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This Simple New Habit Changed My Life. You Should Join Me

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Hiking and waiting for you to join HumansOutside365

Since the summer of 2017 I have experienced something so profoundly life altering, yet so simple that  baffled that every single person hasn’t yet made it a part of their daily life, too.

It’s free, it’s natural and you already have it. I’m just sitting here waiting for you to join me in using it. Are you ready?

It was Memorial Day weekend, 2017, a year into our life in Alaska — and the weather near Anchorage was not obeying my wishes. I had waited a long winter for it to be perfect outside, and instead it was raining on me as I tried to read Harry Potter while wearing a hoodie and a hat on the porch. To say I was in a bad mood is an understatement.

I knew I had to make a decision. I was either going to let a little rain ruin my proverbial parade, or I was going to get with it and embrace Alaska no matter what.

I think you can probably guess which one I chose. After all, I had moved my entire life up here to the Last Frontier to find a fresh start. No way was I going to let weather dictate my success as an Alaskan. I decided that I would spend all the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day doing something outside, even if the weather was gross.

What I learned over those months is that there is a benefit to spending time outside every day that everyone can and should experience. And I want you to join me in my outside habit.

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These Are My Best Red Eye Flight Tips

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A view from a red eye flight

I have taken more red eye flights than I ever imagined I would. But because of that I have some hard earned red eye flight tips, and I’ve learned how to sleep on a red eye flight.

If you had asked me 3.5 years ago whether I would ever willingly take a red eye flight, I would’ve said no — absolutely, definitely no. But I didn’t yet live in Alaska, where most flights to the lower 48 leave over night. On the one hand, I get to live an outdoor-focused life on the Last Frontier. On the other hand, the tradeoff is that I have to travel to the lower-48 more than I’d like.

In the last seven months I’ve taken nine long red eye flights. You could say I’ve gotten used to them. And part of that was discovering red eye flight tips to make it just a little easier. And, since I highly value sleeping, learning how to sleep on a red eye was an even bigger deal.

Sleeping on a plane is in no way, shape or form comfortable. But there are ways to make it better and to help you be at least a little functional. Here are my favorites.

But first, before anything else: consider how you sleep best and book your seat accordingly. I sleep on my left side, so I always fly in the window seat on the left side of the plane so I lean on it.

Red Eye Flight Tips: How to Sleep on a Red Eye Flight

A good neck pillow. You’re going to spend more on this than seems reasonable, but it is by far the most important thing you’ll buy. You want something that’s packable and portable, but supportive. After much experimentation, and considering that I’m a window seat sleeper, I’ve picked the J-Pillow as my favorite neck pillow. It looks weird, but it’s definitely the most comfortable for overnight flights and it’s become key.

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Adventures in Alaska Winter Running and How I’m Still Learning

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3 women go winter running in Alaska.

We’ve been in Alaska 3.5 years, and I’m still learning how to do it right. And more than anything else, it’s dressing for the weather that continues to get me, particularly when it comes to running.

Heading outside in Alaska in an exercise in understanding how to properly layer for the conditions, and then being more prepared than you hopefully need to be, just in case. A day’s temperature report is based on wherever the weather station is physically located. But temperatures can vary five to 10 degrees within even just a mile or two thanks to our topography, and the difference between five degrees and -3 can feel pretty pretty intense.

That’s especially true when you’re already trying to wear exactly the right amount of clothes and not one stitch more because you’re running. Too much and you’re sweating, getting wet and at risk of getting cold that way. Too little, and now you’re cold because you don’t have enough on. Dressed for five degrees and now, suddenly, it’s -3? Now you’re cold. Get cold? Better have an extra layer in your bag that you can put on — and cross your fingers that you can warm up again.

Then there’s your water. Drinking is extra important in cold weather because it helps you stay warm. But the hose on a traditional hydration pack will absolutely freeze, so you’re going to need a different plan. Small bottles next to your chest in a hydration pack are a good idea, but if they aren’t just right they’ll freeze, too. Making it work is a matter of finding the right thing for you.

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Why the Gold Nugget Triathlon Is Literally the Best

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The Gold Nugget triathlon is the best female triathlon in the U.S.

It’s not the most popular, the longest, the largest, the most extreme or the one with the best weather. But if you’re a female, it is the best triathlon you’ll ever do. It’s the Gold Nugget Triathlon in Anchorage, Alaska.

There’s plenty of reasons the Gold Nugget is not really ideal. With a pool swim and over 1,600 racers, some don’t even get to start the event until 4 p.m. Pool swims also come with the inevitable circle swimming. Start time outdoor temperatures are often in the 40s. A good half of the run goes over a wide, rutted and often muddy trail.

But none of those things matter at the Gold Nugget triathlon.

Reputed to be the largest female-only triathlon in the U.S., the event regularly attracts racers from across the U.S. and world. What do they know that makes it worth flying to Alaska to compete in sprint-distance triathlon?

At this race, it’s all about the community.

The Gold Nugget Triathlon: A Race that Feels Like a Hug

Want to feel good about the female world? A trip to this race absolutely does the trick.

After this year’s event someone wondered how I could race with so many people — and they’re not wrong. Even staggered over the course of a day, 1,600 racers going through a pool and cramming their bikes into school parking lot is a lot.

But I have also never been simultaneously so inspired and embraced by people I’ve never met. From the racers cheering each other on to the Red Lantern volunteers whose only goal is to cheer in the final racers and literally give a prize to the last finisher, I felt like the entire female world was giving me a big hug and telling me I am awesome.

And I wanted to hug them right back and sing “you are awesome, too!”

The Gold Nugget Triathlon: Impressive Organization

I’ve volunteered for a lot of things in my life. I sit on a running club board. I captain a chapter of a veteran non-profit. I have years of exposure to the world of professional volunteers in the military spouse space.

And that’s how I know that the volunteer board members who organize the Gold Nugget Triathlon are superhuman.

How they do it, I do not know. But what I have seen is an event so simultaneously excellent and low key. They somehow manage to group mother and daughter racers together, moved 1,600 people through a single pool, keep everyone safe, organize incredible course support and operate an event that not only starts and finishes in two different places, but has as third location for the bike drop and run stop.

But, like, how? And yet that’s what happens.

The Gold Nugget Triathlon: Volunteers Who Are Basically the Best

Lap counters. Bike watchers and handlers. Transition managers. A guy who changed my tire tube at mile nine of 12. Course safety officers.

I’m not certain how many volunteers are required to run this mother, but it is a lot. And all of them are marvelous, even the lap counter who did not lose her chill when I accidentally lost mine at the end of my swim leg (I blame lack of oxygen — I wasn’t upset, I promise! Just confused!!).

Some of these people spent the entire day at the race just volunteering. Others raced and then, instead of going out for tacos like any sane person would, they stayed and volunteered in support of others. That’s next level.

Honorable Mention: Bear and Moose Watch

Let’s talk for a second about Alaska reality: wildlife.

Bear and moose are regularly spotted on the race course, but this year had the special guest of a mama moose with two brand new twin babies. A portion of the bike leg runs along a highway-side bike path. Trapped between the busy Glenn Highway and a fence, she was literally on the course with nowhere to go.

Fun mama moose fact: they don’t like company around their babies.

So you can imagine how well she handled 1,600 visitors on bikes.

But no matter, course safety officers were on the case. When I drove by, two cruisers and two patrolmen were stationed between moose and racers. A few hours later when I rode by, they were still there.

And I heard a similar thing happened on the run course, where a black bear and multiple cubs scampered off early in the day. (Bears aren’t that into competitive running, so it was best for them to not be around… but we know that a few bears is a terrible reason to skip an event.)

All of that to say: If you’re looking for a race to, well, race, go to Kona.

But if you want to be a part of a race that is actually a movement, let me know. I’ll see you there next year at the Gold Nugget triathlon, the best female triathlon in the U.S. I’ll take a good job hug as thanks for the tip.

This New National Park Passport Book is Just for Kids

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I’ve told you about how obsessed we are with the Passport Stamp program at U.S. National Parks. Each National Park and National Monument, as well as many other recreation areas like National Battlefields, has a cancelation stamp for you to put into your passport book. And now we have a Junior Ranger National Parks one just for kids.

The cancelation stamp program is like geocaching for people who are bad at directions and finding tiny objects hidden in bushes. In short: it’s the best.

And it’s my favorite obsession. Each visitor center at any given park might have their own, and sometimes there are even secret stamps (yes! secret stamps!) behind the counter that only those in the know can get because you have to know to ask.

(I am not even a little ashamed that I’m so into this. I also love Antiques Roadshow. Don’t be jealous of how cool I am).

I’m not the only one in our family who collects the stamps. I’ve gotten my kids involved, too. Each of them has their own little blue book, and when we visit a stamp location as a family I pile them all up from the glove compartment and parade them in.

OK, my kids are slightly less into it than I am. And, yes, they still prefer that we put the stamp on their hands instead of in their books. But the passport book isn’t exactly kid oriented, so i get it.

Until now, that is.

Imagine my extreme elation calm joy when a friend sent me the link to the new Junior Ranger edition of the Passport to Your National Parks book. And you better believe I emailed the folks that make it so fast to ask for a review copy.

Eastern National knows a mega fan when they see one, and mailed it to me no problem.

(It’s the little things, guys.)

And that’s how it is that I can tell you all about this fun new kid-friendly resource.

Aimed at kids ages 5 to 12, the book is divided into the same regions as the adult version. Unlike the adult version, it contains fun illustrations, kid friendly descriptions, coloring areas, fill in the blank portions and even a few admonishments like “respect wildlife.”

Junior Ranger National Parks Passport Stamps https://wp.me/p5hM3U-vP

That is not the really exciting part. The most exciting part is this:

In conjunction with the new book, Eastern National has also released an entirely new set of stamps to over 300 National Parks with Junior Ranger programs. That means there are 300 new stamps out there for my kids to collect.

Junior Ranger National Parks Passport Stamps

The books have a special area specifically for the Junior Ranger cancelation stamps. Individual parks can use the stamp as they see fit, but Eastern National has suggested that if someone wants the stamp, they have to complete the Junior Ranger program.

The stamp looks like this:

Junior Ranger National Parks Passport Stamps https://wp.me/p5hM3U-vP

300 new stamps? I can’t even.

I do, however, have a two complaints about the new book.

First, the book is big. Big is good for kids with big writing and big habits of loosing stuff. Big is not so good for the handy storage of something in the car or the ability to tuck it away where it won’t get trampled and destroyed.

That said, I’m not sure what I would prefer instead. Small is bad for kids, so I’m maybe there’s any way around the problems big creates.

Finally, adding 300 new stamps to a program means I now must take my kids back to all of the parks I already visited and get the stamps again. Why would you do that me, Eastern National? Why?

You can pick up your own Junior Ranger National Parks passport stamps book at many National Park bookstores or online.