“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul,” naturalist and author John Muir said. The benefits of spending time in the great outdoors are widely known by nature lovers and are also documented in many studies, often through participants’ subjective reports of feeling calmer and happier.
When I’m sad and at a loss for what to do, I’ll often head to the high country outside of Durango, Colorado. If my energy is too low to wander in the woods, I may simply park in a pull-off to sit and “check in” with Twilight Peak or Engineer Mountain. Nothing like a giant rock that’s been there for tens of millions of years for a bit of perspective and support.
It does not take a lot of glitter to make craft time special. You can source many fantastic crafting materials both from the recycling bin and the outdoors! When you are looking to stimulate your child’s imagination in the outdoors, these crafts can help you out.
If you are ever in turmoil, going to nature can help. There, you can find inner peace and love, coming away refreshed. But why is it nature has such a powerful healing effect on us? It's a proven fact spending time outdoors makes us happier. The answer is: We are a part of nature too, and interacting with it truly helps us connect to our truest state of being.
Did you know April is Earth Month? This spring month is dedicated to advocating for a greener, healthier earth (even though every month should be earth month). Here are a few creative ways you can celebrate and make the world a little greener this month.
Celebrating Earth Day shouldn't just be about mouthing platitudes—how about we get up and make a concentrated effort to de-stress our planet by reducing our carbon footprint and being eco-friendly?
Ahh, springtime, glorious springtime. Is it possible to experience this buoyant time of year without feeling a sense of magic? A sense of wonder at the ability of Mother Nature to regenerate herself, time and time again? No matter what has happened, no matter what travails we might have experienced during the winter months, no matter what calamities might have befallen our Great Mother, she appears to us in full regalia, ready, with a childlike innocence, to hold and nurture us, again.
Ahhh...strawberry rhubarb pie season. Or, have you ever tried a rhubarb apple pie? Perhaps you’ve seen delightfully dainty rhubarb tarts and pastries in the local café? Some towns around the U.S. love rhubarb so much that they host a rhubarb festival celebrating the unique late spring-early summer crop.
Water permeates all facets (and faucets – pun intended) of our lives: from what we drink, to how we bathe, to where we gather to swim, kayak, ride boats, and even travel. We’ve all heard familiar phrases like “drink half your body weight in ounces per day,” and “eight cups of water per day is the minimum of what you need,” but few of us ever bother to take a look at our water.
Yes, it can be found in a well, reservoir, tap, or bottle, but few of us are familiar with the actual source: springs.
Making sure that you have fresh and clean water is one of the most important skills you can have when you’re out in the wilderness. Unfortunately, even if you have a ton of water around, it isn’t necessarily safe to drink; the biggest threats to your health and future well-being are invisible to the naked eye. A microbial infection can make a problematic time being lost into something downright terrifying.