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- Book Review -

7/8/2019

Personally I have forever had a deep and innate attraction to water, from the time I was a child swimming in a pool, to the very first time I saw the ocean, to becoming an oceanographer. And so, when I read the title of this book, I immediately signed up to review it. In her book Swell: A Waterbiography, Jenny Landreth, invites readers to embark on a journey wherein she recounts the rich history of women and swimming. As well as being part social history, this book is also part memoir, whereby Ms. Landreth interspersed the book with five chapters about her own journey as a reluctant and unskilled swimmer in her childhood and adolescent years to her passion and addiction to swimming as an adult.

While swimming may seem like such an innocuous and readily available activity to all, it wasn’t always so - and still isn’t so for many people today. Ms. Landreth chronicles how women, from the Roman times onward to the 19th and early 20th centuries, had to fight against so much negativity and oppression to simply swim. As unfathomable as the power and authority placed upon these women were to me, Landreth’s strong feminist voice and sardonic interjections made me laugh rather than scream in outrage at the injustices they experienced. From being drowned as witches, to allowing women to swim in the sea - but only because it made them less feeble and physically stronger to give birth - to ridiculous regulations on bathing attire for women, this book celebrates the struggles and achievements of our swimming foremothers. Unbelievably, it wasn’t until the 1930s that women were finally, if not reluctantly, admitted as equals into the water.

Swell, filled me with gratitude for these women of yore for an activity that I, until now, took for granted not even realizing that it had been such a struggle for some. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in swimming or history or women pioneers. As one reviewer said

“ If you love swimming, you’ll love this. If you hate swimming, you’ll still love this.” - Jo Brand

Next time you go for a swim, do so mindfully, because these women made it so that we simply can.
- Kirsten -
Oceanographer and Fresh Air Reads Contributor

- Tips -

22/7/2019

It's one thing to know that spending more time outside being active is good for us and it's another making it happen. Trust me, even the most enthusiastic outdoorsy peeps I know get derailed with the roadblocks that life sets up at some point or another (me included!!!).

When I asked friends and people I meet what gets in their way from being active outdoors on a regular basis, these 3 obstacles are the ones most consistently mentioned:

1. Being too busy
2. Not motivated
3. No time to do the prep work

The good news my friend, is that these roadblocks can be minimised. I'm not going to say that I have the magic formula to make them disappear altogether. Heck if I did, I'd be out there ALL. OF. THE. TIME. But there are a few things you can easily do that will increase how successful you are at getting out there:

1. Schedule like a diva
You're probably either one of two types, a planner or a spontaneous doer. Either way you might find yourself too busy to get some outdoor time in because for our planner it just hasn't made it to the top of her to-do list and our spontaneous doer finds herself double-booked after accepting multiple appealing invits. In both cases, some intentional scheduling of outdoor time and not budging on this -- that's where the diva attribute comes in! -- can bust the "being too busy" roadblock. The longer a commitment has been on your radar, and in your calendar, the less chances you will drop it or forget about it. And having time planned ahead doesn't mean you loose on the spontaneity; you don't need to decide what outdoor adventuring you'll be doing already when you block time out. The key is to reserve that limited resource, time.

2. Shout it on the rooftops
Let everyone and their neighbour know what adventures you have coming up. OK, that's a slight exaggeration but having others get excited alongside you and ask you about it as it nears will increase your sense of accountability. And if you have particularly outdoorsy friends make sure that they know about it as they'll not let you off the hook once they hear about your planned adventures.

3. Follow these hashtags
Time spent scrolling social media can actually inspire and motivate you to get outdoors with your own adventures. On Instagram you can follow hashtags just like you can follow people. Here are our top picks for continued outdoor inspiration:

#outdooradventures
#microadventures
#womenwhoadventure
#gooutdoors

4. Get a helping hand
I'll be the first one to admit it takes time researching my outdoor adventures. And once it's done there's the actual preparation - equipment, logistics, food. If you're short on time this could be enough to throw the whole enterprise out the window. Instead, try partnering with a friend and split the prep work or actually join a community like ours that will take this part on for you. Show up and adventure!

- Book Review -

8/7/2019

"I Found my Tribe" by Ruth Fitzmaurice caught my imagination because this is a phrase that I often hear when adults talk about friendship groups and finding like-minded people. And the theme of wild swimming appealed to me as I like to swim outdoors in places that are beautiful.

This story is a truly tragic one of a woman who loses her husband to Motor Neuron Disease when she is in her early 30's and has five young children. She is a woman who is passionate and demonstrative in every moment of the book. If she is not painting her house in primary colours, racing around the supermarket with her children grabbing bags of crisps and biscuits off the shelves, she is talking to her special tree, running along cliff tops or packing her whole family off to the other side of the world to make the most of every moment.

I read the book twice, once last summer and I read it again for this book review. It has left me feeling emotional both times. The book races along, switching timelines, telling anecdotes of her hectic life interwoven with glimpses into the emotional release she gets from running to survive and swimming in the sea to feel truly free. Neither of these activities can take her daily life struggles away and nor can her friends take her pain so you are left with a real-life story of a passionate woman fighting to retain her sense of self under circumstances that are far from being a fairy tale.
Throughout the book, you get the feeling that if she stops, she will crumble, so she reminds you at every juncture of exactly that. She rages against the unfairness of her situation and is determined to give her children a life of memories, chaos and love. Even her decision to have another child, when her husband's condition is deteriorating significantly, is one born out of a desire to create and to fill her world and block out the deafening noise of her situation.
- Deirdre Bowley -
Fresh Air Reads Contributor

- Gear Review and Giveaway -

2/7/2019

"My target is women who pee!" now that's an opening statement by Kula Cloth™ creator, Anastasia Allison, that caught my attention. I'm a women and I pee. And I need to pee in the woods a lot as that's where I spend much of my time. But to be honest, though I'm an advocate of the minimum impact practices coined Leave No Trace, I've never been tempted by the peedanna solution to substitute toilet paper use in nature and usually go with "drip drying" and carrying out toilet paper I do use. But the Kula Cloth™ pee cloth got my attention.

Ok, let's take a step back as I know some of you are like, "A peedanna what????" A peedanna, or a pee rag, is a bandanna or a similar cloth that's used after urinating instead of toilet paper. The idea is that you dab away those lingering drops and then hang the peedanna on the outside of your backpack to dry. When you return from your outdoor adventure, you pop it in the wash and it's then ready to be reused. That all sounds good but - yes there's a but - as happy as I may be to try many things I didn't find this very compelling because:

1. The bacteria on the bandanna from the pee is just waiting to be transferred when reusing it and that's just yucky!
2. If the bandanna's hanging on the outside of my pack, the pee will transfer to the outside of my bag. Yucky too!
3. The possible pee smell that will be following me. Tripple yucky and that's a strike.

So having discarded the mere idea of a peedanna as an alternative up to now, why was I even inclined to test out the Kula Cloth™ ?

1. This pee cloth was developed to be a pee cloth.
This may sounds obvious but what it highlights is the fact that Anastasia intentionally researched and selected a material that would make the Kula Cloth™ hygienic for its intended purpose. It's made from advanced silver-infused textiles that are purposely intended to be in contact with the human body making it antibacterial. And the fabrics used are non-toxic, eco-friendly (many are organic) and are manufactured sustainably in the United States†.

2. The option to hang it on my backpack folded
The double snap feature included on the Kula Cloth™ means you can hang it to the outside of your pack folded so that pee absorbing textile can't get in contact with your backpack. Or a fellow hiker for that matter!

3. The promise of no pee smell trailing me on the trails
During the testing phase Anastasia included extensive testing of the odor-proofness of the Kula Cloth™. It proved to be odour free even after several days of use†.

4. And they look great!
Part of Anastasia's ambition was to provide a pee cloth women (though men can use them as well) would be proud to have hanging off their packs. She's achieved that by creating an Artists Series in collaboration with a number of artists like Claire Giordano.

I took along my newly purchased* "Indigo Peaks" Kula Cloth™ on my 2-day hike to put it to the test. After two days of use it had no odour. None! It's super soft so no uncomfortable dabbing. The absorbing side and its outer waterproof fabric delivered and while using it or hanging it to my pack, my hands always stayed dried. It was very quick drying and every time I used it it didn't feel wet to the skin after the previous use. Visually, you don't see any stains after using it and as the absorbing material is black you can feel at ease to use it even if you have your period. The only negative aspect I found to using the Kula Cloth™ was not having any visual distinction between the snaps. I have mistakenly pulled on the wrong side when wanting to unfold it. I expect that if I keep doing this I could rip one snap off making it impossible to fold the Kula Cloth™ when hanging it on my pack.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the material both with respect to how it delivered on its specs and the luxurious softness it provided. It's light and saves precious weight and volume on a multi-day trekking trip. The prints are vibrant, colourful and picture worthy: a plus for a pee cloth! And it's definitely a conversation starter. Especially here in Switzerland where you still don't see many hikers hanging pee rags.

To celebrate the first Kula Cloth™ coming to Switzerland, Anastasia sent along a second one from the Artist Series designed by Swiss artist Nikki Frumkin and we are giving it away to one of you!

2 Ways to enter the giveaway:

1. On our IG account

2. On our FB account

Giveaway is open until 14 July 2019, 23:59

† Source: https://kulacloth.com/pages/faqs
* I am not an affiliate to this product. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

- Adventures -

6/6/2019

1. Take an e-bike tour

The rolling hills and valleys of the Jura vaudois are ideal for cycling on the small roads and trails. Heading off on an e-bike can transform your weekend ride into an extended circuit tour, covering kms more rapidly. There's many rental options available now with even some tourism offices providing this service onsite such as the one in St-Cergue or Le Sentier (Vallée de Joux).

2. Celebrate 40 with a hike

The canton of Jura is turning 40 and amongst all their festivities to honour that milestone, they are offering a guided hike on Saturday the 22 June. On this occasion, they will be inaugurating a new 16K trail between Glovelier and Saint-Ursanne. The group will be heading off at 9:30 a.m. from the train station in Glovelier.

Hike difficulty: medium
Altitude difference: +442m/-510m
Estimated hike time: 5 hours

3. Trek the historical tram route between Champagnole and Foncine-le-Bas

This old vapour tram route was inaugurated in 1928 and ran through gorges and tunnels and over bridges in the valleys between Champagnole and Foncine-le-Bas. The tram line closed sometime in 1950 but the route has since been refurbished for walkers and cyclists. There are signposts which make it easy to navigate on your own though a local association also hosts the Tram'Jurassienne annually (this year it is on Sat, 30 June). A train ride to the departure point is organised for participants, whether walkers or cyclists, with a number of route distances to choose from. They also support people with restricted mobility to be active outdoors and offer a Handi'Tram route.

4. Go treasure hunting in a canoe

An original way to discover the Doubs waters, especially if you are taking kids along. The Maison du Tourisme in Saint-Ursanne have set up a treasure hunt in the Doubs. Guided by a "treasure map" (a booklet) you paddle to find the different clues submerged in the waters or along the shore. Return to the departure point and collect a little treasure to reward your efforts. Laughs guaranteed.

5. Take a daily 1 hour forest bath

The benefits of forest bathing, "shinrin yoku", have long been recognised in Japan where it is standard in preventative medicine. As more and more research is being done, the rest of the world is introducing the practice to benefit from its positive effects: decrease in cortisol levels, blood pressure and stress to name just a few. The good news is you don't have to head deep into the wilderness to forest bath as it's about "cultivating your senses to open them to the woods" and you can get this from walking in a city park, by a woodsy river bank path, and even gardening*.

6. Celebrate the summer solstice

The summer solstice kicks off the official start of summer as the Northern Hemisphere angles itself at the point in its orbit closest to the sun. That results in us enjoying the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. And this year, it's on Friday the 21 June. So head on out after your work day and take advantage of that light. Some ideas of what to do? Evening picnic, night paddle, campfire dinner or why not join us on our "Cheese & Sunset" hike?

* Source: The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

- Book Review -

5/6/2019

The book "Four Mums in a Boat" caught my attention as I was looking for an adventure book, but was a little intimidated by the usual protagonists of young, fit, single minded, no baggage, soul searching, sports fanatics that usually attempt these types of challenges. I was feeling as mum of 3 in my late 30s, that some of these sports buffs are a little like reading about a person from fiction. I love you Anna McNuff et al., but running across Britain barefoot sounds as far removed from me as a character from Game of Thrones.

So when I saw the blurb for this book, 4 middle age mums who had never taken part in multiple marathons or pre-olympic training, I was immediately interested. As soon as I started this tale, every other conversation in my life stopped!

Only about a third of the book is set on the actual ocean. The first part of the book is about how these four amazing ladies found themselves in a situation in their lives where they decided to attempt such a momentous challenge with little prior experience. It follows the team through the internal debates about whether to take part, the relationships and reactions of family, the logistics of training and fitting it into their lives. It is also fascinating to see how they dealt with scepticism of other people and money raising.

Once they get on the boat, it only gets better. We follow the ladies through the inevitable challenges – physical and mental - of rowing such a distance but also fascinating is the no nonsense descriptive of the less elegant aspects of surviving such a trip like sharing cabins, using the toilet over the side of the boat and in front of each other, the lack of privacy, the nudity, the chaffing, the blisters... I loved the realities of the day-to-day of 2 hours on, 2 hours off rowing. It was so down to earth and such a great antidote to the way ‘sports’ are depicted in mainstream media – glistening tanned bodies in improbably bikinis. I very much empathised with Janette’s aim of trying to fit in a pair of turquoise hot pants by the end of the challenge!

The end of the book was very low key. It briefly covered how the ladies went back to their day to day lives after such a life changing experience. I often wonder about this. How can you possibly go back to day to day life after you have had such easy direction for such a long period. Can you find meaning in day to day things, or do you just need to look for next challenge.

In many ways I enjoyed the fact that so much uncertainty remained, and that they didn’t neatly pack it up as ‘well now I have the answers to everything’. I also enjoyed them highlighting some of the rocky periods they had after their adventure, the falling outs and hilariously exposing themselves to the nation on BBC breakfast.

All in all very inspiring and different read. And a triumph for middle age mums!!

- Gemma Ware -
Fresh Air Reads Contributor

* An additional note about format: I alternated reading this book between kindle and listening to it on Audible. I was a little disappointed that it was narrated by the authors themselves, but it was still very engaging.

- Adventures -

6/5/2019

1. Try your luck at catching dinner
Fishing season is open and it's a great way to escape and connect with nature. The Jura mountains area has various water surface options with a number of rivers, ponds and lakes where you can try your hand at fishing. In most cases you'll need a fishing permit whether on the Swiss or French side so checking regulations is important. To give it a try without needing a permit, you can try float line fishing with a floater and simple fishing hook at the lakes of Joux, Brenet and Ter in the Valley de Joux.

GET OUR FISHING RESOURCE LIST HERE

If you don't feel confident to try it out on your own at first, check out beginner fishing workshops offered by Ecole de Pêche Concept.

2. Take a unique blossom hike
Head up to the mountain pastures and get to enjoy the spring blossoms embellishing the fields. A particularly impressive blossom experience is to catch field filled with wild narcissus (also called daffodils, daffadowndillys and jonquils). 2 hiking spots to live this experience in the Jura mountains are:

* Le Plateau de Retord above Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (F)
* La Combe des Vaux above Damvant in the Jura canton

Note that wild narcissus are protected in Switzerland and must not be picked.

3. Learn how to identify and the Jura fauna
The "Nuit des musée" is coming up on the 18th of May and the Espace des Mondes Polaires is taking part with special workshops and self-guided visits of their temporary exhibition "Poils, plumes, crottes" that explores how to identify the fauna found in the Jura mountains.

4. Celebrate Nature
The 9th edition of the "Fête de la nature" is held from the 24-26th May and offers plenty of adventuring options. Some of our favourite outdoor ones are:

* Learn the art of building the pasture dry-stone walls found in the Jura mountains, La Cure (Vaud)
* Nature through the senses, Saint-George (Vaud)
* The Story of Trees, Le Noirmont (Vaud)
* All about the truits of the Doub, Soubey (Jura)

All these are accessible to adults and children but are not stroller-friendly. You need to registration to take part and some activities have a sign up deadline.

5. Mountain bike at the most chilled "race" ever
If you've ever considered entering a mountain bike race for the experience rather than trying to get onto the podium, this may just be the perfect race for you. Most of the organisers even shy away from calling it a race and use the term "randonnée", that is trek. The "Jura de Haut en Bas" offers 4 distances from 100K to 30K.

6. Experience yoga on a hike
Hiking isn't just a great way to be physically active it also helps reduce stress and improve your mood. Combine the yoga to this and you get the added sense of retreat from your daily life. Hiking out into nature and pausing for a yoga session provides a glimpse into what it's like to fully disconnect and break free from daily stresses. A micro adventure with a high ROI. Join one of our sunrise yoga hikes to experience it yourself.

- Book Review -

24/4/2019

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

Journalist Michael Finkel’s investigates the account of Chris Knight, arrested stealing supplies in a camp in Maine, that claimed to have been living in exile from society for the past 27 years. Drawing from interviews he had with Knight he reconstructs how at age 20 Knight just walks into the woods, never has a conversation with another person and manages to survive Maine’s harsh winters without ever lighting a fire.

Reading the account it becomes clear that Knight chose to escape society, not out of anger or tragedy but rather because he preferred to be on his own. This overwhelming need to be alone so he could be happy and content, greater than any other comfort living within society could provide him, is what makes Knight intriguing.

Does Finkel do Knight justice? He does seem to have a genuine concern to share Knight’s story from Knight’s perspective. That being said, his persistence in getting Knight to share, especially after he was released, made me uncomfortable as a reader. I finished the book reflecting on whether the book should have been written in the first place. Did it intrude into a man’s life choice with no other purpose than to tell a good story? Is this only sensationalism and voyeurism? Did Finkel step over the boundaries of journalism? I’m still sitting on the fence on this one...

Get your copy at your local library, secondhand bookstore or why not by using our Amazon affiliate link below (If you make a purchase using it, we do receive a small commission at no cost to you) and let us know what you thought of the book in the comments below.

- Debate -

12/4/2019

This is your chance to weigh in on a top of mind debate that has been dragging on for years in our household, with recent point of views being added by our tween & teen. The controversy: What's the difference between a walk and a hike? Obviously we can't disagree with the fact that they both involve putting one foot in front of the other, commonly known as walking. So what needs to happen for a walk to become a hike?

Google "what is the difference between walking and hiking" and it will yield over 37 million results. So ya, it's a legit question AND there are a lot of different views on how to answer it. Browsing through some of the articles written in an attempt to answer the " walk vs hike " enigma it becomes apparent that how strenuous a walk is; on what surface the walk takes place; whether elevation gain will be involved; how long the walk takes; and in what country you are will influence the answer.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a walk as "to go on foot for recreation and exercise"† and a hike as "a long walk or walking tour"†. Clearer? Like many, you might argue that many hike recreationally and for the exercise so is hiking simply a synonym of walking?

Conclusions like these are when avid outdoor enthusiast like myself can get, let's say, a little agitated. Of course a hike isn't "just" a walk! If we dive into the history of hiking -- and I'll spare you the "back in the Stone Age mankind was walking so it can be assumed they were hiking since then" discourse† -- it's agreed that there's no conclusive evidence to identify the beginning of hiking. However, there are usually two camps, the first look to the early milestones of mountaineering like the 1874 ascent of Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, by Grove, Gardiner, Walker, Sottajev and Knubel or the first ascent of the highest summit in the world, Mount Everest, in 1953 by Norgay and Hillary. The second recognise the contribution made by Philippe Bussemer from Baden-Baden (Germany) and think of him as the father of hiking as we know it today. At the end of the 19th century, Bussemer opened the first tourist office in the Black Forest. He published hiking maps and hiking guides for the Schwarzwalderein association responsible for managing the nature and trail signposting in the Black Forest.† What both these views add to defining a hike is the idea that hiking is embedded in nature and/or mountains.

Which brings us to the type of surface consideration. Walking takes place on any type of terrain but usually without any obstacles. Hiking on the other hand is thought of as taking place on nature trails going through forests, over pastures, following coastlines, winding up mountains or crossing deserts. These surfaces tend to be more irregular, rough and hilly. Because of this terrain, hiking is often a more strenuous form of exercise than walking.

When out hiking, more often than not, it also involves walking from a lower elevation to a higher one. Granted, that's not always the case but even so, hikers will often track their accumulated ascension over their route to gauge progress rather than only distance.

And the most important distinction, according to my kids, has to do with the length of time one is required to walk. To them, anything which involves walking beyond 2 hours can only be called a hike. For them the where, on what, and the elevation are almost irrelevant. How long it will take is THE measure to how strenuous it will be. And a hike is strenuous, especially when they think about it before actual hitting the trail. Ya, even in my outdoor loving family I haven't managed to groom always-happy-to-hike kids!

And here's another curve ball to consider, what country you're in. It will make all the difference in answering our conundrum. In the US and Canada, a long vigorous walk usually on trails is called a hike. Cross the pond and head to the UK where you'll refer to any form of walking as walking whether it's a stroll in the park or backpacking for multiple days. In Australia you'll be bushwalking and in New Zealand you're tramping.

What's indisputable is the fact that the difference between a walk and a hike is personal. It will have to do with personal experience, environment and culture. No matter the distinctions we attribute to the different forms of walking, all forms are beneficial. So go ahead and head out for a walk, a hike, a ramble, a bushwalk, a trek, a thru-hike, or a walkabout...

It's time to weigh in on the debate. Let us know in the comments below what's the difference for you between a walk and a hike?

† https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/walk
† https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hike
† Fun fact, it's assume that Ötzi the caveman climbed the Alps 5000 years ago. Granted he was probably hunting or escaping danger but hey, we'll take it ;) Learn more about Ötzi at National Geography.
† https://www.blackforest-tourism.com/discovery/hiking

- Adventures -

2/4/2019

1. Check out the water cascades
It's the best time of year to go check out the water cascades in the Jura mountains. With the snowmelt, the surface water is more abundant and increases the beauty of the cascades. Some of our favourites are:

* La cascade de Baume-les-Messieurs

* La cascade des Tuffs aux Planches-près-Artois

* La cascade de la queue de cheval

2. Trail run at the season opener < Trail des Reculées >
If you're a runner why not take part in the Trail des Reculées. This trail run is one of the first to kick off the season in the Jura mountains. It offers a 12K (+300m) as a discovery option (not timed) as well as a new 15K (+440m), a 22K (+700m), a 34K (+1200m) and a 46K (+1600m).

3. Spot migrating birds returning
Most of us would associate the increase in birds chirping around us with the start of spring. Migrating birds returning to the area or stopping on their way to more norther destinations gives us that sense of a "bird boom" come spring. Why not turn this seasonal movement of birds into an adventure? Head out and try and spot migrating birds that have returned or recognise them by their calls. A great resource to help you know what to watch out for is the Schedule of Return Migration produced by The Swiss Ornithological Institute.

©Jura Tourism

© Tox Info Suisse

©Trail des Reculées

4. Join an Easter egg hiking hunt
If Easter is your thing, Jura Rando are hosting a 5K egg hunt hike. A guide will take you along the trail which is adapted to families with kids 4 and older (it is not stroller-friendly). The hike takes place on the hillsides of Bassecourt, Jura. Registration open until 17 April at belgato@bluewin.ch

5. Play in the snow
Yes, there's still snow! You can still enjoy some cross country skiing, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing. If you've fancied trying out skinning, this is a great time to do so easily and safely at La Dôle which is now closed to alpine skiing.

6. Forage for wild garlic < ail des ours >
If you're new to foraging, wild garlic is a good one to start with as it's quite easy to identify*, very prolific and delicious. Wild garlic is native to Switzerland and can be found in damp woodlands or on riverbanks. Both the leaves and flowers are edible and have a light garlic taste. You can forage for the leaves but not the bulbs which are protected in Switzerland.

GET OUR GUIDE ON HOW TO FORAGE RESPONSIBLY

*The leaves of wild garlic can be confused with the leaves of crocuses < colchiques > or lily of the valley < muguet > which are toxique. You can test the leaves by rubbing them between your fingers; wild garlic leaves will be the only ones to give off a garlic smell.

If you don't feel confident enough to try it on your own at first, you can join a workshop on identifying wild edible plants like the one hosted by La Maison de la rivière on 28 April.