Family Hiking: Making it as easy as 1-2-3
Learn the key things you should know for a safe and enjoyable day on the trail
Join Nick de Ruyter and Lynda Pianosi at the Canmore Public Library for their presentation Family Hiking: Making it as Easy as 1-2-3. Learn the key things you should know for a safe and enjoyable day on the trail, including learning how to properly use your bear spray! Participants will receive hands-on bear spray training using inert bear spray!
This Earth Talks event, in partnership with the Canmore Public Library, will take place on Monday May 15th, 2023 in the Friends Program Room at 7:00pm. Registration is required.
You can also join online via the link below.
About Family Hiking: Marking it as easy as 1-2-3:
Living with the beautiful Rocky Mountains in our backyard, we are surrounded by nature, wildlife, and hiking trails galore. But do you know which trails are family friendly, or how to choose the best hike for all the members of your group? Have you wondered what you should pack in a first aid kit or how to use bear spray? At this Earth Talks presentation, you'll learn all that, and more!
Nick and Lynda will touch base on the key things you should know to make your family hiking experience safe and enjoyable!
They will cover topics like:
How to avoid and handle encounters with wildlife at home, in town and on the trails, with a specific focus on families and newcomers.
How to easily find valuable resources about wildlife safety, responsible trail use, trail warnings and closures and how to use bear spray.
How to choose the right hike for all members of your hiking group.
A checklist of key items to pack for a day hike.
Trail etiquette and the Seven Leave No Trace Principles.
Hiking safety plans.
How to find information about gentle hikes and walks suitable for families and beginners of all ages and stages in Banff, Canmore, Kananaskis and Lake Louise.
How to Tame the Trail Tantrums.
This presentation will also provide you with hand-outs and check lists on local hiking trails suitable for families, packing lists, and how to be wildlife smart. It will offer opportunities for you to share your own hiking stories or wildlife close encounters you've experienced, and will give you a peek at the gear and supplies they use when on the trails!
About the Presenters:
Nick de Ruyter is the WildSmart Program Director at the Biosphere Institute and enjoys delivering educational programming to diverse groups of residents and visitors! Prior to joining the Biosphere Institute, Nick spent 8 years working as a commercial "Bush" pilot in the Canadian Arctic. After hanging up his "wings," he continued to work up north managing remote mining camps, which is where he first became involved in human-bear conflict issues while dealing with polar and grizzly bears in camp. In his free time, Nick likes to be outdoors skiing, mountain biking and hiking with his wife and 2 kids.
Lynda Pianosi’s love of the outdoors started in her childhood. When she had her children, she knew she wanted to share her love of the outdoors with them. Hiking was a great way to do this. However, she quickly discovered that preparing a family with two small children for a hike in the mountains was a challenging task. Not all hikes were alike and not all trails were designed for families.
Which hikes were good with child carriers?
Which trails would work with all-terrain strollers?
Which hikes were considered easy and which were more challenging for older children?
Though she referenced several easy walks and hikes books, they were written with adults in mind and left her with unanswered questions. Through trial and error on many-a trail, an idea grew roots: what if my family documented our experiences to help other parents? The seeds for “Take a Hike with Your Children™” — the first-of-its-kind Rockies guidebook written with families in mind, including the 1-2-3 Mountain Rating System— the difficulty level from a child’s perspective — were sown. Shortly after self-publishing her book, she became a Professional Interpretive Four Seasons Hiking Guide. Lynda aims to provide families and beginner hikers of all ages with the knowledge and skills they need for a safe and enjoyable day on the trail.