But, we didn’t forge a real connection with one another until we met in that forest one chilly September day. Put another way, Facebook really did act as a catalyst. Then, James bumped into “A Dad in the Burbs” Stacey Robinsmith at a media event, a seed was planted, and Five Dads Go Wild was born. We’d only had passing interactions on social media. It just rarely gets beyond that.īefore last year’s inaugural adventure in the woods, I’d never met “SocialDad” James Smith or “Parenting 101” Dale Allen Berg in real life. Instead, we more often suffer silently with our isolation and loneliness. While there are exceptions, to be sure, men typically don’t do that. The stereotype goes that women might have their book clubs, wine clubs, yoga classes and lunch dates. We yearn for that kind of connection and community, but all too often, men don’t reach out to one another in that way.

Studies have shown that men can often struggle with forging and maintaining relationships with other men, particularly as we get older. (We probably could have used something like that during our recent #5DadsGoWild camping trip.) Instead, Braving the Wilderness explores “the quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone.”Īnd, really, both contexts fit perfectly with what we tried to accomplish with Five Dads Go Wild. Based on the title, you might think this book is some sort of outdoor survivalist’s guide. The above quote, appropriately enough, comes from Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown.

Brene brown into the wilderness