Don’t Forget These 10 Things

It’s still incredible for me to think that we have been at this Trail Family endeavor for over a year now. I’ve made plenty of misteaks and learned some lessons along the way. I’m blessed to be on this journey with a wonderful husband and awesome kids as we fumble through this together. My main source of misteaks is that I am super forgetful. If I’ve goofed something up, that typically means that I forgot an item to do a job that needed doing. The best remedy (or near remedy) is to sit down and make a packing list. I say ‘near rememdy’ because you can still forget to put something on your list as you will see later in the post.

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From our first year of Trail Family experience, here is our 

Top 10 Things You Don’t Want to Forget

1. First Aid Kit: we have talked about this a few times on the blog before. Even the simplest first aid kit can save the day. Always carry at least a few items.
2. Extra Socks: my faithful readers knew this one would make the list. 😉 See my reasoning in this post. Prevent Blisters
3. Water bottles: whether its a short bike ride, a long haul, a little walk, or a mountain hike; take water!
4. Snacks: we have found that for smaller children, the hope of a snack at the half way point or back at the car is a great motivator. Lately KIND bars have been a family favorite.
5. Rain jackets: this is one for your “packing for a trip” list. Recently, we went to Vermont to ride the Kingdom Trails. The girls also participated in mountain bike camp which you can read about here. The last day of camp it rained most of the morning. I hadn’t even thought about bringing rain jackets on the trip because last year the weather was hot and dry the whole trip. #momfail
6. Extra shirt: this was our alternative plan for not having rain jackets. It wasn’t ideal, but we took an extra shirt for each of the girls. When the rail let up, they changed shirts and were partially dry for some of the day. It’s wasn’t ideal for the situation, but in a pinch it worked. Other reasons to bring along an extra shirt is if you will get really sweaty and/or dirty and would like to change after your ride and before getting in the car.
7. Extra straps: this was also bourne out of our latest Vermont trip. We use straps to secure our bikes to a hitch mounted rack. Tim had washed one of the straps with the hose after the rainy and muddy day. But we never found it again. Luckily, he was able to go to the local hardware store and pick up a new strap. But from now on we’ll keep an extra in the back of the car for just such an occasion. There are lots of other uses for straps. If you use them for anything, I’d encourage you to keep an extra.
8. Trail map: Last summer, Tim was on a solo mountain bike ride at a local county park. He was not familiar with the trail and also didn’t have a map. When it was almost sunset and his phone nearly at 0% battery, he started to get a little worried. At one point though, he could see the parking lot through the trees. Considering his options, he chose to do a little bike portage through the woods instead of trying to follow the trail back. Always have a map. If there are no printed maps at the trial head, take a picture of the posted map with your phone.
9. Extra phone battery: you may find yourself in a situation like Tim’s in number 8. If so, we recommend that you have the ability to recharge your phone. Here is our favorite extra battery. They work great and charge quickly.
10. Cash: accepted everywhere. So many of us rely heavily on electronic means of payment. It’s wise, however, to have a small amount of cash on you. You never know when a little country store wont have the capability to take credit or debit. There could be a power outage due to weather or any number of strange circumstances. It’s always good to have a little green in your pocket.

Thanks for reading our Top 10 Things You Don’t Want to Forget list! We hope you find this helpful as you continue to cultivate your Trail Family lifestyle.

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