10 Tips From Actual Kids on Reconnecting With Your Childlike Sense of Wonder

Hiking with kids reconnects us with our childhood sense of wonder.

HAWKs hike leader Bradley Rydholm leads children down the Gabrielino Trail near Pasadena, Calif. Jaclyn Cosgrove/Los Angeles Times/TNS

By Jaclyn Cosgrove Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES—I thought that I’d noticed everything on the four-mile stretch of the Gabrielino Trail from its western trailhead near Pasadena, California, to the Gould Mesa campground in Angeles National Forest.

I have a favorite sycamore tree about a mile in that, if it weren’t surrounded by poison oak, I would climb. I know some of the best water spots in which to splash around in the Arroyo Seco. I know how to identify and spot sacred datura, a common sight along the path.

But then I hiked the trail with a group of children (and a handful of grown-ups) from the LA-based adventure club Hiking Adventures With Kids (or HAWKs for short) and was reconnected with the childhood sense of wonder that our day-to-day adult lives grind down.

I saw the trail through the eyes of tweens who love nature so much that they screamed multiple facts at me, often all at once, including how cool vampire squid are, the fact that roly-polies are related to crabs, and the fact that my skin was actively dying and falling off my body. It was such a comfort.

Here’s what I learned from my new trail buddies. I hope that these tips help remind you to slow down and appreciate the wonders of our local flora and fauna.

Children from a HAWKs group slide down a concrete channel just off the Gabrielino Trail near Pasadena, Calif. Jaclyn Cosgrove/Los Angeles Times/TNS

A Group of Canines Being Walked on the Trail by a Human Is a ‘Dog Parade’

Wave accordingly.

If You See Poison Oak, Tell a Friend

These kids saved me multiple times from brushing up against the woody shrub. They reminded me, “Leaves of three, let it be; if it’s hairy, it’s a berry!”

Eggnog

This is less of a tip and more of an inside joke between best friends Lila and Elliot, both age 10, who asked really nicely for me to include it. May they forever remember the time one of the largest newspapers in the United States published this.

Put Animals Down That Don’t Want to Be Touched

Bradley Rydholm, a HAWKs educator co-leading the day’s hike, found a diabolical ironclad beetle to show the kids. It was at first playing dead, and some of the children reached out to touch it.

“You need to put him down because he looks like he doesn’t want to be touched,” Kaija, 8, said. “If they’re moving in your hand, that means it’s OK, but if they’re playing dead, you gotta put them back.”

Rydholm gently agreed and placed the beetle back in its pile of dirt and leaves.

When Naming Bugs, Consider a Compromise

OK, perhaps this is a lesson the kids learned from me. The group was in a debate over what to name the aforementioned diabolical ironclad beetle, with some voting for “Desi” and others voting for “Jim.”

This reporter, in the name of peace, suggested Desi Jim.

“Bye, Desi Jim!” they called in unison as we continued onward.

Kelly Knowles, a HAWKs educator, explains to the group the cultural significance of sacred datura to local indigenous peoples. Jaclyn Cosgrove/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Follow the Ethics of Frog Catching

Kaija, who asked whether I could make her a wolf in my story, told me that it’s best to catch frogs, name them, and then release them.

I asked her whether she had any tips for naming frogs.

“Jeremy, Fred, Pineapple,” she said, noting that she names them by their color.

I wanted to learn what color Jeremy was, but Kaija discovered something far more interesting than me on the trail and ran off.

If You Want to Touch a Bug, Take a Picture 1st

Ella, 8, told me that after you take a picture of the insect, you can use a smartphone to identify it and figure out whether it is venomous. (Note: Unlike plenty of adults, she knew the difference between “poisonous” and “venomous” and used the words correctly!)

“If it isn’t [venomous] and it’s totally safe, I would probably bring gloves because I’m scared of picking up bugs,” Ella said. “One time a ladybug peed on me.”

It Is Important to Have a Compass

“Because if you get lost, it’s not very efficient to always rely on the North Star,“ said Luca, 9, who bought himself a compass in a local shop in Felton, California. ”Because it’s only around for a little bit [of] time. So if you don’t have a compass and you get lost, you’re going to have to wait until night to be able to move.”

Luca and I swapped adventure stories, as he is quite the world traveler. As a bonus tip, he informed me that it’s easier to roast marshmallows on a volcano (he visited one in Guatemala) than over a campfire. The volcano’s heat slow-roasts the marshmallows; with a campfire, you’re more likely to accidentally light them on fire.

Avoid Hills

A few of the kids recently went on a HAWKs hike that apparently involved a “death road” that felt like “the stairwell of a million stairs” that went “pretty much nowhere” and had no real views, per Luca’s description.

Elliot, when asked for tips that adults should consider while hiking, told me that she enjoys being outside, but doesn’t “really like going uphill.”

Same, girl. Same.

Appreciate the Beauty of Nature

“I really like water,” Luca said. “Just enjoy the sound of water and just enjoy the nature, and check out the animals, lizards, snakes, butterflies, and moths.”

Lila said: “It’s really beautiful to see all these paths. The beauty of nature is so fun, and it’s a good way to get a workout in or just get off screens because kids these days are on screens a lot. Brain rot!”

Elliot said: “I just remember it’s really good for me. The same thing about screens, too, even though I don’t have an iPad since my brother broke it. ... Honestly, I don’t want to think about anything from school or anything. Just want to be in the moment, you know?”

Children from HAWKs, a Los Angeles-based company that takes kids on outdoor adventures, cross the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena, Calif. Jaclyn Cosgrove/Los Angeles Times/TNS

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