THE ENCHANTED NATURE NEWSLETTER
THE ENCHANTED NATURE NEWSLETTER
Issue 5
March 2021
Greetings fellow nature lovers
Welcome To The Enchanted Nature Newsletter
SPRING IS HERE!!!
SPRING IS HERE!!!
We suspect that you are as excited as we are!
Once a year, we are privileged to witness the awe-inspiring presentation that
Nature is beginning to perform!
In this issue, we offer some adventure safety tips, post some photos from our readers, and have a new video for your enjoyment.
We have changed up our layout.
You, our readers, are beginning to share some photos and ask questions. This newsletter is about YOU, so we decided to open with your photos and questions. Please continue sending us your pics and queries: adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
You can also text your pics & questions to (540) 324-8778.
From Our Readers
One of our readers from Virginia submitted this photo and asked if we could identify these fungi:
These beautiful little bits of nature are Scarlet Cup Mushrooms (Sarcoscypha coccinea). Another common name for this fungi is "Elf Cups".
Signs of Spring: One of our readers from New England shared these pics of gorgeous Crocuses.
From the writers: We saw our first true wildflower blooms recently. These are Bloodroot (Sanuinaria Canadensis). They are a perennial woodland wildflower. As you can see in the second picture, an Eastern Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) decided to get comfortable and enjoy the beauty. There is a creek running just outside of the picture too. What a great place to coil up and take a break!
Thank you for sharing your photos!
Please share your photos and questions with us: adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
Respect The Unexpected
by Christopher Vacher
"You are looking at the person responsible for your safety (sticker on a bathroom mirror)", "Safety Is No Accident", "No Safety, Know Pain", and an abundance of other safety slogans exist. There is a reason that good business owners, government agencies, and respected leaders can be nitpickers about following safety protocols. Many illnesses, injuries, and deaths are PREVENTABLE. At Enchanted Nature Tours inc., safety is a top priority!
Whether it's spring breakers flouting safety regulations...
...or people literally dying to capture a selfie,
people can make bad decisions. Not all injuries, deaths, or unpleasant incidents are caused by obtuse behavior. Some are caused by a lack of knowledge, a lack of planning, or a combination of both.
Every month, I personally read stories about search and rescue operations including helicopters with thermal imaging cameras, heroic rescuers rapelling into canyons, and search teams risking their lives to rescue lost/injured hikers. With a little bit of planning, many of these situations could have been avoided. Getting lost or getting hurt can happen to anyone. Preparing for things to go wrong and doing everything possible to prevent problems is the best approach.
Now that the weather is beginning to warm,
we want to offer you a few safety guidelines before you head out for your next big adventure:
- TELL SOMEONE TRUSTWORTHY WHERE YOU'RE GOING, WHEN YOU'RE GOING, AND WHEN YOU EXPECT TO RETURN.
- LOOK AT A MAP BEFORE YOU GO. THIS MEANS YOU. DON'T COUNT ON YOUR "FRIEND" TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
- BRING A COMPASS AND A MAP...
Why you're looking at a map:
Let's say that you are hiking south on Chimney Hollow Trail.
If you end up lost, you will know that if you hike north, you will eventually "come out of the woods" to Route 250. If you hike west, you will eventually come out to route 629. This is where a compass can be decidedly handy.
Map Source- Alltrails.com
- CHECK THE WEATHER THE MORNING OF YOUR HIKE. CANCEL IT IF THE WEATHER LOOKS DANGEROUS.
- TAKE SOME WARM CLOTHES, EVEN IF IT'S SUMMER! A WINTER HAT IS A MUST HAVE AT ALL TIMES...just in case. WHAT CLOTHES YOU PACK AND WHAT YOU WEAR ARE BOTH IMPORTANT!
- TAKE SOME FIRST AID SUPPLIES AND FIRST AID KNOWLEDGE TOO. EVEN IF YOU DON'T NEED THEM, YOU MIGHT MEET SOMEONE ON THE TRAIL THAT DOES
- DO WEAR INSECT REPELLENT! DON'T WEAR COLOGNE/PERFUME. Tics are like little septic tanks on legs. Insects spread all kinds of illnesses and an ounce of prevention (insect repellent) is worth a pound in gold. We recommend products with Picaridin as the active ingredient.
- TAKE MORE FOOD AND WATER THAN YOU EXPECT YOU'LL NEED
- TAKE A SMALL FLASHLIGHT OR A HEADLAMP
- TAKE A LIGHTER OR SOME OTHER DEVICE THAT CAN START A FIRE
- DON'T TAKE UNNECESSARY RISKS
In Wilderness First Aid, we learned the rule of thumb, "one hour of rescue time for every quarter of a mile that the patient is away from the trailhead." A two mile hike could turn into an eight hour rescue. Be prepared and be safe.
We hope that you stay safe and enjoy your next adventure. Be sure to take some pics and please share them with us at adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
*Enchanted Nature News*
Give the gift of nature! We now offer gift certificates. They can be customized and emailed for any occasion. The gift certificates are available at our Trading Post
We have added a new web page called, "Our Local Friends". These are small local businesses that we support and feel confident recommending. Keep an eye on the page, as we expect the list to grow.
Spring is here!!! Time to start thinking about planting. Plant a flower, plant a tree, or plant a whole area for pollinators. Whether it's in the ground or in a pot, just plant something after your frost date
If you have any gardening/horticulture questions or comments, feel free to send them to adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
We are booking tours now. The weather is warming. Wildflowers are beginning. Don't miss the magic. Sign up to spend a day with us being enchanted by nature.
Take A Hike!
is this month's video theme
As wild mushroom season nears, I took a hike to scout some new areas. I decided to strap a GoPro camera on my head and bring you all along for the adventure. Normally, I mute the audio and put music in the background. In this video, you can hear the wind, water rushing, me breathing, my boots, and my trekking poles. What don't you hear? Traffic, airplanes, sirens, nor any other urban noise to distract. At the end, I climb an extremely steep grade and all I could think is that people pay money to get on a stair climbing machine and never get the rewarding view after the workout...The hike was about two hours and you are seeing about four and a half minutes...ENJOY
NATURE IS CALLING, WILL YOU ANSWER
There are many proven health benefits to spending time in nature. It has also been proven that just looking at images of nature can provide multiple health benefits including: reducing depression, speeding healing, improving your immune system, preventing dementia, improving your mood, and increasing happiness. We plan on ending each newsletter with a short video of a natural scene. Hopefully the videos will provide you with some of the benefits listed above.
If you don't see the video, link to the it here: https://vimeo.com/user119555758
Stay safe and enjoy nature
If you haven't taken the time to explore our website, please do.
There are a lot of free educational resources to enjoy
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