Future directions
As well as being just cute, the above image provokes thoughts on many levels.
After the isolation of the Covid situation passes and as the grip of climate change becomes tighter what lies ahead?
The time horizon when things might return to "normal" is definitely quite a long way away.
How that future will be handled by the currently active generations as well as handed across to those who right now are just wide eyed girls and boys wondering about the marvels of life will be a stark new chapter in human history.
This sunrise scene came to us from Bernadette.
Dr Sophie Wallace interview on the Emergency Docs Podcast.
Dr Sophie Wallace, an Emergency Medicine Doctor who also does expedition medicine was recently interviewed on the Emergency Docs podcast.
She talks about her medical journey and expands on her experiences as an Emergency Medical Doctor at Everest Base Camp.
If you'd like to hear more about Dr Sophie and Emergency Medicine, here's a link which should get you there. The link should take you to the Spotify podcast site. You are looking for Episode 14.
One of the the Emergency Docs podcast presenters is Dr Alaina Rajagopal. We marvel at these two adventurous women who both happen to be ArmaSkin Ambassadors. Below is a pic of Dr Alaina on the business end of the Covid crisis in California.
Britt's on the Heysen Trail for Di
When Di, a close friend of Brittany's was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, Britt decided to start some fundraising for Di to have a trip to Disneyland.
With chemotherapy as well as Covid affecting travel plans the dream is certainly challenging but it hasn't stopped Brittany from keeping positive. Britt is currently on the Heysen Trail trudging the 1200km for her best friend.
The Heysen Trail is in South Australia, luckily not in a state of lockdown! The trails goes from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge through what is generally Kaurna Country.
The ArmaSkin News lead picture was taken by Britt as she left Yanyana. And the picture below is from Bridal Gap.
If you'd like to support Brittany and Di here's a link.
Brittany of course is wearing ArmaSkin to keep her feet in good shape on the challenging 1200km hike.
Bibbulmun Track
It is good to see hiking activity return, albeit taking care not to discount the need for stringent isolation measures in crowded areas.
Life in Western Australia is slowly returning to some degree of normality.
The Bibbulmun Track, a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia which runs over 1000km from Kalamunda in the east of Perth to Albany is once again seeing hikers return.
The Spring walking season is especially popular wildflowers abounding. August and September sees the arrival of Djiba, the Nyoongar season of conception — a time to look for yellow and cream flowers starting to bloom on mass. As the season progresses and the temperatures continue to rise, the flower stalks of the Balgas (Grass Trees) will emerge in preparation for the coming Kambarang season.
Getting out in 2020
After a good 6 months of being forced off the trails, it is great to see that Amy is once again out and about.
Here's a picture (above) from Amy who was recently in Paradise Park in Portland Oregon. This area is known for the brilliant wildflower displays as highlighted here.
Masking Commonsense
Having seen a sudden rise in Covid cases from under 10 a day in a matter of weeks to 700 a day, the Victorian Government took some extreme measures including the compulsory wearing of masks.
Mask wearing in concert with severe social distancing requirements has seen the case load enter a down trend with less than 150 cases per day recorded over recent days.
As mentioned in previous blogs about masks, there are many factors at play for effective use of masks. Here are some tips for mask wearers as well as some considerations for policy makers. The latter is offered as the human spirit being what it is we can accept common sense fairly well while if we are exposed to restrictions that lack good reason the propensity to dodge the rules will only increase.
1. Consider the mask a double win: it is protecting you as well as your community.
2. You can still smile and wave while wearing a mask. Smiling eyes are a scientifically proven element of an authentic smile.
3. While the effectiveness of a generic mask can be around 60%, that performance level can be dramatically reduced if there is not a relatively tight fit of the mask across the cheeks and over the nose. Many masks have an embedded wire to help mould the mask to the face line.
4. Sadly we are already seeing single use masks as litter on pathways and trails. Using a reusable mask is a much better option. Most can be simply hand washed in hot soapy water at the end of the day and be ready for wear the next day. And it doesn't need many days of use to be saving money versus single use alternatives.
And now some thought starters for policy makers:
To pick up the virus the top avenues are:
+ By handling an object or surface that someone may have exhaled droplets onto. And don't forget that those droplets may have landed on your hands too. (regular hand sanitising is the solution to that)
+ By breathing in air that others have populated with viral load. This can be from from frontal attack when people close to you might be speaking/coughing etc. or at a distance where the virus might be floating in aerosol form over many metres and for many minutes. Such is significantly more likely in closed spaces where there is no natural ventilation.
Regulators can highlight common sense by:
+ Making it clear that if you are travelling alone in a car that mask wearing would still be of value if it was your intention to pick up a passenger or you are delivering goods to someone else.
+ Giving flexibility to people who are out exercising, such as walking the dog, training etc who may not be needing to wear a mask as the aerosols would very likely be dispersed quite quickly by natural air movement.
+ Encouraging outdoor activities which as well as providing physical fitness benefits are also proven to provide mental health benefits. The current (Victorian) limit of 1 hour duration and 5km travel from home limits the opportunities and time that people could be benefiting from exercise.
More details on ArmaSkin masks can be found on www.armaskin.com
ArmaSkin Toe Socks NEW RELEASE.
The Short Black ArmaSkin Toe Socks are now available in Small, Medium and Large sizes. These can only be ordered from www.armaskin.com
We are very keen to get more feedback on the toe socks plus pictures of them in action.
Please send in photos and if featured in an ArmaSkin News you'll be in line to receive an ArmaSkin product prize.
The clue to putting the new ArmaSkin on is to have them 2/3 inside out, put the big toe in with the other toes through the slit. Roll the sock on and them starting from the small toe insert the other toes.
A big thanks to Martin for this picture of his ArmaSkin, ready for action. Martin is one of our Ambassadors in the UK. He has a terrific youtube channel where he provides great tips for hikers. When Martin is not hiking he is on the front line of medical emergencies as he is a Paramedic.
FOR THE AVID HIKER:
ArmaSkin Hiking Magazine : subscribe for FREE!
If you would like to get a regular dose of free interesting articles for hikers please subscribe to our on-line ArmaSkin Hiking Magazine.
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If you are a blogger or have an interest in reaching this community, we might very well include your material in our Magazine for free. Just email ian@armaskin.com to discuss.
WIN WIN WIN WIN
MONTHLY opportunity to win FREE ArmaSkin - please share your picture stories with us.
Stories from you, the happy wearers of ArmaSkin, are our most powerful learning and marketing tool. We thus encourage you to tell us about your experiences and adventures with ArmaSkin.
For your chance to win your choice of a pair of ArmaSkin liner socks simply email : sales@armaskin.com a picture of you on the go using an ArmaSkin product together with a short comment about the picture. Or you can #ArmaSkin in a social media post that could come to our attention.
If the picture is featured in a 2020 edition of ArmaSkin News the monthly prize is yours.
This month's prizes go to Brittany who is hiking the Heysen Trail and Ian Y who is masking up in Victoria.
ArmaSkin is Australia's top selling, locally made, anti-blister linersock.
Special August Discount: 20% off on your purchase before the end of August 2020. Just use this link which automatically applies code AugNews20.
