Backpacking with a toddler is it’s own kind of fun

While we were pregnant with Rufus, we were so excited to take him backpacking. However, we were not able to while he was a baby because there was no way we were packing an oxygen tank into the wilderness. We stuck to car camping.

A year later, we were finally able to take him!

For tips on hiking with oxygen tanks click HERE

Our trip was in the back country in Lee Metcalf Wilderness area. We decided to hike in about 2 miles in before finding somewhere to set up camp. We found the perfect spot right near the stream about 50 yards off the trail. It was perfect!

We got Rufus out of his pack. He immediately got around exploring. It seemed like he loved it right off the bat.

Patrick started dinner prep and I got the tent ready. In the name of back country bear safety, Patrick got food ready about 25 yards from where we were going to be sleeping. Rufus and Winnie ran back and forth between the two of us, because, you know, that’s an important task too.

So far backpacking with a toddler was looking good!

It was only then that disaster struck… just kidding.

It wasn’t a disaster.

But Rufus did learn what the word “hot” meant. He was over with Patrick helping him cook when he grabbed the hot jet boil. Rufus did burn his hand. But he learned the importance of not touching hot things. So it was a good experience.

As bedtime tends to do, it rolled around. We got Rufus into his jammies and sleeping bag, read a story, sang some songs, said our nightly prayer, and just kind of laid him in the tent. We have never co-slept with him before so we were unsure about how this was going to work. We hoped that he would just fall asleep somewhere in the tent and that we would be able to move him into the middle when we got in.

While he was in the tent hopefully sleeping, Patrick and I hung our bear bag and then sat and chatted. Looked at stars, listened to the sounds of the wilderness, and hoped that Rufus was sleeping.

Eventually we got tired and went to bed

Rufus was not asleep when we opened the tent. He was sitting there. It was totally in character for him. Anyways, Patrick and I got in our sleeping bags, made Winnie a nest of our puffy coats, and laid Rufus down between us.

I won’t pretend it was the best nights sleep I ever got. Rufus moved a lot. He used our faces as his foot rest frequently. We kind of expected that. But by morning, we were genuinely impressed with how well he did. He even seemed really happy.

Patrick prepared a wonderful breakfast of Chai Spice oatmeal. Rufus made sure to tell us that the stove was hot multiple times, and we headed on our hike.

After the hike, we went back to camp, packed up, and headed out.

In light of making our first backpacking trip with a toddler a pleasant one, we decided to keep it short and sweet. This turned out to be a great idea for Rufus. And for us. I think that if we had gone longer than one night, it would have been melt down city!

Patrick and I both look forward to taking him back packing again in the near future. We enjoy sharing out hobbies with him, especially at this young age.

I hope this article helps give you courage to go on a backpacking trip with a toddler!

I know that experiences like these are so good for them. Thank you for reading and I hope you come back to our site soon! And stay tuned for my next article about what to pack.

Cheers!