by Rick Forrester

Take time out while walking or biking on the trail and look for a jewel of a plant in the forest!  The biological name is “Impatiens Capensis” but a few of its common names are orange jewelweed, common jewelweed, spotted touch-me-not, or orange balsam.  Believe it or not, it is actually related to the ornamental Impatiens we are fond of using in our landscaping at home.  

The flowers range from yellow to orange with red splotches on three lobes.  The leaves are alternate, smooth, have teeth on the edges and are silvery underneath.  Jewelweed is usually 3-5 feet tall and they are blooming right now (August/September) down on the trail!  Hummingbirds are the major pollinator with bumblebees being the next best.

The plant has some incredible, unique characteristics.  The seed pods, once fully mature, are angled down from the stem, and the riper they are, the farther back they’re cocked, resulting in a spring-loaded mechanism which will shoot the seeds several feet in a process called ballistochory or explosive dehiscence.  (Explosive dehiscence – what a delightful phrase!)   if you gently pull the bottom of the pod toward you with one finger, the pod instantaneously splits into four curled sections and the seeds go flying in all directions.  Hence the name “touch-me-not”.   It is great fun to do this with your children!  But if you don’t have your kids along as an excuse, go ahead and do it on your own when no one is looking!

If you pick up the individual seeds and peel back the outer cover, you will find a beautiful turquoise-colored seed.  Hence, the derivation of the name “jewelweed.”  The often-silvery underside of the leaves adds to the name jewelweed.

Not stopping at that, the stems of the plant contain triterpene glycosides or “saponins” which act as a foaming agent.   What that means for you as a hiker is that if you brush up against stinging nettles or poison ivy, you can crush the stem of the jewelweed plant and use the juice to neutralize the sting of the nettles and also to reduce the inflammation from exposure to poison ivy.  The crushed stem juice is also a fungicide and can be used to treat athletes’ foot.  You can buy jewelweed extract at homeopathic stores, though it does not have the effectiveness of the oil freshly mashed from the plant unfortunately.  Do exhibit caution, though – for some reason, jewelweed often grows side by side with nettles and poison ivy!

So, have some autumn fun down on the trail firing seeds and spreading goodness around the forest floor with friends and family!  You’ll be helping plant the crop for next year’s jeweled adventures while you’re at it.

Below: Jewelweed pod ready to explode!

Below: Exploded pod and covered seeds

Below: Seed cover removed, revealing the jewels!

September 2022

by Erick Wikum

“I don’t own a helmet.”  “I can’t afford a helmet.”  “It’s too hot to wear a helmet.”  “The trail is much safer than roads.”  “I’m a good rider, roller-skater, etc.”  “I’m not going far.”  These are among the excuses I imagine I would hear were I to ask various trail users why they neglect to wear a helmet or other safety equipment.  And yet, accidents happen, and they can happen at any time to anyone.

Just this week during La Vuelta (the Tour of Spain), a leading international cycling race, overall leader (yellow jersey wearer) Primož Roglič unexpectedly contacted wheels with another rider in the closing meters of the race, crashing hard to the pavement.  Here’s a short YouTube clip that shows the crash and its aftermath.  Roglič is among the top few bike racers in the world and is an expert bike handler.  If he can crash, then so too can you.

Two weeks ago, I was roller skiing on the trail between Morrow and Stubbs Mill Road.  It was a beautiful evening and I had settled into a very comfortable, enjoyable rhythm.  Suddenly, a small pebble caused my roller ski to skid.  In what seemed like slow motion, I drifted to the right and off the trail, catching myself as I fell.  I was wearing a helmet and knee pads, but that didn’t stop me from bloodying my forearm.  I have roller-skied for many years and have not fallen previously.  If something unexpected like this fall can happen to me, it can happen to you too.

No one is immune from accidents.  Wearing a proper-fitting helmet and other safety equipment can mitigate the effects.  Don’t make excuses.  Just be prepared.

September 2022

by Erick Wikum

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel takes inventory of the items in her grotto, singing “I’ve got gadgets and gizmos aplenty” and “I’ve got whosits and whatsits galore.” One of the latest trends in gadgets to hit the trail and neighborhoods concerns battery-powered, wheeled conveyances including e-bikes of all sorts, scooters and electric skateboards.

These new gadgets, with their compact batteries and (in the case of skateboards) gyros, are technological wonders. Moreover, they are surprisingly fast. The main reason these gadgets are proliferating, though, is because they are plain fun.

And yet, there is a cause for concern when it comes to safety. Children in my neighborhood whiz around the sidewalks and streets on scooters and small e-bikes with nary a helmet in sight. High-tech or not, these gadgets are not impervious to debris, cracks or uneven pavement. Children approach road crossings at full speed, hoping that with a quick glance, they can proceed without stopping. None of these devices is equipped with crash-avoidance technology. On the trail, adults sporting shiny new e-bike toys often ride without helmets and proceed at speeds beyond their abilities (the trail speed limit is 20mph), endangering themselves and others.

What can we do to promote safety in this whole new world of gadgets and gizmos? Here are three suggestions:
1. Read my past e-bike safety article (available here), which also explains which types of e-bikes are permitted on the trail.
2. Wear a helmet when enjoying any type of battery-powered, wheeled conveyance.
3. Ensure your children and grandchildren receive proper safety training and don helmets before using their new-fangled devices.

My wife, a nurse who worked in a pediatric ICU, shared a story with me about a young boy who was struck by a vehicle while riding a bike near his home. In falling, his head hit the curb. That child died soon after the accident, but the doctors believed that a helmet would have meant the difference between life and death. An ounce of prevention can prevent a lifetime of sorrow.

Photo: Tech Radar

August 2022