January 24, 2020
Summarizing a mountain’s worth of stories, current events,
creative ideas and stuff that makes us lol.

weekly survival tip:
It looks a lot like a human burrito, but this treatment for
hypothermia really could save someone’s life.
trail talk
The ecologist Nalini Nadkarni, a biology professor at the University of Utah, has spent her professional scientific life hanging amongst the tree tops studying the forest canopy. She also spent much of her childhood climbing the trees in her family’s front yard in Bethesda, Maryland. And recently, she’s found a unique way to bring those experiences together in the form of the “explorer Barbie” series she helped design as an advisor to Mattel and National Geographic, the two companies that partnered to create the dolls. The special line of five Barbies includes an astrophysicist, polar marine biologist, wildlife conservationist, entomologist and photojournalist. While the toy is not perfect – Barbie’s body is still what it is and they are still mass-manufactured plastic objects – Nadkarni says it’s an important step in the right direction. “I love climbing trees and learning all I can about them,” she told the Washington Post. “But getting children excited about protecting our forests is one of the most important things I do.”
trail matters
The evidence just keeps piling up: Nature is really, really good for you. And if you can manage at least two hours a week outside in green spaces , you’re going to start to see significant benefits, according to a study from England that was published last June. What this research, and many other studies like it, now shows is that time spent in nature improves people’s physical and psychological health. Among other things, it’s been found to help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase self-esteem, strengthen immune function, and reduce aggression. Exposure to nature has even been associated with broader social goods like reductions in crime and boosting community cohesion. In fact, the growing consensus on the many benefits of time spent in the natural world, may be starting to impact the way scientists and others shape public health policy. So, if you’re not having the best day, or perhaps feeling a little sluggish, a little blue, the antidote may be just outside your front door. 
trail mix
Oh my goodness, the whining, the whining! The griping, complaining, being so incredibly ornery! All kids do it. And all parents nearly lose their minds over it at some point. When you’re out on the trail trying to enjoy the scenery, and, yes, the soothing sounds of nature, that whining can feel especially aggravating. Which is why we love this technique to confront it: the poop bag game. Pro tip: It does require a dog, and it does require that this dog do his or her businesses while you’re hiking. But when that happens you’re golden because the person who has to carry that warm, pungent bundle is, yup, the person who’s behavior is the least tolerable. And until that behavior improves, the stink is theirs to bear. So, whiners, beware. There’s some poo coming for you. 
yard sale
Luca has landed in pow town…

before you go...
shop the little iksplorer base layers!
sho
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