Dispatches from one family's maiden overnight adventure in the backcountry -----
Photo courtesy of Rachel Walker What You Need to Know for Your Kids’ First Backpacking Trip This summer, we told ourselves we would take the shortest route to a backcountry lake for the sake of the kids. My husband and I were eager to pitch a tent far from the crowds and noise of developed campgrounds, and the easiest way to do that was to lighten the load and make our eight- and six-year-old boys' first backpacking endeavor as painless as possible. After all, I wanted them to fall in love. I hoped three days and two nights spent camping high in Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness would leave my sons with an appreciation for the simplicity and beauty of backpacking.