by John Hamlin
24. June 2008 21:38
School is out and the weather is improving – it’s time to
begin planning summer activities for our children.
Be sure to check out
REI’s Kid’s Passport to
Adventure program. Last week we
took our two children (Megan and Matthew) to our local REI store and enrolled
them in the passport program. The
mission of this program is to excite and connect youth to the outdoors.
Upon registration each youth is given their passport and a list of local
family friendly hikes. My children
were hooked instantly
During a family outing to the Wenatchee area we made our
first two hikes. The first hike was
to Hidden Lake which is located a half mile above Lake Wenatchee.
This was a great two mile round trip hike with minimal elevation gain.
At the end of the hike there was a beautiful alpine lake surrounded by
ponderosa pines. For more
information contact the Wenatchee
Ranger District.
Our second hike was at Deception Falls which is located on
Stevens Pass. Typically, in a rush
to get home after a long weekend we skip the scenic viewpoints and trail heads.
This time our children planned an excursion found in the
Best Hikes with Kids – Western Washington and the Cascades
by Joan Burton
and Ira Spring. This quick detour
is well worth the time. There was a very
kid friendly one mile interpretive hike through moss covered trees and
spectacular views of the river. For
more information contact the Skykomish
Ranger District.
After arriving home from our long weekend our kids began
filling out their passport with their first two hikes.
When finished this will be a great documentary of each hike as my kids
listed their favorite aspects of each excursion as well as drew a picture.
Megan and Matthew are already planning their next hike.
Though this program is intended for family use,
REI and the Leave No
Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics have created the PEAK (Promoting
Environmental Awareness in Kids) Program.
PEAK uses fun presentations filled with hands-on-activities and games to
teach kids about taking care of the outdoors.
Ask a REI team member about scheduling a free PEAK presentation for your
classroom or youth group.
Written by Derek
VanDyke – Green Benefits