It wasn't the first time we hiked Mill Creek Trail. We're fortunate to have relatives who live in Montana's beautiful Bitterroot Valley where stunning canyon hikes are only a few miles away.

The first time we hiked the Mill Creek was 11 years ago when my son was only months old. He happily rode out the adventure on our backs, and the trip was so successful we went hiking a few more times that week.

This week's hike saw two more firsts. No one needed to be carried and no one complained.

Again, the success led to more hiking. It also caused me to think back over less positive hikes and the lessons we've learned about hiking with kids.

Reward is our most important key to success. For adults, the beauty of nature and the challenge of the trail are incentive enough. Kids need something more tangible, and the longer the hike, the more frequent they need it.

On a six-mile hike, we've handed out a Peanut M&M every 10 minutes. The Mill Creek hike was short enough that the treat came at the end when we drove to the ice cream parlor downtown; an old fashioned kind of place with townspeople who come as much for socializing as ice cream.

Next, as with any outing, you don't want to drag along kids who are too tired or hungry. Can you say meltdown? Hunger that creeps up on the trail can be satisfied with healthy snacks, but starting with a deficit is a recipe for disaster.

Finally, no matter what trail you're on, it's good to consider what phase your kids are in. Those first years are nice because of backpacks, but we tried to time the hike around naptime, so a bored rider would snooze rather than shriek.

After the backpack years, kids hit the spurt stage.

You can tell the story about the tortoise and the hare again and again, but young kids naturally bounce between racing, lagging and needing a lift.

If you can take advantage of the energetic bursts and be patient at the mosey pace, your time will be more pleasant and your pace will average out well.

Just when my husband and I felt hiking "wise," we hit the "whys."

"Why do we have to do this?" "Why can't we just turn around and go back?" It's that age when the cool becomes tedious and kids have energy for everything except for what's asked of them.

After failing to convince our grumblers that they liked hiking, we turned to distraction.

For my son, who loved listening to books on tape, that meant bringing along a CD player. His first headphoned hike was seven miles, and he did it with no complaint and no concept of how far he'd walked.

My 9-year-old daughter wasn't so easy to distract. Sometimes a camera was enough. Other times constant conversation kept her from voicing the "Whys?"

Our second hike this week took us into Blodgett Canyon. My oldest, the scout, set a pace the rest of us hurried to keep. My middle, the one who's been our hardest to keep happy on the trail, was pleasantly motivated to keep up with her brother.

It was my youngest who put our hiking wisdom to the test. She claimed fatigue and wanted to sit on every inviting rock. After prodding her forward for a bit, we suggested that she sing. She picked up the tempo and started singing "The ants go marching one by one…"

The trail turned away from the rushing river. Wildflowers blossomed between burned skeletons of trees.

"The ants go marching five by five. Hoorah! Hoorah!"

We stopped to watch a butterfly settle on a bush before flying out of sight. The trail grew rockier and steeper.

"The ants go marching nine by nine."

We carefully maneuvered over stepping stones as streams and mud blocked the path. The face of a massive rock cliff loomed above the treetops.

"The ants go marching 14 by 14."

We rounded the bend to find a quiet pool of water, a shaded tree trunk to sit on, and large rock to climb.

We'd reached our end point. "Hoorah! Hoorah!"

With our Montana hikes completed, we started naming some of our favorite hikes in Oregon: Silver Falls, Cape Lookout, Opal Creek and more. It looks like we'll keep our hiking momentum through the summer.

And no matter where we hike with our kids, two things will hold true: we'll make great family memories, and we'll always be kept one our toes.