Eight Days, Four Kids, Two Dads, One River

Recently I returned from an eight day Middle Fork of the Salmon River trip with my two oldest children (ages 8 & 6).  A neighbor and former guide invited us along with his two children of similar age.  It was two dads, four kids one boat and an inflatable kayak, good thing for the kids and I it was low water and most important a veteran guide.  We were mostly accustomed to two night camping trips, the length of this trip would be our first endeavor.  What would four kids do all day for eight straight days without modern conveniences?  I immediately thought of Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods – Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder where he directly links the absence of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation to some of the most disturbing childhood trends: the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.  Reflecting on his book, I compiled a list of activates we did that might help you in a similar week long outdoor trip, what emotions we ALL experienced and what we might do differently.  You may have suggestions for others that read this post so please feel free to respond.  

Activities:

• Journaling – each night our kids reflected on the day, captured their thoughts in words and pictures, colored pencils were a big hit.
• Imaginative play – we were entertained by plays, dance and karate camps.
• Creativity – the sand art was truly a highlight of the trip
• Hikes into history – a number of pictographs encompass the 100 mile stretch, hiking to view these historic images was spectacular.
• Geology – anytime you spend in a canyon is a test in geology, we had a great resource guide to help two novice dads explain geological time.
• Survival skills – by day three it became food, water and shelter, we attempted to make fire with a bow-drill set, fortunate for us we had matches.
• Camp helper – cleaning dishes, cooking, collecting wood, setting up the tent all became duties once we landed for the day.

Basic Emotions:

• Joy
• Trust
• Sadness
• Fear
• Anticipation
• Surprise

What we might do differently:

• Have a second boat
• Have a third parent
• Strengthen communication, we had too much food
• Break in kids sandals prior to trip
• Spend 24 hours in same camp, layover days recharge batteries