Hey everyone,

My wife and I are looking to take a trip in the Catskills in mid-April. She'll be about six months pregnant at that point, so we're looking to take it easy. Three days, two nights, with about 3 or 4 miles a day. 5 miles would be the absolute maximum.

We'd love to find a spot without a ton of elevation loss and gain, especially not on dangerous terrain. Obviously, we'd also love to find something scenic.

Any suggestions? If you don't know of anything that fits the bill, we'd be interested in anything that will be within a couple hundred miles of that area.

Thanks!

-Nate

My only advice is this:
Make sure she is cleared to wear a pack (especially with a hip belt, if she is carrying low it won't be comfy)
And get her the thickest air pad you can find so she can sleep comfy on her side....

Otherwise it is all good. Six months is a good point, you still have energy in the 2nd Tri ;-)

I can't help with the location, but am impressed. Please post pictures. I think this is great.

I have to say, if it weren't for ultralight -- and what we've learned from this site -- we probably wouldn't even be considering this. She'll probably have around 12 lbs including water, and I doubt I'll be above 25, even with food. Pretty awesome.

We've been cleared for hiking by her doctor -- which is good because we've been doing a lot of it -- but we will have to check about the pack. It's possible that she won't be able to use the hip belt in which case I'll take a couple more lbs off her back.

I'm pretty sure that as long as we take it slow and easy, this will be more than doable. We've read about a lot of other people who have taken great backpacking trips while pregnant and she's doing well on day hikes so far at three months. No reason to quit hiking yet!

Miles per day and per hour won't be the issue. It is more the comfort issue at night than anything else. And that balance changes as well by the 6th month. Trekking poles are a must.

By comfort...sitting on the ground is not going to feel good nor is a thin pad - by 6 months if you roll on your back it isn't good for the mom or the baby - and often makes it very hard to breathe (the baby pressing back).

Also, by 6 months when she gets to camp for the day she needs to take her shoes off and put her feet up for a good hour and relax. This will help if she is starting to get water retention (normal to star around 6 months in many women). Recommend she wears looser socks as well up high. I can't wear my favorite socks currently due to them being too snug (which is why I normally love 'em! They don't move!)

The reason behind the hipbelt comment depends on how far she is showing at 6 months. Some women barely show for their first child - at 6 months for me on this baby...well, I was passing for 7 months. So basically some women "pop" more than others. It also depends where the baby is sitting. A high riding baby is easier to deal with for hiking - since the pack's belt can be used still, under the baby. It is like using a car seat belt for example, under the belly. A low riding baby though can be very hard to get a belt under - and you don't want to go over the belly. I haven't been able to wear a hip belt since 4 months on this one - I have a very low riding baby.

I am not trying to damper your excitement...but rather that things are going to change fast in the next couple months - the end of the second Tri is way different than the start of it ;-)

Also, make sure she stays VERY hydrated. Being dehydrated can lead to Braxton Hicks at that point when exercising. And by 6th month her appetite will have ramped up a lot so plan for an extra 25% or more in calories for her.

Thanks for all the tips!

I bought her some TiGoat poles for Christmas and they've been helping a great deal already.

We're good on the pad, I think. She's got a POE Ether Thermo 6, which is insanely comfortable.

Good points on the water and food. We'll make sure to pack an extra liter and some extra food. We should probably start doing that now.

thanks again

-Nate

April in the Catskills can be anything from severe winter conditions to warm spring weather. One common scenario would be lots of mud at low elevations and lots of snow or ice in the woods and higher elevations. I'd think that pregnancy and ice wouldn't go together well. At least carry a set of Kahtoola microspikes for your wife.

You're not far from the Catskills, so you can easily adjust your plans and destination based on weather and conditions. The 'foothills' of the Catskills would have terrain that is less steep than the higher mountains of the Catskills.

Another good place to ask would be at adkhighpeaks.com which has a Catskills sub forum.
http://forums.adkhighpeaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44

Thanks for the weather tips, Walter. Most likely we will change our plans if it's still heavy winter conditions up there. We've been hiking a lot this winter, but I'm sure the difference between three months and six months pregnant is a big one and we wouldn't want to push it.

I'll check out that forum.

thanks

-Nate