We chose what turned out to be the most challenging hike we've done this year with the kids in the Burnt Meadow Mountains in Brownfield. The terrain is rocky and fairly steep, but the feeling of accomplishment in making it halfway up the trail was gratifying. The kids, and their parents, got quite a workout on this hike.
We had a little bit of trouble finding the trail head because there are no signs marking ithe trail. We clocked the mileage from the intersection of Main Street and Route 160 in Brownfield to the trail head at. It's 2.9 miles. The trail head can be identified by a cleared-out dirt area for about five or six cars. I couldn't confirm the name of the trail with the town of Brownfield, but it is often referred to as the Burnt Meadow Mountains trail by local hikers.
The tricky thing about this particular trail head is knowing where to start. There are two paths leading from the parking area. We initially started out on the path in the center of the parked cars and realized quickly that it wasn't correct because there were no trail markers. We backtracked and noticed that the tree to the far right of the parking area was marked with blue lines.
Once we embarked on the marked trail we followed a steady ascent. It's not steep as much as steady. There are places along this trail where the kids required some assistance in scaling some tricky rocks. They thought it was great to be hiking another "real mountain" (they loved Douglas Mountain earlier in the season). They soon realized that this trail was much longer than Douglas Mountain and started to get tired after a mile or so. There was a nice clearing with a beautiful view, so we stopped for a water break and decided to linger for a while.
In an attempt to keep things interesting for the kids, we brought along paper and crayons. I suggested they take a break and color something they saw on the trail. It was a picture-perfect 70-degree, sunny September day and soaking in the warm sun on a peaceful mountaintop was just what we all needed. We talked and colored and simply enjoyed being together, which we hadn't done much of since school started.
Jeri Schroeder, a co-facilitator for the "Shapedown" program at the University of Southern Maine, has found during her work that the lack of family connections with kids on tight schedules, and both parents working, can in some cases lead to childhood obesity. During her work with the family-based education intervention program for overweight children, she helps children — and their parents — develop ways to find comfort in their family connections rather than in food. My husband and I know from personal experience that our kids can't wait for the next hike because they know they get our full attention out on the trail.
Schroeder has also found during the course of her work and in her own personal experience with her grown son, that parents who exercise and participate in physical fitness activities give children a model to follow.
"Children learn from what parents do and pick up behaviors that are modeled for them. When both parents are involved in physical activities, kids learn to do that too," says Schroeder.
So if you haven't taken your children out hiking yet because you haven't been able to find the time, you have even more reasons to get hit the trail now.
After our leisurely break on the rocks we decided to start moving again. We hiked a little farther down the trail, but the kids were tired and started tripping on the rocks. We decided they'd made quite an accomplishment getting as far as they did so we turned around and headed back. When we take the kids out on a hike, especially one we've never done ourselves, we try to stay flexible. We praised them for the distance they did and decided hiking over a mile back down the mountain was going to be enough of a challenge for them.
It turned out that the descent was in fact trickier for the kids than we had thought. We decided the best way to get down the steep rocks was to use the "Almeida skooch" method. The kids sat on their bottoms and crab-walked using their hands and feet down the steep rocks, with my husband in front and me in the back. It took us longer to get down the trail than up, but the kids love to "skooch" so it became a game.
We spent about two and half hours on the trail. If your family has some experience hiking and is looking for a challenge, I recommend this trail. I wouldn't, however, recommend it for children under age 5 unless they are more athletically inclined or have some hiking experience.
This early fall hike was a great way for our family to reconnect after a busy couple of weeks. And as most parents know, there's nothing more gratifying than pulling into your driveway with two sleeping cherubs in the back seat who have just spent a wonderful afternoon outdoors.
Trail name: The name of the trail couldn't be confirmed by the town of Brownfield but is generally referred to as the Burnt Meadow Mountain trail by local hikers.
Nearest town: Brownfield
Region: Western Mountains
Length: Several miles.
Difficulty: Moderate for adults and older children, difficult for younger children. I would not recommend it for children under 5.
Other: There is a small parking area at the trail head for 5-6 cars.
Hazards: This is a steep trail for young children and finding footholds during the descent is challenging for young children. Directions: From Route 113 west turn left onto Main Street in Brownfield (just before the gas station) and stay on Route 160 south. The trail head is 2.9 miles down Route 160. There are no signs marking the trailhead but it looks like a turn-out off the shoulder. You will see a tree with a blue marker to indicate the start of the trail.
Listen to the 7-year old describe her
experience on this trail...(50 seconds, 988k mp3 format)
Listen to the 5-year old describe her
experience on this trail...(22 seconds, 440k mp3 format)
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram October 5, 2003
