Sea to Summit : how to get your little ones to hike for 4+ hours without complaining.

I am so proud of these guys, in four hours 4-year-old Little Bro and 6-year-old Big Sis hike from the bottom of the Sea to Sky trail to the very top..with no whining the whole way! How did this happen?

Step 1: Start them early. Some kids watch cartoons Saturday mornings, we don't. Saturdays are for adventures and they know it. They know that weekends are for playing, skiing, paddle boarding, biking, running, hiking or exploring. We had been talking about this hike all week. They were counting down the days until today and went to bed wearing their hiking clothes.

Step 2: Gear them up. After hiking the Grouse Grind, we learned that when you are pint-sized you hike mostly on all fours and biking gloves work perfect. Also we have them carry their own water and let them raid the pantry and fill up their packs with whatever snacks they want to carry themselves. Also Quiksilver and Hurley hats give you 10 extra cool points and make you go faster.

Step 3: Hike with other ninja's-in-training. Hiking with friends is more fun for adults and for little ones. We had such a fun crew today with another 4-year-old (as well as another super couple with a baby in a hiking pack and a super dad with a baby just on his shoulders). The kids lead the way and kept each other going pretending to be ninjas or scampering squirrels. The terrain on the Sea to Sky is also really fun and interesting, they got to practice their hardcore parkour skills on the big rocks and pretend to be rock climbers on the steep sections with chains and hike past raging waterfalls. Gone are the days of hiking holding their hands and sometimes dragging them along. Now they are always out in front telling us what was up ahead!

Step 4: Pack gummies and other treats and distribute them at a variable ratio schedule.  We even brought yesterday's supper in a thermos and enjoyed chicken souvlaki with tzatziki. No need for just trail mix.

 Step 5: Reward at the top. It felt so good to make it to the top and know you 'earned' that view! And until the kids can truly enjoy the view it's OK to pair the accomplishment with ice cream. After hiking for 4 hours and 3 minutes, I think an overly priced ice cream is fine by me! There's also a neat suspension bridge and a playground at the top. And no, the kids were not too tired to play at the playground at the summit. Another great perk of this hike is the much earned gondola ride back down!

Both kids declared today the 'best day ever' and we could not be more proud. So how many mountains can we conquer now as a family? What should we do next? The Chief? Black Tusk? Adventure awaits...