Back to Winter for the Spring Solstice

Quinn on skis! At a yurt!

Arriving in Tahoe after their best snow of the season, the e-tour made its way to Hope Valley Outdoors for an event with some local elementary school children. Hope Valley Outdoors is a backcountry ski yurt that provides rentals, guiding, and school outreach. Along with Joyce, who runs the yurt, we introduced kindergartners and fifth graders to the Leave No Trace principles. We talked about Trashing Your Trash and how to protect our favorite wild places and wildlife in the winter wonderland of Tahoe. We romped around in the snow playing a frigid version of Okay/No Way where the students ran to through a foot of powder to answer questions about appropriate outdoor behavior. After we were done teaching them, these students taught us a few things about how to cross-country ski! Thanks for the trade!

As the season winds down, it's important for everyone to keep in mind Leave No Trace when adventuring in winter environments. One great resource is the new winter recreation plastic reference card from Leave No Trace. As winter transitions into spring, it's a very sensitive time for ecosystems. While a deep layer of snow creates a durable surface that protects vegetation below it, while it melts it creates muddy conditions where trails and plants are vulnerable to damage. So make sure that you are extra careful to not trample budding flowers when you head outdoors and be sure to Plan Ahead and Prepare so you know the conditions of trails before heading out!

Happy Spring,

Quinn & Frank

Sly as a Fox

Channel Islands National Park

As the e-tour continues to head west, we leave the "sky islands" of Southern Arizona for the Channel Islands off the coast of California. This epic series of islands, designated a National Park in 1980, hosts a variety of endemic and fascinating species. As volcanic islands isolated from the mainland, these ecosystems have evolved in such a fashion where unique plants and animals can thrive without heavy competition. One example is the island fox, a distinct fox species that only grows to 12 to 15 inches in height. Although no larger than a house cat, the island fox is the largest mammal in the island chain. Without any predators on the island, this fox has ended up quite curious.

The endemic island fox

The fox box!

Because the island fox is such a curious fellow, these animals have learned to find the campgrounds and picnic areas on the islands. Learning from experience by finding food left unattended by visitors, many of the foxes have become habituated and often directly approach humans on the islands seeking food. Some really clever foxes have even learned to nudge open tent zippers in search of food! The National Park is making a strong effort to help island foxes and visitors alike. The picnic areas and campgrounds on the islands do not have any trash cans, meaning that backcountry users and frontcountry day-visitors alike must pack out what they pack in. All the picnic tables and campsites are also equipped with food lockers to store any and all temptations through the foxes. By practicing Leave No Trace techniques regarding food repackaging, storage, and disposal, visitors to these islands can help protect one of the incredible animal species that make them such a special place!

Like a Fox on the Run,

Quinn & Frank

Plan Ahead and Prepare in Mountaineering

Guest Blog by
Linden Mallory, Senior Guide RMI Expeditions

With mountaineering and climbing growing in popularity comes an added responsibility for climbers to reexamine our actions while we pursue our passion. For close to a decade the guides at RMI Expeditions worked with the Center to develop the Mountaineering Curriculum for Leave No Trace. The process was exciting, productive, and rewarding. It also provided us the opportunity to pause and reexamine our own expedition practices on mountains around the world. This introspection led to changes across all aspects of our trips and we learned that the biggest impacts come from how we approach the climb in the first place: what we do to Plan Ahead and Prepare.

RMI is currently in the midst of leading climbs of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. A few years ago we sat down and reassessed our entire Aconcagua Expedition. We scrutinized all the details: from when we climb, to what we eat, to what we carry. This discussion led to adjustments in our climbs’ itinerary, changes to what, how, and where we pack our gear, and a revamping of our human waste disposal strategies in order to make the process as easy as possible for our climbing teams. We also made changes to smaller details, such as bringing our own reusable bags to shop for expeditions’ supplies. After walking dozens of miles to Base Camps on Aconcagua and Everest and seeing hundreds of discarded and ripped airlines by airlines littering the trails we now provide durable (and reusable) duffel bag labels for hauling our gear.

This examination was even more intensive for our Mt. Everest Expedition. It covered our staffing, our snacks and meals, our gear choices, our loads separations, our packing, and our energy usage. We changed what gear and supplies we pack, how we organize our camps, the way we collaborate with other teams and the priorities we convey to our Nepali partners. It also led to some of the more enjoyable and adventurous experiences of my guiding career: including inspiring climbers and Sherpas to pocket litter along the route in the Western Cwm or standing on the side of the a road in Kathmandu with the staff of a small Nepali solar company as we worked out the intricacies of a highly portable, highly reliable photovoltaic system for use at over 17,000’. Two years later, we have yet to turn on a generator to provide electrical power for our Everest Expeditions.

A major hurdle in minimizing our expeditions’ impacts has been facing the less than appealing task of managing our human waste on the mountain. Most mountains, like Aconcagua, Everest, Russia’s Elbrus, or the Volcanoes in Mexico and Ecuador, have very limited, if any, infrastructure for dealing with human waste. A simple pit toilet near Base Camp is usually all that exists. As a result, human waste litters the upper slopes of the mountain. Without an infrastructure to deal with human waste even off of the mountain, we were forced to look for a simple yet effective solution. A plain doggy bag solved our problems: we outfit our expeditions with small biodegradable bags for each climber to use as needed. We collect these in larger biodegradable bags and then carry everything off of the mountain, depositing the waste in the pit toilets, or waste collection barrels if available, at Base Camp. This is easy for our climbers to do, doesn’t weigh or cost much, and isn’t filling the landfills or latrines with plastics or additional chemical additives that come with more complicated systems.


How do you apply the lessons of Plan Ahead and Prepare to your own adventures? The bottom line is that just as you research your route and estimate the number of days, also take the time research the travel conditions, the existing local infrastructure, and try to anticipate the unexpected circumstances you will encounter in the mountains.

1) Prepare your team: Do your research and involve your team in coming up with the right plan - for your schedule, in case of accidents, and how to manage your environmental impacts.

2) Plan your meals: Find meals that are nutritious, appealing at altitudes, easy and efficient to prepare, and that minimize the weight carried up and waste carried out. Reducing the packaging is a no-brainer, but if you are travelling internationally also take into account what is available to buy in-country; you can save on transportation costs and emissions as well as reduce your costs when you buy locally.

3) Plan your human waste strategy: Look into what the existing local policies and infrastructure are surrounding human waste and plan on how to meet or complement what is already in place. Consider using biodegradable doggy bags to get your waste off of the mountain in an effective manner.

4) Take Responsibility: Give your team everything you need to succeed on the climb and in their duty to do climb responsibly.

A major factor in Plan Ahead and Prepare is communication: explaining the “why” and the “how-to” of better environmental practices. Climbers do not intentionally harm the alpine zones they visit, but often ignorance of better practices or obstacles in executing them result in damage. Effectively communicating what we do and why we do it to our clientele, both before and during the climb, has greatly improved our follow through and reduced our expedition’s footprint on the landscape. We’ve found that the changes we’ve made to reduce our impact on mountain environments has led to better equipped expeditions, a more enjoyable climbing experience, and better business practices overall.

Just as you plan your climbing objective and how to achieve it, take the time to think through all of the steps, gear, logistics, and impacts that are associated with getting you there. You will be better prepared when you set foot on the mountain and more than likely discover a more enjoyable experience. We all share the mountains and have a desire to experience them, it is up to us to consider and take responsibility for how we do so.

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Rainier Mountaineering, Inc (RMI Expeditions) is one of America's most reputable and long-standing guide services with over 42 years of mountain guiding experience.

Gettin' out the WHY in AZ!

Our week kicked off with back-to-back stellar sessions in Flagstaff and Sedona with the Northern Arizona University Trip Leaders and the Red Rock Ranger District in the Coconino National Forest. With both groups we got to really dig into the "why" of Leave No Trace -- talking about ecological and social impacts in their part of the country as well as how to message the information.  After an intense and snow-filled weekend of trip-leader training, we met with the students back at their awesome rec center. As a group, we got to play some fun games, including Plan Ahead and Prepare Charades and a great game focusing on different outdoor user groups. Two highlights of the afternoon were working with them to reflect on their experience in the field that weekend and discussing how to talk to individuals, both on their crews and people they encounter in the outdoors, about Leave No Trace skills and ethics. Students and leaders like these make it clear why NAU is such a great educational partner for the Center. They even lead Trainer Courses of their own throughout the year and are truly dedicated to practicing and educating the principles of Leave No Trace!

With Candice from the Forest Service in Red Rock Country!

In Red Rock Country, we met with a diverse group of Sedona-lovers including Forest Service personnel, volunteers from the Friends of the Forest, and outfitters. These groups are dedicated to protecting one of the most beautiful parts of the country. One clever technique they employ is having a marketing campaign to educate visitors about cryptobiotic soils -- both their fragility and their importance to the desert ecosystem. In addition to desert issues, we had a great discussion about the frontcountry program from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. The area receives over four million visitors a year, most of them headed to day-use only locations. By focusing on educating these visitors in a myriad of ways, these frontliners are getting out the WHY to both first-time users and backcountry aficionados. We felt fortunate to spend the day with such impassioned individuals! Thanks for all the hard work you do!

From Red Rocks to Cacti,

Quinn & Frank

Do you know who's land you're on?

Sounds like a simple question but the answer is not always obvious. With so many different land management agencies - National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, countless state parks, hundreds of local municipalities, etc. - it can be very confusing for the average outdoor enthusiasts. Not to mention the dozens of different land designations - Wilderness, national park, wild and scenic river, national monument, - just to name a few.

One must ask - why does it even matter who's land I'm on? Well, it does matter, and in some cases it matters a great deal. There are things you can do on USDA Forest Service lands (hunting for example) that you can't do in many National Parks. You can mountain bike on lots of land that the Bureau of Land Management manages but you can't mountain bike in federally designated Wilderness. What it boils down to is that recreationists need to know what is and isn't allowed on the lands where they hope to spend time.

Land management agencies have different classifications of land in order to manage for one thing or another. Whether it's solitude, resource extraction, water resources or recreation, land managers do their best to ensure that we properly steward public lands in the U.S.

The first principle of Leave No Trace, Plan Ahead and Prepare, encourages outdoor enthusiasts to do some research to find out about what is an isn't allowed on the lands they intend to visit. This seemingly simple step is critical for a quality recreational experience, and is very important for protecting the limited recreational resources we have to share.

How do you make a city disappear?

It's that time of year again when we are reminded of what Leave No Trace can look like on a larger-than-life scale... the creation, and then ultimate disappearance, of Black Rock City. In the desert of Nevada for just over a week, close to 50,000 people will build their home in this city for the annual art festival, Burning Man, and then collectively see to it that the city vanishes until next year.

Having one year of attendance under my belt, I'm looking forward to being a bit more of an expert this year - not just with costumes, but with my Leave No Trace systems while living in the desert. As I plan ahead and prepare, I've been amazed at the depth of knowledge being disseminated from the Burning Man officials to the entire community, to raise awareness of how to Leave No Trace.

Even if you're not attending this festival, I would highly suggest taking a few moments to check out some of the great things that Burning Man is doing to Leave No Trace at their festival. A few minutes on the Earth Guardian site will do nothing short of inspire you to Leave No Trace the next time you go to any festival or event. Be sure to check out the "Sample LNT Plan" and "LNT Model Camp Tour" under the "Burning LNT" tab, as well as the Leave No Trace practices for water, fire, air, earth and ether.

Pictures to come in just a couple of weeks... Stay tuned!

Group Size

Thanks to all those who participated in this week’s poll: For a group of twenty on a backcountry hike, it is best to…

1. Camp in small groups on separate campsites, and do not hang out or eat together.
   
2. Have the whole group camp on one site.
3. Split up and camp on separate campsites, but designate routes to a central area to eat and socialize.
4. Take the whole group into a remote area where others won’t see the impacts.
   

The correct answer to the poll is: Camp in small groups on separate campsites and do not hang out or eat together. 

Organized outdoor groups provide training, equipment, expertise and logistical support for everyone from novices looking for an adventure to experts seeking a unique experience with the help of a guide. Group trips into the outdoors play critical role in shaping the life-long skills and ethics of their participants. Many who enjoy spending time outside are introduced to the outdoors on a scouting trip, a church group overnight, at a summer camp, with a hiking club or through an educational trip with a school. For this reason, groups are integral to getting Leave No Trace information out to a wide and diverse audience. 

However, large organized groups in the out-of-doors sometimes earn a bad reputation. Noise, crowding, trash, poor sanitation, trampling and undue impact on the land are often blamed on large groups. Sometimes these labels are deserved; more often they are not. Current research indicates that the techniques a group uses and how it behaves in the out-of-doors are more important than its size in determining how the group will affect the land and other visitors.

Your success in instilling outdoor  ethics in your group will make a significant difference in the condition of the out-of-doors and the recreational experience we enjoy there. It may also prevent further regulations or group size limitations from being imposed. Make Leave No Trace part of your group’s agenda and help protect the places we cherish. 

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Remember to plan realistically. Match your group's goals and skills with your trip's objectives.  

Helpful hints:

• Check with local land management agencies regarding permits, group size requirements and area-specific rules and regulations before you leave for your trip. 
  
• A group size limit of 10 means that your group never congregates in numbers greater than 10. If your group is larger than the area’s group size limit, break into smaller sub-groups to travel and camp. 
  
• Avoid the most popular and congested areas, or visit them during times when they are less crowded.
  
• Concentrate all activities on the most durable or previously disturbed surfaces and avoid trampling plants. 
  
• Gather as a large group only on durable surfaces and within group size limits.
  
• Explain what both durable and non-durable surfaces are to your group.
  
• Help them recognize areas sensitive to human traffic such as wetlands, riparian zones, recently thawed ground, fragile plants and cryptobiotic soils. 
  

 

 

Trip Planning 101

Hello all!

Thanks again for those who participated in this week's poll.

The question was: "When planning your food supply, you should..."

The answer with the most votes was also the correct answer (nice job!) or B: "Re-pack dried or freeze-dried food into lightweight plastic bags."

What's the rationale? Repackaging food helps you conserve space and minimize waste when you are on an outdoor trip. Many food products come with several layers of packaging (a plastic bag, a cardboard box) and by repackaging, or taking out a layer, you'll free up more space for other gear and you'll have less trash to pack out.

The other choices brought up some interesting points. Stuff sacks are great for food storage and bear hangs. Containers that minimize food smells are especially important at your campsite, to avoid attracting wildlife, as well as to properly store food. Fresh foods may be okay for a short trip, but they can add weight, and trash if they spoil, so make sure you use these items first.

For more information about planning for trip, check out the Leave No Trace principle Plan Ahead and Prepare on our website.

Fast Packing the John Muir Trail

High on the list for trips this year is fast packing the John Muir Trail with some good friends from college. This idea has been floating around for awhile, but this past Fall at one friends wedding, it coalesced into a workable idea.

For those unfamiliar with the JMT, it is 212 miles from Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney (plus another 11 miles to get to the Whitney portal trailhead). It appears the preference is to hike North to South, as you are somewhat acclimated before undertaking the majority of the high passes towards to the Southern end of the trip. Our group is thinking 8 days on trail, so roughly 28 miles a day.

My Wife and I hiked the entire trail in 1996 in 18 days. Not super fast, but we didn’t take any rest days either. Two of my favorite memories, were dropping the packs and running the final mile to the summit of Mt. Whitney at 14,000 feet. We were fit and light after 2+ weeks on the trail. Later that day my wife was ready to eat the dehydrated potato flakes, as that was the only food we had left.

Which brings us to the first principle of Leave No Trace, Plan Ahead and Prepare. Obviously this will be critical to the success of this trip. First we will need to secure permits and check group size regulations. It looks like there are 8 of us very interested at this point, with some planning to peel off early. Then I have read on other blogs and trip reports that Bear Canisters may be required throughout the High Sierra now. Obviously we will want to work these details out far in advance.

Over the next several months, I will blog about the planning and preparation that we are doing to prepare for this adventure. As always feel free to share any thoughts you may have.

Visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association to see an elevation profile of the entire trail.

Fun in the snow!

This picture makes me laugh...meet Charlie. He LOVES the snow, short legs and all. I've taken him snowshoeing a couple of times, bootless, and he always comes home happy and tired. I recently purchased these dog boots (out of sincerely good intentions) and the first time I took him to the mountains with them it was quite an adventure.

Needless to say, he was not happy with them, as you can tell by his expression. In fact, he sat down in the middle of the trail and refused to move. We had a lovely 1/2 mile walk in the snow that took us two hours.

I'm not convinced either way about these pet boots but I did a miniature case study while I was one the trail and asked the opinion and experience of every person that came by with dogs. The best response I received was from a gentleman who walked by with two dogs (bootless) but said that he always brought a pair along in his pack, just in case. What do you think?

This does breach the subject of Planning Ahead and Preparing. Winter conditions can change pretty quickly and can be extreme, so it's important to make sure that you are prepared for the conditions, as well as everybody with you, be it friends, your children, or your family pet.

Anyway, here's to a holiday season filled with snow. Be safe, stay warm, and enjoy!

Wilderness First Aid

This last weekend, I got my Wilderness First Responder recertification through the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS.  It was exciting to see that the front of my WMI book said “Partner of the Leave No Trace Program.”  It feels good to have refreshed and regained my first aid knowledge.  Keeping up with your first aid skills is definitely a great way to Plan Ahead and Prepare by being ready in the incident of a backcountry accident.  I encourage all of you guys to stay up to date on your first aid and CPR certifications so we can continue enjoying the outdoors safely and responsibly!