Hey, Happy Hikers!

Summer’s just arriving. Time to get out and hit your local nature trails! Nothing hits the spot like a vigorous walk on a lush, woodsy adventure or the sights along a rocky terrain. And nobody knows this better than summer camps. So strap on your trail shoes when you head off for your summer stay this year! And in the meantime, learn a little about this great hobby and fun camp activity right now.

The history of Hiking is as old as humans, really. Since our days of hunting and gathering as nomadic cultures we wandered the planet in search of ever-moving food sources giving us a natural means of cardio maintenance. And the incentive of survival forced us to traverse rough terrain despite the efforts required.

Hiking gets your blood pumping and makes you feel good. Here’s a quick look at the benefits that Hiking offers us.

Hiking Makes You Happy
Delivering an aspect of physical exertion that treadmills and exercise bikes cannot, trails incorporate beautiful winding turns that feature new landscapes and provide a treat for your eyes. Trails provide an abundance of mental health benefits as well; the air you breathe in is much crisper and brings a fresh supply of oxygen to your brain, resulting in a happier you.

Magic Healer
The physical exertion you put out works wonders for your body. Not only does it reduce your risk of heart disease, it also lowers your blood pressure—a pair of unwanted issues among some leading health problems in our modern world.

Hiking: The Jogging Equivalent
Hiking—especially hiking uphill—is similarly efficient exercise for burning calories as jogging is and helps you lose weight. The pressure that hiking puts on your bones helps to strengthen your bone structure and helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis. It tones your muscles and does good things for your cardiovascular system too. Really, it just increases your overall fitness.

There are lots of things you can do to make a hike a really good time. We have a slew of hiking gear here at Everything Summer Camp to help you enjoy your outing to its max. From hiking boots to water bottles, backpacks, and Hydration packs, we’ve got everything you need. Have fun Hiking at camp and, as always, thanks for reading, Hikers.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Today is National Trails Day! So once you’re done reading this post, lace up your boots and go take a hike! Nature trails offer an awesome venue for folks with all kinds of interests—from hiking to biking, or bird watching to horse riding! No matter what you’re into, there’s bound to be a nearby trail for you to enjoy Trails Day!

Just as summer camp offers a lengthy summer stay away from our media-saturated world, park trails and other footpaths give us miniature escapes from the bustling city life and virtual world in which so many of us spend so many hours. Meanwhile, the natural world offers us fresh air, exercise, and peace.

Immerse yourself in the scenic landscape of the natural world today!

But I’ve already run down the laundry list of healthy benefits that result from you hitting a trail in a previous Blog post which you can check out by clicking here. But today, I’m more interested in discussing how nature trails and other footpaths have come to be. Nature didn’t just provide us with a convenient, winding path through her majestic wilderness.

The world’s vast majority of trails are created through wear and tear of frequent usage. Aside from deer trails or frequented, worn-down paths of other animals, trails are obviously man-made. And even the trails that appear the roughest and most basic took an incredible amount of effort and energy and do take a good amount of maintenance.

If trails pass across flat, dry areas, all of the brush, tree limbs, and undergrowth are cleared away to make a suitable trail for the activities intended to take place on the trail. Of course, paved trails and otherwise constructed paths require specific and complex design as well as a comprehensive skill set.

Bridges (or other alternatives such as culverts, stepping stones, or shallow fords) are built when creek streams or rivers are deep enough that a means to cross is required.

Appreciate the nature around you and be sure to take great advantage of the hard work and maintenance that went into the winding paths that snake through your area. Hit a local trail today and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Summer Lovers!

Happy Memorial Day! This federal holiday of the United States is observed to remember and honor the many soldiers who have fallen in service to their country. Initially a day of observance for soldiers who died in the Civil War, the day has since been stretched to honor all soldiers who have fallen during their time in the service of the United States Military.

Because of the observed day off from school or work many people pass the day leisurely with friends and family, enjoying the outdoors (weather permitting), and grilling out or picnicking. Others with a closer connection to those who have served their country might visit cemeteries or memorials.

Memorial Day occurs every year on the last Monday in May, though it didn’t always. It was changed in 1971 under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act from its initial, consistent date, May 30. Check out some more facts you might not know about this holiday:

Renamed
In honor of the soldiers who have died, friends and family traditionally adorn the grave sites of their loved ones with flowers, wreaths, flags, and alike to celebrate what was originally Decoration Day as the cemeteries were decorated. The name of this holiday was officially changed in the 1880s and became Memorial Day.

Redeemed
There are nine states—Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia—that have officially set a day in addition to Memorial Day that commemorates the Confederate soldiers who died in the war as well. The date of observance tends to vary (except for in Virginia where they celebrate on the same day as Memorial Day).

Remembered
Congress passed a law 18 years ago that required American citizens to pause at 3:00 in the afternoon on Memorial Day to remember and honor those who died in service. This isn’t exactly an enforced law, nor is it quite common knowledge, but it’s a nice sentiment that you can carry out now that you’re aware.

So Summer Campers, I hope you found these points about this holiday interesting and that this post has given you a better understanding of Memorial Day. From Everything Summer Camp, we wish a Happy Memorial Day to all you Camp Families and, as always, thanks for reading.

John

Hey, Summer Lovers!

With spring in full swing, our excitement for the summer season grows in anticipation! We all love fun in the sun, but along with spending our long, active days in the sunny outdoors comes the responsibility of good skin care. It may not be a fun subject, but I’m not bringing up skin cancer just to scare you; it’s a real issue that can be greatly reduced with the regular use of sunscreen.

Unfortunately those beautiful days of sun showers also bring harmful UV rays that come pelting down on the earth’s surface as well as your skin. Fun in the sun can certainly result in an unpleasant experience if you aren’t careful to protect yourself against these beautiful, but dangerous rays. And that’s why I’m raising awareness in observance of today—National Sunscreen Day.

To further your knowledge of responsible skincare, here are some helpful pointers to keep the burns off your back (and the rest of your body as well!):

The Waterproof Goof
While some sunscreens will boast a resistance to water for anywhere from 40 to 80 minutes, even the most water-resistant sunscreen should be reapplied regularly, because of the undoing as a result of sweat, water, and drying off with a towel. No sunscreen is actually waterproof.

Keep Things Chill
Just the same as you would handle your medication or a bottle of nail polish, keep your sunscreen out of conditions of extreme heat. Exposure to such conditions can greatly degrade the active ingredients in sunscreen.

The Sunscreen Diet
You are what you eat! Did you know that certain foods can act like sunscreen from the inside? Of course, you’ll still want to wear sunscreen, but you can aid your protection by eating such fruits as watermelon, guava, grapefruit, and tomatoes as well as vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and dark chocolate (yes, chocolate is a vegetable).

In closing, be sure to bring along your sunscreen so you can have your fun in the sun while supplying yourself and applying yourself with the proper skin protection. Get a close look at the sunscreen options available on our website by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Berry Pickers!

Harvesting your own berries one pluck at a time is a wonderful feeling that reminds us of just where exactly it is that our food came! And today, we celebrate specifically strawberries as it’s National Pick Strawberries Day. It was some years back when I first posted about this day, here on the Blog—we learned that strawberries aren’t actually berries, but closely related to the elegant Rose, as well as the fact that the so-called “seeds” on the outside are in actuality, tiny fruits.

I could tell you more facts that we know about strawberries like how each one has a rough count of 200 so-called seeds on the outside. Or that the average American eats three and a half pounds of strawberries every year. Or that strawberries are excellent sources of vitamins such as C, B6, and K. However, instead of continuing to deliver these strawberry stats, I’d like to discuss what we don’t know about them…

One thing we don’t know is why we call strawberries ‘strawberries’.

Yes, the name of this (technical aggregate accessory) fruit, is actually totally unknown to us in the modern day, now long-forgotten why we ever called this thing which is not a berry nor is it related to straw a ‘strawberry’. While many believe the reason to be that the strawberry plant is grown in straw, these plants have had their name for well-over a thousand years—long before they were included in farming or gardening as they were named by folks who happened upon these wild patches!

Nobody knows for sure, but we have theories:

Strung on Straw
Some say the woodland pickers strung them on straw pieces for convenient transportation to market.

Stuck with Straw
Others maintain that the fruit appears as though it’s had bits of straw embedded into the surface.

Straw…n About
Some even think ‘straw’ refers to the Old English meaning to strew. Since the plant runners stray in chaotic fashion, some say they look STREWN about the ground.

I don’t know…. All these theories seem pretty weak to me. But they’re kind of the best we’ve got. And whether it makes any sense or not, I like the sound of the name ‘strawberry’ and I like the taste of them too! Cheers to everyone today with this so-called berry and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John