REVIEW: Nathan's Zephyr Fire 100 hand Torch (that's a flashlight to us Americans)

I've been collecting a lot of products lately during and in preparation for my travels to Vermont, Colorado, Race Across the West, and Newfoundland's East Coast Trail. I've been testing for the past few months or so, and thought you'd like a peak at what I've been into and why. First on the list is:

Zephyr Fire 100 "hand torch" by Nathan.

The first time I heard the term "torch" used to imply "flashlight" was, I believe, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, an incredible book that celebrates curiosity, the spirit of adventure, and the power of goodness (that's what I got out of it, anyway). I like that it's such an archaic, almost lazy term, since really, it is basically just an electric version of what people used to burn witches, hunt down Frankenstein's monster, and make sure they don't fall down the stairs while walking to the bathroom at night. I've done all those things with this modern day fire-on-a-stick, and there are noticeable upgrades since the days of Mary Shelley. Besides not burning anything down, whether accidental or not, here are some real bright sides:

• It's USB-charged. Not only can you charge it by your computer, you can also use any of the newer wall chargers that have a removable chord (just like most cell phones). This is also great if you are backpacking and traveling with a BioLite Camp Stove (review of that forthcoming!).

• The hand harness is really comfortable and easy to use even with bulky winter gloves or mittens. It's also adjustable for left or right handed use. I additionally appreciate the hand harness because when I'm not using the flashlight, I can wear it on my wrist so my hand is free without having to put down (i.e. lose) the flashlight in the dark.

• The rear light. It's such a simple addition to a classic flashlight but it means the world to people out at night in an area with other people and/or cars. It's very visible and I felt safe the whole time using it. This was obviously designed for runners, but the benefits are much more broad.

• The combination strobe light/emergency siren. They aren't the same button, but in my mind they serve the same purpose because I can't imagine running with a strobe light guiding my way, especially since the battery life of these things seems to be exceptionally long. If I were to fall off a cliff while hiking or trail running, the siren would (hopefully) alert people that there's someone in danger and the flashing light would help locate me visibly.

• The downward angle of the flashlight. It pairs well with the hands-free nature of the hand harness, as the flashlight is automatically angled at where I'm looking, without having to keep my hand in a certain position. 

There are a few negatives, however, though they certainly haven't turned me away from this great device:

• I wish it was a bit brighter. At 108 lumens, hiking in the woods with no moonlight still feels a bit dim. If my situation were a bit different, I may consider instead investing in the 359-lumen Zephyr 300. 

• The light and siren buttons are right on top of each other. I've hit the siren a few times in an effort to turn off the light, and it takes 2-3 seconds to turn anything on or off on this flashlight, so in an effort to be stealthy I made quite a ruckus.

• The rear light, while I love it, is really bright. If there's anyone running or hiking behind me, they are blinded by the red blinking orb bouncing three feet off the ground, which is neither safe nor enjoyable. I wish there was a way to turn off just the rear light.

All in all, I love this "torch" and it has proven useful on hikes, runs, dog walks, and even snow shoeing (though it took a bit of adjusting to figure out a good placement with the walking poles). I'm very happy with it and think it will last me a long time and many adventures.

Next on the mat is GoGo Gear's Kevlar Leggings.

Right to Ride (plus healthy vegan brownie recipe)

O, Dinky Bridge! O, Iron Grate! O, Blue Slide!

You trails, thine mud is plush, and roots ripe with traction.

Ye olde mountain bike season is again upon us! Bask in yea glory of semi-dry trails. Bow down in thanks of the trail gods who build berms and fill ruts. And yea, kiss the tire treads of they who rode all winter when the trails were soft and vulnerable, for they knew not of their own power to corrode. Let us give thanks to the sun, brief in the sky as it may be, whose vitamin D reminds us that yes, we do prefer to be alive (though for the past six months may have lost sight of that mission). Let us not take for granted this day of beauty, let this not be our day of rest, for rest will come soon enough—tomorrow (or later today) when it rains, or post-ride at D's for veggie dogs topped with avocado and Sriracha slaw, and washed down with a pint of 1919 Root Beer.

No time for typing, today we ride.

Tonight, however, we make brownies (because: it is raining).

This recipe is adapted from Vega's Easy Vega One Protein Brownies. I changed things around based on what I had lying (laying? I was a writing major, not an English major) around the house, and also to make them a bit more affordable and to my nutrition needs.

Semi-Easy Protein Brownies

vegan, gluten free, about as healthy as brownies can be

• 3 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 6 pitted dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small zucchini
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup almond flour

1. Preheat oven to 350º F
2. Soak flax meal and dates in water in a medium sized bowl; let sit for half hour
3. Meanwhile, some prepping! Chop zucchini in food processor until finely chopped. Also, grease 9x9 pan with coconut oil.
4. Add each ingredient, one at a time, to flax mixture, folding until just mixed. If zucchini has left a bit of water at the bottom of food processor, add it if batter feels excessively dry.
5. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes. These babies are MOIST! So if you like cupcakes to be a bit on the cakier side, bake for an extra five minutes or so.
6. Let sit, cool, and firm for a good 15 minutes before cutting. 

A Stab In the Dark

There comes a time in every blogger's life where she needs to look at her surroundings and make some assessments. Last night, I stepped on a stick that impaled my foot about an inch and a half deep, leaving just a teeny tiny mark but swelling my foot to about 150% its size. Then, I sliced my hand on a knife my friend Nick Anger made me, attempting lamely to hold it in my teeth like a pirate holding her sword. My eye has also been twitching for about two days.

What do I make of all this? Even Wikipedia offers me nothing but, "no one really knows what causes it, your guess is really as good as ours. Oh wait, do you have any pain in your eye? Oh, no? Never mind, yeah, still don't know. Sorry." The twitching started before the stab wound, before the slice, and after I started the kickboxing challenge, around the time of Easter. So is it holiday stress? Sugar consumption? Not enough time to get everything done, with three days of the week pulled out for family activities?

Personally, I like to blame everything on water intake. Headache? Probably dehydrated. Nauseous? Have some water (and salt). Chest pains? Down some H2O. Muscle cramps? Load up on the good stuff. Eye twitch so easily falls into that. After all, it's basically just a charley horse on my face. So I'm drinking water, infused with some old lime sliced effortlessly with my gorgeous knife. But I also put my feet up after a day of postering and editing an article, and have been watching Bob's Burgers, so who can really say?

The point is, self care is important. Whether that means drinking enough water or taking some time to relax with cartoons. Whether that means punching things or taking a day off from punching things. Whether that means quitting one's job to pursue one's dreams or just eating a balanced meal every once in a while. It's all worth while, and our body will tell us this by giving us an eye twitch or making us clumsy enough to step on a stick or stupid enough to slice our hands open with a knife. Or maybe by placing the stick there to step on at three a.m. to give some perspective on the important things in life.

Water and cartoons.