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5 5 ea Here are a few pa of on your next outdoor a a Leave your speaker/ music device at home

Music in shared spaces is. always a polarizing thing. The same people who blast their tunes at the beach or in the park for everyone to hear are likely going to be the same people who bring beats on the trail. Do everyone.a favour and use headphones instead. Either that, or forgo packing any musie. for the hike and listen to the birds or nearby stream or whatever else Mother Nature's soundboard has to offer. The majority of hikers aren’t interested in your musical tastes, so just leave the speaker at home.

Let people pass you

Trails attract hikers of every skill level. For

some people, it might be their first time on a hike and they're slowly clambering over stones; others know the trail by heart and can comfortably run it. If you notice hikers are trailing close behind you, step to the side and let them go past. Chances are they're moving at a quicker pace

and will appreciate going ahead of you. Similarly, if you're part of a larger group and there are people behind you, give them the opportunity to scuttle ahead.and get-awayairom the congestion and noise.

Artificially yours

> Bionic vs prosthetic limbs

Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor

ik the media, it is not often that the future is portrayed as something to look forward to. Technological advancements, especially when these advancements interact directly with humans, are shown as dehumanizing. Well, call me

an idealist, but I have never subscribed to this belief. I

don’t think that the general population should be so quick to dismiss some of the really amazing scientific breakthroughs that we are experiencing now, including bionic limbs.

For anyone who doesn’t have to deal with the day-to-day reality of wearing a prosthetic limb— myself included—it can be easy to ignore or be unaware of what advantages a bionic appendage may claim. If youre wondering about the difference between the two, you're not alone. From what I’ve gathered, modern prosthetic limbs are artificial devices relying

on external force or stimuli to

perform a function. A step is

taken by a person physically

lifting and shifting the leg, as opposed to a natural limb where we have muscles and nerves within it to let our various biological components know to take the step. To use a crude analogy, it’s basically the difference between having to pick up a heavy box versus using a fork lift.

Bionic limbs use electro- mechanics to better mimic the function of nerves. These are both internal and external, meaning they can be attached on the surface of the skin, and they can be surgically implanted. This alone makes the manipulation of the artificial limb more akin to a natural process, because it creates a line of communication between the mechanics of the appendage and the brain. The brain can then control the artificial limb as it would a natural one, as opposed to the individual having to consciously lift and shift as they would a prosthetic limb. In doing so you not only create a

Pack out what.you pack in The same.courtesies that govern our 2H city lives apply to the outdoors. Most :

or dependent vem NI Tnae-D oT i

Nee Ioye wie (oles Pile elites a few bags are biodegradable now, but people interpret that as being okay to leave their crap bags along the trail because it breaks down. Just because it’s biodegradable doesn’t mean | want it impairing my view of the beautiful landscape, nora do I want to have to suffer thesmell, = Those bags aren’t airtight#Either have.a separate plastic bag in your backpack so " =.you can doublesbag-the poop and take

‘ : it with.yow Or stash it somewhere-along é path Where you'lltemember to take if With you on the way back down:

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better language of movement— meaning the individual can move more naturally, even right after amputation—but you also reduce fatigue for the operator.

Due to the use of integrated (internally implanted) bionics, we not only have the opportunity to better bridge the gap for individuals who have missing limbs, we are also presented with a future where restoring sensation, such as touch and sight, isn’t very far off.

While I find all of this fascinating from an outsider perspective, I am also well aware of how this might change someone's life. I have never had to deal with being physically limited, and I don’t want anyone else to either. Thankfully, that might not be a problem for long.