Kid Tracks Column: Chill out as a family

Winter is one of my family’s favorite seasons. The girls are waiting eagerly for the flakes to start flying so we can begin enjoying favorite snow-related activities. Our list of must-do outdoor activities this winter includes:

Dog sledding
The top item on our list for the winter of 2010 is going on another dogsled adventure. Last year we went to the Musher’s Bowl in Bridgton (held in January, www.mushersbowl.com) and the girls were absolutely enthralled with the dogs and the sport in general. From watching the races at Five Fields Farm to the ride they took on Highland Lake with a dog sled team, there will be no keeping them away from the event this year. When I asked the girls what their favorite part of their dog sledding adventure was, comments included “running with the dogs” (you need a running start before jumping on the sled) and “the cold wind in your face.” When kids say things like that, you know they had a great day.

My 13-year-old has been begging for years to go to the Can-Am Dogsled Race in Fort Kent (held in March, can-am.sjv.net). And although my family loves Fort Kent in the winter (cross-country skiing at the Maine Winter Sports Center there is great), we need a new car that has four-wheel drive to make the trek. We had some difficulty with snow-covered roads and hills on our last adventure to Fort Kent – in a front-wheel-drive car. So, much to my children’s chagrin, they will have to enjoy the sport locally until we can manage the logistics of attending the international event up north.

Cross Country Skiing
When we dig out our cross-country skis and poles from the storage closet, we will also be pulling out the hula hoops. We spend a lot of time out on the trails skiing through the hoops with our friends. It is always a much laughed-about aspect of our winter ski adventures.

Winter Picnic
Whether we are on skis, snowshoes or simply taking a short walk in the woods in regular boots, planning a picnic out in the snow-covered woods is a seasonal highlight. We usually pack a nylon blanket to keep our bottoms warm, along with sandwiches and thermoses of hot cocoa. The winter woods are a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of our daily life. Plus, the kids think it’s a special treat to go on a winter picnic since it’s not something a lot of other people do during this season. And animal tracks are abundant in the snow, which makes speculation about animals near our picnic spot enjoyable lunch conversation.

Sledding
Although I think cross-country skiing is a safer sport than sledding (really, I think there is less risk-taking for kids on cross-country skis than there is on sleds), the girls have found a few hills that are must-visits each season. Some of our favorite sledding hills are simply a car ride away, while others are off the beaten path. Strapping the sleds to our backpacks and snapping into our cross-country skis and/or snowshoes to visit the lesser-known sledding hills on hiking trails is a favorite winter adventure.

Playing with GPS
The girls enjoy recording speed, distance and time spent on their cross-country skis with the family GPS unit. They are not interested in the competitive side of skiing but do like to figure out how fast down a hill we can (safely) ski. And when mom takes a wrong turn and we end up on a longer-than-planned adventure on our skis, well, the GPS unit can confirm mom’s lack of directional sense.

Snow Sculpting
No winter is complete without at least a few snow people to decorate the yard after a storm. The girls get more creative every year with the details of their creations. And for my 11-year-old, eyelashes on her snow people are a must.

Winter is not a season all families anticipate with the kind of relish my family does, but with a little creative thinking, there is an outdoor adventure suited to everyone's tastes.

Originally published in Raising Maine Magazine, December 2009