Bringing Along Children Adds New Dimension to Hikes

By Angela Ballard, Communicator co-editor

Trips on the Pacific Crest Trail with family take many forms and conjure many emotions (most good).

We have one child, now 18, who runs circles around us on the PCT. She gets up early on backpacking trips to trail run. We have another who insists we stop, really full stop, to admire each meadow and view—even if the light is failing and campsites seem hours away. Perhaps this is to drive his sister crazy.

Over the years we’ve carried them, an obscene amount of gear and more candy than anyone should eat on a “healthy” family activity just to get our backpacking fix in. We’ve had rangers give us our permits, look at our children and advise us not to go. We’ve survived, loved it and kept going.

Whether you’re aiming to take a stroll with a toddler, do manual labor with teens to tackle community service hours or embark on a long trip with older kids, you’re in great company. The PCT is often a multigenerational affair.

Jack Haskel, trail information manager with the Pacific Crest Trail Association, is a new father and second generation PCT hiker. His dad was a PCT section hiker and instilled in Jack a love of the outdoors. Haskel has since thru-hiked the PCT, the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.

“Because of my parents, I’ve devoted my life to the trail,” says Haskel. “My daughter was born last summer, and now it’s my turn. Bringing her to the PCT seems like an essential duty. As I think about how to help her have a full and flourishing life, time outside—especially on the trail—is a crucial opportunity. She’s a baby, and I’m already seeing in her a love for cold winds and plants.”

Jen Havener, philanthropy manager with the PCTA, has hiked pieces of the PCT, thru-hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail, thru-hiked the Timberline Trail and section-hiked the John Muir Trail. Lately she’s been doing shorter trips with Barrett, her son who is not yet two years old. He went on this first backpacking trip with her when he was eight months old.

“It was great for my mental health,” she adds, “to get out on the trail again, and Barrett had an absolute blast, from trying to put everything in his mouth to playing with the sleeping pad valve. Everything was new and exciting. I’ll admit the sleep situation was absolutely terrible, but we’ve since improved our setup.”

Courtney Flynn discovered the PCT through Facebook and then started researching it. Her son, age 10, wanted to learn more, too. Flynn did Section A of the PCT in Southern California by herself in early 2023. Her son wanted to go but couldn’t because of school, so Flynn planned another trip with him in mind. That summer they covered the PCT from Big Bear to Lake Arrowhead. In November, they went from Mount Laguna to Scissors Crossing. More trips are planned for 2024.

Hiking with a child isn’t always easy, though. “The first trip we did together, it was hard to motivate him, and he wanted to stop. But on our most recent trip, there was no complaining, and he was up for long days. He was out ahead of me singing and talking.”

Their November trip was particularly special because they met many southbound thru-hikers finishing their treks, and her son enjoyed asking them questions. “He said ‘When I’m older, I’m gonna do the whole thing,’” says Flynn. “It’s exciting as a mom that he likes to do this stuff with me. It’s a great bonding experience—out in the middle of nature with no cell service most of the time. I love watching my son explore on the trail. He stops to stare at bushes and trees and will turn to look at the landscape and say ‘Wow, this is the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.”’

“My husband is not into backpacking,” adds Flynn, “but he 100% loves it that my son wants to do hard things and challenge himself. That’s just a great skill for life.”

Eric Anderson is a Boy Scout leader and PCTA trail maintenance volunteer in Tehachapi, California. Forty years ago, when Anderson was a Boy Scout, he encountered a trail crew while on a PCT trip. “They were exhausted and filthy, and I wanted to be just like them.”

Anderson’s son, 17, is a Boy Scout. As part of their troop’s community service, they help to maintain the PCT where it travels through wind farms near Tehachapi.

“The boys readily jump at any task offered and are eager to help, especially if it involves bragging rights and cool tools,” says Anderson. “Moreover, trail maintenance gives them the opportunity to appreciate the hard work others have done to create and maintain the PCT and all hiking trails. It also gives them a direct connection to the larger trail.”

Carmen Ibarra is on the PCTA board of directors and lives in Culver City, California. She and her adult son, Andres, 34, enjoy backpacking on the PCT whenever they can. Ibarra has a lifelong dream to hike the whole PCT, and her son wants to do it with her.

“Backpacking,” says Ibarra, “allows us to bond in a way we never have before and have a shared experience over many miles of trail. We come back and talk about what we saw, felt and were dreaming of and envisioning. We might go for a weekend or a couple days, but it feels like it’s been a longer time because it’s just the two of us. We come back really feeling refreshed in terms of mental space.”

“Of course,” says Ibarra, “with the PCT there is the allure of knowing that it’s a very long, border-to-border trail and you can pick any section and discover a completely different experience or biome.”

“What is the challenge you are seeking?” she asks, “Pick your adventure. There’s something so unique about that.”

Mother and son both work full time and short PCT trips work best for them. “We make it fit with whatever is feasible with our respective work schedules,” she says. “People hear about large thru-hikes and they may think, ‘What a huge distance; how insurmountable.’ But it doesn't have to be that way. The PCT can be experienced in different ways. The critical thing is to be out there.”

If these stories conjure memories of your own cherished times on the PCT, you can ensure others get the chance to create them for years to come by including the Pacific Crest Trail in your estate plan. Please reach out to Angie Williamson at 916-285-1849 or awilliamson@pcta.org to learn about the many giving options open to you.