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I renamed my newsletter to “The Trailhead.”
I like the name better.
It might change again as the direction of my content evolves.
Put your ideas into the world.
Create something that matters to you.
Don’t wait until you are ready; start today.
Then learn, refine, repeat.
Now, let’s get into this week’s tips and resources…
1. Why you should hike and backpack in trail running shoes instead of hiking boots
I used to only hike and backpack with big, sturdy hiking boots that were high cut (i.e. went up over my ankle).
Now, I only hike and backpack (and trail run) in trail running shoes.
Traditional high cut hiking boots have been marketed for decades as the best hiking footwear that will protect your feet from the elements, give you the most traction on the trail, and support your ankles from rolling when walking over uneven terrain.
It turns out, trail running shoes are better for hiking than traditional hiking boots for a variety of reasons.
My trail running shoe recommendation: the Altra Olympus 4. This shoe is the most comfortable trail shoe I’ve ever worn.
2. The truth about bear safety from a bear biologist
Bears are starting to wake up…what do you do if you see one?
Most of what you have been told about how to stay safe around bears (both Black and Brown bears) is false.
These tips will keep you (and bears) safe.
Key takeaway: ALWAYS carry bear spray, no matter what.
3. How to use the color picker tool in Photoshop
The color picker is one of the most important tools you will use in Photoshop to edit your photos, but most people have a minimal understanding of how to use it.
This video is a great explanation of the color picker that will help you master it - or at least understand what all of the numbers, letters, and options mean.
It will help you a lot to have an understanding of hue, saturation, and value (lightness) before you dive into this topic.
4. Is it really a good idea to bring wolves back to Colorado?
In 2020, Colorado residents voted to reintroduce gray wolves into the state.
Wolf reintroduction is a highly controversial topic, but most nature enthusiasts and conservation minded people support it.
Gray wolves were once native to Colorado, but their populations in the state were entirely killed off by humans by the 1940s.
Dr. Marc Bekoff, a professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, published an interesting opinion piece this week on the subject.
Bekoff raises some interesting points and questions that will have you to thinking about wildlife reintroduction projects in a slightly different light.
The central question he asks is: “Do we really have the right to move individuals here and there, and must we do these sorts of things?”
5. Pando, one of the largest living organisms on Earth, is in trouble
Did you know that one of the largest living things on the planet is a several thousand year old aspen grove in Utah named Pando?
Pando (a word that means “I spread” in Latin), consists of about 47,000 trees - far more than the average aspen grove (which typically has a few dozen to a few hundred trees).
All of the trees in an aspen grove are genetically identical clones connected underground by a single massive root system. This is why it is considered a single organism.
Unfortunately, in recent years the health of Pando has declined due to unchecked livestock overgrazing and poor wildlife management in the area.
A recent article in National Geographic highlights this problem and some potential solutions to save this remarkable group of trees.
Fun fact from the article:
“At 13 million pounds…Pando is roughly as heavy as 35 blue whales, 1,000 elephants, or all the people who attended the Super Bowl in 2022.”
Pretty amazing!
Talk to you next week, friends.
Meredith
