My name is Roelof Doevendans and I’m 40 years old. I’m happely married with my wife Alinda. Together we have four sons of 7, 10, 13 and 15 years.
An active family and we love to be busy. Also on our holidays in Scandinavia we are quite active. About three years ago we carefully started hiking.
Last year, we hiked the Hoga Kusten Hike (High Coast Hike) as a family, our first multi-day hike. Early this year, my wife and I participated in the Hoga Kusten Vinter Classic, our first winter hike.
Last summer we participated in the Fjallraven Classic, as a kind of family challenge. It is a 110 kilometer long hike from Nikkaluokta to Abisko in the north of Sweden. It was fantastic and we have been able to do it in 5 days.
Of course they were having their hard moments now and then, they complained, cried and been pushing onto their boundaries. But they enjoyed it very much and they learned a lot about themselves, their bodies, the natural surroundings. They went beyond their limits and learned about who they are.
And what an applause the got when we arrived at the finish line! For us, as parents, it was an emotional moment. We are so proud of them.
We want to teach our children the things that really matter in life. That they learn to enjoy being outdoors, to get used to it. That the learn how to use the equipement and some basic bushcraft skills.
Go out into the nature, what do you need, how does it work and what if…? How do you make a camp fire, how do you make fire, how to cook and how to…?
All these aspects we do find them important. It learns you so much about yourself, who you are, your abilities, your disabilities, your strong and weaker sides of you.
This is what we want to give down to our children and teach them.
We hope that when they look back at their childhood, that they will be proud. That it will give them perseverance and that they can get strength out of it.