T
he five-day backpack around Labor Day is the only family tradition my family has ever been able to create and maintain. One year we did a loop in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado while bagging some 14,000-foot peaks along the way, and another year we did the Bechler River Trail in Yellowstone. We’ve also tackled the Teton Crest Trail, The Beaten Path in Montana’s Beartooth Wilderness and plan to explore the Sawtooths in Idaho next. As the years go on, we seem to live farther and farther apart from each other; but taking a backpacking trip is a great mini-reunion for the members of the family that load up their packs for it. The main motivations for traveling as a family are to spend quality time together while creating lifelong memories. I’ve been traveling, road-tripping, hiking and backpacking with my family my entire life — and I don’t take this experience for granted. Trekking into the backcountry with your spouse and kids or parents doesn’t need to be an adventure relegated only to the most-outdoorsy of folks. It can be a cherished memory, and perhaps new tradition, for newcomers and experienced adventurers alike. The biggest part of multigenerational backpacking trips is in the planning and expectation management. Over the years, we’ve learned a few things to make the trips more fun and memorable for everyone that I want to share with anyone considering such a vacation. Following these tips will help you get the most out of your family backpacking trip in order to create the best memories possible.
Backpacking isn’t just for elite athletes, but rather a great adventure for families to take together.
Setting up camp after our first day on The Beaten Path in 2019. photo courtesy of Holly Priestley
››
The family starting out the second day of a 5-day hike along the Teton Crest Trail in 2018, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. photo courtesy of Holly Priestley
S U M M E R
2 0 2 1
| 35
