The mountains aren't for the kiddies

[mdp_az]

I have a Kelty pack and have used it to carry my son since he was 5 months old...he's now 38 months. He also now weighs about 35 lbs, and its getting heavy. I'm a mountain climber and used to heavy loads, but NewUser is right about being thrown off balance. The best advice is to always wear sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support and use a pair of trekking poles. I can't tell you how many times the poles have helped to keep me standing. Lately, my son has been more inclined to walking on his own, which is fine with me b/c my back feels much better for it. I guess our days of long hikes are over for the next few years.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

The best advice is to always wear sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support and use a pair of trekking poles. I can't tell you how many times the poles have helped to keep me standing.

Good advice. I've fallen only once with him on my back, but once was enough. Your arms are kinda pulled back a bit due to the straps, so it's harder to put your arms out to break your fall. Plus, you've got 30 pounds of kid momentum pushing your head to the ground. My forehead smacked the ground (luckily my head hit another tree root instead of the nice soft pine needles ) and I was dazed for a good 30 seconds. Scared the buhjesus out of my son too. But all was fine 10 minutes later and we finished our hike without a problem.

[mdp_az]

Originally Posted by NewUser

Good advice. I've fallen only once with him on my back, but once was enough. Your arms are kinda pulled back a bit due to the straps, so it's harder to put your arms out to break your fall. Plus, you've got 30 pounds of kid momentum pushing your head to the ground. My forehead smacked the ground (luckily my head hit another tree root instead of the nice soft pine needles ) and I was dazed for a good 30 seconds. Scared the buhjesus out of my son too. But all was fine 10 minutes later and we finished our hike without a problem.

Ouch! I've managed not to scare my son in the pack, however I scared him good in the bike trailer. We were on the Virginia Creeper Trail heading down a pretty steep section when I let my adrenaline take over for a minute and picked up some speed. There was a dip in the trail which was enough to cause speed wobbles in the trailer and eventually led to it rolling to the side and skidding along behind my bike until I could stop. Thankfully, my son was strapped in with a 5-point harness and the trailer is fully-enclosed with a full frame, so he was unscathed and just shaken. Like you, we finished our adventure without further incident...he just kept saying, "ride slow daddy!"
I should add that if you are into more than hiking, I strongly recommend the Chariot Child Transport System. Its a convertible jogging stroller/bike trailer/off-road hiking trailer/cross-country ski trailer and we have absolutely loved ours.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

I should add that if you are into more than hiking, I strongly recommend the Chariot Child Transport System. Its a convertible jogging stroller/bike trailer/off-road hiking trailer/cross-country ski trailer and we have absolutely loved ours.

Sweet! I gotta get me one of those:

Chariot Carriers: Bike Trailers, Jogging Strollers and more, for bicycle riders and joggers

[willbo1]

Originally Posted by NewUser

Sweet! I gotta get me one of those:

Chariot Carriers: Bike Trailers, Jogging Strollers and more, for bicycle riders and joggers

Nice! Anyone have links to the Kelty models they use. Likes/dislikes? Front/rear facing? Any other tips?

[mdp_az]

I have a Kelty Adventure carrier, however it seems Kelty has updated their products and renamed them, so this one appears to be the closest to mine now...

Kelty Kids |

[NewUser]

This is the one that we have. Looks like Kelty no longer makes it, so you'll have to find a retailer that has some of the previous models laying around. This is a pretty good deal.

https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/s...ext%0AQYaPBndw

[lovethetruth]

I have an explanation. Since the casino opened in Cherokee alot of people are leaving their kids behind.

Also it seems like one by one alot of the kid friendly, family attractions are disappearing.

Ghost Town in Maggie Valley was closed for several years, but will repoen this spring.

The Soco Zoo also closed.

Children are not allowed in the casino--not even to eat at the restaurant.

Anyone remember Frontierland? ---long gone.

The casino is wiping out alot of attractions that interest kids.

[mdp_az]

I'm not sure its the lack of attractions, personally. Its those attractions that have detracted from the biggest attraction that the mountains have to offer...NATURE!!! I have a 3 year old who has been to Tweetsie Railroad once and only talks about it a little. However, he's been on countless hikes and bike rides, as well as playing in the river near our cabin, and he loves it. We spent one weekend at our cabin and didn't get to go on a hike, so on the drive home he asked why we didn't go hiking and told us that next time we were in the mountains he wanted to hike. He loves running around fields and meadows and just being outside. Too many people have decided that their kids need all this extra stimulation that parks/zoos/attractions provide, when all they really need is parents who are willing to make the effort to get "out there" with their kids and show them the finer things in nature.

I think another thing that fuels the lack of kids in the mountains is the big money the state spends on marketing our beaches as such a family-friendly destination. I just don't see that kind of advertising for the mountains. In fact, there is a NC travel brochure that the Raleigh News & Observer puts out each year and it came with this past Sunday's paper. It was around 36 pages...2 for the mountains, 1 for Kerr Lake, and the rest were for the coast.

[Southlander]

Although this is an old thread, I've got to wonder about the date that those surveys were made. I'll bet it was a weekday during the school year. DUH! And...just because people don't take the kids to the mountains on daytrips, doesn't mean they don't take them up there for longer trips.
Surveys & statistics...and scriptures, for that matter...can be manipulated for your desired results!!