Take a hike -- but be prepared
Schools are long closed. Any Fourth of July excitement is over. For kids, this summer of pricey gas and shortened family vacations could now fill up with too much screen time, too much junk food and way too little fresh air and exercise.
My advice to parents and kids: Take a hike. If there ever was a summer for discovering the joys of walking together in nature, this is it.
No matter where you live, you're probably within a short drive of a family-friendly trail and an "exciting, natural hiking experience," says American Hiking Society president Gregory Miller. To prove the point, the society, based in Silver Spring, Md., held one hiking-awareness event in Fort Dupont Park, a national park with a trail along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Most cities, suburbs and rural areas have their own gems, he says.
