Reflection

Despite the fact that Nova Scotia isn't exactly a hiking/backpacking mecca, this summer has still brought us two significant outdoor milestones: The longest multi-day trip our family has done to date, and the longest daily mileage our family has ever done backpacking. I will be the first to admit that living in a land with rather flat terrain probably contributed significantly to both of those achievements. That being said, we have been very impressed with our family's ability to thrive on these treks.

Cape Chignecto

The first milestone was realized this past June when we did the Cape Chignecto trail, a 50 km loop along the coast of the Bay of Fundy. We did this trek over four days, and it pushed a number of boundaries for us:

• We got much better at camp management. Learning how to efficiently setup camp and take down camp on a daily basis with three kids is a challenge. We were able to dial-in the process much better than we have done in the past giving us more confidence for longer trips in the future. Along with this, the children are now able to (mostly) pack their own packs in an efficient manner which makes things MUCH easier. On past trips we had to help them which made packing-up camp a much more lengthy/complicated process. Now all I have to say is, "Ok, we're packing-up now" and they know what to do.
• We are becoming more comfortable with hiking for long periods of time. In the past, we used to be concerned with the campsite being in a beautiful spot. Now that doesn't matter quite as much to us (although it is still desirable). Instead we enjoy the beautiful places as we hike and setup camp for eating and sleeping. On this past trip on one particular day, we hiked until supper time, found a beautiful beach to cook supper at, then once supper was done we continued to hike some more (until 9:00 pm) where we setup camp and went to bed.
• We are learning to better deal with adverse conditions. This trip had some of the worst bugs we have ever encountered. Black flies, mosquitoes, and noseeums were out in full force for the entire duration of the trip. Except for when it rained. And it rained for two of the four days. I won't say that we handled both of those situations very easily, but we did handle them, and we survived, and we all came out the other side satisfied with the trip. We learned a lot, and have since made some adjustments to our systems to better handle those things in the future. The key word here is "future". It is important to take these opportunities and learn from them instead of be put-off by them.
• We were able to sustain an average mileage of 7.5 miles a day. This is a new record for us. It was interesting to see the progression of physical adaptation to the process: On day one people were really tired by the end of the day. On day two, people were sore from the previous day. On day three bodies were recovering and by day four people didn't really notice their packs anymore. Our experience with short term backpacking is that the worst day physically is the second day. After that things get better.

Bluff Wilderness Trail

The second milestone was realized this past August when we did a long overnight trip on the Bluff Trail in Nova Scotia. It wasn't our intention to break any records, as we had several different options for loops to choose from on the trail. Once we were on the trail we decided - after seeing our progress - that we would do the outer loop so we could hit a bunch of lakes along the way.

It ended up being a lot of fun for the kids as we were able to hit a lake for swimming about once every couple of hours. The day was hot, the terrain was so-so, but the lakes made up for it and gave the kids the motivation they needed to keep moving. In the end we discovered we had done 18 miles over the course of two days, putting us at an average pace of 9 miles a day.

On the second trip we also experienced an adverse situation, but it was not one we could have anticipated. When we returned to our car at the trailhead, we discovered that our car had been broken-into. The passenger side window was smashed. My wallet, our smartphone, and Renee's handbag were gone. The front dash was damaged from an attempt at stealing the stereo. The money we had planned to use to take the kids out for supper was nowhere to be found. It was 6pm, and everyone was tired and hungry.

Needless to say, we recovered and all is well. Looking back I am realizing that the big thing we were robbed of was our time of reflection. Whenever we return from a multi-day trip we go out for a meal, relax, and talk about the weekend. It is a wonderful time to process the highs and the lows and talk about how we would like to do things different/better next time. This time, that process failed to happen. Everything was overshadowed by the negative circumstances and an overwhelming desire to cancel credit cards.

When I go backpacking, I prepare as best as I can for the challenges that I know may come our way. Then, when challenges do happen I do the best I can to deal with them using the gear and knowledge we bring. This is actually part of the fun for me, if there were no challenges, then a backpacking trip would be dull. I appreciate the experiences we gain, as I know they will translate into better trips for us in the future... and hopefully help us better handle challenging situations that life throws our way.

I had planned to post this last night when we returned from our overnighter backpack trip. But the break-in and theft from our vehicle changed the evening's plans, as I'm sure you can imagine. 

Two years ago this summer I went through a personal transformation of sorts with regards to our weekly hiking routine. I have always loved being outdoors with my family but that summer, as our practice of one day a week became more serious, what had once been fun and enjoyable became a chore for me. 

I wrote personal reflections during that time both here and at FIMBY, but never before has the whole story been put together, until now. This week at Unplugged Sunday I shared how I turned the corner after the hiking "honeymoon" was over.

I've pulled together a few posts from that summer that chronicle the journey of figuring out how to make family outdoors happen in our life and how I came to terms with that mentally, emotionally and physically. 

• Defining Priorities to Make a Family Schedule - "...guiding principles I use when planning our family's weekly schedule." (a schedule that includes hiking every week)
• Camp Character Building - "But right now I'm just afraid of losing me and in return getting what?? Smelly wet clothes and sore feet?"
• Disconnect - Damien asks, "Are we hard-core? Perhaps, but I think that there are actually good reasons one might want to do this." 
• Saturday's Flowers - "While my family was off hiking in the mountains yesterday I spent most of my day gardening."
• Marriage in Progress - "...this path of becoming one, from two, is difficult some days."
• The Rest of the Weekend Backpacking Story - "Why do important lessons and life changes involve some sort of pain?"
• Sunday Night Thoughts About Hiking and Marriage - "I am beginning to love this part of who we are and who I am becoming."

I think it's important to share this story, and others, along this path of family outdoors together. It's not all easy, it's not all hunky-dory (though my husband is kind of hunky), and it's not always fun. But, like marriage and raising kids, it's something we're committed to. 

Take heart friends if you are struggling with doing this thing you love (or are learning to love) with your family. We know what that is like. We also know, from living in Nova Scotia this summer, what it is like reframe your focus for a time and make compromises on your ideal to simply get out the door, together (Ie: our hiking experiences in Nova Scotia have been less than stellar).

We look forward to continuing on our own adventures and encouraging you in yours.

Speaking of which, haven't the giveaways we've hosted been kind of cool? We were so happy to bring back these goodies for you from OR. The winner of the Little Life Backpack is Joe B. who blogs at Pilgrim and a Stranger. I think your little girl is going to LOVE this pack. Great blog name by the way. We totally get that as we feel much the same ourselves. 

Congrats Joe. 

Renee and I are currently on the road, visting Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. The kids are in Canada staying with their grandparents. All of this travel in a beautiful place, without the kids, staying with cool people along the way has been a lot for us to process.

Here are a few of the lessons we have learned along the way, use your imagination to fill in the details...

Day 1

• 11 hours of driving without the kids is pure bliss.
• I still hate border crossings.
• Pop culture audiobooks are not my thing. I guess potty mouth and sex talk just isn't my idea of entertainment. It baffles me that these things are so popular.
• The Kallin family rocks! We haven't been disappointed yet by any family we have met on a mountain.

Day 2

• An abundance of deer flies is a great training tool for keeping up your pace on a trail run.
• Raspberry bushes are a great exfoliator.
• 11 hours of flying without the kids is pure bliss.
• Delayed flights, while sometimes frustrating, can be a blessing when it means that you won't miss your connection.

Day 3

• There is a reason they call Montana "big sky country".
• Crunchy granola meets rancher cowboy meets mountaineering dirtbag... oh, and lots of mountains... what is there not to love about Bozeman?
• When Laurent remembers to have his iPod near him, and when there is a good WiFi connection, and when we can get our timezones in sync, Face Time is a cool way to connect with the kids.
• The Jordan family rocks! Ryan makes a mean smoothie. I think we are finding our tribe.

Day 4

• My wife loves it when I buy her clothes. I love it when they are outdoor clothes.
• The Bozeman community food CO-OP makes a mean smoothie.
• Travelling Mel and her family rock! We have never met in person, only online, and yet they let us borrow their house while they were gone on vacation. Hopefully we will actually get to meet in person one day. I love the Internet!

Day 5

• If you are looking for a RPN calculator in Bozeman, the MSU bookstore is the place to go.
• If you are looking for a good pair of minimalist shoes in Bozeman, Schnee's is the place to go.
• What do two adults, alone, with lots of time on their hands to do kill an afternoon? Use the WiFi and write of course!