Laurentian Chapter Kids on the Trail Challenge

Challenge yourself and the children in your life while getting to know the Adirondacks better!

The Adirondack Park offers many hikes perfectly suited to introducing children to the variety of nature's splendor. From easy walks along mountain streams to more demanding trails, hiking can play an important role in children's formative years. Parents as well as other relatives and family friends can provide hiking opportunities. Kids respond readily to the wonders of nature; make sure they see the real thing!

Featured in the Challenge are the sixty-two hikes and walks described in Kids on the Trail! Hiking with Children in the Adirondacks, by Rose Rivezzi and David Trithart. Published by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), the book is available directly from ADK or at your local bookstore. To purchase Kids on the Trail! on-line, click here.

(Note: Because access to Cathead Mountain has been closed off, a hike to Cod Pond has been substituted in later printings of the book. Please do not attempt Cathead Mountain.)

The Challenge began April 1, 1998. Originally shceduled to end in December 2003, the Challenge has been extended indefinitely. To date 196 people, including 68 adults and 128 children, have completed the Challenge. Letters and patches have been sent to these participants. They live all across New York State, Vermont, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Quebec Province.

The Laurentian Chapter of ADK maintains its own Web site with additional information about the Challenge. To learn more click here.

You do not need to be a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club to take part in this challenge. If you do wish to join, ADK chapters often plan fun activities to help you learn more about nature, the protection of our environment, and outdoor skills. To join the club or purchase Kids on the Trail! call: 800-395-8080 (8:30 am - 5:00 pm, M-F), or write:

Adirondack Mountain Club
814 Goggins Road
Lake George, New York 12845-4117

The Kids on the Trail Patch
To receive a patch, children must complete at least two hikes from each section detailed in the book, Kids on the Trail! Hiking with Children in the Adirondacks, for a total of sixteen hikes. Print the Kids on the Trail Challenge Entry Form (pdf), circle the hikes completed and add any comments you wish to make, including the dates of hikes. Each hiker should complete a form with his/her comments (the latter can be dictated). Adults may partake in the Challenge as long as children are along on each of the hikes.

Return completed form to:

Kids! Challenge
c/o David Trithart
11 Barclay St.
Potsdam, New York 13676

Tips on hiking with kids

Before

  • Plan a hike with your children's abilities in mind
  • Let children know what to expect from the hike
  • Plan the hike as part of a trip or in conjunction with another activity

During

  • Give food and drink before your children experience energy lows or real thirst
  • Take frequent rests
  • Give lots of encouragement and praise efforts
  • Make up games along the way; sing songs; tell stories
  • Offer rewards and incentives
  • Remember children may derive pleasure in ways different from adults

After

  • Take pictures and reminisce about favorite outings; remember the good points
  • Review the hike with a map before you; use colored pencils or markers to mark the trail; display the map
  • Create a list of hikes with dates and comments about special experiences or features

Safety Reminders

  • Hike within your capabilities
  • Turn back short of your goal when necessary
  • Allow enough time to hike
  • Take plenty of water to drink
  • Tell someone where you're going
  • Sign in at the trail register
  • Dress in layers; anticipate changing conditions
  • Wear synthetic or wool fabrics
  • Keep to the trail
  • Use common sense

The above excerpted from Kids on the Trail! Hiking with Children in the Adirondacks, by Rose Rivezzi and David Trithart. To go to our secure online catalog and purchase Kids on the Trail!, click here.