In the interest of not hijacking another recent post, I'd like to start a new one. Looking for any tips on getting my daughters into BWCA type adventures. They are 6 and under and none of them have been camping yet, and we're in NC so no convenient access to the area unfortunately. Every year as I prepare for my annual journey they express much interest in what I'm doing. From the maps, to the gear, to the canoe atop my Subaru. I suppose that's a good sign, but still am unsure how to acclimate them. How old were your daughters/sons when you first started taking them? Did you start with small car camp trips and work your way up? What about gear? Oh so many questions! Any input would be appreciated. Hope everyone is having a great week
-Steven

We only live 5hrs from the BWCA, so in addition to car camping, the kids started camping with us in the BW when they were toddlers - they're now 12,15 and 18 (2 girls, 1 boy) and can pretty much do anything we can because they've gone so many times. I've also taken just the girls by myself - the mom. :) However, you can do nearly the same things to prepare them wherever you live.

Start camping with them now. :) Pretend it's like a BW trip (without portages) and use the same gear. Everyone will learn so much and you'll get a sense of how they will do and what they do/do not grasp. If you can get them into a canoe a bunch of times (even if short) and paddle around that would be helpful. Make everything short and fun.

Based on ages, we do a BW 101 day with our kids or their friends who are coming a couple weeks prior to the trip. We spend time practising land skills in the backyard and water skills at a local lake, so that once they begin the trip, they're familiar with what is expected and can jump right in. With younger ones, you can do it in smaller bites...here and there as you have time. Set up the tent together in the back yard...cook over the stove, etc. Discuss safety. You get the idea. Be flexible and have fun! If you end up taking them to the BW, I'd suggest base camping or only moving camp a couple of times.

And with regards to girls...we've had no problem getting them excited about the wilderness trips and I think it's because we did what we'd do for any kid...keep it fun, flexible and interesting. The kids forum here has great ideas for things for kids to do while in the BW...hope you check it out. Even finding picture books about the history or characters of the area might inspire them too.

Oh..and the best piece of gear for kids in the BW...a hammock! My kids spend hours in them.

Expecting a daughter in August. I too want to know how to go about getting her into the BWCA as soon as possible!

If you haven't done so already??? Check out the Canoeing with kids forum.

start them young and make sure it's about them having fun.

We had our daughter in a canoe at age 4 months, and our son at 7 months. As they grew up we did a variety of trips, from short paddles on lakes and rivers, car camping in state parks, county parks camping with the cousins, primitive camping in the Chequamegon, yearly canoe/ camping/snorkeling with friends who have 2 kids the same age as ours. Early on we let them help us do things, eventually they took over some chores. If they showed an interest in rocks, fish, maps etc, that's what we did. When we took them to the BW we wanted to take 2 canoes, and wanted them to be old enough to paddle in the bow somewhat effectively, and carry a canoe / pack too so they were something like 12 and 15.
Now, while our daughter (now 24) does not have a burning desire to spend a week in the BW, she is ok with primitive camping, and loves to kayak and hike. And our son (now 21) did a 9 day solo in the BW this May, traveling most days with a lot of cold and rain.
So just take them out whenever and wherever you can and it just might become an expected part of life, like going to grandmas.

quote jwartman59: "


start them young and make sure it's about them having fun. "

Sounds easy enough. Thanks for all the feedback, folks!

Paging Ducks....

Car camping at 4. Canoe camping at 9. Daughter is now 12 and we leave for Quetico Sunday. She has also been to Sylvania and Pallet Lake. When her friends suggest they have been camping and they mention a camper or RV she informs them they haven't been camping.

Keys to my daughter embracing rustic camping...in order of importance:

1) first BWCA trip was with Heavy Canoe and his daughter who already had Bdub experience. His daughter was a fantastic role model.
2) pick the right site. We had rocks for jumping into water, a windswept point to get away from bugs, and an island to ourselves to explore.
3) I had t shirts made with merit badges to earn. The girls were begging to help with chores! They kept busy checking off all the badges.
4) base camp. What started as a loop trip rurned into a base camp trip due to winds. Turned out to be a blessing. Nice not having to spend hours breaking camp, setting up, and paddling every day. We can do those trips now but not her first time.
5) a four person canoe. She got to sit next to her friend and it was OK if they lily dipped.
6) arts & crafts. Had a couple of crafts but the big hit was whittling. Heavy Canoe and I were both Cub Masters for our sons so we were able to teach our daughters the rules of the Whittling Chip. Reminder my daughter was 9 then.

You have to start them early. Quite certain my Minecraft play'n, book read'n, viola play'n middle school daughter would not embrace the woods if I hadn't introduced her to it early.

GOOD LUCK!

My 12 year old daughter and I are spending a week alone in the bwca next week so I support your enthusiasm! That said, since they don't have a solid base of outdoors experiences already, my advice would be to put the bwca specifically off for the time being.

The reason I suggest that is that you're so far away. Any trip with them to the bwca right now will have too much expense, too much expectation, too much pressure. They'll pick up on the pressure and expectation.

Your number one goal is to get them to genuinely love the outdoors. That's most likely if they think spending time in the woods is fun and normal. Short, low pressure trips with lots of easy, fun activities are the best way to do that. My daughter and I did (and still do!) a lot of one night camping trips at local state parks - by the time she was 6 she was literally begging me to take her on a two night trip.

Build the base slowly and follow their interests. If you give them a good taste of outdoors adventure, their interest in your trips will be relatable to things they know and they'll understand what you're asking them to do.

Even with that base, I still kind of panicked the first time I pulled up to an entry point with just me, a canoe, two packs, and my then 8 year old daughter. Of course it was a great trip! Good luck to you!

Oh, one more tip - ALWAYS give them something they're responsible for. It should always be something well within their ability and comfort. When my daughter was 4, it meant she carried the bag with snacks and her clothes. At 8, she was responsible for setting up the tent. Now she's a legitimate partner, and can do anything I expect a partner in the woods to do. But having something for them to do engages them in the success of the trip and helps them learn that they're not tourists along for a ride - they have a valuable role in the adventure.

So much great advice here. Thank you everybody. I think I will start local for sure. The summers here are a bit brutal for camping so I think I'll take them on their first overnight in the fall. I like the idea of them learning to appreciate a warm fire in chilly weather and a sleeping bag at night to keep them cozy. Waking up to 92° and high humidity isn't exactly pleasant lol. Until then we have a couple acres to play on in the yard. I'll start them with some fun skills to learn and short paddle trips around the area.

Curious about the merit badges spoken of. What were a few of them? I think the girls would get a kick out of it!

Thanks again, everyone.
-Steven

We started by going to Log Cabin Hideaways and we would canoe into the BWCA during the day and go back to the cabin for the night. Then, short trips to the BWCA only during the best weather months.

We started the ducklings car camping at State Parks when they were 3 and 1. Then at 4 and 2 we did car camping on the edge of the bwca (Fall Lake, Kawishiwi Lake, East Bearskin) and doing daytrips into the bwca. Older duckling did her 1st bwca trip at age 5 with both my wife and I. Younger duckling did her 1st bwca trip at age 5 with just me. Now we do a daddy/daughter trip each year alternating which girl goes with me and which one stays home for special time with mom. The one on one time that each of us gets to spend with our daughters is priceless. My 12 year old has now done 4 bwca trips and my soon to be 10 year old just did her 3rd trip. We have great memories and they have learned great life lessons. Their grandpa likes the phrase......"they are learning to pull their own weight" :)

The more I include them in the planning and decisions during the trip the more it's "their trip". The only time I overrule their decisions is when safety is involved. Like the time my older daughter was 7 and wanted to go back out fishing right after our fish fry and I said no because I could see a storm was rolling in. When the wind and rain hit us and we retreated to the tent to play uno she looked at me and said....."daddy, you were right". Now I just need to save that for her teenage years ;)

My wife and I always camped and once we had kids that didn't change. Both our boys were spring babies so both started car camping before they were 6 months old. We first brought them to the BW when they were 5 and 3. I felt a bad for my oldest because I've been going since I was 2.

Kids really aren't much of a bother on a canoe trip. Sure you may not go as deep into the wilderness, or do as many portages, but the gratification you get by seeing them fall in love with the wilderness far outweighs any of that. Just spend as much time with them doing outdoor stuff like making fires, cooking on a camp stove, setting up tents/tarps/hammocks.

The dilemma that I have now is trip length. My oldest and I would be happy spending the entire summer on a canoe trip. My youngest and wife max out at around 3 or 4 nights.

Paddlefamily covered my points well. He had a great suggestion to bring 'their friends' along which I've only done once on a father-son outing last summer. Good suggestions though!

quote s500yards:


Curious about the merit badges spoken of. What were a few of them? I think the girls would get a kick out of it!


Thanks again, everyone.
-Steven"

I think this first version had: Pack Mule (total rods portage goal), Chef Boy That's on Fire (cook one meal...then Dads do the dishes), Lunker (catch, clean, taste a fish...that was tough for my daughter but she did it because of the badge), Whittl'n Chip, Star Gazer (ID 3 constellations and make one of your own...4 years later we still know her new constellation), Crafty (complete the craft of the trip), Paddle Master (J stroke, C stroke, ruddering, complete short trip in the stern, and purposefully swamp a canoe), and Shutter Bug (take X number of photos that amaze Dad). Brought a sharply to sign off on them.

quote HighnDry: "Paddlefamily covered my points well. He had a great suggestion to bring 'their friends' along which I've only done once on a father-son outing last summer. Good suggestions though!"

Actually I'm a she... ;) I've taken the kids into the BW more than my husband has...lol

quote Rob Johnson: "

quote s500yards:



Curious about the merit badges spoken of. What were a few of them? I think the girls would get a kick out of it!



Thanks again, everyone.
-Steven"

I think this first version had: Pack Mule (total rods portage goal), Chef Boy That's on Fire (cook one meal...then Dads do the dishes), Lunker (catch, clean, taste a fish...that was tough for my daughter but she did it because of the badge), Whittl'n Chip, Star Gazer (ID 3 constellations and make one of your own...4 years later we still know her new constellation), Crafty (complete the craft of the trip), Paddle Master (J stroke, C stroke, ruddering, complete short trip in the stern, and purposefully swamp a canoe), and Shutter Bug (take X number of photos that amaze Dad). Brought a sharply to sign off on them."

That is seriously cool. So you had the shirts printed as shown in the picture. Then just used the sharpie to initial next to each one as they were completed?

quote paddlefamily: "

quote HighnDry: "Paddlefamily covered my points well. He had a great suggestion to bring 'their friends' along which I've only done once on a father-son outing last summer. Good suggestions though!"

Actually I'm a she... ;) I've taken the kids into the BW more than my husband has...lol
"

Sorry! I think I saw a shot of your husband, one of your daughters and maybe a friend and figured he was posting. You have a wonderful family and good for you for leading the charge into the outdoors! My daughter was just asking me if I couldn't take her into the backcountry for a father-daughter trip :)