Verb Nerd Industries is my pitch site for freelance writing, editing and blogging gigs. Why bug all you innocent hikers with this news?
Well. If so many of you hadn’t repeatedly encouraged me to keep updating Two-Heel Drive, I’d have probably given up ages ago. And I’d have no track record to sell potential buyers of stories and blog posts. Recap of the projects that have come my way thanks to a simple hiking guide:
- Hikes column, San Jose Mercury News.
- Mobile guides project, EveryTrail.com
- Freelance and full-time work at Trailspace.com
Granted this probably won’t pave the way to the New Yorker or anything, but it’s a substantial body of work that wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t kept slogging away on the blog all these years. So this is a long way of saying thanks for hanging around all these years.
And there’s this: since this blog seems to be the only thing getting me any work, I’ll have to keep at it.
Hi Tom,
The armed forces could use some help in lightening their load.
Weight of War: Gear that protects troops also injures them
Military studies acknowledge that combat soldiers are carrying too much weight — often more than 100 pounds. These loads have contributed to soaring numbers of injuries, and higher costs in disability payments.
February 12, 2011
By Hal Bernton
Before venturing out on patrol in Iraq, Spc. Joseph Chroniger would wrap his upper body in armor, then sling on a vest and pack that contained batteries for his radio, water, food, flashlight, ammunition and other gear. With his M4 rifle, the whole get-up weighed 70 to 80 pounds — and left him aching.
… When soldiers headed out on extended foot patrols, their average load ranged from 87 pounds to 127 pounds. When they came under attack and dropped their rucksacks, most of their fighting loads still exceeded 60 pounds.
… A 2007 study by a Navy research-advisory committee found Marines typically have loads from 97 to 135 pounds. The committee, citing information from the VA, stated that an increasing number of disabilities due to lower-back problems were a “direct result” of carrying excessive loads for long periods.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014209155_weightofwar06.html