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gassorebeca · 4 years

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Why I'm a vegan

Hello, my name is Rebeca and I'm a twenty-two years software developer. I became a vegetarian when I was 12 years old and today I'm here to talk a little about why I am a vegetarian and also the negative effects that the meet industry has to our environment

I'm not here to try to turn you into a vegetarian, in fact I gave up on turning my family and friends into vegetarians a few years ago. I just want to show you some data, my point of view and share with you how my vegetarian diet didn't make me weak.

I'm from the south of Brazil, the south of Brazil is historically known for loving barbecue and people here also love hunting, fishing and camping. And it is no different with my family. Most of them have to eat meat every day and on Sundays it is barbecue day with the whole family, before the coronavirus, of course

When I was a kid I used to fish and camp a lot. I lived with my grandparents in a countryside town that only had rice fields, my grandparents used to raise some chickens and also like to go to rodeios and my cousins and I used to compete to see who found more green snakes.

I'm telling you all these useless facts of my life, because the way I was raised was what helped me to find the first reason for me to be a vegetarian. I saw animals being killed and even helped in the process and it affected the way I saw food and I started to feel bad about eating animals

My first reason for being vegetarian is totally sentimental. I think we all know about the living and suffering conditions that animals go through so I added this to the fact that i really love animals.

When I became a vegetarian I didn't use to care about protein, even though I was always very healthy, my blood tests were always at normal levels, even protein levels. I never broke any bones, I never had chicken pox, I don't even remember the last time I got sick. It's like I was born to be a vegetarian.

I always liked all kinds of fruits and vegetables, which helped me a lot. Even though I did not intentionally replace animal protein, I always ate without realising foods that had protein, such as beans, lentils, broccoli, peppers and tomatoes.

This year I completed 10 years being a vegetarian and using an app I found out that I helped to save four thousand six hundred animals.

During these years I have had more access to information and from now on I will share with you a little about my second reason to be vegetarian.

Animal agriculture represents one of the most impactful human activities for the environment, consuming large amounts of water, grains, fossil fuels, pesticides and drugs. 90% of deforestation in Rainforests is due to animal agriculture activities

Fire is used in agricultural activities to clear the land; in the case of livestock, to make room for cattle. According to research, for every 10 hectares of the Amazon, six become pasture, three are abandoned and one becomes agriculture.

This gif shows us the evolution of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest over the years, in yellow is land for cattle and pink is land for agriculture.

The water footprint is an indicator that accounts for both domestic water use and water required to produce industrial and agricultural products and the carbon footprint is defined as the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organisation, or product

According to the Water FootPrint org the water footprint related to animal feed takes the largest share with 99 percent of the total, while drinking and service water contribute just 1 percent to the total water footprint.

Animal agriculture is also the 2 leader responsible for climate changes and carbon footprint. Because of the way agriculture animals are treated they are so sick that the only thing keeping them alive are megadoses of antibiotics, and because of that 75% of antibiotics resistance growth is result of animal agriculture.

A recent UN biodiversity report states that overfishing is a major threat to the world's oceans. More than plastic or acidification. Overfishing is not only killing fish, it is also killing sharks, turtles, albatrosses, dolphins and much of the rest of the marine life.

Pollution and overfishing are currently the two main causes of marine life destruction. In 2006, a marine researcher Boris Worm, published a report that says If humans keep fishing at the current pace, there will be no more fish left in the oceans by 2048. The ocean is the main source of income and food for thousands of people, that would be directly affected and everyone would be indirectly affected.

In short my second reason is about the impact of the meet production to our environment I do not think it is wrong to eat meat, unfortunately it is a natural thing but the meat industry and the excessive consumption takes the naturalness out of the process.

This text was written in Pecha Kucha format.

#vegan #vegancommunity #enviormentalism #enviornment

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woppy42 · 5 years

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Some less often asked questions (part 1 of 2)

This is supposed to be a “send a number” thing but these are actually interesting questions so HECK IT

1: Would you prefer a large home or a small home?

Time to get way too specific: 2-4 bedrooms, 1.5-2 bathrooms, nice kitchen and living room -oh, and a small fireplace would be nice.

2: If you could convert a decommissioned missile silo / underground bunker into a home, would you?

As cool as that is, I need windows/natural lighting in my life

3: If you had the money to buy a private island and build a custom castle on it, would you?

oh heck yes

4: Have you ever attempted to start a micronation?

...no

5: Would you ever wanna start a micronation?

i-dont-know-what-that-is-and-at-this-point-im-too-afraid-to-ask.jpg

6: Do you like to dress fancy?

*stares at jeans and star wars hoodie*..... oh. yeah. totally like doing.... that.

7: Have you ever considered running for office? Either on a national or subnational level.

Absolutely not

8: Do you have any famous family members? What are they famous for?

Nah. My grandma was a professional violinist, but not exactly famous

9: Favourite James Bond film?

Goldeneye, but the aired on TV version that edited out James Bond being ... James Bond-y

10: Where’s the most “exotic” place you’ve been to?

I haven’t been to any exotic places, but the farthest from home I’ve been is Amsterdam.

11: Have you ever voted in a national election? What about local?

Yes

12: What do you identify as, politically speaking?

Tired

13: Would you move to another country if you fell in love with someone from that country? What about state (or other national subdivision)?

If I somehow miraculously found someone to marry, I would not quibble over state or national lines :p

14: Do you wear hats often?

Not in the slightest

15: Would you ever enlist in your nation’s armed forces?

As a kid I thought about joining the Air Force as a side effect of watching too much Stargate

16: Would you ever consider mercenary work?

17: When you go to a sandwich shop (such as Subway), what do you normally get on your sandwich?

Too much lettuce, tomatoes, and an excessive amount of black olives.

18: What would perfect date be for you?

It would depend on how well we know each other, I guess.

19: What do you like in your coffee?

Cream and sugar

20: Have you ever been to a formal party, other than prom, a wedding, or homecoming?

Nope, and I don’t have any desire to go to one

21: Of the many obscure languages of the world, which would you most like to learn?

Maybe Latin since other languages are based on it

22: How many children do you wish to have?

I don’t even know if I’m getting married... two or three? this is too abstract of a concept for a person who has never even been on a date. >_> How about I just tell you how many dogs I want (two)

23: Have you ever been arrested? If so, what for?

Nope

24: What is a show you love that not many people would know you love?

She-Ra (2018) until @the-majestic-cheese-turtle came to me speaking words of wisdom... “Like what you want, who cares.” And now I'm insufferable about it

25: Have you ever jumped out of a window?

No, but I am now consumed with the desperate desire to do so

part 2

#ask games #except not really #because I just did All of Them and no one asked me to xD

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elsiesmith672 · 4 years

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5 Ways to WOW with Sustainable Packaging

How To Keep Your Designs Insta-Friendly and Earth-Approved

Upon learning that I am a packaging designer, a kind person once said, “Oh, so you design garbage.” #Ouch. Harsh words for sure—but this comment brings up a very valid point that we all need to consider when we’re creating packaging: The real end user is the earth.

THE NEW NORMAL

As the health and wellness movement grows, people get more conscious about the ingredients in their products. They care more about the environmental and social impact of producing, packaging and distributing these products. Today’s consumer demands transparency, and her choices are completely reshaping the CPG industry.

Sustainable packaging isn’t just for the crunchy brands at Whole Foods anymore. The once-niche trend of “going green” has hit the mainstream—and companies simply can’t afford to ignore the new higher standards. Luxury, lifestyle and mass brands are all jumping on the solar-powered bandwagon.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Starting now, it is the responsibility of branding and design agencies to present sustainable options.

Many of our clients are in the beauty space—meaning they want their packages to be sparkly, shiny and flashy. And generally, the processes used to add the glam are anything but sustainable. We need solutions that give the customer the awesome, instagram-able unboxing experience without the heavy cost on the planet.

Here are 5 trending ways that brands are effectively (and not so effectively) moving towards a more sustainable packaging and production approach.

TREND 1: LESS IS MORE

The single most effective way to eliminate waste is by not creating it in the first place. In our CPG world, this means being creative about ways to use less material, while still fulfilling the fundamental purposes of packaging: 1) to protect the product and 2) to convey information about the product.

One great example of this approach is the box for Allbirds shoes. The box functions as a traditional shoe box to transport the shoes from store to home—and doubles as a shipper box for online orders. With most online shoe purchases, you’d receive your shoes inside of a shoe box that’s inside of a shipper box. Seems like overkill, especially for a product as durable as sneakers.

Several grocery stores are taking this concept to the extreme. A Berlin-based grocery store called Unpacked aims to have zero packaging in the store. All items are presented loose or in bulk. And customers are expected to bring their own vessels or rent ones from the grocery store to transport the items home. I really love this idea—even though it threatens my job security.

You can’t always blame the packaging designers for excess packaging. For online retail, one of the biggest ways to cut down on waste is to streamline shipping process and materials. I love when I’m shopping online for multiple items, and I get the option during checkout to wait a little longer for one box rather than speedier, separate shipments. We’ve all had the frustrating experience of ordering a vegetable peeler—and receiving a giant box full of paper wads and bubble wrap, with the tiny little little product tucked in one corner (ahem, Amazon Prime).

TREND 2: DESIGNING THE BEST GARBAGE

Once you’ve minimized the amount of packaging, the next step is to select materials that won’t end up in a landfill for hundreds of years. Recyclable is great; biodegradable is even better. I’m very much into paper pulp boxes because they look cool, and they’re just begging to be composted.

Pangea Organics takes it to the next level by embedding seeds into their pulp clamshells, so consumers can compost and be rewarded with a little patch of basil.

Saltwater Brewery knew that plastic six-pack rings often end up as ocean pollution and can harm sea creatures. The company developed a biodegradable (and edible!) six pack holder made from the leftover barley and hops in the beer-making process. It breaks down and can actually provide a snack for our undersea fish and turtle friends.

TREND 3: ONE MAN’S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN’S LUXE RUM BOTTLE

Upcycling is all about finding ways to make something useful out of a material that would otherwise be waste. One recent example that was particularly beautiful is this rum bottle by Fitzroy—with a cap made of melted down Coca-Cola labels (aptly named ‘From Waste to Wasted’). Truly impressive that they were able to turn those yucky old labels into such an artful looking cap.

Method, an early bearer of the eco-friendly torch, launched a collection of soaps packaged in bottles made from collected ocean pollution.

TREND 4: INNOVATIVE MATERIAL CHOICES

How the packaging can be disposed of is important. But it’s equally important to look at the entire supply chain, starting with where and how raw materials are sourced and the ways in which they are processed.

In order to meet these standards, companies are looking to new types of materials and processes that haven’t been used before in packaging.

Biossance is a biotech-backed skincare company that used sugarcane to recreate the body’s natural moisture molecule. Sugarcane is particularly sustainable because it doesn’t require irrigation or harvesting. Inspired by the eco-friendly nature of sugarcane in their formulas, we used sugarcane paper stock for the brand’s outer boxes. The tree-free stock is printed with vegetable inks. It can be safely composted. And it’s pretty.

Another fascinating example is the recent trend towards mushroom fiber. It’s compostable, durable and sustainable to produce. We’ve been seeing it pop up in packaging, shipping material and even furniture.

I had to include this super cool futuristic water sphere made with an edible, algae-based exterior membrane. There are some immediate questions that come to mind about the feasibility of this product in real life, like “how could this be displayed in a store?” and “how do you protect against contamination without a layer of packaging holding the sphere?” But I’m going to put those questions aside for the time being, because it’s so fantastic looking and I want to eat (drink?) one right now. It may not be able to totally replace water bottles, but even replacing some water bottles at events would be a huge win.

TREND 5: REUSE, REFILL OR SHARE?

Packaging a product in a reusable vessel isn’t good enough anymore. Packaging design puts the burden on the consumer to find a way to reuse it, and maybe she doesn’t want another cosmetics bag or shopping tote. Especially when they’re made out of non-earth-friendly materials. Smells like landfill to me.

In theory, refill and return programs sound like a good option, but very few people actually utilize them. I love how these refillable makeup compacts from Kjaer Weis look. While no one uses an entire eyeshadow—new season means swap for a new color.

Burt’s Bees Recycle On Us program offers free pre-paid mailing labels to ship back empty lip product containers. But again, many people won’t take the extra time to do this. It puts too much of the burden on consumers.

A great example of reusable packaging is Rent the Runway’s garment bag shippers. They use the heavy fabric bags over and over again, and the only the label has to be reprinted. They are also cutting down on waste in the fashion industry by giving consumers the opportunity to borrow instead of buy. We’re all about it.

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closethead9-blog · 5 years

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How to Eat Fish Sustainably: Advice from a Marine Scientist

Sustainable eating is a really interesting and important topic. Fish have so many nutritional benefits, but I find that trying to make sustainable choices about which fish to choose can be a minefield, and advice about this is often vague. So I am delighted with this informative guest blog post by Joakim Nilsson which explains the current situation about sustainable fish consumption, including some practical tips about how to achieve this.

Joakim is a Marine Scientist from Sweden, he also grew up by the sea and is currently working as a commercial diver with the Swedish navy. Joakim is passionate about raising awareness about how to make more sustainable choices when we are buying fish in shops and restaurants. I hope you enjoy this fantastic post as much as I did! 🐟

______________________________________________________________

There are many good reasons to eat fish, including nutritional benefits, cultural reasons, religious reasons, and of course many people enjoy the taste! But fish consumption can be a sensitive topic because of economic reasons, and the variety of viewpoints associated with it.

This post provides an objective overview about how to eat fish sustainably.

Fishing has been the primary food source for humans for over 10,000 years. The sea was previously thought to be an unlimited food source, so the concept of ‘overfishing’ only emerged in recent human history.

The graph below from the FDA shows how quickly the fishing industry is growing. 70 years ago the total amount of fish caught in the world was only a quarter of what it is today.

Unfortunately, the dream of having unlimited fish in our seas is over.

It was identified in 2012 that 87% of fish stocks worldwide were either fully exploited or overexploited.

Graph source: figure one from the FAO ‘The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012

Different factors contribute to overfishing, such as: using more effective fishing tools and bigger boats; larger demands from an ever increasing population; as well as environmental changes and modifications.

Overfishing can lead to: species becoming extinct, collapsing populations of fish, devastated sea floors and damaged ecosystems.

Examples include: the collapsed salmon population in Canada; and the fact that the fishing boats in countries like Japan, India and China must travel further and further offshore in order to find fish.

Fish have also become smaller in size in recent years; this is related to overfishing and because fishing nets only allow small fish to pass through. Listening to old fishermen’s tales gives us an idea of the numerous shoals of fish and their size, even if these stories may be slightly subjective!

Back in the 60s it was common to catch tuna by the coast of Sweden, but today they are so rare that just a sighting of tuna must be reported to the government.

When speaking about fishery in science we use the phrase ‘shifting baseline’ which means that what we consider to be normal today might not have been normal in the past (i.e. the baseline has changed). Traditionally fish were bigger, more plentiful and easier to catch; but unfortunately this situation has changed.

Although it can be difficult to ignore fishing traditions, it is crucial to consider the wider environmental impact of overfishing.

Figure source: WWF Fish Forward Website (accessed 27/04/18)

Today’s leading fish farming countries are Chile, Norway and China.

Fish farming is smart, as it can help to save natural populations of fish.

However, farmed fish live shorter lives, grow more quickly, and behave differently compared to natural populations. This type of farming also poses many ethical and practical questions, such as the widespread use of antibiotics in fish food preparation. This antibiotic use is a precautionary measure in order to prevent diseases that may occur in crowded environments. But these antibiotics can be leaked into the sea which can cause problems, such as the spread of multi-resistant bacteria, eutrophication and much more.

There are of course many ways to farm fish and it is hard to separate all of the environmentally friendly and non-environmentally friendly methods.

*Please note the linked videos show some graphic images of fishing practices. Also be aware that these may not be entirely objective.

Tuna: Tuna is a top predator which has an important role in the environment (for more information about the importance of top predators see this video*). In recent years tuna has become endangered all over the planet. However there are several species of tuna which are more sustainable to choose as they are under less threat, such as Albacore tuna. Check out the apps mentioned below for updates about more sustainable choices.

Shark: These are also top predators and only shark fins are consumed, as rest of the meat is unusable. Fins are usually removed while the shark is still alive, so this is very cruel and wasteful. You can watch this video* for more information.

King prawn/Tiger shrimp/Gambas/Scampi: This is a complicated topic, but tropical giant shrimps and prawns which are farmed in Asia are very bad for the environment (see this video* for more information). Prawn, shrimps and gambas are different names for the same fish (some claim it to be a matter of size). Small shrimp which is locally fished around the Atlantic and north sea is usually fine but it is best to avoid the big shrimp. Scampi such as Norwegian lobster and Dublin Bay prawns are not as bad if fished sustainably with the right fishing tools. If you like shellfish it is best to eat smaller species which are caught close to your country; Pandalus Borealis is one of the species usually caught in the North Sea and the Atlantic.

Eel: We still can’t find where they reproduce but what we do know is that all eels come from somewhere around the Sargasso sea, they reproduce slowly and travel far. It is difficult to understand this species, so we don’t currently know how big the human impact on them is. What we do know is that we are seeing fewer eel in our waters.

Whale: Large animals tend to have a large impact on earth and these giants have been hunted for years. They are mammals like us, they live long lives and have slow reproduction. Smaller species such as Dolphins might be sold as shark fin soup, while bigger species have been hunted for all kinds of reasons i.e. oil, food, sport etc. Whaling is illegal in many countries, but still occurs in many regions. This video* shows the tradition of Whaling in the Faroe islands off Denmark.

Turtles: These are facing problems worldwide with reduced reproduction levels. There are several ongoing projects to save populations of turtles.

Try to avoid eating endangered species (as discussed above)

There are useful posters and apps such as World Wildlife Federation’s Seafood Fish Guide, Seafood Watch and the Marine Conservation Society Fish Guide (in the UK) which provide updated information about fishing practices and more sustainable fish choices

When reading labels look at the location of capture – this also tells you whether it has been farmed or not

Look out for these signs on your fish packaging or ask the chef in a restaurant:

The Marine Stewardship Council is an organisation that fight for sustainable fishing. If your fish is marked with this it’s a small step in the right direction towards sustainable fishing.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council fight for environmental friendly ways to farm seafood. If a product has the ASC logo on the label it certifies that environmentally and socially responsible methods of aquaculture have been used.

My best advice is to be aware, open your eyes and invest a little time and energy into knowing what food you eat, where it comes from and how it’s fished. Teachers and friends who are environmentally conscious and whom I have met during my years in university eat fish without hesitation. It’s all about choosing the right type of fish to limit damage to the environment and being aware of unsustainable practices.

Species which are not under threat of extinction and are fished in a safe, environmentally friendly manner can be brought to your table without causing too much harm to nature.

Source: https://dieteticallyspeaking.com/how-to-eat-fish-sustainably-advice-from-a-marine-scientist/

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krnaturalphoto · 7 years

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Finger Lakes Trail Run/Hike

In life we often have these things that we would like to do. They float around in our minds and we think of them often. They are things we think we would enjoy but they require some level of planning and commitment to actually do them. They are things that we think we will enjoy and genuinely want to do for our own enjoyment. But often we never get there. These things never get realized. They just remain free-floating aspirations in our minds. There just never seems to be a right time to do it.

One of the biggest challenges in life is realizing there is never a right time to do anything. We just have to go out into the world and make things happen. If we wait for the right time we will never do anything.

For several years now one thing that I have wanted to do was go on a long point to point hike over the course of an entire days worth of daylight hours and see how far I could get. I love hiking. I go hiking frequently. I have gone on some fairly long and challenging hikes up the mountains of the Adirondacks. But all of these have been relatively short round trip day hikes in comparison to what I really wanted to do.

There really has been no reason for me not to do this. There is a great trail right nearby. The Finger Lakes Trail, which traverses NY from east to west, runs right through the area where I live. But I have never really even been on it. As I my interest in really doing this has grown I even bought maps of the Finger Lakes Trail so I could plan. But still nothing happened. No hiking the Finger Lakes Trail ensued.

Recently I decided there had been enough sitting around and thinking about this great hiking opportunity that was so near at hand but still seemed so unreachable. I decided that I was going to do it. With the addition of trail running to my skill set I decided that undertaking this hike made even more sense and I decided to make it more challenging by starting farther out than I would if I was just going to hike the whole way.

I was taking some vacation time and I was setting aside one day just to hike. I asked for advice from others that I knew who had some experience hiking the trail. I gathered the necessary equipment and made the needed plans. I was nervous and excited because I had never done anything like this, but I was committed to doing it.

The plan was to leave my car outside Robert Treman State Park where Enfield Creek leaves the park and to be dropped off to start my hike in the Finger Lakes National Forest near Burdet, and that is what I did. I packed my Nathan hydration pack full of food, water, maps, GPS, compass, and a few other basics and I was off.

The beginning of the trail in the Finger Lakes National Forest was an incline in the begining, So I started out with just a fast hike to get warmed up. But the trail quickly became more runable. So, I ran. I decided at the outset that given the distance I was planning to cover and the fact that I had never run nor hiked that far in my entire life I was going to take it relatively easy and not push myself up hills or push the pace too much on flat lands. The goal was to make it to the end not to have a fast pace. So even if I was running at the time and I came to a hill and I felt good I hiked up it instead of running to conserve energy for the long haul.

When I first started thinking about doing this I had no idea what the terrain would look like or feel like to my legs. I was expecting a lot of hills and elevation changes that would require me to walk or even stop all together and rest. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how runable much of the trail was. So that led to the next challenge for me. When you are a trail runner and also a photographer you are of two minds. You want to run and get in a good flow and keep moving when you feel good. You don’t want to stop unless you need a rest. But as a photographer I kept seeing things that my photographer mind would say to me stop and take a photo of that. There was obviously great scenery everywhere. I saw several little orange newts, a small turtle along a roadside, a 12 week old sharpie puppy and innumerable other photographic opportunities. But as you don’t see it in this post, I did not photograph it. I included every photo I took in this post. I am amazed at how low a number I kept it to.

This being my first time doing anything like this I learned a lot. And as we all know we learn the most from our mistakes, of which I made a few. Mistake number one, over packing. I had no idea how long this would really take me. I had an idea of what I thought I could complete it in but I didn’t have any real experience to base that on, so I wanted to be prepared and pack things I could need. This over packing mostly came in the form of food. I had way more food than I needed. I only ate two Cliff Bars and a small amount of trail mix the entire way. That brings me to mistake number two. The food. I love Clif Bars. They are great food for before or after working out or hiking or any kind of adventuring. They are not great for eating while on the move especially when you have been running and breathing hard and your mouth is dry. Trying to eat a Clif Bar under those conditions was like trying to swallow glue. Each bite required a sip of water to wash it down. This was also true of the trail mix. And this in part lead to mistake number three, not enough water. I thought it would be likely I would run out during the trip, but I also thought that I had enough to consume that I would not be in danger of dehydration. My Nathan pack holds 2 liters and I had that completely filled. I also was pretty sure I would be able to refill water somewhere along the way and I was at Robert Treman State Park. However, I ran out of water much sooner than I thought I would around mile 18 or 19 and due to that I decided that it wasn’t a good idea to keep running and just decided to hike the rest of the way, which made the trip last a lot longer than I expected. Mistake number 4 was foot care. My feet took a beating, as is expected on a long trip like that, but I think part of it was self-inflicted. While I was running I accumulated a significant ammount of gravel in my shoes rolling around under the balls of my feet and toes. Eventually after I couldn’t stand it anymore I decided to empty the gravel out of my shoes, also around mile 18 or 19. It was at this point after emptying the gravel out I realized I had another foot related issue, blisters. The balls of my feet felt pretty swollen and painful. I was pretty sure my feet were getting blisters, my right foot worse than my left. I didn’t stop to confirm this until I got home, what good would that have done. I just pushed on. I am not sure if the gravel caused the blisters or my shoes just weren’t fitting right. I hadn’t gotten blisters previously in these shoes but this was by far the most miles I had worn them for at one time. So, I will have to figure out a solution for preventing blisters on my next trip. The blister problem slowed me down considerably each step became increasingly painful, but I was determined to get to the end of this trip. The blisters really sucked a lot of the joy out of this adventure. It became more of a battle of will than a thing to enjoy. I just had to force myself to keep moving. I kept thinking I was close to the end but it seemed like it kept getting further and further away. I was so happy when I finally saw a sign for state park lands, because that meant I was entering Robert Treman State Park and I really knew where I was and knew the end was in sight. These mistakes cost me a significant ammount of time. I am pretty sure I would have been done much faster if I had not made these mistakes. But you live and you learn.

I am not normally much of a selfie taker, I always feel uncomfortable with it and I feel like that often shows up int he photos and as a photographer I hate that. But as this was my first trip of this kind I decided it was a good idea to take some photos along the way and text them to my wife and post them to Facebook so people would know I was OK. My wife is supportive of all my adventures but she does worry, as I am sure all wives do, and she always tells me to be careful and not get hurt and I always tell her I will. But I wanted her to be as at ease as possible so I tried to stay in touch to some degree. It was also a nice break

The elevation changes were really not too bad. A little over 4,000 feet, which in total sounds like a lot but spread out over 31 miles is really pretty manageable. I am planning to run a 25k trail race that will feature 4,000 ft of elevation in just 16 miles. That will be a real challenge. But I will say no matter how relatively little elevation change there is once you are at mile 20+ and have blisters on your feet you groan everytime you see a hill.

I was really happy with my paces through mile 18 when the blisters and lack of water became an issue.

The first half of this trip was great fun. The second half was a huge physical and mental challenge to overcome. At the end I wasn’t truly enjoying myself anymore, but I was pushing myself across the finish. It was one of those things that you are not enjoying in the moment but you know when you are done you will feel completely satisfied and happy that you did it. And that is exactly what it felt like. I was so happy that I decided to do it and that I finished my trip despite the challenges along the way. I definitely want to do something like this again. Probably not soon, but definitely again.

from Finger Lakes Trail Run/Hike

#Finger Lakes Trail Run/Hike

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krnaturalphoto · 7 years

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I was really happy with my paces through mile 18 when the blisters and lack of water became an issue.

Finger Lakes Trail Run/Hike In life we often have these things that we would like to do. They float around in our minds and we think of them often.

#Finger Lakes #Finger Lakes Trail #FLT #Health #Hike #Hiking #Nature #New York #NY #Photography #Trail Running #Trails

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