Moose Tracks and Maple Trails
How Public Lands Became Our Family's Haven
How public lands and waters became my parenting partners during the most arduous and lonely times I’ve had as a parent.
Discovery
“That’s moose poop,” I said as we walked up the old logging road where striped maple saplings popped up around us. The resident moose population had stripped many of the trees of their green bark. Hooved prints pressed into the ground, stirring up flaky brown leaves from the previous fall. My son placed his hand next to one of the distinct prints left in a drying patch of mud; the size difference between his 4-year-old hand and the moose’s print reminded me of those prehistoric fossilized prints of dinosaurs that archaeologists find.
Earlier that week, we ventured onto Monkton Pond with our vintage 17’ Grumman canoe. My six and 4-year-old hooked dozens of Canadian Crawlers and cast them overboard with red and white bobbers in tow to keep the bait off the pond’s scummy bottom. It was an absolute pumpkinseed slaughter. When the kids were bored sitting in the canoe and had run out of juice boxes, we fished from the boat launch.
For ten years, I hiked, explored, deer-scouted, and fished with my two small children. These outings were my go-to activities; if there was a new area I wanted to check for deer sign in preparation for the upcoming fall, I packed the car with snacks, water, and some kids’ books on tape and hit the road.
I became adept at matching my desire to get out and see new territory with the necessities of small children. They needed stimulation, exercise, and fun. Getting our seventy-five-pound canoe off the roof of our station wagon solo took a little figuring.
Paddling this same 17-foot aluminum canoe alone with two toddlers on a windy lake is challenging. I know because I tried many times (I’ve since upgraded). My young co-pilots understood the concept of padding, but functionally, it just wouldn’t work. But place a little electric trolling motor on the stern with a lead-acid battery in the bow? Now you have a solo parent’s optimal exploring-and-fishing machine that’s well-balanced and powerful enough to spend a day catching panfish.
The Ultimate Parenting Hack
Every parent develops hacks that make their life easier or allow them to maintain some functionality with young children. Whether adding a trolling motor so you can still hit up your favorite local spots or figuring out a few quick weeknight go-to meals that create minimal dishes to clean up, these tools help streamline a chaotic time in family life.
Looking back at this period, I realize my ultimate parenting hack was regular access to public land. Town properties, Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), State Forests, National Forests, State Parks, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, Wilderness Areas, and countless rivers, lakes, and shorelines formulated my kids’ playground; these lands and waters became my parenting partners during the most arduous and lonely times I’ve had as a parent.
I spent plenty of time outdoors before I became a father. With kids, however, I systematically searched for publicly accessible areas to discover. I’d scour the list of Vermont’s WMAs to see which would have something new or novel and if it was feasible for a four-year-old to tromp through.
Vermont’s Wildlife Management Areas
Vermont has 105 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) totaling over 103,000 acres. Since 1920, Vermont’s Fish & Wildlife Department created WMAs throughout the state and manages these lands for various species, from birds to amphibians to moose.
The first WMA in the state was created in 1920 after a biologist surveying the area found it biologically valuable and recommended the state purchase the land around the Lamoille River delta in the northwest region. Today, the Sandbar Wildlife Management Area covers about 1,500 acres. At the larger end of the spectrum is West Mountain WMA. This property is in the northeastern portion of the state, covers 22,700 acres, and abuts 86,000 acres of Weyerhuaser land (Vermont has acquired a public-access easement to this property).
While my kids settled into afternoon nap time or another episode of Sesame Street, I looked for new WMAs on the map. One of the most fun things about WMAs is finding them. While state parks have clear signage and parking, WMAs are easy to miss with minor signs and un-obvious parking. I once drove back and forth past the parking area for a 900-acre WMA near my house six times before spotting the patch of field designated “parking.”
Because I was desperate for activities to do with my two young kids, I stumbled upon a type of property I didn’t know I had been looking for. WMAs are free to access, unmanicured, and few have designated trails.
In a phase of parenting dominated by library story hours, playdates, and naps, the WMAs’ wild and uncrowded nature rekindled my spark for adventure just when it was about to go out.
Love for Land
Today, my teenagers love the outdoors, and I still try to trick them into going on “hikes” (aka deer-scouting trips) with me. These outings inevitably end up as moose spotting or deer scouting bushwacking adventures where we see the unexpected, new, and novel.
In their day-to-day lives, they are often indoors in the classroom, in front of a screen, driving, or looking at their phones. But there are still moments when they go outside on foot or skis, and we share that special appreciation of the woods. The scent of spruce trees lingers, and there’s no cell service.
As the road noise dissipates and a grouse launches from behind a log, startling us, it doesn’t take long to be in that familiar territory we started venturing into over a decade ago. We may get swarmed by mosquitoes or step into a bog that fills our boots to the brim with cold water, but these aren’t unfamiliar experiences.
Undeterred by these minor inconveniences, the memories we create together act as a mechanism to convey my love for the land to them. In turn, with gratitude for the vast amount of open land this nation has to offer, I hope they become lifelong stewards and informed advocates, in their own way, for preserving these spaces as wild and open.
Consider sharing your thoughts on parenting challenges, public lands, and adventures with kids in the Comments below (or directly with me). I enjoy hearing about your experiences on these issues.
Man, I love reading about kids being raised in nature! With these experiences I believe you've set them on a great path for life. My kids are almost grown now, but I took them on many camping and hiking adventures growing up, and they still come along on day trips from time to time. There is no more valuable way to build a bond with family!
One of my most favorite memories is climbing a small (now I know) mountain with my parents when I was 8 or 9. Outside being where we played, learned, and investigated. When I was hiking my second long-distance trail my dad asked, "Why do you do this?" and without hesitation I remember saying, "Because of you, dad."
I might argue that families remember and reflect on their outdoor experiences more than playing a video game.