Quiet Bubble

Prepare for a long hike by getting enough sleep

There’s a popular movement, these days, of getting back to nature. We’re encouraged to take a break from our busy, daily routines of hustle and bustle by getting out into natural surroundings. There are many theories as to why this is an important practice, but they’re largely irrelevant if you find that doing so gives you peace of mind.

But, since many of us aren’t in the physical condition we’d like to be, long hikes can be rather challenging. If you’re looking to get out into nature by taking a hike, then it’s important that you prepare for it in the best possible way. We’ll often spend a lot of time making sure we have the right supplies, that we know which route we’ll be taking, and that others know what we’re up to as a safety measure. But few of us consider the importance that getting a good night’s sleep has when it comes to enjoying a long hike through nature.

Why Good Sleep is Important for Hiking

There are two primary reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is so important when preparing to go on a long hike:

1. A good night’s sleep will ensure you have the proper energy to complete a physically strenuous hike through the woods or up a mountain.
2. A good night’s sleep puts you in the right frame of mind to reap all of the psychological rewards that come from spending time in nature.

Hiking is a relatively easy form of exercise, especially when compared to biking, running, or strength training. But it’s still somewhat strenuous, especially if you aren’t used to long climbs up hills. When you get a night of high quality sleep you awake with seemingly boundless energy to tackle the day. If you’re getting ready for a long hike, you’ll want as much energy as possible. Be sure to get at least eight hours of sleep the night before a scheduled hike, and it will be far less difficult.

Additionally, a good night’s sleep will put you in a better mood. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can cause you to be irritable, grumpy, and lazy. Many of us fail to realize, though, that sleep deprivation isn’t only caused by not getting enough sleep. It can also be caused by tossing and turning throughout the night.

By getting to bed early the night before a hike, you’ll be far more likely to get the full amount of sleep you need. But if you aren’t sleeping through the entire evening, you may have another problem: a mattress that doesn’t provide the comfort you need.

How Having a Good Mattress Can Help You with Your Hike

Most people have a simple mattress, with traditional coil springs. Some have a pillow top, providing a bit of extra comfort. But even a mattress that is comfortable, at first, can become worn down over time, reducing the quality of your sleep. If you’re waking up throughout the night because you find it difficult to get comfortable, you may want to consider getting a new mattress.

One of the best types of mattresses for those looking to take full advantage of a full night’s sleep is a memory foam mattress. These mattresses are designed to adhere to the shape of your body so that you can sleep more comfortably throughout the entire night. This leads to fewer sore muscles in the neck and back, but has several other benefits as well. You can see some of the best memory foam mattresses at sites like ChooseMattress.com.

For instance, those of us who are able to get a full night of high quality sleep are far less likely to be grumpy throughout the day. This is particularly important if you’re hoping to use your nature walks as a form of relaxation or meditation. If you’re grumpy and irritable, your hike isn’t going to be nearly as pleasant as it could, and you won’t return from your trip in the state of mind you had hoped to accomplish.

Additionally, a memory foam mattress will lead to far fewer aches and pains. If you wake up with a sore neck or back, you’re far less likely to even depart on your hike, and you won’t reap any of the rewards that it could provide. Even if you do head out and up the mountain, it will be a far more strenuous trek, reducing the level of enjoyment you get from it.

It may sound a bit strange to hear that one of the best ways to prepare for a hike is through a good night’s sleep on a memory foam mattress. But, if you find yourself waking up irritable or with aches and pains, then there’s no doubt about it: it’s the best way to get the most from your hikes.

Everybody is talking about drones but what is their history?

Everyone has heard about drones, the unmanned aerial vehicle from so many science fiction novels and shows. However they have become a reality in the 21^st century, and can be used for so many different tasks to improve the quality of life as well as defense purposes. Drones can either be autonomous or remotely controlled however both have similar capabilities. Many hobbyists also fly their own drones, normally called quadcopters. Sites like QuadcopterCloud have reviews of the best quadcopters on the market.

Early Development

The earliest record of an unmanned aircraft for the purpose of fighting in wars occurred on August 22, 1849. Austria developed balloons that were loaded with explosives to attack the Italian city of Venice. Some of these deadly balloons were launched from the Austrian ship Vulcano, some of these balloons worked for their intended purpose while the wind caught others, sending them back over Austrian lines. These balloons were twenty-three feet in diameter and were detonated by electro magnetism.

World War I

The very first pilotless aircraft was built during and very shortly after World War I. If development continued further it would have been used against Zeppelins. On September 12^th 1916 the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, known as the “flying bomb” made its first flight in demonstration of the concept of unmanned aircrafts. Later, in November of 1917, the automatic airplane was flown for US Army representatives, leading to commission of a project to build an “aerial torpedo” which resulted in the Kettering Bug’s first flight in 1918. However it was not in time to fight in the war so development and deployment was halted.

There were other pilotless aircrafts developed between World War I and World War II that were radio controlled. One of the most notorious successes of this was the development to the Fairey Queen in 1931, which lead to the development of the DH 82B Queen Bee in 1935. This lead to the term we now use today for pilotless aircrafts, the drone.

World War II

Reginald Denny originally moved to the USA to  become famous  in Hollywood as an actor. Having served with the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I, he spent his time between acting job to acting job perusing his interest in the radio controlled aircrafts in the 1930s. Later he formed Reginald Denny Industries as well as Reginald Denny Hobby Shops in 1934, the shop eventually  turned into the Radioplane  Company and Reginald began developing RC aircrafts for use in training anti-aircraft type gunners. He demonstrated his target drone prototype, the RP-1, to the United States Army in 1935. Many other prototypes were shown to the Army and 15,000 drones were manufactured for use in World War II.

Cold War to Today

There were even more advancements through the Cold War which evolved the target drone from Radioplane models to the OQ-2 and other piston-powered target drones. Shortly thereafter these drones were converted to be used for aerial photo reconnaissance missions in the mid-1950s.

We have come a long ways from the days of the Fairey Queen and the OQ-2 drones. Now days we have battlefield UAVs, micro UAVs, and many others for military use. There are also drones that are used for hobbyists as well as others who take interest in drones. 

The Epic Hike in Indonesia

I've been poking around Indonesia the last couple of months, somewhere I have never visited before. I have to say that the trip certainly got better and better as it went along. I touched down in Bali at first and stayed in Kuta, well that was a big mistake. Unless you love getting wasted with projectile vomiting Australia teenagers this place is not cool. You see Kuta is where many Australians go to get away on their holidays and if you know me, I avoid those places like the plague. I should have expected it really, anyway after that I checked out Ubud which was an entire different kettle of fish. A truly beautiful and mesmorising place, somewhere to practice your zen and mindfulness.

Moving on, my next destination was Lombok and onto the Gili islands, whoops I was back on the tourist trail again. Back with the overweight Aussies frying themselves under the sun in their quick summer break. It was far better than Kuta but still not quite what I was looking for in a trip to the far east. After that was Senggigi on the mainland of Lombok, this place was pretty interesting actually, it was like a beach town that time forgot. It seems like it had real potential with luxury hotels like the Sheraton there but the tourists stopped coming. Sure, there were a few here and there but not enough to fill the many larage hotels and restuarants.

By this point I had made friends with a few other English guys and they persuaded me to come with them to hike up a volcano. This sounded pretty daunting at first, especially since I am pretty out of shape. Sure, I am not overweight but I do not exercise much and am probably one of those "skinny fat" guys. I did actually invest in one of the best rowing machines in the new year after reading about them online. That doesn't mean I had the dedication to use it each day though, I'm pretty lazy at heart so it's kind of sitting there and gathering dust which is a shame.

Anyway, onto the volcano and we had to firstly go on a very long boatride to get there, after that we settled in for the night, anticipating what was ahead tommorow. After getting up at the crack of dawn we jumped onto a bus. We knew this was going to be a real challenge but we couldn't wait to get up there and see the amazing views. Not many people can say they have climbed an active volcano. The truth is, it was every bit as touch as we imagined and more. By the end of the day we were physically exhausted but it was also one of the best experiences of my life. Not only was it amazing to get up their and see the active volcano but the views on the way up were absolutely beautiful.

Indonesia, you are a truly amazing country. I just hope I will have the time to truly explore this vast territory and give it justice.

How I ended up being the DJ in Saigon, Vietnam

When I planned my holiday to Vietnam, there were a number of attractions and things to do on my itinerary. Obviously, I wanted to enjoy the legendary nightlife you can experience in Saigon and Hanoi. This wasn’t all though. I also wanted to see the War Remnants Museum, West Lake, the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica and the Hanoi Opera House, amongst other things. While I saw many of these places, one experience stuck out the most.

My Past as a DJ

Let’s back up a bit. Long before my trip to Vietnam, I had worked as a DJ. For the most part, it was always just a part-time gig. However, that’s not to say I didn’t make good money doing it and have a great time in the process.

I always used traditional DJ equipment too. This meant loading and unloading plenty of hardware whenever I played a gig. At the time, I guess I really didn’t mind. After all, how else could you do it?

One Fateful Night in Saigon

Alright, so toward the end of my first week, I had seen most of the aforementioned cultural locations. I was also more familiar with the city I was staying in at the time, Saigon. So I figured it was high time I went out and began enjoying the sights and sounds that occur when the sound goes down. If you don’t know, Saigon is notorious for its night life, especially the club culture. Being a former club kid myself, this was a dream come true.

Plus, by then I had made some friends. The Vietnamese are very friendly and a number of them volunteered to take me out at night.

I won’t name the club we were at (it will become obvious why in a second), but originally things were going great. The DJ was alright and there were tons of people just having a blast. Then, out of nowhere, the music stopped. It was probably a full minute before it started again and then it was just stock music—like top 40 songs.

To this day, I’m still not sure what happened to the DJ. He was basically gone when the lights came on. I had mentioned earlier to one of my Vietnamese friends that I had experience DJing and, it turns out, he knew the bar owner. Within about five minutes of the music turning off, I was behind the DJ’s setup—nothing but a laptop.

DJing with a Laptop

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I went from being another club goer to becoming the master of ceremonies in short order. Fortunately, the setup was a laptop. I had never used one before to DJ (my hardware of choice was always turntables), but the setup was extremely intuitive. I was surprised how the interface basically combined aspects of traditional hardware, giving you all your options in one place. When using some of the best DJ software it really is easy.

I’m happy to report my set was a hit, even if people were being a bit generous. However, I’ve started DJing since and now I only use software on my laptop. No more inconvenient turntables.

A Traveling Man's Tools of Choice

The well-dressed man headed out of town can be easily identified as a business man simply by looking at a few key signs.  Starting with his feet, he is sporting a pair of expensive shoes.  They’re shiny, they may or may not have tassels, and they are either black or brown.  Depending on his age, they may be slip-ons, but these are not casual shoes.  The discerning business man spends as much on work shoes as a woman spends on a purse.  They’re comfortable, and stylish in the way that serious business attire has.  He is wearing a pair of dress slacks – not to be confused by jeans, or pants, or khakis – he’s wearing dress slacks.  There’s a crease, and a cuff, and a belt.  He is wearing a shirt that buttons down, with the sleeves rolled down.   The fashionable collar is not buttoned down, but is open at the top button.  Were you to look, you’d spy a necktie tucked into his laptop backpack.

His backpack has been with him through many trips across the country.  The laptop safely stowed inside that bag holds copies of the files detailing his largest deals.  The deal that spring-boarded him into private practice is still there on the desktop – a reminder of the power of a dream.  The bag has compartments for all his electronic gadgets – they seem to multiply when he isn’t looking – and there are enough pockets and places for all of the plugs and cords he needs to be productive.  The hard copies of the files he needs to convince a new company to hire his firm are there – he plans to look over them on the flight.  A copy of the latest trade magazine fits in next to the computer; if he has a few minutes he likes to flip through it for ideas.  He carries a copy of the book he’s been reading for a month – chances are good he won’t have time to read, but hope springs eternal for this traveler. 

There’s an extra pocket on the outside of the backpack.  His wife still slips notes in when she thinks he’s not looking – and he still acts like it’s a surprise when he finds them.  He’ll never tell her that he pulls it out as soon as he gets on the plane, and then reads it while he’s waiting for his rental car to be ready.  He likes knowing that she’s waiting for him to come home.  It reminds him of why he’s here, at the airport, before the sun comes up. 

His backpack has seen him through a lot of airports, and the note pocket has become a source of comfort when he is far from home and the deal falls through.  Sometimes he slips a little something in the pocket to bring home for her – a trinket or souvenir, something that makes him smile to think about giving her. 

It doesn’t matter how successful his company becomes – he’ll take his laptop backpack with him everywhere he goes.