Yesterday, we went hiking, my family and I. This is not unusual for us. We hike a lot. At least once a month, sometimes more
often. We live smack dab in the center
of a National Forest, so there aren’t many other options for
entertainment. Thankfully, there aren’t
many other things we’d enjoy doing more.
The unusual thing about our hike yesterday, however, was
that we hiked in the rain. Now this may
not seem all that unusual, but given the choice, most people would not hike in
the rain. Or should I say, most adults
would not hike in the rain. Kids? They love it.
I have come to know this after spending years as an outdoor
educator. Yesterday, we had planned to
hike with 7 other families. As it turned
out, 6 of those families backed out of coming at the last minute. The reason?
It was raining.
So, we hiked with the one other family that showed up, and
our boys had a blast, just as I knew they would. The mother and I, whom I only knew casually,
got much better acquainted, and bonded over our mutual agreement that kids are anxious about enough things these days, why make them anxious about the weather,
as well?
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| Skipping rocks in the rain. |
When we got home that afternoon, it was still raining. My son, who was already wet from the hike,
asked what he could do, and I suggested he take the firewood off the front porch
and return it to the woodshed. Without
hesitation, he agreed to do it, and a few minutes later, I looked out the window
to see him loading wood into the wagon.
In the rain. He was wet but
working, and it dawned on me that children who play in the rain become adults
who will work in the rain. And in a
world where time is money, that just might be the edge they need someday. I spent my professional career working with
men and women who were required to perform most of their assignments
outdoors. So many times, projects got
delayed significantly due to inclement weather.
Not because the weather prohibited them from completing the work
assigned, but because they were unwilling to work in less than perfect conditions. It cost the government tons, not to mention
the frustrations that came from incomplete projects and delayed timelines. All because it was raining, or too cold, or
too hot, etc, etc.
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| Moving firewood in the rain. |
However, I do realize that a lot of people, especially
mothers, are not sure just HOW to enjoyably hike in the rain with their kids. Obviously, getting cold and soaked is a very
unpleasant experience, and if you have cold and wet children, then the whining
begins, and they will drive you totally nuts, and you will vow to never,
ever take them out in the rain again. I
know. I’ve been there. So, I
decided to share a few of the things I have learned after years of taking kids
(and myself) outdoors in rainy weather.
1. Get rain pants.
I think most parents have a rain coat for
their child, but I have seen very few people show up for an outdoor activity in
wet weather wearing a pair of rain pants.
Get some. Not only will they keep
the kids a whole lot drier, but they will also prevent the mud that they are
sure to smear all over their rumps and knees from grinding into their
clothing. Plus, when it is time to put
the dirty, muddy little rascals into their car seats post-hike, you can just
peel those nasty rain pants off, put them in a plastic bag, and Voila! You have kids with clean pants again. No soiled car seat covers, and no mess in the
car. Rain pants are also awesome for putting
over their pants when they play in the snow, or for just having on even when it
is not raining, but the ground is wet. I
always buy the lightweight rain pants so that they are not too warm in the
summer, and ripstop nylon is best because you know those kids are going to walk
right through that briar patch!
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| My little hikers, six years ago. |
2. Wear waterproof shoes
My boys all have waterproof hiking boots, but more often than not, when it is really wet or we have snow, they wear ordinary rubber “chore boots”. Again, because it is often warm, I buy the uninsulated boots. Pair them up with some wool-blend socks, and their feet will stay warm even if they get wet. Heavier socks also prevent blistering.
Some rubber boots hold up better than others. I am not a big fan of the cutesy Western Chief boots, mostly because they have poor tread for slippery surfaces. I also tested the Crocs rain boots on my 9 year old and they lasted about 3 weeks. We have mostly been using the Ranger Splash series youth rain boots by Honeywell for our boys since they were 2 years old, and by far, they have held up the best. Some sizes are currently available from Amazon, and I've also found them online at Wal-mart.
Another plus to wearing these boots is that they have higher tops than most kids' hiking boots, which is something to consider when hiking in rattlesnake country.
And here’s a helpful hint…when wearing rain pants with boots, be sure that the kids pull their rain pants over the tops of their boots, not tuck them into the boots, otherwise, the water will just funnel right down into their shoes. Somehow, this seems obvious to me, but I have learned that it is definitely not obvious to an 8 year old!
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| If you wanna see salamanders, you gotta hike in the rain. |
3. Wear a ball cap.
Pull a raincoat hood over a ball cap and
unless you are facing the wind, the rain will run down your hood and away from
your face. And if you have a kid who
wears glasses, they will still be able to see, at least until they decide to
turn their face up towards the clouds and catch raindrops on their tongue!
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| Watching mist rise above the river in between rain showers. |
4. Know how to find shelter.
When hiking anytime, but especially with
children in rainy weather, it’s important to have a plan for finding shelter,
if needed. I usually try to stay within 15 minutes of shelter when
thunderstorms are around. When the
storm hits, we wait it out in our shelter.
I have a son who is deathly afraid of thunderstorms, and I think the
best way to help him past his fear is to expose him in a safe manner to the
storms. When it is all over, he relaxes
and realizes that he’s still okay. Bit
by bit, he is overcoming his phobia. A
vehicle or picnic shelter or cliff overhang or cave or even beneath a large
evergreen tree are all shelter options that we have taken advantage of when
caught in downpours or thunderstorms, although some shelters are definitely
better (and safer) than others. And yes, lightning
is a threat at times, but that risk is still probably lower than the one you
took driving on the freeway to get to the trailhead.
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| Waiting out a downpour under a cliff overhang. This one caught us by surprise, hence, no rain gear. |
5. Stay warm.
I always say, “It’s all fun and games until
the kids get cold,” and it’s true. Regardless
of whether it is raining or sunny, if the kids get cold, their fun is
over. For this reason, I am much less
likely to take kids out in the rain if it is below 45 degrees F than if it is
70 degrees F. Even if you dress them
with all the best rain gear and boots and hats, they are going to get wet in
the rain. If you keep them moving, they
can usually handle it if the temperatures are above 45 degrees, but you should
definitely plan to pack some extra dry clothes for when they slow down and
start to get chilly. Generally speaking, adults will start getting cold before the kids do. If it is around 70 degrees or warmer, odds are those kids are going to ditch their rain gear anyway,
and just want to get wet, because nothing feels better on the skin that a warm,
summer rain. When this has happened to me, I’m not above
making them strip down to their underclothes before getting into the car for
the return trip home. Keeping an old
bath towel in the vehicle is a huge help at times like that!
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| My mostly dry hikers yesterday. As expected, one of them ditched the raincoat and decided to just get wet. |
So those are my 5 tips for how to prepare kids for hiking in the rain. Of course, these
same tips apply to adults as well, and I follow them myself (well, except for
the stripping down to the underclothes part!). I encourage you to get those kids outside in
all kinds of weather. Life is full of
enough anxieties; let’s not teach our kids to be anxious about the
weather. God gave us the natural world
so that we would always have a place to play and imagine and grow. Our Lord uses rainy days to bring life to
the earth and even more so, to our children. I try not to get in the way of
that.
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He covers the heavens with clouds;
He prepares rain for the earth;
He makes grass grow on the hills.
Psalm
147:8
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