In a post earlier this week, I wrote about the encroachment of electronic media on the lives of children. While modern gadgetry has brought enormous comfort to us all, the unintended consequences on children’s health, education, and overall well being are not well understood. At Trailmix.Net, we see outdoor recreation as a preventative countermeasure to the stresses of the information age for both children and adults.
Trailmix.Net, although a gadget itself, is dedicated to helping families set goals and enjoy the outdoors. Here are two more reasons to join Trailmix.Net:
Inspiration
One thing that I have noticed over the years is that the more connected I am with friends and other families who participate in outdoor recreation; the more likely I am to set recreational goals. Watching other people with jogging strollers, bike trailers, or baby-packs inspires me to take up my own pack.
While I know that exercise is a healthy thing to do, my children love it, and good things almost always come from family outdoor recreation, without that inspiration Lazy Mike takes over and the activation energy is missing.
The blogs, albums, and discussion forums in Trailmix.Net are specifically designed to provide that activation energy and inspiration. By reading what others have done, it is our hope that you will be inspired. By writing down what you have accomplished, it is our hope that you will inspire others.
Education
Education is one of the biggest barriers to participation in outdoor recreation. Some people think that it is money, but I disagree. The more exotic recreational activities like climbing or kayaking are expensive, but hiking only requires shoes and a lunch.
Many people just don’t know what is available on public lands. I say this with much humility because even after ten years of living in California and actively seeking outdoor recreational opportunities I am constantly learning what is available. Trailmix.Net has two features that kick in here. First, we have a fast and powerful search engine to scour forum and blog posts. Enter a trail, region, or topic to see what others have said about it. Second, we have highly configurable RSS tools that you can use to be automatically notified when a topic of interest is updated.
In addition to forums and blogs, some of the content that we are building at Trailmix.Net that we are most proud of involves educational seminars that address how to safely engage in an outdoor activity, how to use a product, or what to do if something goes wrong. These seminars will be developed and delivered by experts in outdoor recreation.
In doing these things, we hope to provide inspiration and break the education barrier to outdoor recreation.