The Cortazu Journal

Essential Guide for Hiking or Backpacking with Your Dog!

Aug 7, 2020 Cortazu. Questions? Say hi hello@cortazu.com

Can you take your dog hiking with you? Remember I’m talking about hiking with your dog here, not just walking. Hiking is more than 6 miles (10 km) over a few hours of walking, sometimes with a difference in altitude and even over several days in an itinerant hike. Hiking with your dog: Is it a good idea? First of all, before starting out, you will have to choose a hiking route. When choosing your hiking route, remember to choose it according to your abilities. 2,300 ft (700m) of ascending elevation over 6 miles (10 km): if your dog suffers from pain in the hips, it is a very bad idea. Is your dog rather athletic or does he prefer to cocoon? Is he in good shape or is he having health problems? Also, consider your dog’s physical abilities when selecting your playground. If your dog is not athletic, abandon the idea of hiking with him. He’ll suffer too much! Once you’re on the way, you’ll have to assume responsibility and be competent because if your dog is too exhausted to finish the hike, you’ll have to carry him. Take that into account! Depending on his weight, size, age, breed, and character, hiking will be more or less activity for him. Not all dogs are fond of hiking, much the same as with humans, by the way. So if he doesn’t like this kind of activity, don’t force him. It should be noted that small dogs will have more difficulty climbing obstacles and those with small muzzles will quickly have breathing difficulties, for example. But I’ve seen French bulldogs in the middle of mountains having fun like crazy, so it is important not to generalize on the subject. It depends on each dog. In any case, hiking with your dog can be a great activity to do with your companion. Can my dog follow me anywhere? So you have determined your dog is qualified for hiking? Now you just have to find the ideal place. Dogs are prohibited (even on a leash) in national parks, some regional parks and nature reserves – so as not to disturb wildlife. Some shelters and lodgings also refuse animals. It is therefore important to find out before you leave. Breaching these rules can result in a large fine. For more information on the different trails in the US that allow dogs, read the article “Top Dog Friendly Trails in the United States“. Once the region has been identified, make sure that there are no obstacles such as monkey bridges (or rope bridges), climbing zones, or cliff edge crossings. You have to adapt to your hiking companion. It’s impossible to get a dog through these obstacles if he doesn’t fit in your backpack or if you don’t have a special harness to carry him. Some dogs have kenophobia, a panic fear of voids. If a dog has to jump between two rocks with more than a meter of empty space, you may have to really reassure him before he decides to jump. Some hikers have had to turn back as they didn’t have anything to carry the dog safely or to make a few miles of a detour to avoid an area that is too dangerous. If you have a water dog, try to choose a route according to the water element. For some dogs, every time they go swimming, they recharge their batteries. It really can be surprising! A few splashes and here they are again walking in front of you more motivated than ever. So to make him happy, try to plan your hikes to cross or run alongside a river or a lake! Hiking with your dog with adapted gear There are three possibilities for hiking with your dog: He exists in total freedom at your side which supposes that he is well-trained to return to you when you recall him. You practice canicross hikes: the dog helps you by being attached to you with traction equipment. You plan on going for several hours/days and you need your dog to carry his own equipment. To go backpacking or hiking with your dog safely, you need a few essentials: water to avoid any dehydration (this is often what weighs the most) his collar with a tag to identify him his leash and/or harness to attach to him in case of danger or to cross certain protected areas or when close to a herd a first aid kit for cuts on his paws, insect bites, sores of all kinds and of course a list of all the veterinarians close to the area of hiking. his passport a collapsible canvas bowl for refreshment breaks some energetic treats for dogs in case of cravings. Dogs also suffer from cravings! Your dog will remind you often when you forget the snack breaks! Dried salmon is a good example, it stinks, but it’s high in calories! dog boots in case of paw injuries. If a paw pad is damaged, your dog will limp and the hike will quickly turn into an ordeal. a rug? Always have a microfiber towel or something similar with you so that your dog can use it as a carpet. It takes up very little space in the backpack, but, when you stop, it allows you to delimit a space for him like his carpet or bed at home. Most dogs will appreciate it very much as it will allow them to settle down and rest. Now it’s up to you to choose whether you carry all this on your back or whether your dog can carry a little bit of it on his own back. Know that your dog can’t carry more than 10% of his weight. WARNING: it is also impossible to put 10% of his weight on his back without a habituation or training phase. Before going on a hike with your dog, you will have to test the backpack on several walks with more and more weight and longer walks. Attention, this is only possible with a dog in perfect health, without back, joint or osteoarthritis problems. Think that your dog is like you, if you have back pain and someone made you carry 10% of your weight for several hours, what would be the result? If you have the slightest doubt about his abilities: go to the vet for a check-up! Go to your vet Go to your favorite vet to check up on your dog and see with him how to make sure that he can be trained first for physical effort and then for carrying. You will discuss the trails you want to take with the veterinarian, you will imagine the worst-case scenario for the doggy, and based on that you will create a first aid kit for your companion. As mentioned before, for backpacks and carrying equipment for dogs, the vet will usually explain that the 10% rule for a comfort load weight is safe and that you should never exceed 20% at the risk of making your dog suffer. Note: as for you, the less he will have on his back, the better he will be ; -) Thus, an 36 kg (80 lb) dog could theoretically carry 3.5 kg ( 6-11 lbs) without problems and a maximum of 16 lbs (7.5 kg). But there’s no question of equipping and loading it to the maximum directly! The poor thing… So, a suggestion would be, assuming your dog is a good sport, to start with small 20-minute walks with 1 kg on his back, then progress in time, weight and distance to get him used to it. In a small amount of time your dog will carry his bag without noticing a difference. I insist, though, that the vet be an essential partner in adapting training. Some dogs are more suitable for hiking than others. Some will be comfortable over long distances, others only on short distances, some in the mountains, some in the plains. It depends on your dog’s breed, but also its size, age, character, etc. Talk to your veterinarian! The choice of the backpack is also essential. It must fit perfectly with your dog’s anatomy to avoid injury during exercise. Its weight is one of the first criteria of choice and as well as the accessories. Coming soon, I will be offering you a comparative article on several dog packs and harnesses. Tip: Remember to wrap all that you put in your dog pack, in case of rain or if your dog jumps in the water before you have time to remove his harness: it will avoid making kibble porridge for example… Canicross Your dog can help you when hiking together! Attention though, he will not be able to carry a pack AND help you at the same time. You’ll have to choose! Some dogs are more comfortable than others in this kind of exercise. Some dogs feel comfortable enough to give you a pull. But others will prefer to be free, nose on the ground and sniff the good smells at will. But in places that are a little dangerous or protected, for those dogs, it is better to have them on a leash. For practicing canicross you will have to wear a special harness attached to an elastic lanyard attached to your dog’s traction harness. Here again, the choice of equipment is crucial. I’ll tell you more in a future article. The dangers of hiking with your dog To hike safely with your dog, there are several points to be aware of.Nothing really bad, just points of good sense that I prefer to repeat here just as a precaution. You are responsible for your dog and what he does. Don’t allow him to wander around and meet all the hikers you will encounter or interact with other animals. Some mountain cows are only moderately fond of your dog sniffing their calves up close. A horn strike would be disastrous. Your dog must absolutely obey the recall if you want to let him loose. Some dogs have hunter instincts, others are runaways. Adapt to your dog and don’t hesitate to leash him when you approach a site with marmots, for example, or a place where some sheep or wild goats graze. You must absolutely refresh him and give him a bowl of water very regularly. You can also sprinkle him to avoid heat stroke. There is a cooling dog vest available that you can wet regularly. Watch out for the strong sun in the mountains, light-skinned dogs can easily get sunburned. Protect them! It’s better to start your hike early than walking under a high sun! Take breaks to play with him or simply rest. If you feel the need, so does he. Slow and steady wins the… you know the rest 🙂 You can even take bathing breaks or naps with your dog. He will adore them! Check the condition of his feet regularly! As for you in your shoes, his paws can really heat up! If you fear blisters, he also fears paw wounds. This is where the boots will be very useful in case of a glitch in a rough area. If your dog can’t put his leg down because you don’t have anything to relieve his pain, it’s back home faster than expected and the hike is over! For a quick healing, a wound under the paws is a few days of obligatory rest. Does your dog fit into your backpack? In case of problem, have you thought of a plan B to transport your dog? The mountain can be dangerous. If your dog runs in all directions, regardless of where he puts his paws and nose, he may fall into a ravine, cross the path of a nasty viper who will not hesitate to show him who’s the boss or a shepherd dog who may become very nasty if your dog goes to play in the middle of his herd. If he’s a little crazy dog, you’re gonna have to watch out for him! You may come across snow fields, these piles of snow are still present in some places even in the summer… Some dogs love to slide in the snow. Make sure your dog does not ingest this snow. He’d be sick for sure! Also check out the Guide of "How to Safely Hike with Your Dog" from Ridestrail!

Guiding The Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne National Park - Canada

Another successful multiday trek on the Long Range Traverse. Kate and Ashlee from New York State were visiting Western Newfoundland and wanted to do the trek and have the support and knowledge of a local guide. Below is our route plan, packing list, and day by day as it happened trip report. With warm weather and great attitudes, our Long Range Traverse was a huge success! Day 1 - Welcome to Gros Morne National park I met Kate and Ashlee at the Visitor's Centre in Norris Point to check in for our hike. They both showed up with great big smiles, keen to hit the trail. We had our trek orientation learning that there were a few new obstacles this season - rockslides in the gorge and flood damage at Marks Pond (no campsite). We handed in our pre-prepared route plan, paid our park fees and they each bought a copy of the topo map (12H12). Kate and Ashlee had reserved a 2 bedroom house in Cow Head on AirBnB. We spent the evening packing, reviewing the route and getting to know each other. I know we'd make a great team out there as the girls had all the right gear, were strong and fit and ready to learn. Day 2 - Western Brook Pond to Little Island Pond 8 am - departed Cow Head en route to Western Brook Pond 9:30 am - at the dock, check-in and pay tickets for high-speed shuttle transfer (via Out East Adventures) 10:20 am - arrival at the back of the pond, unloaded the boat and prepared to hike 10:40 am-1 pm - hiked through the gorge, following the main brook (dry in places) throughout the forest. Crossed the new landslide on the marked route. stopped at the base of the waterfall for a swim and picnic lunch. flies = maggoty! 2.00-3:30 pm - climbed the hikers right of the waterfall on somewhat of a trail up to the lookout (with the amazing view) 3:30-4:15 pm - swim and snack at the top of the waterfall 4:30-6:30 pm - hike from swimming hole to Little Island Pond (waypoint LR5). Kate and Ashlee navigated with map and compass (192 degrees) and found a route to the campsite. 6:30 pm - set up camp and dinner. all in bed by 10 pm! Total Distance: 7.46 km Elevation Gain: about 650 m Day 3 - Little Island Pond to Green Island Pond 8 -10:30 am - breakfast, camp tear down and headed south to Mark's Pond 12 pm - arrival at Mark's Pond and crossed the Big Island Steadies. The followed route towards Harding's Pond. 2:30-3 pm - stop for lunch in the valley above Hardings Pond. Discussed route options and decided to try a more 'direct' route and some compass navigation (236 degrees). 3.00-6.00 pm - was spent route finding along valleys W/NW of Hardings Pond. down and across between muddpot Pond and Bakers Brook Pond. 6.00 pm - rejoined the trail at Middle Barrens. followed GPS track to within 500m of Green Island Pond when thick fog and darkness required us to wild camp at 21U 0449339 E / 21U 5495157 W at 9:30 pm 9:30 pm - set up camp and dinner. all in bed by 10:30 pm! Total Distance: 18 km Elevation Gain: about 100 m Day 4 - Green Island Pond to Ferry Gulch 8.00 am - awoke to heavy fog (less than 10m visibility) and scattered showers 9.00 am - the group decided to wait out the rain (expected to stop mid-afternoon) 12pm - Katie called Will to check in (as planned) and get a weather report. Forecast: 5-10mm, winds 20km/h gusting to 40km/hr, rain ending this afternoon, and fog dissipating overnight. sunset at 9:15pm. 3.00 pm - rain stopped and visibility increased to about 40m. decided to pack up and trek to ferry gulch. hiked using GPS track to navigate. waypoints LR14A is a trail sign marking the new route down into Ferry Gulch. The new route is much safer, less steep! 9:30 pm - arrival at Ferry Gulch, set up camp, eat dinner in the dark, and sleep! Total Distance: 8.8 km Elevation Loss: about 200 m Day 5 - Ferry Gulch to Gros Morne Mountain Trailhead 8.00 am - awoke to the bright sky and light winds, fog lifting but rain expected around 12 pm 8:30-9-30am - breakfast and debrief of the trip. Kate and Ashlee will hike the Gros Morne Mountain trail (clockwise summit loop) before hiking out. Katie will hike out directly. 9:30 am - kate and Ashlee hiked out for their loop and Katie followed about 10 am en route to the trailhead. smooth sailing for all. 12.00 pm Katie at the trailhead. drove to Visitors Centre to update them on Kate and Ashlee's late arrival (about 4-5 pm) 4.00 pm - Ashlee texts Katie they are out! Total Distance: 6 km Elevation Loss: about 400 Kate and Ashlee's feedback to me was very positive. I am so grateful they found me and were giving me the chance to achieve something I have always dreamed about - guiding in the backcountry! I know they had an amazing trip and have many souvenirs fly bites and bruises to take home as well as amazing pictures and memories. This place is special and there is no better way to experience all that Newfoundland has to offer than trekking through it's wildest and most beautiful places!

BEST OUTDOOR DOCUMENTARIES on NETFLIX

We all spend a lot of time on Netflix. Here are some suggestions from Team Cortazu for you to awaken your thirst for nature and adrenaline! TOUCHING THE VOID - 2003 Director: Kevin Macdonald Writer: Joe Simpson (book) Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey In 1985, two adventurous young mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set off to climb the treacherous west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. They were experienced climbers, and climbed "Alpine-style," climbing the mountain in "one great push," without setting up ropes or base camps ahead of time. After dealing with a snowstorm and some dangerous climbing over powder formations, they reached the summit (about 21,000 feet) on the third day. The climb down proved to be far more difficult. Simpson fell and broke his leg badly. Yates decided to try to lower Simpson down the mountain, one 300-foot section of rope at a time. The climbers had run out of gas to melt snow, so they couldn't risk stopping as night came, and a violent snowstorm began. Their plodding, painful journey hit a snag when Yates inadvertently lowered Simpson over the edge of a cliff. In the storm, the men couldn't hear each other's cries, and, Yates, uncertain as to Simpson's position, and gradually sliding down the slope himself, decided to cut the rope that connected them, sending Simpson plummeting to certain death. Miraculously, Simpson survived the fall, and was faced with the prospect of getting off the mountain alone with no food, no water, and a broken leg. In Touching the Void, filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September) tells their story, based on Simpson's book, using contemporary interviews with the two men, and a reenactment of their climb and descent, featuring Brendan Mackey as Simpson and Nicholas Aaron as Yates. Touching the Void was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. THE GREAT ALONE - 2015 Director: Greg Kohs Writer: Greg Kohs Stars: Dick Mackey, Lance Mackey The Great Alone is a feature-length documentary shot in the arctic of Alaska that captures the inspiring comeback story of champion dog sled racer, Lance Mackey. From his sunniest days as a boy by his famous father's side to cancer's attempt to unseat him, The Great Alone pulls viewers along every mile of Lance's emotional journey to become one of the greatest dog sled racers of all time. THE DAWN WALL - 2017 Directors: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer Stars: John Branch, Tommy Caldwell, Kevin Jorgeson In January, 2015, American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson captivated the world with their effort to climb the Dawn Wall, a seemingly impossible 3,000 foot rock face in Yosemite National Park, California. The pair lived on the sheer vertical cliff for weeks, igniting a frenzy of global media attention. But for Tommy Caldwell, the Dawn Wall was much more than just a climb. It was the culmination of a lifetime defined by overcoming obstacles. At the age of 22, the climbing prodigy was taken hostage by rebels in Kyrgyzstan. Shortly after, he lost his index finger in an accident, but resolved to come back stronger. When his marriage fell apart, he escaped the pain by fixating on the extraordinary goal of free climbing the Dawn Wall. Blurring the line between dedication and obsession, Caldwell and his partner Jorgeson spend six years meticulously plotting and practicing their route. On the final attempt, with the world watching, Caldwell is faced with a moment of truth. Should he abandon his partner to fulfill his ultimate dream, or risk his own success for the sake of their friendship? LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE - 2017 Director: Sarah Moshman Writers: Sarah Moshman, Peter Saroufim LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE follows the extraordinary journey of four brave women known as the Coxless Crew that set out to row the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia unsupported. As they row over 8,000 miles during their nine months at sea, they face extreme mental and physical challenges they must overcome in order to go down in history. This is a story of perseverance, friendship and the power of the human spirit. Everyone has a Pacific to cross. NATIONAL PARKS ADVENTURE - 2016 Director: Greg MacGillivray Writers: Stephen Judson (as Steve Judson), Tim Cahill Stars: Robert Redford, Conrad Anker, Max Lowe The power of America's national parks is undeniable. Millions have packed up the family to hike through impossibly lush forests, to gaze upon towering cliffs and deep-plunging canyons, to witness the breathtaking arcs of natural history, and, most of all, to share moments of wonder amid the protected treasures of this land. A MacGillivray Freeman film produced in association with Brand USA and narrated by Academy Award (R) winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure is acclaimed filmmaker Greg MacGillivray's most visually ambitious giant-screen film to date-a film that offers not only a sweeping overview of the national parks' history, but is equal parts adrenaline-pumping odyssey and soulful reflection on what the wilderness means to us all. MOUNTAIN - 2017 Director: Jennifer Peedom Writers: Robert Macfarlane, Jennifer Peedom Star: Willem Dafoe Only three centuries ago, setting out to climb a mountain would have been considered close to lunacy. Mountains were places of peril, not beauty, an upper world to be shunned, not sought out. Why do mountains now hold us spellbound, drawing us into their dominion, often at the cost of our lives? From Tibet to Australia, Alaska to Norway armed with drones, Go-Pros and helicopters, director Jennifer Peedom has fashioned an astonishing symphony of mountaineers, ice climbers, free soloists, heliskiers, snowboarders, wingsuiters and parachuting mountain bikers. Willem Dafoe provides a narration sampled from British mountaineer Robert Macfarlane's acclaimed memoir Mountains of the Mind, and a classical score from the Australian Chamber Orchestra accompanies this majestic cinematic experience. CHASING CORAL - 2017 Director: Jeff Orlowski Writers: Davis Coombe, Vickie Curtis Stars: Andrew Ackerman, Pim Bongaerts, Neal Cantin Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called "coral bleaching"-a sign of mass coral death-has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater. Chasing Coral taps into the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events as they happen. Unfortunately, the effort is anything but simple, and the team doggedly battles technical malfunctions and the force of nature in pursuit of their golden fleece: documenting the indisputable and tragic transformation below the waves. With its breathtaking photography, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion, Chasing Coral is a dramatic revelation that won't have audiences sitting idle for long. RESURFACE - 2017 Directors: Joshua Izenberg, Wynn Padula Stars: Bobby Lane, Van Curaza, Martin Pollock After years of nightmares, depression, and seizures, Iraq war veteran Bobby Lane could see no way out of his trauma other than suicide. Then he met Van Curaza, a former big wave surfer who since founded Operation Surf and dedicated his life to helping veterans find solace in surfing. Backed by a growing body of research demonstrating the healing power of the ocean on the mind and body, organizations such as Operation Surf and the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation are using surfing to help veterans cope with physical and mental trauma. CHASING ICE - 2012 Director: Jeff Orlowski Writer: Mark Monroe Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos Acclaimed National Geographic photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In Chasing Ice, Balog deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Traveling with a team of young adventurers across the brutal Arctic, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story facing humanity. As the debate polarizes America, and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Chasing Ice depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to deliver fragile hope to our carbon-powered planet. FISH PEOPLE - 2017 Director: Keith Malloy Stars: Matahi Drollet, Kimi Werner Documentary that explores the lives of people who are dedicated to the sea, such as swimmers, surfers and fishermen. P.S. Keep in mind that regarding your location, Netflix's documentary library can change. We hope you will not have such a problem. Enjoy!

Cortazu x Justdiggit | Regreening Africa, Cooling Down the Planet 🌴

Cortazu is on a green mission! By supporting the regreening projects of Justdiggit, Cortazu helps to turn degraded landscapes in Africa into green oases again. How we do this? By investing in so called water bunds, dug in the Enkii area in Kuku Kenya. These bunds capture rainwater, so it has more time to enter the soil and restore it. This restoration also means that the seeds in the soil get to grow, re-greening, and cooling down the area. For each jacket sold, we re-green 62 square meters of land on the foot of the Kilimanjaro. This way we're able to support local communities and (re)growth of a beautiful piece of nature. While you can go climbing up the mountain topped with snow for a once in a lifetime experience. IF WE CAN WARM UP THE EARTH, WE CAN ALSO COOL IT DOWN. What is Justdiggit? Justdiggit makes dry land green again by inspiring and activating farmers in Africa to start regreening, positively impacting climate change, nature, and people. Degraded landscapes are restored by combining traditional techniques with new technology, and by using media and communication in order to reach the hearts and minds of people. Together with its partners and media network, Justdiggit creates the “Regreen Revolution”: a grassroots movement that jointly restores and regreens land and helps to cool down the planet. Of course, there is a wonderful team behind all this! The Justdiggit team consists of determined people, all with a private sector background, which is reflected in their startup culture. But they aren't doing this alone! They have joined forces with several type of partners to ensure scale, local presence and consistency in their program development and campaigning work. Together with their amazing local and international partners, they are creating a major impact. Projects Tanzania - Dodoma | Re-grow Trees Dodoma is the heart of Tanzania and home to the capital. With a surface of 41,311 km2 it has almost the size of the Netherlands. The population is 2,083,588 (2012), of which 90% depends on land for livelihood. The land is used for small-scale agriculture and livestock keeping. Although communities in the Dodoma region (a semi-arid area) have demonstrated an amazing resilience to the harsh environment and severe climate, the complex problem of deforestation, land degradation, and climate change has continued to accelerate at an alarming rate, thus destroying the capacity of ecosystems to sustain biodiversity and to provide natural resources of water, and fertile soils. To improve peoples’ livelihoods and climate change resilience in the Dodoma region, as part of the ultimate goal of regreening Tanzania, Justdiggit partnered up with LEAD Foundation. In 2017, the area for this program was selected and the design for the project has been made. It was firstly implemented in the district of Kongwa, in the eastern part of the Dodoma region. As of May 2018, the program was introduced in the entire Dodoma region. Together with teir partners LEAD Foundation, MetaMeta, and the local communities, they have selected the interventions that are implemented in this project. The program consists of a combination of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) and rainwater harvesting techniques. Kenya - Olgulului | Bringing Back Grasses The Olgulului – Ololarashi group ranch is pretty close to the border of Tanzania and home to Maasai pastoralists. For the Maasai people, livestock is very valuable and at the center of everything. Unfortunately, nowadays, it’s not easy to keep livestock. Due to severe droughts, overpopulation and therefore overgrazing, and less communal land for the Maasai, the rangelands are heavily degraded. Trees, shrubs, and grass species have disappeared because of this heavy erosion. The loss of pasture due to all the above has resulted in a decline in livestock productivity and an increase in competition between people and wildlife, especially elephants…. But….. Together with partners African Conservation Centre (ACC) and Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET), Justdiggit started a two-year program (July 2019 – June 2021) to restore and regreen the degraded areas, and to improve the livelihoods of the communities. They selected a combination of interventions among which the digging of bunds, setting up and managing Olopololi’s (dry season grazing areas), grass seed banks and educating the Maasai communities about livestock and grazing management. Kenya - Amboseli | Keeping the Wildlife Amboseli National Park is one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world. Unfortunately, the park and surrounding areas are severely affected by extreme droughts of several years. Until now Justdiggit has successfully re-greened 1,250 hectares of grass- and woodland in and around Amboseli National Park, together with their local implementation partner the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) and Maasai communities. They use a combination of ancient and new techniques focusing on grazing management and rainwater harvesting. The traditional Maasai Olopololi plots have enabled badly degraded lands to recover from extensive grazing and temporary elephant exclosures allow deforested areas to become woodland again, at a surprisingly fast rate! Kenya - Kuku | Digging for Re-greening Southern Kenya is the home to the Maasai people, who mostly depend on the land as the main source of income and food. In this project, Justdiggit has managed to re-green 885 hectares of severely degraded land so far, together with the local Maasai community and their local partner, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT). To be able to recover this area, the Maasai community has dug 78,400 (!) rainwater harvesting bunds. These stopped further erosion and enabled rainwater to infiltrate into the soils again, which has led to vegetation to recover. Also, grass seed banks have been initiated and are now managed by Maasai women. This re-greened the barren area near their doma (small settlement). They harvest seeds and grasses which generates income while the landscape is restored at the same time!

A Beginner's Guide for Your First Backpacking Trip

Have you ever dreamed of spending a few days, a week or perhaps even a month walking along a backcountry trail, seeing some of the most majestic natural features the mountainous wilderness has to offer? Do you enjoy the idea of an exercise routine in the great outdoors? If you do, then the sport of backpacking may be the activity for you. To get you acquainted with backpacking and help you plan your first big trip, in this article, we will introduce you to this exciting pursuit and provide a primer that discusses how to be successful at the activity and how to schedule your next outing so you can enjoy it to the fullest. Backpacking: An Introduction If you enjoy the outdoors even a little bit, the sport of backpacking will probably have you enjoying it more. Backpacking gives you the chance to see things that perhaps you will never see anywhere else on earth, things like picturesque lakes and waterfalls, the local flora and fauna, all while keeping your body in tip-top shape and increasing the chances of a long and healthy life. There is simply nothing more exhilarating than experiencing the backcountry close up, and nothing more satisfying than sleeping under the stars in a backcountry locale of your choosing. From the sounds of a babbling brook to the popping embers of a campfire, nothing beats the true outdoor experience. So, what exactly is backpacking? This may sound like a silly question, but the simple answer is that backpacking is a combination of hiking and camping, both of which can be equally fun and exciting. However, before you can enjoy your first backpacking adventure, there are several things you will need to learn—and many things you will need to do—before setting out. To help ensure your success, below we have provided some tips and strategies on how to take up backpacking as a fun hobby. Getting Your Body Ready to Go Backpacking Before you can even think about taking off on a multi-day backpacking trip, you will first need to ensure your body can take the toll the activity places on it. Backpacking requires long hours of steady walking, all of which with a pack on your back containing your food, clothes and gear. And to put it simply, this is NOT an activity you can pursue until you get yourself into backpacking shape. Perhaps the best thing you can do to prepare for a backpacking trip is simply walk. These walks can occur on a track, around your neighborhood, or, for best results, on a treadmill. The great thing about a treadmill is that you can adjust your pace until you are walking at your peak heart rate. This will help you gain the endurance you will so crucially need when out on the trail. Most treadmills also allow you to change the elevation, which can give you some experience walking up hills, as you will undoubtedly have to do sometimes in the backcountry. When you are in the gym you can also do some very basic strength training, focusing largely on your legs, back and core. There are many exercises that will help with your leg strength, from squats to lunges to calf raises, and you do not have to do any of your exercises with a lot of weight—just enough weight to mirror the pounds you will carry in your pack. Once you are feeling better about your strength and endurance, you should definitely go engage in some one-day hikes to get your body ready for the rougher terrain. Just pick a trail close to you, lace up your hiking shoes and walk. The more you do this the readier you will become for a multi-day backpacking adventure. Select a Date and a Trail for Your Backpacking Adventure Once you are sure that both your body and mindset are ready to tackle a multi-day backpacking excursion, the next step is to select both a date to begin your trek and the trail you intend to tackle. We say this is the “next” step because it is important that you plan early for a trip such as this. Chances are you will need to take the time off of work, so you will need to lock in those vacation days before you go. Moreover, some trails require that you get a permit first before hiking them, and this can sometimes be a lengthy process. Planning ahead for both the date and the trail will ensure everything is lined up when it’s time to go. Note: Don’t forget to arrange transportation to and from your backpacking trail if this will be necessary. Purchase and Test Your Gear When we speak of gear for your backpacking trip, we are talking about both the clothes you will need to bring and any accessories that are linked with the sport of backpacking. Having the proper items on hand—and testing those pieces of gear before you set out—can make for a very positive outcome on your initial backpacking trip. So, what exactly will you need to bring? Here are some examples of gear and clothing items that will make your trip successful. Clothing Clothing gets its own section here because the proper clothing can make or break your backpacking adventure. Of course, you will want to keep your pack as light as possible—that is a no-brainer. You also want clothes that are both functional and comfortable. But how do you accomplish this for a multi-day trip? Simple, you layer! Layering your clothes is one of the best ways to keep your pack a little lighter during certain stretches of your hike. It allows you to dress for cold weather in the morning, as well as warm weather during the afternoon, simply by shedding off a layer or two. As we said, you want these clothes to be functional as well, which means you will need to purchase attire made with certain fabrics. Fabrics such as wool (merino wool) is very breathable, it wicks away moisture to keep you dry, and you can wear it for longer stretches because the wool actually has properties that control odors. Other fabrics to consider are synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester, Lycra and even spandex. All of these fabrics wick away moisture and they dry really fast—a huge plus when you are perspiring or if you get caught in a rainstorm. Wool socks will also keep your feet comfortable, dry and odorless. For a mid-layer or sleepwear you can elect to go with items made of cotton fleece. Cotton is very comfortable and is thus perfect when lounging around camp. However, we strongly recommend that you avoid cotton clothing items for your base layer. The reason for this is cotton does not wick away moisture, will cause you to sweat more, and dries very slowly. This can leave you feeling wet, uncomfortable and weighted down. The last two mandatory items you will need to purchase is a good jacket or coat, depending on where and when you are camping and the temperatures you will encounter, and rain gear—a rain jacket and pants that are either water-resistant or water-proof. Even if you are backpacking in the summer, you need to prepare for cold weather and rain, as the climate conditions in the backcountry can be very unpredictable. Caps and hats are also good for sun protection and keeping you warm, as are gloves. The Backpack…and Other Gear You Will Need In addition to the clothing you will need to bring along with you, you will, of course, need to buy a backpack that suits your particular purpose. Here there are literally scores of choices, including backpacks in which your camp gear is placed in the pack or those with rails in which the gear is secured outside of the pack. Be sure to check with a salesperson about the perfect backpacking backpack for your particular needs and preferences. Other pieces of gear you will definitely need include: Sleeping Bag. The type of sleeping bag you will need depends on the area in which you often plan to backpack, and the time of the year. If you plan to hike primarily in the summer months, you can probably get away with a very lightweight sleeping bag that is rated for 35 degrees and higher, thus lightening your pack. However, our recommendation is to get one rated for 20 degrees or higher, better known as an all-season sleeping bag, one that will serve you well in both the spring and autumn months as well as the summer. Sleeping Pad. If you have ever slept on the rocky ground you will appreciate having a sleeping pad. In addition to adding extra comfort while you sleep, the sleeping pad also acts as a barrier between your sleeping bag and the ground, preventing moisture from getting on you and into your bag. Tent. While there are certainly some hearty summer backpackers that forgo this item in favor of sleeping under the stars, the extra protection and privacy a tent affords you is well worth the extra weight in your pack. If backpacking alone, we recommend a three-season, lightweight (nylon) 2-person tent. Although if you plan to hike with a partner, you should get a 3-person tent (for added comfort), the carrying of which can be shared by the both of you. Make sure the tent you purchase has a rainfly that extends all the way to the ground to keep you dry during storms and heavy downpours. Also, you will need to carry a pre-made tarp, cut to the dimensions of your tent, to act as a moisture barrier between the tent and the ground. Stove. If you plan to nosh on hot food when you make camp for the night, you will definitely need a few pieces of cooking equipment, beginning with a stove. Naturally, we are not talking about a bulky camping stove. There are many lightweight stoves designed specifically for backpackers, such as canister stoves that typically run on pressurized propane and butane. These are very efficient, very compact and easy to light. There are other compact stoves that run on alcohol and white heat, but these tend to be more expensive and harder to find. Other Cooking Equipment. For cooking purposes, you can usually get away with one 2-3 quart pan for cooking all your meals. You should also have a plate with upturned edges that can serve as both a plate and a bowl, one cup for coffee and other drinks, and a couple pieces of lightweight plastic silverware. This is just an abbreviated list of the types of gear you will need. Other helpful items include a trowel for burying your “business” when hiking in the backcountry, a small cleanup kit, nylon cord that can serve as a clothesline, gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellant, and a flashlight. If you want to write about your experiences as they happen, a pen and waterproof notebook are good lightweight items to have along with you on your trip. Once you have purchased all of your gear, we highly recommend that you test it before heading out on a multi-day trip. You can do this by going on shorter hikes near your home—even overnight stays that will allow you to field test all your camping equipment and cooking gear. Enjoy Your First Backpacking Trip With the gear bought and tested and the food packed, the new and improved you are now ready to embark on your first backpacking adventure. Make sure you let someone close to you know where you are backpacking and for how long—just in case of emergencies—and hit the trail. This can be a little scary and intimidating at first, but if you have planned carefully and you stick to the marked trail (we recommend a marked trail for your first time out) you will be just fine. And by the end, we are guessing you will be hooked on the activity and a new bona fide member of the backpacking community.

Our 10 Favorite Outdoor & Nature Photographers On Instagram

With so many interesting Instagram profiles out there, we had to share with you our 10 favorite outdoor and nature profiles on Instagram. The 10 we have chosen are all unique in their own ways and bring very different perspectives to the outdoors. Some are more light hearted and fun, others are more moody and serious. Some focus on only nature, and other focus on pets and people in nature. There are so many ways to show off your love of the natural on Instagram! Let’s dive right in: Todd Easterbrook Todd is an award-winning photographer based out of British Columbia. His shots are incredibly powerful: showing off vivid colors, amazing destinations, and a focus on action. Todd has taken some amazing photographs of our outerwear, and we are always excited to see his new posts! Follow him on Instagram here. Sjoerd Bracke Sjoerd is a Dutch photographer dedicated to travel and adventure. When it comes to his favorite place to travel, it is hard for him to decide. In Europe, he is in love with The Alps and the Dolomites, but he also remembers his travels to Indonesia and its volcanoes fondly. Follow him on Instagram here. Henry and Baloo Ok... Not exactly a photographer, or a person, but we had to include Henry and Baloo on our list. These pictures are guaranteed to be some of the cutest pictures you have ever seen, plus they are a constant reminder that even though nature is beautiful, it is even more beautiful when you share it with friends and family! We love seeing all the adventures this curious cat and dog get into. Follow Henry The Colorado Dog here. Wout van de Donk Wout is an adventure photographer and filmmaker based out of the Netherlands. Though he comes from a pretty flat place, his passion is for the mountains! He has done a few shoots with our outerwear, and we absolutely love them. His favorite travel destination of all time is New Zealand! Follow Wout on Instagram here. Matthias Fritzenwallner Matthias is a passionate photographer based out of Austria. His photography is so full of color and excitement, that we share him pretty frequently on our Instagram feed and story! In the summer, his favorite destination is Salzburg, Austria. In the winter, his favorite destination is near his favorite summer location: Obertauern, Austria. Follow Matthias Frtizenwallner on Instagram here. Igna & Hanna We are obsessed with the adventures of Igna, and his dog Hanna! Showing off what it truly means to be “man’s best friend”, these two are constantly on the go with each other and it is ridiculously cute. Follow Igna and Hanna here. Francesco Capaccioni An Italian photographer, Francesco Capaccioni brings a moody and emotional appeal to his photography. He also takes some photos for our outerwear, and we couldn’t be more happy with his photos. His #1 favorite destination is the Dolomites. Follow Francesco on Instagram here. Jan Fillem Jan Fillem, a member of VisualChefs, is one of our main product photographers, and he really brings a unique vision to his photography. A lot of his photography revolves around being outside and with a vehicle. It definitely brings an interesting spin to his photos. Follow Jan on Instagram here. Idzard Kruizinga A photographer and videographer based out of Rotterdam, Netherlands, Idzard has a young and fresh perspective on his outdoor photography. Though he does so much more than outdoor photography, we would like to showcase some of his great nature shots! Follow Idzard on Instagram here. Sachin Chauhan Sachin is a photographer from India that focuses on travel, architecture, and nature. He creates truly inspiring photos, and has been featured on Inspiro Magazine, National Geographic, and The Weather Channel. His favorite travel destination is the Himachal Pradesh, which is a mountainous state in India. You can follow Sachin on Instagram here. Find Us On Instagram We also have Instagram, and we would love to connect with you. Not only do we feature amazing photographers like the ones on this post, but we also post giveaways, announce new products, and host fun live streams on our Instagram. Follow us here! If you have photography that you would like us to feature, please Direct Message us on Instagram: @cortazu

BEST OUTDOOR BOOKS on AUDIBLE

As Team Cortazu, we love Audible and we use it daily. There are lots of books for outdoor enthusiasts on the platform that you can enjoy. We have listened some of them and we selected our favorites. We hope you will enjoy these books as much as we do! NO SHORTCUTS TO THE TOP - 2006 Authers: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts Mountaineering the arena's 14 highest Peaks - This gripping and successful memoir from the author of The Mountain follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his attack on records, one 8,000-meter summit at a time. For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing’s holy grail: to stand atop the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go. A preternaturally cautious climber who once turned back 300 feet from the top of Everest but who would not shrink from a peak (Annapurna) known to claim the life of one climber for every two who reached its summit, Viesturs lives by an unyielding motto, “Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” It is with this philosophy that he vividly describes fatal errors in judgment made by his fellow climbers as well as a few of his own close calls and gallant rescues. And, for the first time, he details his own pivotal and heroic role in the 1996 Everest disaster made famous in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. In addition to the raw excitement of Viesturs’s odyssey, No Shortcuts to the Top is leavened with many funny moments revealing the camaraderie between climbers. It is more than the first full account of one of the staggering accomplishments of our time; it is a portrait of a brave and devoted family man and his beliefs that shaped this most perilous and magnificent pursuit. THE TWENTY-NINTH DAY: SURVIVING A GRIZZLY ATTACK IN THE CANADIAN TUNDRA - 2019 Auther: Alex Messenger A six-hundred-mile canoe trip in the Canadian wilderness is a seventeen-year-old’s dream adventure, but after he is mauled by a grizzly bear, it’s all about staying alive. This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts seventeen-year-old Alex Messenger’s near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive. Over the next hours and days, Alex and his companions tend his wounds and use their resilience, ingenuity, and dogged perseverance to reach help at a remote village a thousand miles north of the US-Canadian border. The Twenty-Ninth Day is a coming-of-age story like no other, filled with inspiring subarctic landscapes, thrilling riverine paddling, and a trial by fire of the human spirit. ALONE ON THE WALL - 2015 Author: Alex Honnold The life and death-defying feats of Alex Honnold, a visionary climber of the sort that comes along only once in a generation. Free solo climbing is a high-stakes sport: if you fall, you die. Expert free soloist Alex Honnold isn't afraid to push the limit; one of the most famous adventure athletes in the world, he has pioneered new routes, won awards, and shattered records. Alone on the Wall recounts the seven most astonishing achievements of Honnold's extraordinary life and career, brimming with lessons on living fearlessly, taking risks, and maintaining focus even in the face of extreme danger. THE LAST SEASON - 2006 Author: Eric Blehm Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California's unforgiving Sierra Nevada—mountains as perilous as they are beautiful. Eric Blehm's masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man. INTO THIN AIR - 1999 Author: Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest, when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended in the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history. In March 1996, Outside magazine sent veteran journalist and seasoned climber Jon Krakauer on an expedition led by celebrated Everest guide Rob Hall. Despite the expertise of Hall and the other leaders, by the end of summit day, eight people were dead. Krakauer's book is at once the story of the ill-fated adventure and an analysis of the factors leading up to its tragic end. Written within months of the events it chronicles, Into Thin Air clearly evokes the majestic Everest landscape. As the journey up the mountain progresses, Krakauer puts it in context by recalling the triumphs and perils of other Everest trips throughout history. The author's own anguish over what happened on the mountain is palpable as he leads readers to ponder timeless questions. One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. LOST IN THE WILD: DANGER AND SURVIVAL IN THE NORTH WOODS - 2006 Author : Cary Griffith In the wilderness, one false step can make the difference between a delightful respite and a brush with death. On a beautiful summer afternoon in 1998, Dan Stephens, a 22-year-old canoeist, was leading a trip deep into Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park. He stepped into a gap among cedar trees to look for the next portage—and did not return. More than four hours later, Dan awakened with a lump on his head from a fall and stumbled deeper into the woods, confused. Three years later, Jason Rasmussen, a third-year medical student who loved the forest’s solitude, walked alone into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on a crisp fall day. After a two-day trek into a remote area of the woods, he stepped away from his campsite and made a series of seemingly trivial mistakes that left him separated from his supplies, wet, and lost, as cold darkness fell. Enduring days without food or shelter, these men faced the full harsh force of wilderness, the place that they had sought out for tranquil refuge from city life. Lost in the Wild takes readers with them as they enter realms of pain, fear, and courage, as they suffer dizzying confusion and unending frustration, and as they overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles in a race to survive. THE EMERALD MILE : THE EPIC STORY OF THE FASTEST RIDE IN HISTORY THROUGH THE HEART OF THE GRAND CANYON - 2013 Author: Kevin Fedarko From one of Outside magazine’s “Literary All-Stars” comes the thrilling true tale of the fastest boat ride ever, down the entire length of the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon, during the legendary flood of 1983. In the spring of 1983, massive flooding along the length of the Colorado River confronted a team of engineers at the Glen Canyon Dam with an unprecedented emergency that may have resulted in the most catastrophic dam failure in history. In the midst of this crisis, the decision to launch a small wooden dory named “The Emerald Mile” at the head of the Grand Canyon, just fifteen miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, seemed not just odd, but downright suicidal. The Emerald Mile, at one time slated to be destroyed, was rescued and brought back to life by Kenton Grua, the man at the oars, who intended to use this flood as a kind of hydraulic sling-shot. The goal was to nail the all-time record for the fastest boat ever propelled—by oar, by motor, or by the grace of God himself—down the entire length of the Colorado River from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. Did he survive? Just barely. Now, this remarkable, epic feat unfolds here, in The Emerald Mile. DEEP SURVIVAL - 1998 Author: Laurence Gonzales When confronted with a life-threatening situation, 90% of people freeze or panic, says Gonzales in this exploration of what makes the remaining 10% stay cool, focused and alive. Gonzales (The Hero's Apprentice; The Still Point), who has covered survival stories for National Geographic Explorer, Outside and Men's Journal, uncovers the biological and psychological reasons people risk their lives and why some are better at it than others. In the first part of the book, the author talks to dozens of thrill-seekers—mountain climbers, sailors, jet pilots—and they all say the same thing: danger is a great rush. "Fear can be fun," Gonzales writes. "It can make you feel more alive because it is an integral part of saving your own life." Pinpointing why and how those 10% survive is another story. "They are the ones who can perceive their situation clearly; they can plan and take correct action," Gonzales explains. Survivors, whether they're jet pilots landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier or boatbuilders adrift on a raft in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, share certain traits: training, experience, stoicism and a capacity for their logical neocortex (the brain's thinking part) to override the primitive amygdala portion of their brains. Although there's no surefire way to become a survivor, Gonzales does share some rules for adventure gleaned from the survivors themselves: stay calm, be decisive and don't give up. Remembering these rules when crisis strikes may be tough, but Gonzales's vivid descriptions of life in the balance will stay with readers. (Oct.) THE WALKER'S GUIDE TO OUTDOOR CLUES AND SIGNS - 2014 Author: Tristan Gooley 'It's like being given some sort of magical text... eye-opening and invaluable.' India Knight, Sunday Times 2015 BBC Countryfile Magazine Country Book of the Year and winner of the Outdoor Book of the Year at The Great Outdoors Awards 2015 'Even the intrepid Bear Grylls could learn a trick or two from this book' The Times The ultimate guide to what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal - when you know what to look for. Includes over 850 outdoor clues and signs for you to enjoy the wonders of the outdoors from your living room. This top ten bestseller is the result of Tristan Gooley's two decades of pioneering outdoors experience and six years of instructing, researching and writing. It includes lots of outdoor clues and signs that will not be found in any other book in the world. As well as the most comprehensive guide to natural navigation for walkers ever compiled, it also contains clues for weather forecasting, tracking, city walks, coast walks, night walks and dozens of other areas. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT - 1976 Author: Norman Maclean Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of "A River Runs through It" that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the twentieth century. Originally published in 1976, A River Runs through It and Other Stories now celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, marked by this new edition that includes a foreword by Annie Proulx. Maclean grew up in the western Rocky Mountains in the first decades of the twentieth century. As a young man he worked many summers in logging camps and for the United States Forest Service. The two novellas and short story in this collection are based on his own experiences—the experiences of a young man who found that life was only a step from art in its structures and beauty. The beauty he found was in reality, and so he leaves a careful record of what it was like to work in the woods when it was still a world of horse and hand and foot, without power saws, "cats," or four-wheel drives. Populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, and set in the small towns and surrounding trout streams and mountains of western Montana, the stories concern themselves with the complexities of fly fishing, logging, fighting forest fires, playing cribbage, and being a husband, a son, and a father.

BEST OUTDOOR DOCUMENTARIES

For outdoor enthusiasts, there are lots of times that they need to work/study but the only thing that they want to do is to go out and jump into nature. If you love nature from the heart, you always have this hunger for new adventures. Here are some outdoor documentaries that will fill your body full of adrenaline even from your couch! DESERT RUNNERS - 2013 Director: Jennifer Steinman Sternin Stars: Samantha Gash, Tremaine Kent, David O'Brien A diverse cast of non-professional runners attempt to complete the most difficult ultramarathon race series on Earth. Their dramatic journey takes them across the World's most picturesque yet brutal landscapes, pushing their bodies, hearts and spirits through a myriad of external and internal obstacles. DESERT RUNNERS delves into the mindset of ultra-athletes, and the complex ways in which human beings deal with both heartbreak and triumph. 180° SOUTH - 2010 Director: Chris Malloy Writers: Jeff Johnson (journals), Chris Malloy (story) Stars: Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Keith Malloy This gorgeous, historic, and inspiring new film from director & surfer Chris Malloy and his collective at Woodshed Films, documents the adventures of surfer and climber Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard (rock climbing legend and founder of Ventura-based Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins, on which they drove, mountain climbed and surfed their way to Chilean Patagonia. Along the way, Jeff encounters big surf, snowy mountains, a dangerous ocean crossing, pulp mills, cowboys, dams and more on his way to climb Cerro Corcovado in Patagonia. Jeff's life takes a turn when he meets up in a rainy hut with Chouinard and Tompkins who, once driven purely by a love of climbing and surfing, now value above all the experience of raw nature and have come to Patagonia to help use their influence to help protect it. The film is a road trip movie, a historic document, and an environmental call to arms, but mostly a meditation on what matters most in life –staying true to one's own vision and values. (Magnolia Pictures) GRIZZLY MAN - 2005 Director & Writer: Werner Herzog Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog This documentary centers on amateur grizzly bear expert Timothy Treadwell, who periodically journeyed to Alaska to study and live with the bears. The outdoorsman and author -- along with his partner, Amie Huguenard -- was eventually killed and devoured by one of the very animals to whom he had devoted years of study. K2-SIREN of the HIMALAYAS - 2010 Director: Dave Ohlson Writers: Darren Lund, Andy McDonough Stars: Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Simone Leorin, Jake Meyer This breathtaking film follows an historic attempt to summit the world's most challenging peak on the 100-year anniversary of the Duke of Abruzzi's landmark K2 expedition in 1909. World-class alpinists Fabrizio Zangrilli and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner team up with veteran climbers Jake Meyer and Chris Szymiec in a dangerous foray of high altitude mountaineering. The documentary also examines the history and geography of the Karakoram mountains while contemplating the risks, rewards and personal nature of exploration in an age when there are few blank spots left on the map. The second highest peak on Earth at 8,611 meters, K2 is also one of the most dangerous mountains to climb: for every four people who have reached the summit of K2, one person has died trying. (First Run) THE FORTH PHASE - 2016 Director: Jon Klaczkiewicz Writer: Melissa Larsen (story editor) Stars: Mikkel Bang, Shin Biyajima, Ben Ferguson Iconic snowboarder Travis Rice and friends embark on a multi-year mission to follow the North Pacific Gyre's flow. As Rice and the crew experience the highs and lows of a journey unlike any previously attempted, cutting-edge cinematography captures some of the world's most remote environments bringing breathtaking scenery and thrilling action to viewers worldwide. AFRICA FUSION - 2016 Director: Nic Good Stars: Hazel Findlay, Alex Honnold, Alard Hufner From the breathtaking orange granite of Namibia to the lush red sandstone of South Africa, Africa has some of the most remarkable and death-defying climbing routes in the world. Beautiful and at times nail-bitingly dramatic, Africa Fusion follows professional free-climbers Alex Honnold and Hazel Findlay as they travel around the continent tackling some of the largest and most challenging rock faces the continent has to offer. BLIZZARD of AAHHH'S - 2005 Director: Greg Stump Stars: Mike Hattrup, Glen Plake, Scot Schmidt This is Greg Stump's legendary rockumentary-style ski film that put him and, ultimately, extreme skiing on the map with the spotlight on some the sport's hottest stars in some of the world's most spectacular ski destinations. MERU - 2015 Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Stars: Conrad Anker, Grace Chin, Jimmy Chin In the high-stakes pursuit of big-wall climbing, the Shark's Fin on Mount Meru may be the ultimate prize. Sitting 21,000 feet above the sacred Ganges River in Northern India, the mountain's perversely stacked obstacles make it both a nightmare and an irresistible calling for some of the world's toughest climbers. In October 2008, renowned alpinists Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk arrived in India to tackle Meru. Their planned seven-day trip quickly declined into a 20-day odyssey in sub-zero temperatures with depleting food rations. Despite making it to within 100 meters of the elusive summit, their journey, like everyone before them, was not a successful one. Heartbroken and defeated, the trio returned to their everyday lives, where the siren song of Meru continued to beckon. By September 2011, Anker had convinced his two lifelong friends to undertake the Shark's Fin once more, under even more extraordinary circumstances than their first attempt. MERU is the story of that journey, an expedition through nature's harshest elements and one's complicated inner demons, and ultimately on to impossible new heights. (Music Box Films)

BEST OUTDOOR TV SHOWS

We don't like those reality shows or tv shows with no content at all. But when it is an outdoor show, of course, we do like them. We watched some of them on TV years ago and we watched some of them online. These are our favorite ones, maybe you know most of them, but still if you wanna check any of them, it will worth it! NAKED AND AFRAID - 2013 | 12 seasons Network: Discovery Channel Discovery Channel takes the ubiquitous survival show theme to the next level by stripping it to its bare essentials. In "Naked and Afraid," complete strangers -- usually a man and a woman -- meet in a very unique way: They're stranded in a dangerous, desolate location, without food or water, and they are completely naked. Each episode follows the adventurers as they plan to survive on their own with nothing but a private item and therefore the knowledge that the sole prize is their pride and sense of accomplishment. Because there's no other choice, competitors quickly get to understand each other -- and their surroundings -- and hope that their instincts, survival skills and intestinal fortitude serve them well. OUT OF THE WILD - 2008 | 3 seasons Network: Discovery Channel Out of the Wild (known within the first season solely as The Alaska Experiment) is a Discovery Channel reality television series. The primary and second seasons followed volunteers from urbanized backgrounds as they use survival skills within the back-country of Alaska during the autumn and winter. The third season saw a relocation of the series to Venezuela, while keeping the same general format of season 2. The series was produced by Ricochet within the first season, and by Pilgrim Films in seasons 2 and 3. ALONE IN THE WILD - 2009 | 1 season Network: Discovery Channel, Channel 4 Filmmaker Ed Wardle has documented many extreme adventures, including an expedition to the North Pole and two treks to the summit of Everest. Yet "Alone in the Wild" chronicles his toughest challenge so far, as he attempts to survive for three 3 in the Yukon Territory in the summer of 2009, bringing the 38-year-old to the edge of his technical and physical abilities. DUAL SURVIVAL - 2010 | 3 seasons Network: Discovery Channel Surviving among the distraught is some distance beyond a precise science. Beyond the fundamentals of finding water, food, shelter yet eventually help, opinions differ. Two experts tell how they think it's done in this series, as initial episodes feature skilled survivalists Dave Canterbury then Cody Lundin demonstrating the abilities or innovative thinking as perform help some cope into hard surroundings. Equipped with minimal gear, the pair are left in remote locations - an uninhabited island off Nova Scotia, a New Zealand mountaintop, extreme into the Everglades, the hurst on Thailand, or the wilderness on Baja California to name a few - where they battle the elements and sometimes each other. Third season introduces US Special Ops veteran Joseph Teti to replace Canterbury, in the middle of Season 4 primitive survivalist Matt Graham of Discovery's `Dude, You're Screwed' replaces Lundin, then partway through Season 5 the presenters become former US Army Green Beret Grady Powell and survivalist Bill McConnell. RAY MEARS' BUSHCRAFT - 2004 | 2 seasons Networks: BBC, Discovery Channel, BBC Two Bushcraft is a survival TV series hosted by Ray Mears. The series airs on the BBC in the UK, it was also shown on Discovery Channel in the US, Canada, India, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Romania and Russia. Following on from Extreme Survival, Bushcraft was first shown in 2004, and ended in 2005. ALASKA : THE LAST FRONTIER - 2011 | 9 seasons Network: Discovery Channel The Kilcher family lives the frontier life in a homestead close to Homer, Alaska, and deals with daily challenges without the use of modern amenities. MAN, WOMAN, WILD - 2010 | 2 seasons Network: Discovery Channel Teamwork in a survival situation is of absolute importance. But what happens if the team consists of a mismatched husband and wife, trying to survive in solid outdoor conditions while rarely seeing eye to eye? That's the concept among `Man, Woman, Wild', that features former Special Forces survival expert Mykel Hawke and his wife, Ruth, a journalist, who are plunked in a faraway area for four days and nights. From building a shelter to hunting for food to finding a way out, Mykel and Ruth must find common ground as he teaches her the skills to be able to survive in the wildest places on Earth. MANTRACKER - 2006 | 7 seasons Networks: OLN, Science Channel, Discovery Channel, Citytv Try to outrun a cowboy. Not the easiest of games, but doable. And here's the twist: It's you vs nature, time and Terry Grant, a veteran outdoorsman who knows nature like the back of his hand. And the real crux is that contestants rearly have any outdoor experience. Sounds crazy, but here's the prize: a big nothing. Absolutely nothing except that you outwit your surroundings and the predator. SURVIVORMAN - 2004 | 7 seasons Networks: Discovery Channel, OLN Outdoorsman and survival expert Les Stroud permits himself to be stranded for a week in a remote location with no equipment or supplies apart from his one-man camera rig, documenting his experience and providing insight into how to manage whatever hurdles the wilderness might throw at him. MAN VS WILD (ULTIMATE SURVIVAL) - 2006 | 7 seasons Networks: Discovery Channel, Channel 4 Man vs. Wild, also called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Ultimate Survival, Survival Game, Real Survival Hero, or colloquially as simply Bear Grylls in the United Kingdom, is a survival television series hosted by Bear Grylls on the Discovery Channel. In the United Kingdom, the series was originally shown on Channel 4, but later series were broadcast on Discovery Channel UK. The series was produced by the British TV production company Diverse Bristol. The show was first broadcast on 10 November 2006 after airing a pilot episode titled "The Rockies" on 10 March 2006. In a special first aired on 2 June 2009, Will Ferrell joined Grylls on a survival trip to Northern Sweden. Grylls also said he has been approached about doing a Man vs. Wild urban disaster 3-D feature film, an idea he said he would "really like to do." Ben Stiller also signed on for an episode later in the year. Grylls signed on to showcase urban survival techniques in a new Discovery show called Worst-Case Scenario, which premiered on 5 May 2010 on the network. In March 2012, Discovery Channel terminated its contract with Grylls due to contract disputes, effectively canceling the series. On 10 Apr. 2019 Netflix brought Bear Grylls back to the wilderness by You vs. Wild which contains 8 episodes.

How Can Your Office Be More Environmentally Friendly?

Here in the Cortazu office, we try to take all the steps we can to protect the environment. We create outstanding outerwear because we want people to get out there for the better, however, people can’t get out there for the better if there is nowhere worth getting out to. This is why we find it so important to protect the environment! Is your office trying to be more environmentally friendly or sustainable? If so, we compiled a small list of ideas for how you can turn your office more green! Go Paperless or More Digital The average office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of paper per year! That is a lot that eventually all gets thrown out. The more your office can rely on simply digital communication and work, the less gets wasted on paper products. Here you can find a simple guide on how to make your office paperless. Incentivize Green Commuting There are a lot of different kinds of green commuting: biking, carpooling, or public transit. These options are much more sustainable than everyone driving their individual cars into the office. Find ways to incentivize your employees to use these ways of commuting. If they are biking, allow them to come in a bit later or earlier so they can avoid rush hour traffic. If they are carpooling, find a way to reward the employees that are putting in the work! Use Silverware and Reusable Utensils In the United States, 100 million plastic utensils are used a day (and then normally disposed of as well). This adds up incredibly quickly! Your office should be making use of reusable utensils. Back to the basics: a metal fork and a metal knife. You may have to institute a policy on dishes! We have all seen a messy office kitchen once in our lives. Encourage Recycling Create an area where all your co-workers can recycle easily! The bins should be quickly recognizable and easy to understand what goes where. That means you need to make sure you have a sign explaining what goes into what bin. CleanRiver recommends that you make it so all waste is in one centralized area, as opposed to having bins at each desk for recycle and waste. This way people consider their waste and recyclables more than just simply pitching it in their convenient bin under the desk. Kick the Keurig/Nespresso According to The Story of Stuff, K-cup waste could wrap the Earth 10 times. That is a ton of waste to be creating just over coffee. Think about, do you really need to be creating so much waste for a single cup of coffee? Drip coffee with recycled filter paper uses much less waste. However, if you single coffee urges are so strong, Keurig also developed reusable cups for their machines. Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) Continuing on the silverware and K-cup ideas, drinking water in your office doesn’t need to produce any waste whatsoever. Instead of plastic water cups, everyone could bring their own water bottle. Allow Work From Home Options You can incentivize your co-workers to commute in a more sustainable way OR you can give them the option to not commute at all. Luckily remote workers aren’t only more sustainable, but also more productive! Turn Off Computers Fully When Leaving the Office Not just computers! When you leave the office, especially on the weekends, make sure to fully turn off the power to your office. There are tons of appliances that draw power even when they are “off.” Though, the energy usage is not much, think about all the appliances out there that is just drawing a bit of power for absolutely nothing. Switch LED Light Bulbs LED light bulbs are up to 80% more effective than traditional light bulbs. All in all, they are brighter and use less energy. A must do for making your office more sustainable! Use Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Supplies Hopefully your office is using cleaning supplies and you are working in a clean place, however have you thought about the environmental friendliness of the cleaning supplies you use? The Good Trade has put together a list of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies to help you out!

The Best Places in the UK for a Hiking Holiday for Chloe

When you think of the UK as a holiday destination – Hiking isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. More often than not, people visited the UK for a city break to the capital, London. We are here to show you that the UK has so many beautiful landscapes to other; With beautiful hills and a mixture of easy to difficult terrains, the UK really does have something for everyone. We asked some keen travellers what their opinions were and gathered their top recommendations up and compiled them into this article. The Best Places in England for a Hiking Holiday

The Best Walking and Hiking Destinations in the World for Chloe

In our opinion, going on walks and hiking up mountains is among one of the best ways to get out into the world and see nature first hand. A walking and hiking holiday can give you lessons that you will keep for life as well as giving you the chance to get away from ordinary life and be out with your thoughts, fresh air and beautiful landscapes. Living on a planet as beautiful as ours, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to a hiking holiday which is why we have compiled this article for you. This article features some of the best hiking destinations in the world – We have split it into three categories: Europe, The United States and The World. Walking and Hiking Holidays in Europe Walks in Valposchiavo, Swiss Valley Valposchiavo is a narrow Swiss valley that borders Italy’s Valtelina winegrowing region. Hikers can explore miles of alpine trails, enjoy breathtaking views of glaciers and pocket lakes at every turn, and hop a ride on the Bernina Express if they find themselves fatigued. The food is off the charts, with a focus on locally-grown ingredients and a 95% organic growing status within the valley. Contributor: Elizabeth Beekley Walks in Soprabolzano, The Dolomites Soprabolzano is a community nestled in the Dolomites, just a tram ride away from the picturesque city of Bolzano. It’s the best of both worlds – Alpine hiking from a base of ultra-comfortable, family-run inns and spas. You’re bound to cross a vineyard or two, discover ancient pyramidi, and come face-to-face with an alpaca. When you need a big city fix after a day on the trails, the 10-minute aerial tram ride to Bolzano brings beer, sausage, and canederli to the table. Contributor: Elizabeth Beekley Walks in The Lake District, England The best places to walk in England for most people, would be The Lake District, specifically around the Ambleside area. There are dozens of well-kept footpaths through the fells for all manner of walking skill levels. From an hour’s walk around the lake to an 8 hour horseshoe of the peaks. Regardless of where you choose to walk in the UK, you’ll never be far from accommodation – Inns, hostels & campsites surround almost every major walking area. Contributor: Adam McIntyre Walks in Lithuania While some countries attract hikers and walkers with their hills, Lithuania – a country flat as a pancake – takes an educational spin on this hobby. With various hiking trails some of them surrounding bogs and marshes, some passing through remnants of ancient settlements, it really is a great destination to add to your hiking bucket list. Contributor: Oleg Volkov Walking and Hiking Holidays in the US The Presidio, San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco is one of only a few destinations in the US that offers the best of both worlds with miles of trails for the nature hiker, alongside the stimulation of walks through a world-class city or over the Golden Gate Bridge. A stay in one of two historic boutique hotels in San Francisco’s urban national park provides year-round access to fresh air and greenery. With more than 24 miles of hiking trails and biking trails through forests with incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay, all within the city limits. Contributor: Emily Chacon Oregon, Northwest US Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States is an outdoor wonderland. This region has trails suitable for all levels of hiking experience and across various climate zones. Want the temperate rain forest with lush flora and cascading waterfalls? Oregon has that. Want rocky towering mountains with views for days? Oregon has you covered. Want coastal views with the smell of the ocean breeze? Check. Want the desert with fragrant sage brush? Oregon even has that too. To make it even better, all of this can be reached by driving just a few hours (or less!) from a major city with an international airport, PDX. An easy way to plan an Oregon trip is through the tour company, Cascadian Journeys. Guests get a full authentic Oregon experience on multi-day trips without the stress, confusion, and work of planning it. It caters to guests with no hiking experience to those who are regular hikers. All it takes is a desire to see the Northwest the way it should be seen – from the outdoors. Contributor: Nicole Rappaport Land of the Waterfalls, North Carolina The Smoky Mountains, the Pisgah National Forest, Gorges State Park, Linville Gorge Wilderness, the Nantahala National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Land of the Waterfalls are just a few of the attractions in North Carolina. The hiking trails and USFS service roads allow for casual and challenging exploration of scenery and unique towns like Asheville, Black Mountain, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Highlands and Brevard (entrance to the Land of the Waterfalls) to name a few. More than 250 waterfalls are located near Brevard and some have been featured in blockbuster movies like The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans. For those who enjoy camping, fishing and rafting along their walks, there is no shortage of opportunities in North Carolina. For those looking to experience a natural theme park ride, make sure to visit the 60-foot natural water slide called Sliding Rock! Pack your bag, your hiking shoes, your waterproof camera, and experience North Carolina first-hand. You will not be disappointed! Contributor: Ron Humes Walking and Hiking Holidays around the World Quebec City, Canada Quebec City is one of the beautiful cities in North America, thanks to its remarkable natural landscapes, historic citadel ramparts, and quaint cobblestone streets. Between taking a stroll along the St. Lawrence River and soaking in the delicious French-Canadian cuisine, Quebec City has so much to offer. For nature lovers, be sure to check out the Montmorency Falls and have a picnic at La Promenade Samuel-De Champlain. Additionally, don’t miss the Bras-du-Nord Trail which takes you along a scenic route towards the massive Delaney Falls. You’ll also want to see the Les Loups Trail which promises majestic views of the Jacques-Cartier valley. Contributor: Sam Maizlech Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand A challenging but beautiful hike is the Tongariro crossing, it’s a 19.4 km hike in New Zealand between two summits and is a world heritage site. Some parts are difficult because of scree, and it is a mountain hike. Average hike time is between 6-8 hours. That being said, the views are stunning, and there is a real sense of accomplishment when one finishes. Another perk to this location is it was used to film Lord of the Rings as Mt. Doom. Contributor: Stephanie Chaloux Jiuzhaigou, China A beautiful location for hiking is Jiuzhaigou located in the Tibetan part of Sichuan province in China. The advantage to this hike is that there are several short hikes one can make as well as longer ones. Inside the park, they have buses that run between many of the locations so you can either make the 2 or 3 km hike between them or take a bus. Or a combination of the two. Many choose to ride the bus. If you decide to walk the trails, you will not see many other people. These walking paths are well maintained and in most places are a clear well-marked path. Some of them are on pavement, and others are not. Contributor: Stephanie Chaloux

Thru-Hiking Basics for Beginners

While certain members of the backpacking community are satisfied with hiking partial trails and the easier routes that can be completed in just a day or two, there is another group of individuals with an entirely different view of hiking: the thru-hikers. Thru-hikers can only be described as master outdoors-people, and they come in various shapes, sizes and ages and possess very different physical skills. They are known to hike for weeks or months on end with a heavy pack on their back, stopping only to sleep and occasionally rest their weary bones. It is these hikers—the thru-hikers—that we will talk about more about in this brief article. Here we will discuss some of the basics and fundamentals of thru-hiking—a type of hiking that will test your resolve and endurance while also giving you front-row access to some of the most majestic scenery on the planet.

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