It’s around 8:30 a.m. when a group of children — all between the ages of 8 and 11 years old — pause on their hike up a steep valley hill that overlooks the town of Lapwai, Idaho.
They settle into the dry grass and gaze out at the expanse ahead. Some of them chat about upcoming school sports and what’s happening in their life. They debate the merits of Call of Duty: Black Ops versus Modern Warfare 3, both from the same franchise.
“Modern Warfare 3 is way better,” 11-year-old Hudson Speas tells a friend seated beside him, emphasizing the “way” in “way better.”
Despite the current conversation topic, the kids decided to go on the morning hike on their own, without adults telling them to.
The group’s founder, 11-year-old Quentin “Q” Long Fox, has been hiking since he was a little kid.
Q grew up hiking and participating in local races. Before Q was big enough to finish hikes on his own, his mother, Taushina Rainbow Wilson, would carry him on her shoulders.
The hiking club started after Q, who lives in Culdesac, had a week break from his summer activity camp, Nimiipuu Youth Adventures. He asked his mom if they could do a 6 a.m. hike in his hometown of Culdesac.
“I was all for the walking part, but 6 a.m. was a little ambitious for me,” Taushina wrote in an email to NWPB.
Taushina suggested an 8 a.m. hike on the Fire Trail in Lapwai instead, and the activity became a way to stay connected with his friends. He also opened it up to other kids who wanted to join, and the activity spread through word of mouth.
“(It’s) just really fun to go out and hike with other people,” he said. “Not being on a screen.”
On the trail
Q says he likes seeing animals like rabbits and deer, and that hiking makes him feel calm. Hudson, one of Q’s friends, says he likes the exercise and connecting with his friends.
“I think it's fun, and it brings all of us together so we can talk about things that most of us wouldn't talk about around other people,” he said.
Today the group is joined by adults — but those adults are guests. Normally, the hikes are kids-only. They’re also completely self-directed by the children, who chart their own path, choose who will lead the group and carry walkie-talkies to communicate back and forth.
For some of the kids, the hikes are all about exploration. Vic Holt, 9, finds what looks to be a red-tailed hawk feather on the ground, which he affixes in his hair, and a rock with a little divot in the center.
“I can put my thumb in there,” Vic said. Then, he does just that. “Boom. Thumb hole. That's cool.”
The hikes aren’t just a fun time. It might also serve an important developmental role. Research has linked outdoor play with benefits for children, including increased confidence, enhanced mental health, social competence, anxiety prevention and creativity.
Vic wanders down to look at the hill below and sees something: In the grass, clumps of green brush poke out between yellow grass in a way that looks, to him, like a face.
“ I see the head right there. Then the glasses,” Vic said, pointing. “I can't see any hair, so I think he's bald.”
Getting up early to hike a steep hill on a hot summer day might not be what most grown-ups expect their children to do during summer break. But this group has made a regular habit of it.
It’s gotten the attention of other community members, too. When some other hikers pass the boys, one makes a point to give Q a fist bump.
“Some people in the community have been calling these kids the ‘Fire Trail Warriors,’” said Q’s mom, Taushina. “Which, I think, they like.”
The kids say they don’t really know why everyone is so interested in their hiking club. But Vic’s Dad, James Holt, says people in town have never seen something like this before.
“It is an amazing thing,” James said. “Seeing them empower themselves, volunteer and want to do it. The ‘want’ — that’s good.”
