January 17, 2020
Summarizing a mountain’s worth of stories, current events,
creative ideas and stuff that makes us lol
#sh*tkidssay
My son asked me, "Where does poo come from?"
I was a little uncomfortable but gave him an honest explanation.
He looked a little perplexed, and stared at me in stunned silence for a few seconds and asked, "And Tigger?"
@ColdHeart_Prj
weekly survival tip
We know, seems crazy, but that weather app on your phone is not, in fact, the only way to know what’s going to happen outside. All you really have to do is have a look at the clouds.
trail talk
A recent study from the United Kingdom revealed that learning in the outdoors is a boon to children’s academics and their behavior . It's just one of the many reasons our mission at iksplor is to get kids playing outside as much as possible. The study, which was commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts and carried out by researchers at University College London, included 450 primary school children from across England. They found that the vast majority of children reported better relationships with their teachers and classmates after having lessons outside and that the experience also helped them academically. Given the strength of these findings, The Wildlife Trusts are asking the British government to require students get at least one hour a day to learn and play in wild places. Sounds like a good plan to us.
trail magic
Climate change and it’s impacts are complicated, maddening and really frightening. And how, as individuals, we are to confront this issue often feels equally perplexing. But in a useful piece for the New York Times, Emma Marris, an environmental writer, has a plan. Key to it’s success, as she writes, is to stop blaming “ourselves for not being green enough.” The voice in your head that says if only you’d eat less meat, ride your bike more, forgo plastic bags and all would be right with the world, is not so helpful. Sure those are great things to do. But, Marris argues, our consumptive lives are designed as such by forces (large corporations, governments) more powerful than ourselves. So, that’s what we really need to confront with better laws, regulations and elected officials. Her five point plan aims to do just that.
trail treasures
As much as we love adventuring outside, sometimes the logistics of longer backcountry trips can get tricky, especially for women. Enter the Kula pee cloth , an antimicrobial, odor-resistant, quick-drying, reusable, and environmentally responsible piece of scientifically-developed fabric to make peeing outside for women a hygienic breeze. (Phew! Long sentence, we know, but there’s a lot to this little square of cloth! ) Snap it to the back of your pack to aid in drying and sanitation – the sun does that – and say goodbye to the days of packing around smelly ziplock bags filled with used toilet paper. That next hut trip already sounds more fun.
yard sale
Getting the job done , with a face plant or two…