Trail running with a 4 year old strapped to my chest. What was I thinking?

16h ago1 min read

Attempted to take my youngest on a medium difficulty trail because my wife needed a break. Thought the carrier would be fine. It was NOT fine. Three miles in my lower back was screaming, he was asking why the trees looked that way, and I realized I had packed literally nothing useful. We made it back but I'm pretty sure I pulled something. Anyone else do this or am I just an idiot? Looking for advice on whether there's better carriers or if I should just stick to flat park walks with the little guy.

5 comments3 views

Comments(5)

TTravis N.Regularjust now

Respect the effort but also respect your wife for needing that break. That said, medium difficulty is aggressive. Ease them into it with flat terrain first or you might traumatize them against hiking forever.

JJosh H.New Dadjust now

This is peak optimism right here. I took my daughter on what I thought was an easy trail and she complained for 45 minutes about a pebble in her shoe. Your chest probably feels it today though.

BBrianNew Dad16h ago

That's wild but also kind of awesome? My 4 year old would've been terrified but also thought she was a superhero. Did he actually enjoy it or was it just screaming the whole time?

WWill R.Regular16h ago

Three miles with a carrier and a little one? That's a brutal lesson learned. My daughter would've kicked me the whole way. Hope you got that break for your wife at least.

TTony L.Regular16h ago

Haha man, I feel this. Tried something ambitious with my 4 year old last weekend too and learned real quick what their actual limits are versus what I think they are. At least you got points for trying!