50 Hikes in Connecticut

I come from a hiking family. I've done pretty serious hiking since I was about 10 years old (the first time I climbed Mount Washington). I went through a period in my teens when I didn't hike much but that had to do more with teenage separation from family than any dislike of hiking and the woods. Now I love to hike and need to be in the woods sometimes just to nourish my soul.

Hiking is just something I do for fun and relaxation. It's not my job, there is no requirement for me to hike a certain number of days or distance.

But I'm taking on an interesting project this summer. I'm carrying on the family legacy of the book "50 Hikes in Connecticut". My parents first wrote the book in the mid-70s with the first edition publication date of 1978. They chose and wrote about 50 of their favorite hikes in Connecticut. The book is part trail guide and part commentary on nature, geology and history. I can hear both my father & mother's voices in the writing (Dad is the romantic naturalist/historian, Mom is the practical one). They did three editions of the book - updating the descriptions to fit the changing nature of the trails over time. Then because of illness they passed on the editing to my brother. He did two editions of the book. All three of them have been very serious hikers with a lot of leadership in the field under their belts. Now my brother cannot do it. It would be a shame for this book to leave our family. It doesn't make much money, just enough to almost cover expenses. It doesn't bring our family fame and glory. It's just a nice little family legacy that I think should stay in our family if possible. So I guess it's my turn. I'm actually pretty excited about this. I live in Connecticut. I have summers off as I teach high school. And I love to hike. So perfect.

I'll be roping in family and friends to join me on my editing hikes. I'm not a fan of hiking alone for safety reasons plus two sets of eyes while editing is a good idea. I'm going to keep as much of the existing text as possible for each hike. I'll plan to update the hiking directions as needed and will do a little work on the layout for ease of use. The publishers are changing the format a little - going to full color which is very cool. I have to include two new hikes and remove two hikes. I have some ideas for new hikes but am always open to more. I'd like to fill some gaps for parts of Connecticut that are under-represented. I'm not sure which two hikes should go, again open for suggestions! Please comment, all feedback welcome and useful!

Publication is set for spring 2019. I'll work on finishing my edits by early 2018.

And I will occasionally post a hike here to show what I'm working on. You'll have to buy the new book next summer to get all the hikes.

Woohoo! Wish me luck and thank you in advance to EVERYONE who is helping out (there will be a lot of you).