I’ve always been impressed by the boundless energy of youth. Not every family is forged from the stuff of mountain goats. Here are some tips to help make hiking with kids a little more enjoyable.

We were enjoying a quiet morning in a small Swiss town of Grindelwald and talking to our new friend Luca as he praised the beauties of the First - Platte Schynige trail. I remember my easily excited friend Peter almost shouting, "Dude, let's go right now, today." And we did, later that day we were on one of the most demanding trails in the Alps.

Sherpa Bill from All Peak asked me to share some of my knowledge on “spicing-up” meals for a mountain camping trip. I’m happy to oblige. Here are 7 tips that I think will take the “blah” out of your next trek.

Summit camping trips are like pregnancy. You tend to forget about the pain you suffered and only remember the end result. One of the toughest parts of a trip is often the first night’s sleep on the trail. Your body is not use to the changes. The altitude, outside noise and unforgiving ground offer you no solace compared to your comfy bed.   

Rest assured fellow trail companions. There is hope. Allow me to share with you some of the best tips scoured from hiking blogs and trip reports…as well as personal experience from a tried and true insomniac (me).   The first few tips should be common sense, but are worth mentioning.

I had my first vacation home rental experience when I visited San Francisco for work last year. The experience opened my eyes to the many benefits of renting a vacation home instead of staying in a hotel.  My Hilton Honors will surely dwindle as a result.  

First, the full disclosure…I am not being compensated one iota for my opinions.   HomeAway.com is mentioned below and they were a client of mine in a past life.  I have used their service and think they offer a great selection – as do other similar businesses. I do have friends that now own vacation home rentals, but they aren’t featured here, and I’ll gladly stay at their places anytime they ask me too!  

After countless trips to Colorado from my home turf in Texas, I could kick myself for never considering staying at a rental home before.  The concept is perfect when planning a group trip.  HomeAway.com lists over 9,080 “mountain” home rentals in Colorado alone.  In true Letterman fashion, here are the Top 10 reasons why you want to rent a vacation home the next time you set out on a mountain adventure:  

10. Get a little closer to the mountain or trailhead.  

9.   Home cooked meals:  You can save money by buying and cooking your own food, but someone has to do the dishes.  

8.   You can launder those smelly, damp trail clothes so your buddies don’t have to smell you the rest of the trip.    Most homes have a washer and dryer with detergent available to use.  

7.   Free parking and no extra fees.  You normally have to leave a deposit though, which is fully refundable.  

6.   Tranquility:  No need to battle with the wedding party down the hall for sleep.  A vacation home rental can be tucked away, deep down a mountain road, letting you extend your bond with nature by opening the windows at night and listening to the sounds of the forest.  You may have to contend with snoring from your buddies, but it is a great trade off.  

5.   Amenities:  Often times you can find a vacation home rental with a breathtaking view, fire pit out back or hot tub ready to soothe those achy muscles.  

4.   Praise:  If, as the planner of this group outing, you manage to make it all happen, you may get a pat on the back and hear the following, “Wow, this place is awesome. What a great idea!”  

3.   More room to relax. Vacation homes average 2,000 square feet, while hotels average 400 square feet. ‘Nuff said!  

2.   Price!  When you split the cost of a vacation home rental between a group, you can greatly reduce your cost per person.  

1.   You can store a ton more beer in a full-size fridge than that tiny ice bucket from your hotel room. Colorado has more micro-brews per capita than anywhere else and it would be a sin to not enjoy the multitude of brands and styles.

Full-on rigid crampons, semi-flexible hiking crampons, and ice grippers like Kahtoola Microspikes (which are really just small, chain-mounted crampons) can be real life-savers when crossing ice or hard-packed snow. They can also tear right through your other hiking gear if you're not careful.  

Have you stashed your super-light (and super-expensive!) alpine jacket in your pack with your crampons? Guess what, the crampons will win. Got an extra hydration bladder rattling around in there? Not for long -- unless you stow your crampons in a protective case. If your crampons are in a proper case, you can pretty much toss them anywhere. No case? Try these tips on for size:  

• Apply protective tip covers to the crampon points before you put them away.
• Nest the sharp ends together. Or in the case of Kahtoolas, which don't have any real structure -- just chains holding the spikes to the stretchy rubber "upper" -- roll them up with the pointy ends facing in. Use a small bungee or a super-size twist tie to hold everything together.
• Stow crampons in a separate compartment within your pack. If your pack has a separate bottom compartment (sometimes called a sleeping bag compartment), this is potentially a great place for your crampons. Smaller front pockets are good storage spots too, as long as you've got the crampons' sharp points under control.
• Strap the crampons to the outside of your pack, either nested or with points facing out. For a little extra security, clip them in place with a carabiner that goes through both crampons and around at least one secure attachment point (or strap) on your pack.

I live in Alaska, where two things are inevitable: Snow and mountains. Even in the middle of spring, it's still common to see lingering patches -- or swathes -- of snow across my favorite trails. But that's no reason to stay inside! Here are my favorite tips for a safe, comfortable hike in the snow: