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toddlerado

hike. camp. get outside in northern colorado. with kids.

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toddlerado

Blue Lake Trail

I am very familiar with the first two miles of this trail.

Last year the husband and I, without children, started Blue Lake Trail with our 30 pound packs strapped to our backs for our first ever backpacking adventure.

A half-mile in his 10-year-old hiking boot broke. We stopped and tried some makeshift surgery, but after a few steps further we turned around to go back to the Land Cruiser. Not wanting to ruin our much anticipated trip, he changed into his Chaco sandals and we set forth again but a quarter mile in it was decided 12 miles in his Chacos was not going to be possible.  Continue reading “Blue Lake Trail” →

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Through a Child’s Eyes

When my 5 year old got bored at our campsite and asked to use my phone to take pictures, I hesitated, but handed over my iPhone. For someone who loves photography, I can’t help but get excited when my kid wants to take pictures too. Besides, I have an Otterbox. Continue reading “Through a Child’s Eyes” →

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Chambers Lake Campground: A Biased Review

The moment you turn off highway 14 into Chambers Lake Campground, you immediately feel a world away. As you pass the day use area and drive around a finger of the lake you notice the temperature dips a couple degrees from the road and you feel the stillness that accompanies mountain thin air. The only noise is the crackle of dozens of campfires and the muffled voices of happy campers.

I love the roar of the river but I also love the quiet of a mountain lake. Continue reading “Chambers Lake Campground: A Biased Review” →

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Big South Trail

She hiked midway up the hill, did a spin and climbed on without missing a beat. I smiled, as I just happened to be taking video, getting my fancy hiker in action. We marched on a bit longer. Stopped for another quick snack and looked farther down the trail, looked at the time, looked back where we had come and, very anti-climatically, called the hike for the day.

Continue reading “Big South Trail” →

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River Safety

Toddlers are like ninjas. One moment my daughter is fully clothed, the next both her pants and diaper are missing and she’s grinning up at me, dimpled bottom exposed. Or, one moment she’s at my knees, the next she is under the baby gate and halfway up the stairs- grinning down at me. So with these grinning, ninja like creatures so willfully testing their independence, the river can be a scary place when so much can happen in a second.

We love camping right on the river but with kids that means extra vigilance.

Continue reading “River Safety” →

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Love the One You’re With- Big South Campground

When it comes to camping along the Cache La Poudre River, we believe the higher up the canyon the better. Heading where the air is cooler, the woods are thicker and the wildlife is bigger- to us- is worth the extra miles.

Unfortunately many of the established campgrounds in the Upper Poudre Canyon don’t open until late June due to snow- Chambers Lake, Tunnel and Grandview Campgrounds to name a few. There’s no way we’ll wait until July to start our camping season. Dispersed camping is always an option in the spring months but sometimes, especially with kids, you want a bathroom, a fire pit and a picnic table. Continue reading “Love the One You’re With- Big South Campground” →

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Day Hikes: 10 Must Have Items in Your Pack

 

The sun is shining and there’s not a cloud in the sky. You’ve parked the car, the trailhead is in sight and you look down at your very fair toddler and realize you’ve forgotten the sunscreen…

Don’t let this happen to you. Here is a list of what we pack for every hike, long or short, rain or shine. Continue reading “Day Hikes: 10 Must Have Items in Your Pack” →

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Stevens Gulch Picnic Site

You know the scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the guy takes out the other guy’s heart with his bare hand? While our 5 year old was dragging her feet on Lower Dadd Gulch Trail, her dad may have jokingly told her he was about to do something similar to her if she didn’t pick up the pace. We were all laughing, and no organs were removed from anyone’s body. We really are a nonviolent family. But when she decided to retell this story to the young couple we rescued from the Stevens Gulch Picnic Site there was no telling what was going through their heads. Were they being driven down the canyon to the nearest gas station by serial killers? Or child abusers? I’ve been told this is the first of many times our children will embarrass us in such a manner.

Continue reading “Stevens Gulch Picnic Site” →

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Lower Dadd Gulch Trail

“We’ve been in the car forever!  I hate hiking!”

“There’s too much wind on my face! ERRRRRRGGHEEFE!!” (sound made while arching back in car seat)

Not the sounds or words you want to hear from your 5 year old for whom you just purchased actual hiking boots. And it appears we are now paying for years of excellent car behavior.

It was already afternoon, and unfortunately L did not nap on our way to Lower Dadd Gulch Trail like her sleeping 18 month old sister beside her.

Maybe we’ve been pushing too hard. We’ve hiked a lot lately…

These thoughts along with her sour mood melted away after a pre-hike snack of Gorp. After getting C on my back I took a handful myself and noticed a (not surprising) disproportionate amount of peanuts and raisins to m&ms…

Continue reading “Lower Dadd Gulch Trail” →

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