Anti-Mosquito Clothing

by Erik Olsen on

Is it the sugar we eat? The rapidness or density of our breath? Something about our personalities, maybe? Do we just
seem more inviting, giving off a vibe that says, bite me, I’m easy.

Whatever the case, the fact is that some of us are virtual mosquito magnets. I was at a friend’s house a week or so
ago and was getting devoured by the little demons. Slapping, scratching, hopping around, squealing like babies…but that
was just two of us. Two others just sat there without so much as a hum in the ear. Well,
we covered mosquitoes earlier in a “Creature Feature” post
meant to educate folks this summer about the nature and biology of Satan’s earthly spawn. And now we want to help you
do something about it.

Check out this clothing from a company called Buzz Off. They make mosquito
repellent apparel that supposedly keeps the bugs away “without lotion or spray”. The clothing is basically soaked in an
effective repellent and then treated so that it doesn’t reek of Deet. But what about washing? Won’t that get rid of the
repellent in the clothing? WELL, The site says that the clothing remains highly effective through 25 washings. I
suppose that’s a fair amount…after all, chances are you will only wear your Buzz Off clothing when you are camping,
which won’t be THAT often.

Lifelist Intro – New Feature

by Erik Olsen on

Are there things in life that you’ve always dreamed of doing, that you
told yourself with utter seriousness: I will do that someday? If so, then you have started your life list. It may be
just in your head for now, but the fact is, you’ve started a list of things that will make your life more fulfilling,
more adventuresome. That’s a good first step.

Now we want to help.

In the spirit of the grandfather of life-lists, John
Goddard, we are beginning a feature called Lifelist. Every week or so we’ll choose one great adventure and do some
of the research for you. We’ll help you discover new ideas, find outfitters, stories and everything else we can, to
help you build your own life list. Ever said you were going to climb
Aconcagua, scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, learn
Arabic, BASE jump some high rocky place? So have we.

We hope too that this will be a collaborative effort, so if you have items on YOUR lifelist that you’d like us to
include, send us tips or post comments. Also, if you’ve ever done any of the things on the lifelist items we feature,
tell us. We’d love to hear about it, and to get some dialogue going.  As we progress, we hope you add these babies
to YOUR lifelist and start knocking them off, one by one.

The Art of Packing Light

by Erik Olsen on

Remember that scene in Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods when his flabby and out of shape companion starts dropping
gear all over the place to lighten his load? Well, the two were self-professed amateurs when it comes to long hikes,
but you can avoid similar problems by heeding a few simple rules. First, pack only what you KNOW you’ll need, and be
smart about which equipment to bring. For example, do you really need that two-burner stove when you can get a very
lightweight MSR stove for less than a hundred bucks? Simple, sure, but you’d be surprised what people bring with
them.

This article in The Backpacker.com provides
several useful (and some obvious common-sense) tips to help make your next trip into the wilderness a more comfortable
one. What about your sleeping bag? Are you hauling along a sub-10 degree bag for a balmy week in the woods? The piece
smartly advocates “synergistic relationships”, that is, sharing cooking and shelter gear with your hiking partner. The
reality is, most of these tips would occur to you anyway. Packing smart is all about deciding what to leave behind
(i.e. you probably don’t need the portable DVD player…and I am speaking from the experience of someone who’s hiking
companion actually brought such a thing on a trip). Another good place to determine what kind of equipment works best
for you is the REI site, which
provides articles and info on the best equipment for your specific type of trip.

Going to Guyana

by Erik Olsen on

When you think about it, there aren’t many countries left in the world like Guyana. The country still has a fairly vast rainforest teeming with exotic life, and tourism there has remained pretty low due to the political situation and the overall lack of infrastructure. But that may be changing.

I enjoy posting pieces about off-the-beaten-track locales as often as I can. I discovered this piece in a terrific Canadian magazine called Outpost that talks about how quickly Guyana is becoming one of the top eco-tourist destinations around…or at least it is for the more determined and dedicated eco-tourist types (you know, the ones that actually know a hundred species of bird and enjoy gnawing on tree bark for breakfast). The article takes you (via a Toyota land Cruiser) on a visit to the village of Surama, one of the half-dozen or so Amerindian villages in Guyana’s interior that have recently started to cash in on the eco-tourism thing. There the author deals with stealthy snakes, nosy tapirs, monkeys, birds, and a particular golden frog whose nerve toxin is “160,000 times more powerful than cocaine.” (Important safety tip: Don’t lick the golden frogs).

Of course, with the rise in eco-tourism there, it is easy to be concerned about the degradation of the very environment that is being appreciated. Increased tourism will lead to more development, which will lead to forests being felled. So perhaps now is the time to follow the article’s advice and see Guyana for yourself. For more on Guyana’s rainforests and eco-tourism opps, check out this link.

Minnesota Camping

by Adrienne Wilson on

It occurred to me that of all the 50 states I have probably mentioned Minnesota the least. The only
thing that ever seems to stand out is one of America’s largest malls. Outside of
wasting countless hours in the Mall of America shopping one’s heart out, Minnesota has some other notable attractions
for the drifter. The state tourism site has a
number of vacation suggestions for your next trip to Minnesota, but one of which caught my eye was
camping. Its been a few months since I
took in a little sleeping in the woods so this outdoor activity really stuck out. Offering a full range of choices
from rustic tents to resort-type campgrounds, there is a little something for everyone. The advanced search page can
help you find the perfect camping spot or resort in all areas of the state.