We got a fresh dump of snow last night, and the thermometer has been hovering around 0C, so we could finally get the wee one outside. It was the perfect day for sledding. I also wanted try out our new sled as a potential winter bug-out vehicle. I bundled up the kiddos, grabbed my day hike pack and sleds, and we went scouting for a good hill. The plan was to hike our favourite local BO trail, test out the hills, make a little camp, brew up some hot chocolate, and then head home. Sadly, our trail was obliterated by fallen trees and branches, so it was time for Plan B.






In a real bug-out, we'd go around, but we'd already been out for a couple of hours, and ... bacpacbaby needed a new diaper, bacpacboy got a little frost nip on his cheeks, and they were both starting to get cranky, so.... Rather than take the long detour, we stopped for a quick break, and then headed home. (Which a was all uphill. UGH!) No bushcraft, but they both had fun, and I sure got a good workout. bacpacbaby even did a little hiking on her own two feet.



The sled worked really well, especially combined with my trekking pole, for hauling bacpacbaby and my pack through about a foot of wet snow. (It was manageable with bacpacboy in there too.) bacpacboy brought his sled too, but found it pretty heavy for trekking. (It's heavy, but he also took the leash off, making it exponentially harder to pull. Carrying it over his head was even less successful.)




Side note for parents of little ones - the sled worked great as a vehicle for baby and gear. My pack worked great as a back support for her, but the sled was still slippery for her. (I also wedged my gloves between her hips and the sled, which seemed to help steady her.) She tended to tip over when we went up or down inclines, so my advice is to slow down and check them before and after those hills, and enlist a second personal to help stabilize the sled (and toddler) as you go over.




Thanks for looking!