tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157860712704663292.post439958237668296933..comments2024-03-06T05:16:02.715-05:00Comments on Kitmama's Pensieve: Blood Mountain AdventureKithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098068645236332284noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157860712704663292.post-28306077162374358442009-01-16T11:20:00.000-05:002009-01-16T11:20:00.000-05:00Thanks again, Bird! You're right- it's so importan...Thanks again, Bird! You're right- it's so important to look at the hike from the kids' perspective, and remember what their little bodies need to maximize the positive experience. No hike is fun with exhausted, hungry, resistant, whiny little people along- but some simple adjustments and consideration can keep that from happening.<BR/><BR/>As far as the descent goes, well if it had been just Billy and me, we wouldn't have thought twice about the conditions. Again, it's just a matter of adjusting our perspective to be sure the kids stay safe and have a good time. They do add potential unpredictability to a volatile situation, so it's best to take care.Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098068645236332284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157860712704663292.post-81553868134634511692009-01-15T05:13:00.000-05:002009-01-15T05:13:00.000-05:00I am so glad that there are parents like you who d...I am so glad that there are parents like you who don't stint at showing their kids how great the outdoors is. What a great experience for them, and how lucky they are to have parents who are thoughtful and don't get fazed when conditions change (as they always do on any hike). They will learn your calm and practicality and love of outdoors from this example. R's family are keen walkers and his dad (who bullishly chooses all the routes for a family walk) pulls no punches when on a walk with kids, with mixed results. He just does not get that what is easy for an adult is hard for someone with little legs and different feeding requirements - with the result that he put his daughter off walking almost for life! Going patiently, spending time to look around you, that is the way to do it with kids...or at all for that matter.<BR/><BR/>And it must have felt great for you too, you get this beautiful walk, you see your kids tackling it with gusto (even if it is hard at times) and even a challenging descent has it's thrills (especially when you get down safe and sound). It wouldn't be a proper adventure if there hadn't been all those unguessed little challenges. Better than slouching about indoors in front of a computer at any rate! Thank you for putting all that into words.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157860712704663292.post-89002566595932070432009-01-06T23:50:00.000-05:002009-01-06T23:50:00.000-05:00Thanks again! I'm really pleased you took the time...Thanks again! I'm really pleased you took the time to read the story, and that you enjoyed it. I think about submitting some writings to magazines, but I just haven't found the time to research what they're looking for, then polish up some writing and get it sent off etc. . . But hopefully I'll get into that sometime. Your encouragement means a lot- and not just for the writing, either. It's adventures like that that I live for, really- watching my kids grow in nature is amazingly gratifying. Not to mention fun and beautiful!Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12098068645236332284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3157860712704663292.post-20171822537864232352009-01-01T20:08:00.000-05:002009-01-01T20:08:00.000-05:00This is an amazing story. You ought to consider wr...This is an amazing story. You ought to consider writing a book. Your attention to detail is incredible. I felt like I was there with you. I found myself even holding my breath. And you told it so honestly. It would make a great article in a magazine like Back Packer or one of those...or even a Family magazine or Mothering magazine. <BR/><BR/>This was REAL adventure. How amazing with each of you with a child on your backs and Littleman in the lead. He is adorable in that photo of him. And that you went DOWN in the dark is SUCH an adventure...with one flashlight. I am SO SO SO proud of what you both are doing for yourselves and those three little kids. I can't even BEGIN to tell you how this will shape their lives in a positive way. And all that fresh air and the scents of the woods is going into them. SO healthy for their little spirits. Gosh!! I just bow down to you for what you are doing. And I LOVED reading this; I was riveted, and so happy when you all reached the bottom safe and sound and richer from the whole experience. You and your husband are really something special that you do this pee stops, changes, bundling up 3 kids and yourselves....THAT is SERIOUS parenting and commitment. Thank you for bring new lives into the world that will know the meaning and love of the wild. Bless you and have a wonderful New Year in Nature. Hugs, RobinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com