April 5-6 2012, 15 miles. This was pretty close to real backpacking for our kids. They each had their own low volume pack that could accommodate their hydration system plus their sleep system and clothes. Our daughter aptly had the Deuter Fox 40, perfect for our last name. As she hiked up Mt. Leconte many other hikers complimented her on the pack. That gave her a huge boost. The kids also had their introduction to trail shelter etiquette. It was important for them to see how sharing a trail shelter with other hikers works. Finally, we made it a point-to- point hike to keep it interesting. The company "A Walk in the Woods" provided a shuttle for us over to the Alum cave trail head. So, we could hike down the mountain on the Rainbow falls trail.

May 19, 2012, 11 miles. After a year of "backpacking" with our children, this hike felt really different. Having utilized trail shelters and cabins up until this point made tenting feel more challenging. Timing now became a larger component. The hike we chose at Pictured Rocks was about 7 mi to our campsite. Once we were at the campsite it now became evident that pitching tents and meal prep. would require a bit more organization and time. One big challenge was finding a place for the kids to sit and get comfortable to eat their meals. A site with logs or rocks is definitely better for this. The other challenge was getting everyone comfortable with their tent accommodations. Our son wanted to have his own tent. This was an important compromise to keep him engaged.

June 13, 2012, 12 miles. Backpacking is like everything else and can improve with equipment and popular trends. We liked listening to Audiobooks in Minivan as we traveled to destinations. One of the books we listened to was "Born to Run". The minimal footwear trend was growing quickly. Many backpackers were embracing the trend. We began to see hikers in all kinds of footwear. For our family this trend involved allowing our daughter to hike in some Vibram 5 finger shoes. This was fine for softer trails around the Upper Peninsula, but we stuck to boots for the mountains.

December 25 2012, 7 mi. There are very few hike-in opportunities around our home in the winter. A few opportunities exist for us in some of the state parks. There are a handful of winterized cabins and yurts. The Union River cabin in Porcupine mountains state park was our choice for our first winter backpacking trip. It was a solid choice. It has the right length hike for short days and many amenities. The cabin is solidly booked for most of the winter, but we were fortunate to get it for Christmas day. So, after opening gifts, we headed out. This time we took our husky along. Our son usually had his fishing hobby, but on this winter trip his hobby and purpose was watching over the dog. We made it festive by bring along some holiday food and Christmas lights.