My kids used to complain on every trail. These 4 changes made family hiking fun again.

The author (in blue) with her family as they hiked in Konnevesi National Park in Finland. Courtesy of Emese Maczko.

It was an hour into our hike through Southern Konnevesi National Park in Finland , and neither of my 7- and 10-year-old daughters was complaining. It was glorious.

Normally, within the first hour, I would have already heard the question "How much longer?" One of them would also declare, "It's boring. We're just walking."

So what was different about this hike ? Why weren't they complaining? It's because I took a different approach to this hike than I have with past ones — and it worked. Here's what I did.

A stranger motivated them more than I ever could

For this hike, we had a local guide with us, and my kids hung on her every word.…