Yesterday Chris Bachman and I hiked up Scotchman Peak to rejuvenate our souls and go spend about an hour with two wild mountain goats on the summit. The hike is categorized in local hiking guides as strenuous for good reason. We discussed two important Sunflower Society topics during our trip. The first was the need to pick children friendly hikes. This goes beyond just picking flat terrain but includes the need to not be goal oriented when hiking with children. Letting the little ones set the pace and being open to the outcome is important. Some children will be more interested in the bugs and birds along the way than the panoramas awaiting at the summit. If we don't make the lake or the lookout with our little ones we try to listen to them and turn around before our outing begins to look anything like a forced march. This Zen task of going at a child's pace is harder that it sounds for most parents.
The second topic that reverberated throughout the day was the need to still get outside without your children from time to time and do an adult type hike where you are goal oriented and the exertion level is beyond what most children will expend. Scotchman Peak definitely fell into this adult category. As you can see from the picture of one of the residents up above 7,000 feet, the hard work often yields great results.
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