It wasn’t really the best of all possible days for an outdoor adventure. Though the sun was shining, a strong and bitter wind was blowing and you had to be careful about how you dressed—otherwise, you were in for a chilly time of it.

Of course it takes more than a wind chill to discourage hikers in New England, and our little group bravely assembled to take to the hiking paths at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA.

This is one of the oldest operating farms in the U.S. (the land was granted to Thomas Appleton in 1638.) The paths on the farm itself and the 15 miles of trails on the adjacent Appleton Grass Rides make excellent walking trails, a perfect place to stroll on a cold and windy day.

My sweetheart, Marilyn and I had joined a group from the REI Outdoor School for an easy outing called, simply, “Family Hiking with Children 1 – 5 Years Old”

The on-line listing promised to “instill a love of the outdoors in the youngest members of your family and get the whole family outside.” Several young Moms had brought their tots; for at least one harried young mother with a special needs child, this was a safe, supported way to introduce her child to the great outdoors—an opportunity she simply couldn’t get from friends and family

Through the course of the morning we ambled along at a child’s pace, seeing what there was to see. Marilyn and I couldn’t stop smiling at the antics of the littlest ones—clearly we were thinking ahead to how much fun we might have with grandkids . . . someday.

I don’t think the tots really noticed the expansive views across wonderfully maintained farm fields. But they sure did focus on things like beehives buzzing in the strong sun—which they’d clearly never seen. And their attention was captured, however briefly, by things like the skim of ice formed on some of the puddles in the wheel ruts of the farm tracks we strolled, and the textures of the bark peeling off an old oak stump where we stopped for games and a snack.

The trip leaders from the greater-Boston REI stores came well prepared for the outing with games in mind and snacks and drinks for all. Clearly, this is something they’ve thought through, planned and practiced for. They had ways in mind, for example, to teach about Leave No Trace ethics without making a big deal of it. I’m not sure how much the toddlers took away, but the parents learned something.

Most important, it seemed to me, to the success of the outing was the attitude that the kids were in charge; at least  to the degree that, if something held their interest, everyone went with it. Nobody seemed concerned about how far we walked. We went as far as we went. If a game didn’t catch everyone’s attention, it was abandoned quickly, while a chance discovery like the beehives buzzing in the sun, became a moment of real focus.

Almost everyone needs a push to get started doing fun things outdoors—especially if the whole concept is new to them. Some people are bold enough to try new things completely on their own—and lucky enough not to get into any trouble as they learn. Others are lucky enough to find someone else to teach them—my sweetheart, Marilyn, wasn’t really an outdoor girl before our paths chanced to cross. I suppose that, in an ideal world, that’s how we’d all learn.

for many it takes a deliberate act to break the bounds of civilization, to get farther outdoors than the lawn, the beach or the side of a paved road. Whether you follow more experienced friends, join a club or group, or, like these folks, go with a commercially packaged introduction, it doesn’t really matter.

The kids on this trip had a good time. Therefore, so did the adults. The kids didn’t care that the trip was planned by a store chain that hopes to eventually sell them outdoor clothing and gear. I’m not sure the adults did, either.

Getting Started Outdoors: AMERICAN ENTERPRISE

Sure, it would be wonderful if everyone in the world learned to love the outdoors as I did, organically, by growing up in a small town surrounded by hills and woods, with friends and family to take me hiking, biking, blueberry picking, skating, skiing, and fishing.

It’d be wonderful, too, if no one ever forgot how much fun they had outdoors as a child, and everyone just turned off their TVs and computers of all sizes and went outdoors and started exploring. But reality is reality.

For companies like REI, teaching people how to do things outdoors is just plain good business sense. Instead of scrapping with their competitors for a piece of the action, they create new, loyal customers. Everyone wins (except the fanatic few who somehow believe that all the rock faces, paddling hotspots and hiking trails should belong to them just because they got there first.)

The REI outing Marilyn and I went on just happened to be their most basic of introductions. I’m always looking for the lowest common denominator, the place where most people can actually grasp the idea of getting out and doing something fun in the outdoors.

But REI also does courses for children and adults on things like wilderness navigation, rock climbing, mountain biking, commuter biking, outdoor photography. All good stuff

So do their competitors. EMS has outdoors school that’s been in place for several decades now (I took my first rock climbing lesson from them in the early 80s), a kayak school, and a host of local trekking and outdoor outreach programs.

Merck Forest and the Hulbert Outdoor Center, and the Green Mountain Club in Vermont, the Adirondack Mountain Club in New York and the Appalachian Mountain Club also offer a host of classes.

LL Bean has  “Walk On Adventures” at their larger stores to introduce you to things like kayaking, GPS navigation and fly casting plus weekend overnight adventures.

I haven’t tried all of these opportunities, but I’d like to. It bothers me not at all that these companies are profiting from your interest in the great outdoors. I’m all in favor of. Whatever it takes to get you out the door having fun safely, so you learn to love it and do more.