Hiking Camels Hump Summit: one of Vermonts biggest day hikes, with the kids!

On our way down after our picnic at the summit. It wasn't the clearest of views, but we did get blue sky for a moment. I was afraid it was going to be much colder up there than it was.

Wow. My two kids, Fisher and Catalina, joined me for an epic 7 mile hike today climbing the Monroe Trail up to the summit of Camel's Hump. This was by far the biggest ask of their young bodies yet, as the trail takes you up over 2,500ft to the 4,083ft summit. And its not just the distance and elevation that make it tough, the trail itself is filled with rocks and boulders. Luckily, we are a family of rock-hoppers. By the end of the adventure, I could tell they were both quite tired, but they never gave up. We even had to hustle without stopping at the end in order to not be too late to pick up their younger sister.

We learned our lesson from our last mountain summited, Mt Mansfield, when it was much colder than we had expected. This time I packed my back filled with warm clothes, hats and gloves, as well as snacks. Fisher even carried his own backpack filled with a blanket. I was quite impressed with everyone's determination. Once we made it to the top, we realized we had hiked above the clouds. There were only a handful of other people there. We found a nice spot, out of the breeze, to have a summit picnic.

We explored the summit a little, but had to make our turn and head back down. This is one for the memory books. I hope they go to bed tonight feeling very proud of themselves. My legs are even a little sore!

7.2 miles and 2500ft+ of vertical elevation gain? Dang. These kids are beasts. Biggest hike of their young lives so far.

Catalina, up at the ridgeline, hiking above the clouds near the peak of Camel's Hump.

Hanging out near the top.

Luckily I brought some extra clothes for the kids. We needed all of it at the top. Fisher brought his own backpack, which had his favorite blanket inside.

Maybe pants with a hole and shorts weren't the best options for outdoor all-weather gear.

Th is was a tough hike for just about anyone, but we stayed the path and made the summit. Mission accomplished.

Time to head down. And we have to hurry so we aren't late picking up my youngest.

The trail was anything but flat. There are lots of rocks to navigate, and some scrambling involved.

Registered National Landmark - 1968 Little streams, flowing into and across the trail.

Good shoes are a must for rock hopping across small streams. We looked for salamanders under the rocks to no avail. This is one of the scrambling sections that the kids were excited to climb.

As always, keep adventuring and keep motivating!

• Dai Mar