Family Friendly Hikes in Connecticut

Takeaways from the June 8 Family Friendly Hikes Presentation by Bill Florin.

We want to take a moment to thank Bill Florin for his time and presentation about Family Friendly Hikes in Connecticut on Saturday June 8 at the United Methodist Church in Monroe, CT. The weather was wonderful and we took the opportunity to conduct the session outdoors and then commune on the Housatonic Trail.

Bill is a consultant with a successful resume consultation business (Resu-mazing), and also consults with companies and organizations to get the most out of their workforces, etc. Not only that, he also donates his time to help people who need it (including inmates who need help to understand what they can do to make themselves more marketable when getting back out in the workforce). But more importantly, I am always envious of how many cool photos he posts while out on hikes with his wife and two teen children. I asked him to present because I want to be more like him J.

He talked to all of us about tips and tricks to consider before hiking and I got a couple of nuggets that I will take with me for the rest of my life – isn’t that worth an hour of my time? Things I took with me:

· Bring Ziploc bags – they are perfect for maps you don’t want to get wet / bleed ink.

· Backup power for your phone if you plan on being out for a while and/or using GPS

· Great ways to get your kids excited – hike in places where you can “discover” things (i.e., old man-made structures or whimsical features), or starting to do “geo-caching” (a treasure hunt with GPS).

· He also said that conversations while hiking are kind of like when you are in your car. You aren’t intense (face to face), but just talking casually and in that environment, your kids may open up more and talk about some things you wouldn’t hear at the dinner table.

· One other thing was that he identified 3 places locally that I have never visited. Now we have new places we want to visit this summer!

Bill was nice enough to put a summary together that you can find here. He put in some helpful tips AND identified a list of local places to take your family for a walk in the woods.

Thanks again Bill for all your wisdom.

#GetOutside, #FamilyHike, #GenerationBridge