Outdoor Trivia

Many animals estivate for portions of the year. What is the more common American English term for this behavior?

Geocaching is a low-impact way to get outside for a scavenger hunt. There's a form of geocaching called Munzee which uses GPS, smart-phones, and which of these to track your progress?

• The Tinder app

• Stamps

• QR codes

• GoPro cameras

Answer explanation

Geocaching is an interesting way to spend your day. You grab coordinates online and use a GPS to track your way through to the treasure at the end, kind of like a scavenger hunt. The catch with Munzee, a unique variant on this activity, is that you scan QR codes left by other players that you find using the same methods. Doing this, you can collect as many as you can, all around the world, and accumulate your totals (in the millions, if you were really wondering how many you could get).

Taken straight from Wikipedia, "naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere or ground temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of as much as one billion joules of energy" is the definition of what natural phenomenon?

If you're heading out into the wilderness to go 'angling', which of these activities would you be partaking in?

• Fishing

• Tree-planting

• Hunting

• Reading under a tree

Answer explanation

A fisherman who is an 'angler' is one who uses a hook to catch fish, and while you don't necessarily need to be in the wilderness to partake in this activity, it could certainly help. There are many ways you could go fishing-- you could be a fly-fisher or a boat fisher or a troller.

Paddleboarding is most typically done in which position?

• Lying down

• Sitting cross-legged

• The fetal position

• Kneeling

Answer explanation

While typical paddleboarding is done kneeling down on a surfboard or a proper paddleboard to preserve a low center of gravity, there's also a subset of hobbyists who ride paddleboards standing up, perfecting their of balance and using an oar to navigate their way through calm water (though rougher waters do make for interesting paddleboard scenarios in the ocean). Standup paddleboarding, oddly, has become more and more popular over time as a fad hobby, even seeing crossover with other low-impact activities like yoga.

What fruit sometimes known as the alligator pear is likely to have originated in South Central Mexico? Botanically speaking, this fruit is a large berry with a single seed and it is now grown in dozens of countries in both hemispheres.

Disc golf can be an intense sport of focus and precise technique, but instead of 'holes', the game uses which of these?

• Baskets

• Goals

• Nets

• Barrels

Answer explanation

In traditional golf, the aim of the game is to knock the ball into the hole in the lowest amount of strokes of the club. Well, disc golf is pretty much the same thing, only instead of a ball, you have a disc; instead of a hole, you shoot into a raised, chain basket; instead of a club, you're letting it rip with your dominant arm.The game is highly technical if you let it be since there are entire lines of specialized discs, each with different accuracy ratings, speeds, and fades. Not to mention, there are different techniques you can use while shooting to accomplish your goal. Fun stuff, but let me tell you, I have preexisting neck and shoulder problems and seasonal allergies. I'm sure you can infer the connection, but I can probably say that about most of the activities I bring up here. Maybe I just want to digress.

Taking a canoe trip in the wilderness is a good opportunity to walk less-trodden paths. What is the practice of transporting a canoe over land (usually overhead)?

• Freeboating

• Towing

• Lugging

• Portage

Answer explanation

Portage dates back a long time as North American Natives and settlers used the method to transport their boats over long stretches of land between waterways, often doing so to avoid rough patches of rapids. Portaging is a nature activity nowadays and though it usually only attracts those looking to go camping or hiking in the deep wilderness, it is common practice, especially in North American national parks. Though it was popular day-to-day activity during the fur trade era, it's been used all around the world; it's a recent activity that's sort of pulled itself from the realm of necessity and into the recreational sphere.

Cashmere is made from the hair of what animal?

In which of these exotic locations would you most likely go snorkelling?

• Anchorage, Alaska

• Punta Arenas, Chile

• Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Cozumel, Mexico

Answer explanation

Snorkelling is an activity typically done in clear, calm, tropical waters, and while you could technically stick a snorkel into your mouth and dive in pretty much anywhere, there are good reasons not to do so in Alaska, urban Dhaka, or the rough, oceanic waters around Tierra Del Fuego, notably the safety of those spots. Mexico, however, is warm and likely filled with clear waters, reefs, and colourful underwater sea life worth checking out. And it's easy to pick up; snorkelling really only needs a snorkel and, usually, a mask to better check out your surroundings. If scuba diving is just a bit too claustrophobic or complex for your liking, this is the best way for a beginner to see what they're missing under the surface.