On cliffs and wiggling bridges

The essence of Maine in 2.7 miles

Something that I often hear new-ish parents fretting about is how to get their offspring to enjoy hiking. Frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to “get” any kid to become a hiker, because those of us who hike find our own ways to hiking. It might be through early exposure to giant cascades like Ripley Falls, It could be a desire to recreate the cross-country journey in The Adventures of Milo and Otis, in which a mischievous cat and a long-suffering pug roam the Japanese countryside. Or maybe you’re at a rural-ish fast food joint one afternoon, eating at one of those picnic tables out back, and there’s an unmarked path into the surrounding woods which your child decides to wander down as you’re discarding the abandoned remains of their Rodeo Cheeseburger.

These hiking gateways aren’t exclusively for kids—they can work for adults too! But in my professional opinion, your best bet for introducing someone to hiking and having the memory stick is to take them on a trail that leans into the fantastical elements of a foot journey: the features you’d find in a children’s book of illustrated mazes.

For instance: Cliffside stairs. Frothing water. Creaking oaks.

A wiggling bridge.