Wilderness Hiking

Join us for a 2-day hybrid hackathon in Tirana where developers, students, and people interested in AI come together to learn, build, and show their AI projects. Get practical experience, support from Google Developer Experts (GDEs), and take part in a fun demo session with prizes and giveaways. * **What participants will experience:** * Masterclasses from speakers * Team collaboration and project building * Mentorship from industry experts and GDEs * Real-world project development from idea to demo * Networking with the local tech community * Fun challenges, prizes, and giveaways **Day 1 – Online (20 May from 5pm): Start Building** * Join the welcome and introduction session * Learn about AI through masterclasses * Form teams and share project ideas * Start building their AI solutions **Day 2 – Onsite (22 May at Piramida from 10am): Build, Improve, and Present** * Panel discussion with industry experts * Learn about AI, cloud technologies, and real-world use cases * Continue building your projects with mentor guidance * Prepare and present your solutions to a panel of judges 👉 Fill out this form with your project idea and/or team details: [https://forms.gle/8cui8JKNWEp82tnaA](https://forms.gle/8cui8JKNWEp82tnaA) If you don’t have a team yet, don’t worry — you can connect with others and find team members through our Discord community: [https://discord.com/invite/BgCdCmCuGv](https://discord.com/invite/BgCdCmCuGv) **Grand Finale: Demo & Celebration** * The event ends with: * Team project presentations * Feedback from judges and mentors * Prize announcements and giveaways * A closing celebration of participants’ achievements **A chance to learn, build, and grow in AI**

Join us for a 2-day hybrid hackathon in Tirana where developers, students, and people interested in AI come together to learn, build, and show their AI projects. Get practical experience, support from Google Developer Experts (GDEs), and take part in a fun demo session with prizes and giveaways. * **What participants will experience:** * Masterclasses from speakers * Team collaboration and project building * Mentorship from industry experts and GDEs * Real-world project development from idea to demo * Networking with the local tech community * Fun challenges, prizes, and giveaways **Day 1 – Online (20 May from 5pm): Start Building** * Join the welcome and introduction session * Learn about AI through masterclasses * Form teams and share project ideas * Start building their AI solutions **Day 2 – Onsite (22 May at Piramida from 10am): Build, Improve, and Present** * Panel discussion with industry experts * Learn about AI, cloud technologies, and real-world use cases * Continue building your projects with mentor guidance * Prepare and present your solutions to a panel of judges 👉 Fill out this form with your project idea and/or team details: [https://forms.gle/8cui8JKNWEp82tnaA](https://forms.gle/8cui8JKNWEp82tnaA) If you don’t have a team yet, don’t worry — you can connect with others and find team members through our Discord community: [https://discord.com/invite/BgCdCmCuGv](https://discord.com/invite/BgCdCmCuGv) **Grand Finale: Demo & Celebration** * The event ends with: * Team project presentations * Feedback from judges and mentors * Prize announcements and giveaways * A closing celebration of participants’ achievements **A chance to learn, build, and grow in AI**

Carissimi, proseguiamo il nostro viaggio per parlare di **#AWS** ! Ci troviamo in **#presenza GIOVEDì 21 maggio alle ore 19:00**. L'incontro si terrà presso il[ Coworking Mestre](https://www.coworkingmestre.it/), in via Torino 135, di fronte al NH Laguna Palace Hotel. E per chi non potesse raggiungerci, si terrà anche in **#streaming** su YouTube. La scaletta prevede due speech seguiti da discussione ciascuno. 🗣[Riccardo Marostica](https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccardo-marostica-bba072206/), ci parlerà delle sfide che ha affrontato nel passaggio da prototipo a sistema reale con Amazon **#Bedrock #AgentCore** ! A seguire 🗣 [Tommaso Dri](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommaso-dri/), ci racconterà come passare da un’infrastruttura statica a un modello dinamico **#PayAsYouGo** attraverso AWS **#CloudFormation** e **#Lambda** ! 👥 Poi ci sposteremo per \( 🍸 \| 🍺 \) & \( 🍕 \| 🍔 \) e **#networking** ! E come sempre, proponete[vi per] argomenti e/o location con il [Form Google](https://forms.gle/1JdE6YWPbo6phuLe8) o direttamente nel canale Telegram, o come speaker su [Sessionize](https://sessionize.com/aws-user-group-venezia/) !

**Ciao AWS User Group Padova!** Ci vediamo giovedì 21 maggio per un workshop dedicato a Kiro, l’IDE agentico nell’ecosistema AWS. Una sessione pensata per esplorare il suo utilizzo nel flusso di sviluppo, dai concetti di base fino ad arrivare a esempi pratici di spec-driven development, con l’obiettivo di comprendere come questo strumento possa supportare le attività quotidiane, dalla scrittura del codice fino alla gestione operativa in cloud. Sono previste una breve introduzione e la presentazione di alcune demo. **Vi aspettiamo dalle 18.45!** **(Anche online [QUI!](https://www.youtube.com/live/jvrdfE8J7YQ))** **AGENDA** 👋 **Benvenuti!** 👉 **Francesco Martini - AWS Sr. Technical Account Manager** Affianca i clienti nel costruire sistemi affidabili e sicuri, aiutandoli a semplificare le operations in cloud. Alla passione per la tecnologia unisce esperienza diretta nello sviluppo software. 👉 **Matteo Depascale - AWS Technical Account Manager** Supporta i clienti nella progettazione di architetture resilienti e sicure, con un focus particolare sulle tecnologie serverless e sull’intelligenza artificiale. 🍻🍕 🍕**Networking con aperitivo** 🍕🍕🍻 **Se parteciperai di persona** a Piazzola sul Brenta, **registrati qui su Meet Up**: un paio di birrette assicurate anche per te! Clicca **[QUI](https://www.youtube.com/live/jvrdfE8J7YQ)** per assistere online!

**History** The history of [Blendon Woods Metro Park](https://www.metroparks.net/parks-and-trails/blendon-woods/) began long before its 1951 opening, rooted in a landscape of rugged ridges and deep ravines that made the land unsuitable for traditional farming. In 1945, a report proposing a metropolitan park system for Franklin County specifically highlighted these cliffs of Bedford Shale as some of the "wildest land in the vicinity". Following this recommendation, the recently formed park district purchased the first 229 acres in early 1949. Because the terrain was so uneven, developers had to cut a mile-and-a-half-long roadway through dense woods just to bring in heavy equipment. This initial preservation effort ensured that the mature second-growth hardwood forests remained largely untouched by the urban expansion spreading toward Westerville. Opening day arrived on Labor Day, September 3, 1951, marking Blendon Woods as the second park in the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks system. The final push to open was a frantic race; the State Highway Department only finished the primary gravel access road four days before the gates opened. Early staff members, consisting of just four full-time employees, had to hand-dig pit toilets and learn construction skills on the fly to build the first picnic shelters. Despite the dusty conditions and limited facilities, the park was an immediate success, drawing massive crowds from across Central Ohio. By the end of the 1950s, annual visitation had already climbed to over 190,000 people. As the surrounding suburbs grew in the 1960s, the park faced severe overcrowding that threatened its natural habitats. In response, Franklin County voters passed the first Metro Parks levy in 1960, providing the funds necessary for a decade of steady expansion. During this era, the park nearly doubled in size, growing from 264 acres to over 570 acres by 1968. Planners also addressed a critical water shortage by collaborating with the U.S. Soil and Conservation Service to build a lake in 1964. This body of water originally served as a temporary reservoir before its role shifted toward conservation and wildlife support. The 1970s marked a transition toward the specialized wildlife and educational focus for which the park is known today. In 1971, the Walden Waterfowl Refuge was established around the 11-acre Thoreau Lake, creating a sanctuary that remains restricted to provide a quiet habitat for migratory birds. A formal nature center was also developed during this period, expanding on the guided Sunday walks that had been a park staple since the early 1950s. The park’s famous "Monarch Mansion" also became a prominent fixture, starting a long tradition of raising and releasing thousands of monarch butterflies each September. These initiatives cemented the park’s reputation as a premier destination for birders and nature enthusiasts. In more recent decades, Blendon Woods has continued to modernize while maintaining its wilderness character. The 10-acre Natural Play Area was added in 2017, encouraging kids to explore the ravines and woods off-trail. This was followed by the opening of a $1.5 million inclusive playground in April 2025, designed to accommodate children of all physical abilities. The nature center also underwent major renovations to include immersive, three-dimensional exhibits and a new butterfly house. Today, the park encompasses 653 acres, preserving a unique geologic and biological corridor amidst the bustling Westerville and Northeast Columbus area. **Map of the Park** Here is a map of [Blendon Woods](https://www.metroparks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BLN_map_Inclusive-Playground-and-Butterfly-Trail_May-2025_1980px.png). **Summary** For this event, we will hike the Lake View, Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook, Brookside, and Sugarbush Trails. This sounds like a lot, but it will really be only a little over five miles. Blendon Woods has a few hills here and there, but it's not one of the more strenuous metro parks. **Where We'll Meet** We'll meet just in front of the Nature Center. This is about a mile into the park from the main entrance. You have to go past the Ranger Station and the Shadblow Reservable Area to get to it, so don't stop too early at the Ranger Station and get it confused with the Nature Center. **After the Hike** Afterward, we will head over to [Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/) at Easton for [drinks](https://forbiddenroot.com/restaurants/columbus-ohio/#dinner-menu) and [food](https://forbiddenroot.com/wp-content/uploads/Cbus-Food.pdf). We should be there by 5 if you can't make the hike and just want to join us for drinks. The brewery's actual address is [4080 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219](https://www.google.com/maps/place/4080+Worth+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43219/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x88388a86d10b6619:0x4d42b470a5cf11d3?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111); however, I recommend pointing your GPS to the [Worth Garage](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Worth+Garage/@40.0542293,-82.9137962,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88388b4df6082825:0x17582f0eccd9dda1!8m2!3d40.0542293!4d-82.9137962!16s%2Fg%2F11rzfvvv8b?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) across the street. Parking in this garage is free as long as you're not on the first floor, and it is literally right next to the brewery.

Join us this Thursday at 6:30 pm for a nice hike along the Big Walnut Trail along the Gahanna golf course, circling Creekside and back. This 2 mile hike is fully paved and a beautiful walk through the heart of Gahanna.

Hi ladies. We will meet in front of the Nature Center and head to the two Observation decks. We will then hike Hickory Ridge, Ripple Rock, Overlook and Sugarbush trails to get approximately four miles total distance. We will walk approximately a 18 minute mile pace. Please wear appropriate hiking shoes.

This is a small but pretty park with a 1.7-mile loop. We will walk it 2 times. It goes along a ridge and has moderate elevation changes.

Hi ladies. Let's hike the edward thomas trail, lake trail , spring creek and a short walk on the multi purpose trail. This is one large loop . Wear your shoe of choice. Meet in the Maple Grove Picnic area. 4.2 miles in length .

Hi ladies. Let's hike the Edward Thomas, Spring Creek, and a little multi-purpose trail - approximately 4 miles so please wear your shoe of choice. Please bring a water bottle as needed and appropriate shoes. Meet in the Maple Grove Picnic area.