 With the school season marking the end of summer, it's time to gear up for fall camping and backpacking. Remember, the best campgrounds fill up fast, so securing your spot early is crucial. Take time now to check your camping gear and ensure everything is in top condition. One aspect that both school and backpacking share is the need for a well-fitting backpack. A school backpack should be at most 10-15 % of a child's body weight. It should fit snugly, not extending above the shoulders or sagging towards the buttocks, but resting in the contour of the lower back. Shoulder straps should be loose enough around your child's arms that they can freely move. Place heavier items, such as textbooks, laptops, or notebooks, closer to the back for a balanced load. Place lighter items toward the front of the pack. It is ideal to carry a backpack with each strap over a shoulder. Your child should not have to lean forward, bend to the side, or arch to carry the bag. Similarly, distributing your gear for proper loading can make a huge difference in how your back feels when backpacking. It will also impact your posture, ultimately affecting how efficiently you can move and maintain your balance. An additional consideration for backpacking is the accessibility of items. The bottom section of your pack is best suited for items of medium weight. Since this will be the most challenging place to access, it is the ideal place to pack items you will only need once you stop for the day to set up camp. Your sleeping bag, pad, and sleep clothes are typical items at the bottom of the pack. This strategic packing will make setting up camp more efficient. The center of the pack can be divided into two parts: the front and back portions. The back portion is what is closest to your back. As with your child's school backpack, it is the section to pack heavier items, such as your water reservoir, stove, cook kit, and food for meals. If these heavier items sit too far forward in the pack, the weight distribution will pull you more forward and create strain on your back. You should place your lightest items in the front center of the pack. Examples of these may include light clothes and a camp pillow. Finally, load the top of the pack with items you need access to throughout the day while you hike. These may include your first aid kit, water filter, headlamp, toiletries, rain jacket, pack cover, and snacks. If rain is in the forecast, keeping your tent towards the top of the pack is also advisable so you can quickly pull it out to set up a shelter while the items in the bottom of the bag remain dry. The Community Gear Closet has numerous camping and backpacking items to loan out, including backpacks, day packs, trekking poles, tents, sleeping bags/pads, and camp stoves. Be sure to reach out if you need something for your fall camping or backpacking trip! AuthorKaryn Dulaney, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist who has practiced in outpatient orthopedics for almost 2 decades. She enjoys helping patients achieve their personal goals and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. An avid outdoor enthusiast and competitor/participant in various adventure sports, she is passionate about helping others explore outdoor activities for the mental and physical health benefits that come with them. Karyn co-founded the Community Gear Closet, which lends outdoor gear so others can have opportunities for their own outdoor adventures.
Master Gardeners are hard at work creating a native plant demonstration pollinator garden in Columbia’s Freetown Farm, the home of the Community Ecology Institute (CEI). As part of the 2023 Master Gardener intern class, Debbie Lavine requested Maddie Potter, Howard County Master Gardener Coordinator, approve the site for intern volunteer hour credit. A MOU was drafted, and the site was approved. The purpose of the Freetown Farm pollinator garden is to demonstrate how beautiful intentionally planted natives can be, even in small spaces. CEI is a Howard County nonprofit with the mission of cultivating communities where people and nature thrive together.
Debbie Lavine and Kathy Nolte (both MG 2023), are leading the effort. The Freetown Farm site has some full sun, some part sun, and some deep shade. The team is showcasing a variety of native plants in each area, demonstrating plant groupings that will (we hope) thrive. Already this year, 17 master gardeners and interns have spent nearly 175 hours battling impressive weeds and hauling many wagons full of bricks and mulch. They’ve created meandering pathways and filled beds with donated native plants.
This pollinator garden boasts a healthy population of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). An arbor supports cascading Maypops (Passiflora incarnata) and Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), attracting an assortment of bees. The Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) looks lovely next to the Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum). The Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea), Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), Carolina Cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum), Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), and Bleeding heart (Dicentra) are starting to fill in the shady areas. An assortment of butterflies, hummingbirds (Trochilidae), and humans (Homo sapiens) also enjoy the garden. The Master Gardeners are cautiously optimistic the new plants will start to outcompete the local weeds, very soon.
AuthorKris Siglin, Master Gardener Intern 2024  In March of 2024, CFIN celebrated its 10th Anniversary! See photos from the past 10 years of CFIN outings below. As we reflect on the successes of the past 10 years and feedback from alumni members, we are preparing to add ways that families can engage with CFIN. Here's what is on the horizon: Beginning in the summer of 2024, we are expanding our programming in order to offer participants a wider range of ways to engage with a Community of Families in Nature. Learn more about our expanded offerings by clicking on the 'About a Community of Families in Nature' button below. We look forward to spending the next 10 years playing, exploring, learning, and care-taking in nature with a new generation of CFIN families, as well as with CFIN alumni families! To learn more about Family Nature Clubs in general or more about CFIN's event offerings, use the buttons below. To receive news and reminders of sign ups, follow us on Facebook and/or join our mailing list! Cfin News and Registration linksWe are enjoying exploring waterways as much as possible this summer! We've dipped our toes in a number of streams including at Howard County Conservancy, along Trolley Trail No. 9, along the Columbia footpaths in Owen Brown, and have plans for two more water access outings [weather permitting-we always avoid our waterways if there has been significant rain in the past 72 hours for water safety issues]. CFIN families have also enjoyed some time at Freetown Farm through our Art and Farm Experiences -- families create an art or craft project and engage in a meaningful adventure in our farm space. We also have been out one Sunday to check out a HoCo Pirate Adventure! Our Hike-a-Month Club has enjoyed a hot, stroller friendly hike along the Trolley Trail; we were thankful for a water access opportunity and saw lots of creatures including little fish, froglets, crayfish, and water snakes. We'll also enjoy hikes at the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area, and along the brand new trail in Patapsco State Park. We are gearing up for our seasonal community event; this summer's theme is Pollinators and the plants they love -- It's a Pollinator Party!! Join us for 'bug walks,' arts and crafts, face-painting, games and trivia, and exploration of pollinator friendly spaces. Registration is open for: Seedlings (5 and under with a caregiver) autumn season, our individual Summer Events, and our summer Art and Farm Experiences. Enjoy Photos from Previous eventsCFIN FAQs |
AuthorSThe Community Ecology Institute co-authors the material on this blog with the support of several team members. Categories
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