Thursday, April 20, 2017

Family climbing trip - Red Rocks - Part 1

Since 2006 Heidi and I have been going to Red Rock National Park on climbing trips.  There is something magical about that place for us -- the sandstone towers, the desert landscape, the unforgiving climate.  We absolutely love it.  Heidi and I have always connected to "place"....and one of our places is Red Rock National Park.

After leaving Fresno at 7pm on Sunday, we made it to Las Vegas at 1am and transferred our sleeping kids into a 39 dollar hotel room.  Beds after a long drive gave us a chance to get some good sleep before traveling to the campground in the morning.  Our camp was set-up by 8am on Monday and we were eager to get on the trails and up some climbs.  We camped and climbing from Monday to Thursday...and each day was filled with pure adventure.


One of the tips we have for families climbing with kids is to check out the base of the climbs the day before you intend to climb them.  This will greatly speed you up the follow day because you will know exactly how to get there and any obstacles you will need to overcome with your little ones (steep terrain, a tricky fork in the road, etc.)


Our kids really get into climbing....it's adventurous, tactile, and utilizes a bunch of skills.  If you don't climb...that's OK!  Just find a trail somewhere and walk together!  Half the fun is just being together in a natural environment.


When we find places to climb with kids we always look for places without rockfall potential, areas without cliffs, and places with short approaches.  




Our kids have grown up on the trails.  Walking a few miles in any terrain is totally possible for the oldest two (5 & 7)...but we still mostly carry the little ones.


When the terrain gets flat, we let everyone walk together. 


When you are camping with kids, the key is to KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Soups, chilli, burritos, mac&cheese, etc.  Heidi always laments about the kids not "eating healthy"....but seriously...it's 4 days.  They'll live!


After the kids go to bed....Heidi and I usually just sit and watch the sky, make a fire, and talk.


We don't need much to be happy.
We basically need the "4 F's"
Food
Family
Faith
Fire


These are good days



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