When your kid's just not that into it

I love to hike! It's one of my favorite things to do. I have loved hiking since I was a kid. I loved wondering what beauty is around the next corner.  Taylar on the other hand hates hiking and Ava who is almost 3 can't walk. So, for me it has been painful to try and get my kids psyched about hiking. We love to visit national parks and have a huge list of parks we want to visit this year so I decided I had to figure out a way for Tay to love hiking.  Ava is still small enough I can get her into the backpack but I needed to figure out what to do to help Tay love it. 

While we were in Capitol Reef we found a Jr. Ranger vest so I jumped on it. Tay LOVES animals and loves more the "technical" side of hiking. Things like, looking for animal tracks, finding birds in her bird book, bandaging wounds from hiking injuries, knowing which direction we are going, looking through binoculars to see things up close.  So, I decided at the Capitol Reef visitors center to get Tay outfitted as a Jr. Ranger.  Yeah, it cost a bit of money, but now she is psyched about hiking and keeps asking when we are going again. Here is a list with linked products as to what we got her: Hiking Hat, Jr. Ranger Vest, Night Sky Glow in the dark Water Bottle, Ultra Light Compact Backpack, Small First Aid Kit, Kids Binoculars, Flashlight, Compass Bracelet, Skats and Tracks Guide.