devNull
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Registered: Aug 13, 2004
Total Posts: 78
Country: United States
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 Re: The Wave- questions | |
Well, I am going to add a different perspective here. I have a 3 year old son who does quite a bit of hiking with me. Granted he is at the age where I can still put him on my shoulders if it is required, but I don't see our trips changing much when he gets bigger. Of course he can't do everything, but he often surprises me with his capabilities. My wife (6 months pregnant), my son, and I went out to the wave in February and my son walked the majority of the hike (he didn't get enough sleep the night before, became irritable, and decided that he didn't want to walk for sections of the last mile or so). If we can do it without any trouble I would presume you and your son should be able to handle it. My son isn't the fastest hiker so it took us about 90 minutes each way. The hike is around 6 miles long...some say more and some say less, but 6 miles is a pretty reasonable estimate. We found it to be a very nice hike except for the last sand hill which is a bit steep and long...although it was my wife and I that complained about it...not my son. The information given to us by the BLM was very adequate to help us find our way around. The trail isn't marked, so a GPS can be useful if you have trouble locating the route. There are numerous sites on the web with good GPS coordinates for the area.
If you are concerned I would try to do a few local hikes in the 5-7 mile range and see how your child does. I think he may surprise you. You can get him a child sized backpack that will hold a few liters of water and some of his food. I honestly don't think it would be a problem. Leave the trailhead early before it gets too hot, enjoy most of the day at the wave, and return when it starts to cool off. My son sometimes gets a little bored, but he carries a point and shoot camera and loves sticks. As long as we remember the camera and can find some sticks things tend to work out fine.
Good luck on getting a permit if you decide to go :) I tried again recently and they had 50+ people show up that day...we didn't get a permit :(
Just a bit of encouragement...
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http://www.scomotle.org/alittleadventure/images/enteringTheWave_2872.jpg |
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My wife and child entering the wave area.
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http://www.scomotle.org/alittleadventure/images/happyHikers_2918.jpg |
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A mid-morning snack.
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