Beat the Bite – Outdoor Toolkit to Protect Yourself

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With Spring arriving, so do the bugs, ticks, mosquitoes, black flies and other nasty pests.

Protect yourself from head to toe with the latest.

 

Medella Naturals Insect & Mosquito Repellent, DEET-Free All-Natural Formula, Safe for Kids and Pets, Made in The USA, Travel 3-Pack, 2 oz, 4 oz, and 8 oz. Bottles

• PURE PROTECTION: Medella Naturals Insect Repellent provides a safe and effective way to keep mosquitoes, gnats, and other flying insects away while prevent irritating bites, all without leaving a greasy or oily residue.
• NATURAL INGREDIENTS: Made in the USA from skin-loving ingredients like lemongrass oil, Vitamin E, purified water, glycerin, castor oil, and a hint of vanilla, which gives this spray its pleasant smell.
• CHEMICAL FREE: The DEET-free formula is made without synthetic fragrances, dyes, phthalates, pesticides, alcohol, formaldehyde, preservatives, or petrochemicals.
• FAMILY FRIENDLY: This easy-to-spray pump makes application a breeze and provides protection for adults, kids, and even pets. It has lasting power and is suitable for year-round usage.
• STAY OUTDOORS WITH CONFIDENCE: Get back to doing what you love in the great outdoors without having to be bothered by bugs. This spray stands up to sweat and keeps you protected no matter the activity.

 

Insect Shield Sport Crew Sock

• 49% Polyester/47% Cotton/3% RUBBER/1% Spandex
• Imported
• Insect repellent
• Repellency lasts the expected lifetime of the product (70 washings for apparel items)
• Invisible protectiot
• Durable, cushioned sole for comfort

 

ExOfficio womens Bugsaway Lumen Full Zip Hoody

• 100% Other Fibers
• Imported
• Zipper closure
• Machine Wash
• Bugs Away hoody provides invisible, odorless protection from bugs
• Ultra-lightweight, quick-drying, and breathable material
• Zippered security pocket inside right-hand pocket holds passport

 

ExOfficio mens Bugsaway Sandfly Jacket

• 100% Nylon | 100% Polyester
• Imported
• Zipper closure
• Machine Wash
• 2″ high
• 12″ wide
• This lightweight hooded men’s jacket is great for buggy travels, off-trail hikes, or anywhere repelling insects like ticks and mosquitoes is one of your top concerns

 

Hike & Go Seek – Eagle Mountain, highest natural point in Minnesota

Eagle Mountain is the highest natural point in Minnesota, United States, at 2,301 feet.  It is in northern Cook County, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest in the Misquah Hills, northwest of Grand Marais. It is a Minnesota State Historic Site.

Eagle Mountain is only about 15 miles (24 km) from Minnesota’s lowest elevation, Lake Superior, at 600 feet/  It is part of the Canadian Shield. Confusingly, there is another, much shorter, peak named Eagle Mountain in northern Minnesota. The shorter peak is part of the Lutsen Mountains ski resort.

The hike to the summit can be made in about two and a half hours. The distance to the peak is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) with an elevation gain of 550 feet (168 m). The trail is rocky and moderately strenuous. Whale Lake is about halfway along the trail and offers two campsites to hikers. The peak of the mountain is marked with a plaque.

Permits are required because portions of this hike enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Self-issued permits are available at any Superior National Forest ranger station or at the trailhead. Instructions and the permit can usually be found at the trailhead kiosk.

Among the highest natural points (highpoints) in each U.S. state, Eagle Mountain ranks 37th. (wiki)

Trekking the National Parks Family Board Game

 

Nikon Complete Kit

 

TrailBuddy Lightweight Trekking Poles 

 

Nature’s Silent Message – Just released by Scott Stillman 

 

1000 Piece Wooden Puzzle

 

https://amzn.to/2KczX6g

https://amzn.to/2KczX6g

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Ozark Mountains Road Trip: Osage Beach to Eureka Springs — by Jill Dutton | Travel Journalist

Take a meandering route through Missouri and into northern Arkansas to enjoy scenery that changes with the seasons. The Ozark Mountains span four states and consist of a plateau that covers 50,000 square miles. There’s plenty of hiking, rivers, lakes, and caves interspaced amongst the wilderness areas, making for a great road trip adventure with both scenery and historical destinations.

Years ago, I traveled this route as part of an assignment that involved researching why people live in particular areas. Life in these parts is slow-paced, almost reflective. What I found during the road trip was that a good many people choose to live in this area for the lifestyle; they value the slower pace and the access to nature and its outdoor activities. It’s a pleasant drive through a peaceful and scenic area when you follow the rolling hills from Osage Beach, Missouri, to Eureka Springs, Arkansas

via Ozark Mountains Road Trip: Osage Beach to Eureka Springs — Jill Dutton | Travel Journalist

 

Just released last month!

Nature’s Silent Message 

Nature’s Silent Message 

 

                                       

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson                         Wild: From Lost to Found

Hike & Go Seek – Petrified Forest

Although a bit west of what is considered the tradition Midwest, Petrified Forest National Park is an American national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, park covers about 230 square miles, encompassing semi-desert shrub steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands.

The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially fallen trees that lived in the Late Triassic Epoch.  The sediments containing the fossil logs are part of the widespread and colorful Chinle Formation, from which the Painted Desert gets its name.

Trekking the National Parks Family Board Game

 

The park’s seven maintained hiking trails, some paved, vary in length from less than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to nearly 3 miles.  These named trails are Painted Desert Rim, Puerco Pueblo, Blue Mesa, Crystal Forest, Giant Logs, Long Logs, and Agate House.  Hikers and backpackers may also visit the park’s wilderness areas.

Panorama of shortgrass prairie near Dry Wash in the southern section of the park.

 

National Parks 18″ x 24″ Collector’s Series Puzzle

 

Some of the larger animals roaming the grasslands include pronghorns, black-tailed jackrabbits (hares), Gunnison’s prairie dogs, coyotes, bobcats and foxes. Bobcats and bullsnakes hunt smaller animals, such as deer mice and white-tailed antelope squirrels in the park’s riparian zones.  More than 16 kinds of lizards and snakes live in various habitats in the park.

 

      

America’s Best Day Hikes       Great Hiking Trails of the World

 

Photos to inspire your next hike

 

Nikon Complete Kit

 

 

Trekking the National Parks Family Board Game

 

Nature’s Silent Message 

 

Hikes in Michigan: 5 Can’t Miss Michigan Hikes in 2020

May 26, 2020

Here in Michigan when the weather is nice, everyone is outside enjoying it. Whether it be hiking, biking, swimming, fishing or what other activity, Michiganders love to capitalize on favorable weather. Here are 5 hikes in Michigan that you shouldn’t miss out on in 2020!

5 Hikes in Michigan for 2020

• Empire Bluff Trail – Sleeping Bear Dunes
• Chapel Beach – Pictured Rocks Lakeshore
• Lake of the Clouds – Ontonagon Area
• Hogback Mountain – Marquette
• Arch Rock – Mackinac Island

Empire Bluff Trail – Sleeping Bear Dunes

Welcome to Sleeping Bear Dunes! One of Michigan’s premiere destinations. The Empire Bluff Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes is one of the best you will find and is incredibly rewarding. Not only are the views outstanding, this hike is very easy! Clocking in at only 1.5 miles round trip, this hike is worth its weight in gold. This trail will get very busy during summer season so plan wisely.

Chapel Beach Loop – Pictured Rocks Lakeshore

Apart of the Pictured Rock National Lakeshore, is the Chapel Beach Loop. What makes the Chapel Beach Loop such a great trail is the scenery on the trail and the end destination. The trail has an abundance of plant variety as well as easy changing terrain. As scenic as the hike is in, the cream rises to the top at the end. Chapel Beach is a pristine beach complemented by a lovely chapel beach lookout point. You won’t be dissapointed.

via Hikes in Michigan: 5 Can’t Miss Michigan Hikes in 2020 — EZMoments

 

Scratch off map – National Parks

 

Columbia Waterproof Hiking Shoes

 

 

Memorial Day Mountains (Great Smoky Mountains) — Treat Yourself to Travel

Thinking about the upcoming Memorial Day weekend during quarantine, I figured I would reminisce on our road trip from last year. We made our way through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the Asheville side (NC) by Cherokee to the Gatlinburg side (TN). It was a perfect long weekend getaway from the DC area. We were able to do some hiking, see some beautiful scenery and explore downtown Asheville.

The Smokies | TeamTravelsBaby

via Memorial Day Mountains (Great Smoky Mountains) — Treat Yourself to Travel

 

Just released last month by Scott Stillman…Nature’s Silent Message

Nature’s Silent Message 

Richland Creek

This scenic photography features Richland Creek, as seen hiking along the Laurel-Snow Trail on the Cumberland Plateau, near Dayton, Tennessee. See more.

via Richland Creek — Perkins Designs

 

National Parks Badges Puzzle 

 

 

 

 

National Parks Badges Puzzle 

The Best Hiking Quotes to Inspire Your Next Outdoor Adventure

Hiking is an activity that everyone can do, so next time you are thinking about an outdoor adventure, read these words to get even more excited about it.

Earl Shaffer

“Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care.”

Cindy Ross

“Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.”

Sir Edmund Hillary

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”

G.M. Trevelyan

“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.”

Beverly Sills

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

Mary Davis

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”

Andy Rooney

via The Best Hiking Quotes to Inspire Your Next Outdoor Adventure — Adventee

 

                                       

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson                         Wild: From Lost to Found

 

                   

Whispers in the Wilderness                                Lost 

Spring Migration in a Pandemic

This morning was the first day that Fort Harrison State Park was charging for admission again after a period of nearly 2 months when the park was open with no fee to help park employees social distance. It demonstrated an example of the combination of good and bad factors for wildlife that I have observed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

There has been much discussion on the Internet of how Covid-19 might be benefiting wildlife. People have posted photos of animals in places that they would never be seen because they are typically crowded with humans and vehicles. People have also posted some hilarious memes making fun of those photos. One of my favorites comes from Reddit, where someone posted that dolphins are returning to the Indianapolis canal:

Nature is healing! 😀

I have a hypothesis that migrating birds are being positively affected by the decrease in air traffic, cruise ships, and lights in tall office buildings. It is far too early to tell if this is true, but we may eventually have enough data to test it

via Spring Migration in a Pandemic — The Prothonotary Birder

 

Birds of North America 

 

High Power Monocular Smartphone Holder