Scouting in the High Sierras

While in the Sierras we stopped at two Girl Scout Camps for day long workshops. We trekked up to Arnold, CA to present Leave No Trace to campers at Camp Menzies and Sugar Pine Camp.  Scouts ranging from 8 to 18 years old participated in a variety of interactive games, which enlightened them to the importanceof practicing Leave No Trace, and the impact humans can have on our lands.  The girls were extremely receptive to the information provided and can’t wait to use the skills and ethics while at camp and beyond. 

At the two camps we worked with 180 scouts and counselors in training. We dedicated half of the day at Sugar Pine Camp to work with their 20 CIT's, teaching them how they can teach the younger campers Leave No Trace. Later on in the day the CIT's were able to join us on  couple of workshops for the younger campers and help us run activities, Thanks! While at camp we were also able to see the largest Sugar Pine Tree alive, approximately 400 ft tall and 500 years old. The camp has pictures of the tree from 1900, with the one of the forefathers  of conservation sitting at the base of the tree, John Muir, pretty cool!  

We hope you all have an awesome summer, Big Thanks to all the satff at Menzies and Sugar Pine! 

Happy Trails the E-Tour

 Topher and Alexis  

Great American Backyard Campout

Camping in Oakland?  You bettcha!  The third Annual Great American Backyard Campout took place in the City of Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park.  Family campers gathered on Saturday afternoon to experience the joys of camping and the discovery of nature.  The Leave No Trace e-tour was on hand to educate campers on the seven principles of Leave No Trace and how to responsibly enjoy the park, its resources, and other areas folks may travel to in future outings.  We welcome the Great American Backyard Campout as partners and are excited to provide education and outreach at many of their events in the future.

 

Happy Trails,

 Topher and Alexis 

Skylark Ranch

Yesterday we ran 6 awareness workshops to 124 Girl Scouts at the SkyLark Ranch. The ranch is 300 acres and nestled right between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz on the Coast of California, surrounded by red wood trees in a temperate rainforest. We worked with girls that were 10- 16 years old, and even some counselors in training. The scouts attend week long sessions, with certain activities as their focus like horse back riding,  climbing, sea kayaking,  archery, and primitive camping. We focused on a variety of principles with the girls, and played games from the PEAK and TEEN pack. Two of our last programs at the camp were working with the Gillys or the primitive camping scouts which are some what removed from the rest of camp, and they make and sleep and in tree beds, and truly ruff it! We really enjoyed all the scouts and their amazing counselors at camp! Thank you to Tori aka Batgirl, our program host for everything and having us at one of the most amazing camps we have seen!

Happy Trails from the E-Tour, 

Alexis & Topher 

Nevada Outdoor School

Winnemucca Nevada is home to the Nevada Outdoor School. They are a non-profit organization that fosters knowledge and respect for all living and non-living things, increases scientific literacy, and promotes ecological stewardship in rural Nevada and beyond. We worked with one of their summer groups today 10 students and 4 NOS staff. The group is setting out on a hiking and overnight trip tomorrow in Water Canyon of Northern Nevada. Their trip offered the perfect setting to teach Leave No Trace, and how to recreate responsibly. During the three  hour awareness workshop we  covered all the Principles, and how they are related to the specific trip they are going on. We focused heavily on Know Before You Go, by playing “How Prepared Are You?” in the Teen Peak Pack. This activity allowed the participants to work together and discuss all the gear needed for an overnight hiking trip, and what questions to ask their trip leaders.  After covering the importance of trip planning we covered the other principles and played a variety of games; Step on It, How Long Does It Last, Stealing the Wow, and demonstrations on Leave No Trace Fires.  We hope the trip is a success in Water Canyon, and sparks many  more outdoor adventures for the group.

Wanted to Thank the Nevada Outdoor School and their staff (Rachel, Jessica, Bonnie, and Amanda) for having us, and hope y’all have an amazing summer!

 

Happy Trails,

Alexis & Topher 

Home for a Day

After our program in Utah we were able to a squeeze in some  time In Lake Tahoe, the place  we call Home! Making the most of our time on the North Shore and with friends we hit up the Tahoe Rim Trail and Mountain Biked one of the most popular sections at Tahoe Meadows Trailhead to Tunnel Creek, 12 miles of technical rock features and scenic vistas of Lake Tahoe. After riding we hit up Old County, a sweet Bouldering spot in Tahoe City. The next day we went and climbed bunch of sport routes at Big Chief in the Truckee River Valley, one of our favorite spots to climb overhanging juggy basalt rock! There isn’t enough time in the day to get in all of our favorite recreational spots in Tahoe, but we sure did squeeze in as much as possible in two days, while also catching up with friends. Now we are off to Winnemucca, Nevada to work with the Nevada Outdoor School!

Happy Trails from the E-tour,

 

Alexis & Topher  

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Today we joined our Utah State Advocte Kathy Stopher at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, Utah.  They had a Movie Premier at the Refuge, "Wings of Thunder", and we were there as well to do outreach and education. We talked to Children and Families on the importance of practicing Leave No Trace, and respecting wildlife. We had a small interpretive trail set up outside, but unfortunately the weather was not so great and rained out our Leave No Trace Trail, so we tabled inside instead.  Other activities that were going on were face painting, Making Bird masks, and the interpretive center activities inside the refuge visitor center. This is our second time doing outreach in the area, last fall we conducted a Trainer Course for the Refuge Centers volunteers and staff, and this year worked right beside them at the visitor center. Thanks again to Kathy for bringing us back, and having us at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. 

Happy Trails from the E-Tour, 

Alexis & Topher 

SOS PEAK Training

Friday afternoon we met with SOS Outdoor Guides in Minturn, Colorado. SOS & Meet the Wilderness have merged, and have been doing Outdoor Education programs since 1993.  They focus on winter sports, rock climbing, backpacking, and challenge course programs for teens. We worked with 8 Field staff who are getting ready for the summer program season, and had their first day of staff training on Friday. SOS is a recipient of the Leave No Trace Connect Grant, and we were their to teach the staff how to facilitate the Teen Peak Pack. We covered three of the activities; How Prepared are You?, Principle Presentation, and the Ethics Game. The SOS staff were already very knowledgeable of Leave NO Trace, which made teaching the PEAK pack very easy and fun. 

We wanted to Thank Dan for having us, and hope the summer season is a success!