High Sierra Topix

I took my kids backpacking when they were babies. Kids in general, and particularly when they cannot talk, cannot or do not tell you when they are getting cold or over-heated or often even say anything when they are getting sick. It is hard to tell a tired kid from a sick kid. It is particularly difficult when you are walking and they are riding in the pack. They are not generating heat like you are. Their feet are particularly vulnerable. YOU have to check them often to be sure nothing is turning blue or their little faces are getting beat red from heat exhaustion!

My kids never had any signs of altitude sickness up to 10,000 feet, however we lived at 6,000 feet. On kid, did get car sick so the drive to the trailhead always involved puking out the window. In this case, we made sure she was not dehydrated when we started. Slow acclimation was a given because Mom and Dad's packs were too heavy to go fast! And most kids do not walk for the sake of walking to a destination until they are about 3 years old. When younger ones walk, be prepared to stop to examine every rock, flower and bug. We would be lucky to get 4 miles in a day. I had to bribe their way up many a hill with cookies.

Warning - taking babies and toddlers backpacking is REALLY a lot of work! It is best to have at least one adult for each child. Having a babysitter come along also gives parents a break. By the time they are about 5-6 years old they get some common sense and do not walk over cliffs and jump into water or run into the campfire. A really hard age is the "mouthing" age - usually under a year, when everything goes into their mouths.

Take them out, but go slow and make it their agenda so they enjoy it.

#1 first bp at 7 months to Mattie and Virginia lakes for a week. Smiled all the time

#2 first bp at 1 month to Desolation, just one night but did great.

#3 First bp wasn't until 6 but went in horseback at 1,2,3,4. I have pics of him at 2 up at Colby Lake. He sure could get dirty and would climb up anything (down was another issue!).

I won't mention the time I followed #2 and #3 up the trail by 20 minutes or so and there were mountain Lion tracks on top of theirs. Whoops, I did.

Mike

My first hike was to Velma Lakes in Tahoe when i was nine months old...and over the past sixty years I haven't stopped!

But one caveat. WHile you are worried about altitude sickness, I would worry far more about sunburn on that very delicate baby skin...and also dehydration. Please make sure you kids are protected against the sun, and drink PLENTY Of liquids.

I recall we took our kids on their first backpacking trip when the oldest was 5 and the youngest 1.5 yrs old. The younger one was not self propelled (Judy carried her in a kid carrier). It was a short off trail backpack and Judy and I carried spectacularly heavy packs, but it was a very enjoyable and memorable trip. I did a lot of dayhikes myself as a kid but didn't do my first backpack until I was 8 (Pear Lake en route to climb Alta Peak on an October trip).

How badly kids are impacted by altitude sickness really seems to vary by individual, just as it seems to for adults. My older one (now 11) gets bothered much more than the younger one.

This thread couldn't have came at a better time. We just had our first and he's six months old. I can't wait to get him in the mountains, but the wife is a little concerned. He's already been to seven states and some dayhikes, but nothing at altitude for prolonged periods (we had him on loveland pass, co at 3 months, but it wasn't for very long). I think we'll just ease into it and see how it goes. Love all the stories of people getting out there, despite the challenges that come with young ones.

I keep wondering what the youngest is on Whitney, but that may be pushing it!

We had a very scary experience with our son due to altitude sickness.

He was about 5 or 6 and we had climbed too fast and gone too many miles. But the biggest mistake we made was not retreating immediately when we realized he was in trouble. We waited til morning. He first got a headache. Then nausea. And he started coughing lightly. Nothing seemed more than usual kid maladies...but during the middle of the night he started coughing up pink and then was delirious and not really knowing where he was etc. When we started hiking out in the morning my husband carried his pack and I helped my son get down the trail. We had been about 10,000 feet I think...and when we hit 7,000 he had a miraculous recovery. We did take him to the Dr after and he said next time anything like that happened don't wait til morning...get down NOW even if it means hiking in the dark.

We did not take him backpacking in high mountains for many years after that, sticking to the Yolla Bolly's and the Marbles and Trinities and Ventana etc. Then when he was about 12 we went on a car vacation in Colorado where we were over 7,000 ft. He was sick for 12 days...nothing scary, but he just didn't want to eat a thing all that time. Then on the 12th day he finally acclimated and started eating everything he could. We went backpacking after that with no issues...and he has never had an issue since.
Since then we have taken grandkids from age 3 on up yearly backpacking and never had an issue. But, we did fewer miles and slower ascents with them. And...if I ever saw what I saw with my son in any of the grandkids I would have gotten them down just as fast as I could!
So...have fun, kids are a blast to hike with....but keep your miles low and get out if you have troubles!.