Introducing the latest backcountry tech: $5000 hiking pants!

Introducing the latest backcountry tech: $5000 hiking pants!

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 13:24

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

Canadian apparel company, Arc’teryx, in partnership with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, have just launched a new outdoor product category called “powered exoskeleton pants”.

Their product introduction into this new category is known as the “MO/GO,” which are hiking pants that feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee. Arc’teryx and Skip claim the “MO/GO” can boost a hiker’s leg strength while going uphill. It also absorbs the impact of steps during a descent. Skip also claims the MO/GO pants can make the wearer feel up to 30 pounds lighter.

The MO/GO includes rechargeable batteries that last for 3+ hours of continuous uphill walking on maximum assistance. The batteries automatically recharge during downhill walking.

The Skip website claims their goal is “to give you the confidence to push your limits because you have the peace of mind knowing you’ll make it back safely.”

As we’ve seen with other high-tech gadgets, technology isn’t infallible. What happens to a person if the device and/or battery somehow malfunctions while on the trail? Moreover, this device will likely encourage those without mobility issues to purchase the pants to simply allow them to travel deeper into the mountains, even though they may not be physically prepared such a trip under normal circumstances. To me, and I may very well be in the minority here, this flies in the face of what hiking in the backcountry is really all about.

Full retail price for the MO/GO is set to be $5,000. However! If you act now, you can preorder a pair right now and receive a discount that will bring the price down to “only” $4,500 – with an expected ship date of December 2025.

Here’s a short video about the MO/GO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bqObOWXnR8

From Montana to New Mexico, the American Rockies stretch for more than a thousand miles. Within this spectacular mountain range are thousands of miles of hiking trails. With such an overwhelming number of options, how will you find and choose the most scenic and rewarding hikes?

https://beforeitsnews.com/outdoors/2024/07/introducing-the-latest-backcountry-tech-5000-hiking-pants-2494133.html

15 Foods You Don't Need to Buy Organic

2024 Clean Fifteen List: 15 Foods You Don't Need to Buy Organic

Some fruits and vegetables are less likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. Here's which ones.

By 

Penelope Wall and 

Penelope Wall

Penelope Wall oversees the digital editorial vision of EatingWell—drawing on both her passion for food, wellness and storytelling and over 20 years experience in digital content strategy and editorial. Penelope has a bachelor's degree in English and studio art and a minor in French from Middlebury College.

EATINGWELL'S EDITORIAL GUIDELIand 

Carrie Myers, M.S. | 

Updated on March 27, 2024

Eating more fruits and vegetables—organic or not—is better than eating none at all. And while many would love to be able to buy organic produce all the time, it can be expensive. Is the price of organic worth it for your health?

Pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, leaving trace residues. Research has shown that higher exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of many health consequences, from immediate effects like throat irritation, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and dizziness to asthma, certain types of cancers and cognitive and reproductive issues from long-term exposure.1

One way to limit your exposure to pesticides is by choosing organic. But if that's not a financial reality for your family, you can also shop smarter: Buy conventional produce that's the least likely to contain pesticide residues and save your organic dollars for produce that tends to have the highest amounts of pesticide residue (aka the Dirty Dozen).

Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, releases a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides that identifies fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide residues.2 The Clean Fifteen is the list of foods that are least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues, so if budget is a concern, you can feel good about buying these 15 fruits and vegetables conventional.3

Environmental Working Group. EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide The Clean Fifteen.

According to EWG:

• Of the Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples, almost 65% had no detectable pesticide residue.
• Avocados and sweet corn were the cleanest produce – less than 2 percent of samples of each showed any detectable pesticides.
• Just over 10% of Clean Fifteen fruit and vegetable samples had residues of two or more pesticides.
• No sample from the first six Clean Fifteen items tested positive for more than three pesticides.

Of note: Some produce—like corn and papayas—might be grown from genetically engineered seeds. If you try to avoid genetically engineered foods, you will want to opt for organic corn and papaya or find brands that carry the Non-GMO Project Verified label. Another way to tell if your produce is organic, conventional or genetically modified is to check the little PLU label on the produce.

Here's EWG's 2023 list of the Clean Fifteen, starting with the least contaminated food, along with some tasty ways to eat them.

1. Avocados

2. Sweet Corn

3. Pineapple

4. Onions

5. Papaya

6. Frozen Sweet Peas

7. Asparagus

8. Honeydew Melon

9. Kiwi

10. Cabbage

11. Watermelon

12. Mushrooms

13. Mangoes

14. Sweet Potatoes

15. Carrots

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/15808/15-foods-you-dont-need-to-buy-organic/

The 5 Most Common Edible Weeds In Your State

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 12:28

This is a field guide to the most common plants found throughout the United States. When traveling outside of the southwest I often found myself lost when it came to what plants I could seek to use in a given territory.  This list is based on my research documenting where useful plants are found in the United States, based on the USDA Flora Database.

Once the five most common plants per state were identified I studied many sources, both native and academic, to document how people can use these plants.  Sources often refer to plant edibility or medicinal values, yet neglect to specify what parts of the plant to use and recommended preparation methods. Find out here exactly how you can use them.

#1. Alabama

• Blackberry
• Wild Carrot
• Oxalis
• Muscadine
• Persimmon

#2. Alaska

• Beach Greens
• Beach Lovage
• Chickweed
• Dandelion
• Fiddlehead Fern

#3. Arizona

• Hedgehog Cactus
• Saguaro
• Cholla
• Prickly Pear
• Barrel Cactus

#4. Arkansas

• ­­Cattail
• Chicory
• Curled Dock
• Asparagus
• Amaranth

#5. California

• Fireweed
• Wood Sorrel
• Dandelion
• Bull Thistle
• Curly Dock

#6.Colorado

• Wild Onion
• Stonecrop
• Candytuft
• Bistort
• Yucca buds

#7.Connecticut

• Violets
• Lesser Celandine
• Primrose
• Field Garlic
• Lungwort

#8. Delaware

• Wild Mustards
• Cicely Root
• Bittercress
• Stinging Nettle
• Fiddleheads

#9.Florida

• Sea Grape
• Dewberry
• Purslane
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Dogwood

#10. Georgia

• Eastern Persimmon
• Chinquapin
• White Bergamot
• Pecan
• Maypop

#11. Hawaii

• Kukui
• Breadfruit
• Seagrape
• Chinese Hibiscus
• Noni

#12. Idaho

• Thimbleberries
• Serviceberries
• Camas
• Fireweed Jelly
• Stinging Nettle

#13. Illinois

• Acorn
• Plantains
• Poke
• Morels
• Chantarelles

#14. Indiana

• Kudzu
• Lamb’s Quarters
• Pine
• Prickly Pear
• Cactus

#15. Iowa

• Coltsfoot
• Clovers
• Hazelnuts
• Pecans
• Daylily

#16. Kansas

• Wood Sorrel
• Wild Mustard
• Sheep Sorrel
• Purslane
• Yellow Rocket

#17. Kentucky

• Wild Grape Vine
• Common Mullein
• Prickly Pear Cactus
• Milk Thistle
• Pineapple Weed

#18. Louisiana

• Mallow
• Wild Bee Balm
• Sweet Rocket
• Field Pennycress
• Miner’s Lettuce

#19. Maine

• Common Mallow
• Shepherd’s Purse
• Self-Heal
• Monkey Flower
• Fireweed

#20. Maryland

• Pigweed
• Joe Pye Weed
• Goosetongue
• Lamb’s Quarters
• Watercress

#21. Massachusetts

• Wild Garlic
• Plantain
• Herb Robert
• Hop Clover
• Chickweed

#22. Michigan

• Garlic Mustard
• Cattail
• Coltsfoot
• Clovers
• Hazelnuts

#23. Minnesota

• Pecans
• Daylily
• Fireweed
• Dandelion
• Chickweed

#24. Mississippi

• Curly Dock
• Asparagus
• Chicory
• Wood Sorrel
• Bull Thistle

#25. Missouri

• Alfalfa
• Broadleaf Plantain
• Creeping Charlie
• Forget Me Not
• Garlic Mustard

#26. Montana

• Wild Black Cherry
• Harebell
• Elderberry
• Field Pennycress
• Coneflower

#27. Nebraska

• Kudzu
• Meadowsweet
• Mallow
• Peppergrass
• Pineapple Weed

#28. Nevada

• Pickerelweed
• Mullein
• Red Clover
• Partridgeberry
• Sheep Sorrel

#29. New Hampshire

• Shepherd’s Purse
• Sunflower
• Spring Beauty
• Tea Plant
• Toothwort

#30. New Jersey

• Teasel
• Wild Grape Vine
• Wild Bee Balm
• Vervain Mallow
• Prickly Pear Cactus

#31. New Mexico

• Herb Robert
• Mayapple
• Joe Pye Weed
• Knapweed
• Wild Leek

#32. New York

• Cleavers
• Cattail
• Blue Vervain
• Common Yarrow
• Common Sow Thistle

#33. North Carolina

• Coltsfoot
• Fern Leaf Yarrow
• Henbit
• Crimson Clover
• Evening Primrose

#34. North Dakota

• Downy Yellow Violet
• Daisy Fleabane
• Japanese Knotweed
• Milk Thistle
• Lambs Quarters

#35. Ohio

• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Purple Deadnettle
• New England Aster
• Supplejack Vine
• Amaranth

#36. Oklahoma

• American Black Currant
• Anise Hyssop
• Apple Mint
• Bee Balm
• Blackberry

#37. Oregon

• Black Raspberry
• Blueberry Highbush
• Breadseed Poppy
• Broad Leaf Dock
• Burdock

#38. Pennsylvania

• Chickweed
• Comfrey
• Dame’s Rocket
• Dandelion
• Dayflower

#39. Rhode Island

• Day Lily
• Egyptian Onion
• Elderberry
• European Black Currant
• Field Garlic

#40. South Carolina

• Garlic Mustard
• Gill-Over-The-Ground
• Gooseberry
• Hollyhock Mallow
• Jerusalem Artichoke

#41. South Dakota

• Lamb’s Quarter
• Lemon Balm
• Mallow
• Musk Mallow
• Nettle

#42. Tennessee

• Peppermint
• Purple Dead Nettle
• Purslane
• Red Clover
• Red Currant

#43. Texas

• Red Raspberry
• Rose
• Schizandra
• Sheep Sorrel
• Shirley Poppy

#44. Utah

• Star Chickweed
• Sweet Cicely
• Violet
• Wild Bergamot
• Wild Grape

#45. Vermont

• Wild Lettuce
• Wood Sorrel
• Yellow Dock
• Spearmint
• Chicory

#46. Virginia

• Curly Dock
• Daylily
• Elderberry
• Fireweed
• Japanese Knotweed

#47. Washington

• Meadowsweet
• Milkweed
• Mullein
• Queen Anne’s Lace
• Yarrow

#48. West Virginia

• Balsam Fir
• Blue Aster
• Bracken Fern
• Oak (Acorns)
• Pine
• White Birch

#49. Wisconsin

• Wood Sorrel
• Arrowhead/Wapato
• Bullrushes
• Bur-Reed
• Cattail

#50. Wyoming

• False Solomn’s Seal
• Weeping Willow
• Wild Rice
• Amaranth
• Blackberries

https://m.beforeitsnews.com/self-sufficiency/2024/05/the-5-most-common-edible-weeds-in-your-state-2540242.html