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@Kiwi-family , how much weight do you children carry? Does the 10% "rule" work well at any age?
Walking is a natural motion. Throwing a baseball, especially pitching, is one of the most non-natural motions a body can makeI'm no doctor
But I did stay in a Holiday Inn once ha ha
Seriously I would talk to an orthopedic doctor to make sure a walk like this won't hurt his still growing ligaments, tendons, bones etc.
To somewhat explain where I'm going with this & I believe only baseball fans from the US will understand. The rise in travel league play for young pitchers over the past 25 years has has lead to a drastic rise in the amount of Tommy John surgeries. ( replacement of the UC ligament in the elbow )
Walking is a natural motion. Throwing a baseball, especially pitching, is one of the most non-natural motions a body can make
You are not the first to express this concern and I addressed it with medical staff. They were adamant no damage could be done (they didn't realize my daughter would fall and break her arm!!) and insisted kids would do well to engage in this kind of activity on a regular basis.I just thought an OK from an orthopedic doctor wouldn't hurt.
But I might not survive because he talked non-stop!!!!
I look forward to sharing our experiences with you. Only a month today and we leave for France! I will post "lessons learned" here.Hi Rob, I have no advice, just wanted to say that we are planning our Camino in March 2018 with our sons who will be 12 and 9. I am following your post and would love to hear about your and your son's experience.
I really like Jersey's suggestion to get your son's feet checked out.
Anyway, don't forget to come back and share your experiences traveling with your sonBuen Camino
I met a 10 year old French girl on her fourth Camino She did one at 6, 8, 9, and 10. It was her typical summer holiday.
Hello, I am thankful for this forum and have learned much. My 12 year-old son and I plan to leave SJPDP on 29 May 2017, with 42 days available for walking. Does anyone have experience walking with a child about that age? Any lessons learned? We have been training regularly and he is very keen to go. I am overjoyed he will be joining me (my first Camino too) but I admit to a combination of excitement and concern. The main source of my concern comes from a place of wondering if this is too extreme for my son. Any tips from parents who have done this with similar aged children would be most appreciated. All the best from Halifax, Canada.
The main source of my concern comes from a place of wondering if this is too extreme for my son. Any tips from parents who have done this with similar aged children would be most appreciated.
and ensure that you walk at his pace.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging experience. The excitement of leaving is building!hi there
i walked this time last year with my two daughters aged 9 and 13 from SJPDP to Fisterra. we took 41 days with two rest days in santiago and 4 other rest days along the way. kids were fine....amazing....it was hands down the best thing i could have done for them and it has bonded us together so incredibly. it has opened all of our eyes and we have all grown from the experience. i highly recommend this. and most of the things you may be worrying about either won't happen, or have already happened to someone else and there are solutions in place. seriously, it was wonderful!
as per previous post, stamps in the credentials are a great daily goal. we took journals and read books on iPods and phones. we did a lot of singing, and yes they talked non stop!!
buen camino!
gollygolly and rebeccaryall plus others who have walked with children, how far on average did you walk each day? Did you stay in albergues? private family rooms? hotels? Did you struggle to make sure your children ate enough so as not to lose weight? Did you find this an issue at all?
Rob, I hope you dont mind my taking over your post by asking these questions.
Hello from Burgos. Our first rest day after 12 days of walking. My son is having no trouble. He is carrying his own water in a camelback. This is keeping him well hydrated. This is an incredible experience for both of us. My boy is becoming a man, loving the Camino family and genuinely embracing the experience. I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
I'll answer a question with a question- how do you STOP your child from eating? My kids eat like horses at home and like elephants when walking. Even if yours is a reluctant eater now, she may put away a massive bowl of pasta and salad after a day in the fresh air. And people will buy her icecreams.gollygolly and rebeccaryall plus others who have walked with children, how far on average did you walk each day? Did you stay in albergues? private family rooms? hotels? Did you struggle to make sure your children ate enough so as not to lose weight? Did you find this an issue at all?.
Thanks very much for your suggestion Kanga. We're in Ireland but maybe the Aldi here has the same offers, i will check it out.Where are you located @Femke8? It is just that Aldi in Australia next Saturday have hiking backpacks in store, including 30 litre ones, for $30. At that price they are worth a look.
I think the issue is more one of weight than size. As you say, the usual rule of thumb is that the pack should weight (when packed) about 10 percent of body-weight. But my 6 yo grand-daughter regularly carries far more than that in her school pack - which horrifies me as it does not even have a proper waist band.
Rachael - of @Kiwi-family - has experience. Try a PM to her.
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On this camino the girls were 8 and 10 and the boys 12 and 13.
Boys used Osprey Exposure 36 packs - the youth packs were not available in NZ back then. They liked them and have used them since - the girls have also used them more recently. (I used one for one hike only at home and found it to be very uncomfortable and would not touch it again!)
The girls used very light (190g) 15l day packs from Kathmandu. They had a waist strap but it certainly didn't carry any weight. We also added a chest strap to hold the packs in place better. The girls carried all their own gear except sleeping bags (the boys helped out) - clothes, crocs, towel, toothbrush, sleeping bag liner, journal, credencial, pens, water bottle - about 2-4kg. The boys opted for water bladders and their packs were heavier to start with - they carried 5 or 6kg. I took all the extras - bowls and sporks, toiletries, medical supplies, national passports etc. 9-10kg.
You can see they were comfortable enough with the packs to not even bother taking them off when playing along the way (catching tadpoles in that puddle in the picture) or when sitting down for a rest.
Most recently our youngest (then 10yo) used a different Osprey with a proper hip belt. It weighed much more but because the hip belt JUST fit (pulled as tight as possible) it was easy to carry. She tried both options at home on a number of hikes before deciding to switch to this one. Second daughter also upgraded to one of the Osprey36 packs and as we only have two of them the older boy carried a 50l equivalent pack but did not come anywhere close to filling it. He COULD have carried all our food in it, but as you can see, we shared that out amongst us. Daddy also carries a pack that is way too big but very comfy - he just doesn't fill it.
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It's a trade-off weight against comfort - although if you keep the contents light enough the girls insist the light packs were still comfortable to carry. They both developed a special way of packing their things to make sure the soft stuff was against their backs!
If at all possible, try out different options and see what suits each child.
See what @Kanga says about shoes. On various walks we have used Keens sandals or trail shoes.Would you think youth bag 42lt is too much or was 36lt just right in your experience? Also did your kids have all technical gear, like merino or quick drying tops and trousers, gore tex etc? And in terms of shoes did you find they need lots of ankle support when carrying a pack, or sturdy keen shoes for example be fine?
See what @Kanga says about shoes. On various walks we have used Keens sandals or trail shoes.
On our first camino we had no technical gear - just shorts and shirts from our standard wardrobe. Some were even denim and we didn't die!!
For longer walks we switched to (mostly) second-hand lightweight gear.
We have tried a range of rainwear options. I love my Packa jacket. Kids used homemade ponchos a couple of times which were OK until no longer waterproof. Last time we got them waterproof sacks from Macpac which they put in their packs and despite days on end of constant rain, everything in their packs stayed dry. They wore rain jackets which were not fabulous but they knew they would have dry gear once we arrived each day, even if there were no hot showers.
Hope this helps.
Mine is a 35+10 and I hardly ever had the +10 bit extended (never on the Frances).Thanks Rachael, it's a huge help and i'm getting a clearer picture now. I'm slowly gathering some gear for my son, i hope to borrow most but probably buy some too if necessary. It's like, ideally you want everything lightweight and not carry extra bulk but it's a huge expense if you have to buy it all, even in the sales.. Although it's reassuring to know that we be fine either way! He has Keen gore tex shoes but they don't have great grip (left) by look of the soles but he finds them comfortable and they still fit well so hopefully they be fine. May i ask what size rucksack you would use yourself, with carrying extra's and food etc? I'm considering 38+10, would that be big enough you think?
Thanks for good suggestions Rachael. Shoes and rucksack are probably main thing to consider, rest will improvise. We have a good second hand shop here too and looking out for good deals..Mine is a 35+10 and I hardly ever had the +10 bit extended (never on the Frances).
Borrow as much gear as you can - and make do. Seriously, it's not an Everest expedition. I'm sure we could reduce our weight by buying technical gear, but we settled for "heavier than necessary but still comfortable". Second-hand stores are our first port of call if we can't borrow something.
The 11 year-old we walked with carried all his own stuff, except water. Just make sure you don't overpack, just 2 of everything is fine (well, t-shirts/shorts/socks/underwear...not 2 fleeces for ex.). Keep it light.
His bag was a Quechua, from Decathlon.
I would have thought that heavy inflexible footwear is the last thing to put on a 10 year old.
Australia has some pretty arduous bushwalking. Here is an article from a local very experienced bushwalker that I think sums up the issues and is worth reading, particularly what he says about marketing claims and ankle support:
https://bushwalkingnsw.org.au/clubsites/FAQ/FAQ_Footwear.htm
Thanks for sharing, it's very inspiring. I think children are often far more capable than we think and thus limit their experience which is such a shame. Lovely to hear about their journey. How long did it take?My wife and then 11-year old daughter walked the 1400km from John O'Groats to Lands End while carrying camping gear. Their journey began in spring in northern Scotland and included snow and ice at times. Neither of them suffered any ill-effects along the way and my daughter even managed to avoid getting a single blister. The difficulties were far more psychological than physical. It can sometimes be difficult to motivate a child for one more km, one more day.... That may take a little imagination and tolerance.
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Good to know thanks!Everyone will tell you "wear one set, carry one set".
Having walked for consecutive days in non-stop rain, I would add three pairs of socks is not unwise and even four pairs is not excessive!
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