Take a Hike
Our family loves to hike. We love stopping and looking at plants and mossy rocks. We love coming across an unexpected waterfall or even a gentle cascade. We love walking in silence, and we also love being chatty. (Okay, I love being chatty). And sometimes, sometimes we also love playing games.
Here are five hiking games/activities that I’ve played with my family and also with my students over the years. Give one a try. They’re so much fun, and a good distraction if your legs are getting tired and your feet are getting sore.
Camouflage
This is a fun and easy take on hide-and-seek. The person who is “It” covers their eyes, yells Camouflage and then counts to twenty. Everyone scatters and tries to hide behind something (a tree, a rock, a field of flowers). The trick is doing so without causing harm to the trail. The last person to be found is now it.
Flash Flood
Someone is “It” and at any time can shout “Flash Flood!” As soon as the other hikers here that they find something (a rock, a log, a stump) to jump on. The last person to find something is now it. Of course, we all have that game director who’d much rather be “It” and will wait to be last to hop up on something. You’re clever, you’ll find a way to modify that part.
Scavenger Hunt ABCs
Try to find something on the hike for each letter of the alphabet. It’s just that simple and takes a good amount of time. Variations–how many things can you find of a certain color? Shape? Etc.
Mindfulness Walk
Spend part of your time doing a 5-4-3-2-1 mindfulness walk. We just did this on a recent hike and it was really centering, and forced me to be quiet for a bit. 😀You can set a timer and do this for even just 5-10 minutes.
5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can touch/feel
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Have everyone report back whatever they remember when you’re done.
Contact (3-2-1 or 1-2-3 depends on who you ask)
This isn’t just a hiking game; it’s an "anywhere" game, but hikes are a perfect place to play because a round can last as long as you want. You need at least three players.
One player is the Wordmaster. They choose a secret word and announce only its first letter. For example: "My word starts with P." (The secret word is Potato.)
The other players work together to discover the word.
One player asks a question, such as, "Is it a color?"
If another player thinks they know exactly what word that question was hinting at, they yell, "Contact!"
Those two players count down together: "3...2...1..." and say their word at the same time.
If they both say the same word (for example, "purple"), the Wordmaster must reveal the next letter of the secret word. In this example, the clue changes from P to PO.
If the two players say different words—or if the Wordmaster correctly guesses their word before they say it ("blocks" them)—nothing happens, and play continues.
At any time, a player may guess the secret word. If they're correct, they become the next Wordmaster. If they're wrong, play simply continues. The challenge is coming up with clues that another player will understand—but the Wordmaster won't figure out in time to block.
What games have you played on hikes? Drop them in the comments and then, go on and take a hike!
Can you find me? ◡̈