we were returning to the parking lot.

We hike every Thursday, in most conditions. Look for the location of the next Trek at the Anchorage Outdoor Family Network.

Upper Huffman to Hemlock Knob

Today was a first in Taiga Trekkers history, as one dad pointed out... The dads outnumbered the moms 2:1. That's because there were 2 dads and me, along with 3 kiddos. It was a gorgeous morning for a post Christmas madness hike indeed! We hit the trail from the Upper Huffman parking lot and headed toward the Gas Line trail and did part of the Hemlock Knob Trail. We toted kids in Ergos and sleds while Denali & Foraker glowed pink in their sunrise alpenglow dresses. It is always wise, on winter hike in particular, to bring a backup mode of transportation for your little one. In today's case one of the dads brought both a sled and an Ergo. He used both for his little girl.

Our Little Bear broke out the snowshoes for the first time this season. Thanks to a generous donation by Tubbs Snowshoes, we have 6 pairs in various kid sizes, for families to try out on hikes. I usually bring them to all winter hikes, but if you're interested in using a pair shoot me an email and I'll make sure I have them with me. I wore the Kowalli Cover to help keep our Cub warm in the Ergo. It is truly one of my favorite pieces of winter gear. Like the snowshoes, this cover was donated to our lending library by Kowalli. Again shoot me an email if this is something you'd like to use on a hike!

It was great to be back on the trails in the Anchorage Bowl again today! I can't thank Amanda enough for keeping Taiga Trekkers going in my absence! I hope to see you all out on the trail again soon. We hike every Thursday in almost all weather. Please join us!

Ways to Utilize Hand Warmers to Maximize Comfort

***Like most of the things we write about for getting your kids outdoors, these are things that have worked for us in the past, but it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for your family's needs. We are not responsible for how you to choose to prepare yourself of your children for the outdoors***

A question from my last post was "Can you tell me more about how you use handwarmers and other warming devices in stroller? I've received burns from handwarmers used in my pockets so I'm nervous about figuring out how to use them best in a stroller or chariot. I was meaning to write it to ask you so I was glad to see this post to spur me on!"

Safety and sanity are always our top priority. Personally I have a love hate relationship with hand warmers. I despise how wasteful they are, yet I haven't personally found reusable ones that work quite as well, or even half as well. I have Raynaud's which is described well on www.nlm.nih.gov as "a disorder of the blood vessels, usually in the fingers and toes. People with this disorder have attacks that cause the blood vessels to narrow. When this happens, blood can't get to the surface of the skin and the affected areas turn white and blue. When the blood flow returns, the skin turns red and throbs or tingles. Cold weather and stress can trigger attacks. Often the cause of Raynaud's is not known. People in colder climates are more likely to develop Raynaud's than people in warmer areas." For me these little beasts are absolutely necessary. They are also very handy when keeping kids warm and comfortable outside in the winter.

***The warning on the label says not to allow the hand warmers to be "applied directly to your skin for an extended period of time." ***

1. Mittens & Boots

• Put in mittens - NEVER put one directly on a child's skin. I always have my little kids' hands in a pair of their own wool socks (or mine - which provides a nice arm gaitor). This provides a liner. Then I put a hand warmer inside their mitt and check on them frequently. Some manufacturers make mittens & boots with pockets specifically for hand & foot warmers. I have an old pair of REI mittens that have this feature. I'll have to see if they still do that. 
• Boots are the same. They make foot warmers that stick to the top of the sock and are less bulky. Always a sock in between the skin and the warmer.

2. Strollers, Chariots & Pulks

• This only works with buggies that have a footmuff, weather shield or rain cover to keep the warmth in.
• You can either use a couple of hand warmers or a larger body warmer. I place them either in the foot well of my Chariot or the bottom of the footmuff. Since my kiddos are already dressed from head to toe I don't need to worry about their skin making contact. While they're still in stage when they put everything in the mouth  I make sure they are secured in so they can not get a hold of the warmer.
• Warmers do a pretty good job of keeping the babes toasty on frigid days in that little enclose space while being pushed or pulled by their parent.
• Always make sure when you are bundling up a babe in stroller, chariot or pulk,  not to compromise the venting and fresh air exchange avenues.

Please add to the discussion below in the comment section for ways you use hand warmers or if you have found a great reusable one! 

Weather Shield & Footmuff

Trekking in the Cold - Wearing Your Little One & Knowing Your Own Limits

In the past we've debated about whether or not we should set a temperature at which we will not hike past. The general consensus from the feedback I've received has always been... keep Trekking, even when I was the one wimping out. All parents in the group are responsible for dressing themselves and their kids appropriately for the conditions and knowing what their own personal limits are. You'll notice in the winter that the group that starts off on the trail tapers off rapidly as families turn back when they know they've gotten what they needed. We all have had those days where we've lasted only 10 minutes because of a gear malfunction or we just know it isn't what our kiddo wants. We've agreed that those 10 minutes were so worth it, if just for getting us out of the house in the depths of winter, when it is soooo easy to stay in and work ourselves into the winter blues or hibernation.

Having been in Kodiak for what winter we've had so far, I haven't seen single or even the teens yet this season. When thinking about gearing up my now two kiddos for Treks when we get back seems daunting, but exciting. The one thing I wish to improve on this year is keeping my non-mobile hiker sufficiently warm. Knowing all I do about keeping comfortable in the cold, I still have a few things to learn. I looked back at some of my pictures of previous year's cold hikes, and my oldest looks cold. He didn't complain, but he looked it.


Here's the deal... unlike Skedaddle where kids are moving on their own and generating their own heat while running around the playground, kids that are worn, in strollers, sleds, pulks or chariots do no create their own heat. Strollers and chariots are easy fixes, as you can throw in handwarmers and layers of cozy blankets. Carriers are my concern. While their cores are kept warm from being close to you, the arms and legs of worn children dangle and because they do, they can get cold much, much faster as their circulation is compromised, even in the best carrier. So do we keep those kids in? Absolutely not. The remedy. Make sure you get them out and moving periodically through out your hike. Check on them frequently. Layers only go so far. Most importantly, turn back when you know either you or your little one have had enough. Sometimes it is tempting to keep pushing when it took so long just to get out the door... but just let getting out the door be the accomplishment and everything else a bonus. There isn't anything better you can role model for your child than knowing when to push your  limits and when not to. The deep cold is not a time to test our your max threshold. It makes for a nasty car ride home. Talk about with your children why you are putting the layers you are putting on them. Debrief with them after a hike and talk about what worked and what didn't to get your own tailored system down.

Salmonberries - Field Notes from Kodiak

My family and I have been thoroughly enjoying our extended stay in Kodiak this summer while Amanda has graciously been holding down the fort and running hikes for me this summer. (Make sure to give her a big THANK YOU when you see her out on the trails!)

My favorite part of the year is always berry picking season! It's in my blood, literally. My father is half Finnish, making me a quarter and the Finns are avid berry pickers as their climate is very similar to Alaska. Even those who immigrated to the US, kept up this tradition. My great grandmother owned a blueberry farm in southern New Hampshire. My grandfather made sure to have a bounty of blueberry bushes on his own property. My dad grew up picking berries at my Great Grandma Liimatainen's farm.

Alaska is a land where people take the utmost pride in their ability to subsist of the land. So be careful when you ask someone where their favorite blueberry spot is... they may lead you astray. Like favorite hunting grounds and fishing holes, we guard our berry picking spots with great secrecy, only to be shared with family or close friends.

My little forager.

This year was a new first for me in my long line of years picking the wild fruit... Salmonberries! What is a salmonberry you might ask. Well it is a beefed up close relative to the raspberry. The leaves and stems are very reminiscent of the raspberry, but the flower is big and bright pink. You can take the flower off the stem and suck the sweet fragrant nectar from it, much like you would with honeysuckle. The berries themselves are again much like the raspberry, with the same fruit structure, but much larger. They change in color from green, to orange to a deep blood red when ripe and are called salmonberries because they look strikingly like salmon roe (eggs). Not quite as sweet as their cousins, they make for the best pie I've ever had! They are great for making jam, sauces, wine and ice cream too.

Due to the cold, very snowy winter, they were a little later in their ripening this year. While my family was on one of our almost nightly walks on the docks, checking out the fishing boats and more importantly the new sailboats in from all over the world, I overheard a funny conversation between two burly fishermen getting their nets ready for their next run. They were cursing up a storm, when one stops and says "Hey what's up with the salmonberries this year? But this f*&%$ing time last year I was f#%^@ing making jam!" It seemed so comical to me that such a rough and tumble guy would be swearing and talking about one of the most historically domestic tasks. Even cussing, giant, weathered men have a soft side.

While the fisherman like salmonberries, so too do many of the birds. It is amusing to watch them after they've gorged themselves on the fruit, then try to take off and fly, markedly larger than when they had first landed. Flying much lower to the ground they take a while to gain altitude.

While at storytime at the local library, the children's librarian read a great story about berries, harnessing the many connections and experiences the children have with them this time of year. The craft to go along with the story was to make a berry bucket, complete with bells, so you can easily locate your child and in Kodiak hopefully warn the bears of your presence, as they love berries too. If only Sal in Blueberries for Sal had a berry bucket with bells... ah but then there wouldn't have been a good story to tell.

Here are the materials needed for the bucket:

• a yogurt container with lid
• hole puncher
• yarn
• pipecleaners
• bells
• stickers to decorate

Here's a link to my berry season post last year with a variety of lesson ideas, activities and books that focus on berry picking: Blueberry Buddies and Lessons from the Land.

Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Cold: Why spending time in the outdoors in most conditions is important and healthy.

Summer notes from Kodiak - While in Kodiak over the summer, I've been trying to get interest from other parents to create an outdoor play/hiking group. I've encountered a little resistance that has surprised me... "We'd love to... as long as it is nice outside." Why does this surprise me? Kodiak is an island community prone to wind and rain. I assumed that parents and kids were a little more hearty (they quite possibly are and I just haven't met them yet because they're already outdoors having fun. We've only been here a few weeks), and would take their kids out because they may not get our for a while if they wait for that perfect day. Having lived in Anchorage through record rainfall and snow years, we've come to accept the weather for what it is and deal with it. A sunny day is just that much more appreciated. Here in Kodiak if the skies open up for a few hours people know to take advantage of it!

(Since I originally wrote this I've found many kindred spirits! I knew they were here. In fact this may be the most welcoming community I've ever been to! I may have to be torn away from here when my husband's project is completed!)

We've come against this resistance before with our hiking group in Anchorage, but gradually parents have become more confident in their skills in preparing the whole gang for warm, comfortable and dry fun in all kinds of weather. Much of that thanks goes to our dear friend and author Jennifer Aist through her book Babes in the Woods and the classes and clinics she puts on for families (even if you aren't in Alaska, your group or organization can book her to do presentations!). There also happens to be a global movement to connect and reconnect children with the outdoors. This movement has largely been spurred on by the author Richard Louv and his books LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and most recently, THE NATURE PRINCIPLE: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder.

 

Why is taking your kids out in cold or inclement weather important and actually healthy for them? Oh the reasons are numerous:

• Fresh air is so important for so many health reasons, it helps with croup, colicky babies, it is very important in the winter months to help ward off colds and bugs that thrive indoors in close quarters.
• Endorphins are thought to be released by engaging in physical activity and to elevate mood and energy levels, as well as promote a healthy immune system. They are said to help you recover from injury and illness faster too.
• Emergency preparedness - when you know how to prepare yourself for being comfortable, safe and warm no matter what the elements have in store for you, you have a better understanding of how to keep yourself alive should you or your children find themselves in an unfortunate predicament.
• Process skills and planning - as a veteran elementary teacher process skills and the ability to plan are traits that are widely lacking in today's children. Pushing on through and planning for an outing in inclement weather teaches kids how to predict what their needs will be and meet them trough planning and being proactive.
• Follow through & determination - the ability to see a plan through to the end. If you say your're going to accomplish something like a hike... then do it. Teach your children not to let obstacles get in their way.
• Flexibility - teach and role model for your kids how to roll with the punches and not let little things like rain get in their way of doing what they had intended.
• True sense of satisfaction - there is nothing more satisfying than conquering an obstacle, even one as silly as weather. Some of the best hikes with Taiga Trekkers have been rainy or cold ones, because we all thought about bailing before we even got to the trailhead, but we all persevered and felt better about ourselves than we would of if it was a regular old sunny day.
• Perspective - seeing life through another lense - rainy & snowy days aren't often thought of as beautiful, but they really are.
• Deeper understanding of nature/science & its cycles - if you only spend time outside when it it is "nice" or rather I should say sunny (now that we've established that other kinds of weather are nice too), you miss out on all the amazing lessons to be learned about nature and how all it's phenomenal systems function. A simple example is leaves turning themselves over before a rainfall or flowers battening down the hatches by closing themselves up.

Now of course there are limits to what we will expose ourselves, an more importantly our children to. Those limits are different for every family, but it is important for us to not let a little rain or cold get in the way of our time outdoors. We'd miss out on so much wonder and opportunity if we did!

*please forgive the typos... this was written in a fury of a few quite moments, often typed with one hand while I've nursed an infant, or by miracle of miracles... both kids napped at the same time. The idea has been banging around my beaner for a couple of days now.

2nd Anniversary Trek and Potluck

What a brilliant morning to celebrate two years of trekking together! The sun greeted us with warmth and the mountains provided a stunning backdrop. There was an amazing turnout of parents and kids, some whom have been with us from the beginning and for some it was there very first time out. When we returned to the parking lot and playground we had an outside potluck of the most scrumptious treats ever made.

We took a moment to send some positive healing energy to our fellow Trekker mama Casey who is in Texas receiving treatment for lymphoma. I know our thoughts had enough power to travel across the continent to her!

Thanks to all the amazing AOFN families present today and who couldn't be here, for making this such an amazing group! The relationships formed here are ones that are so treasured and important to surviving this beautiful and challenging part of life called parenting. Seeing all the friendships and bonds between the kids themselves is truly heartwarming.

The Three Amigos!

Pussy willows - a sure sign of spring!

The Campbell Creek Bridge - an icon of the Anchorage Trail system.

This is just half of the delicious treats at our potluck!