Episode Details

Drew Chalfant and his wife brought HAWKs – Hiking Adventures With Kids – to Lake Norman, planting the national brand's first East Coast flag right here in our backyard. A recovering franchise attorney (and former emo-band touring musician) turned hands-on owner-operator, Drew makes a compelling case that the "kick out the front door, come home when the streetlights come on" childhood isn't gone for good – it just needs a van, a trail, and a few naturalist educators to bring it back.

Jeff and Drew get into why "60 minutes a day" outside is the bare-minimum floor, not the goal; how HAWKs uses after-school programs, summer day camps, and school-closure coverage as a genuine childcare resource for working parents across Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville; and the surprising magic of letting kids get bored on the trail – like the day a group spontaneously invented their own little society and begged to come back to finish the story. It's a warm, funny conversation about screens, stewardship, and why our kids come alive outdoors.

Hawks Kids Lake Norman

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