The WildeBeat

Thu, Apr 27, 2006

Birdwatching 101

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to birdwatching. The wildlife you're most likely to see on any wilderness outing are birds, and they're certainly more interesting if you can tell them apart.

In this edition, we hear from Shana Stearn of BirderBabes.com. Shana taught Birdwatching 101 at the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival in Arcata, California. Arcata can claim to be one of the top birding locations in the country.

Shana talks about her Seven S's of bird identification: Shade, shape, silhouette, signs, sounds, sweep, and surroundings. She explains the gear you need to get started, and some other tips for beginning birdwatchers. Shana's web site, BirderBabes.com has large collection of bird watching reference information.

• Show number 39 [MP3 format; length 9:30; 2,281,767 bytes]
• Show number 39 script

Thu, Apr 20, 2006

The Desert Trail

Posted at 09:00

/shows/wild_places [link ]

This wild places program explores an alternative to the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a 1,300 mile route called The Desert Trail. This trail runs roughly parallel to the PCT, through the high desert of California, Nevada, and Oregon, and is eventually planned to continue through Idaho and Montana.

Ross Edgington of The Desert Trail Association talks about the history of the trail, the development of the route in Oregon, and the current progress toward the trail's completion. Steve Tabor of The Desert Survivors talks about the development of the California and Nevada sections. He describes their 2005 relay hike of the entire trail. He contemplates the prospects of someone doing a through hike of the trail.

Maps and guides for The Desert Trail are available for the sections that are already established. The Desert Trail Association sells maps and guides for the Oregon section. The Desert Survivors sell guide and map books for the California and Nevada sections. Both organizations are looking for volunteers to support their efforts to complete the trail.

Now that the rain has subsided in Northern California, we're ready to wrap up our desert features for the season.

• Show number 38 [MP3 format; length 9:06; 2,187,308 bytes]
• Show number 38 script

Thu, Apr 13, 2006

Calling for Help

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an overview of some of the ways you can call for help from the wilderness. Have you ever thought about how you'd get help if you needed it? Out of all the different ways you could let somebody know about your situation, some of them work better than others.

Steve talks about simple signaling techniques, like whistles, signal mirrors, and smoke signals, and then discusses various phones and radio technologies. He talks to Caroline Semerdjian at Sprint-Nextel. She mentions a page to find out their network coverage by zip-code. We replay a comment by Sgt. Phil Caporale of the Fresno County Sheriff's search and rescue unit from A Winter Storm Warning (our editions #15 & #16), where he talks about problems with satellite phones.

Steve talks to Bill Jeffrey about amateur (or "ham") radio. Bill created and maintains a web site called the Pacific Crest Trail Repeater Guide. Bill talks about a time when amateur radio communications saved him from a difficult situation in Kings Canyon National Park.

• Show number 37 [MP3 format; length 9:51; 2,366,389 bytes]
• Show number 37 script
• To find out more...

Thu, Apr 06, 2006

Surviving the Desert, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program completes our report of our trip with the Desert Survivors. We camped for two nights in the Sheep Hole Valley Wilderness, in the southern Mojave desert.

In this part, leader Dave Halligan leads Steve and the group to the top of the Sheep Hole Mountains, and back out the next day. The show ends with a conversation on the hike-out about the desert experience.

• Show number 36 [MP3 format; length 8:41; 2,086,267 bytes]
• Show number 35 & 36, combined high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 16:33; 15,900,548 bytes]
• Show number 36 script
• Show number 35 & 36 combined script
• Photo album

Fri, Mar 31, 2006

Science News article about the Wilderness at Night

Posted at 12:15

/blog/wild_places [link ]

The March 18th issue of Science News Magazine included a story titled Night Light. This article includes interviews with Chad Moore of the National Park Service's Night Sky Team, and Dr. Travis Longcore of USC and the Urban Wildlands Group. The article also includes pictures taken by Chad Moore of the distant sky glow from cities, as seen from some of our most remote national parks.

We interviewed Chad Moore and Dr. Travis Longcore last September for two of our earlier editions:

• The Wilderness at Night, part 1 (program number 13)
• The Wilderness at Night, part 2 (program number 14)

We also posted our complete interview [MP3 format; length 31:14; 3,749,849 bytes] with Dr. Longcore, discussing the contents of his book The Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting.

Thu, Mar 30, 2006

Surviving the Desert, Part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a backpacking trip with The Desert Survivors. We camped for two nights in the Sheep Hole Valley Wilderness, in the southern Mojave Desert.

In this part, leader Dave Halligan leads Steve and his group into a camp site and begins a peak climb the next day. In part two, you'll hear the rest of the outing report.

• Show number 35 [MP3 format; length 9:26; 2,267,766 bytes]
• Show number 35 script

Thu, Mar 23, 2006

Desert Backpacking Tips

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to desert backpacking skills. Steve talks to Steve Tabor of the Berkeley, California based group, The Desert Survivors.

Steve Tabor dispels some of the fears people have about desert wilderness travel. He shares his considerable experience about gear, water management, and plants and animals in the desert. We'll hear more from Steve Tabor in a future program.

• Show number 34 [MP3 format; length 9:55; 2,381,346 bytes]
• Show number 34 script

Thu, Mar 16, 2006

Wilderness Rescuing

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program explores opportunities to volunteer as a wilderness search and rescue responder. Steve interviews John Chang of BAMRU, Tim Kovacs of MRA, and Kathy Miller of NASAR. They talk about how you can make a rescuer's job easier if you should ever need them. They talk about the challenges and rewards of joining a search and rescue team. (Hint: There are few better ways to build your wilderness skills.)

If you're curious about technical mountain rescue, take a look at the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). Their Team Information page lists all of their affiliated teams.

If you're not in a mountainous area or are curious about less technical search and rescue teams, take a look at the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). Many of their affiliated units are listed on their Links page.

In our edition #16, there's an interview with Sergeant Phil Caporale of the Fresno Country Sheriff's search and rescue unit. He gives some additional advice on being better prepared in case you ever need to be rescued.

• Show number 33 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,395,452 bytes]
• Show number 33 script

Sat, Mar 11, 2006

Experiences with Dogs in the Wilderness?

Posted at 12:45

/blog/wild_places [link ]

For a future story we're working on, we'd like to hear about your experiences with dogs in the wilderness:

• Do you take your dog camping with you? How about a trip report?
• Have you had a particularly positive or negative experience doing so?
• Have you had a significant experience with someone else's dogs on your wilderness trips?
• Do you agree or disagree with park and forest policies regarding dogs?

If you have an experience to share, please call our comment line at 866-590-7373.

Thu, Mar 09, 2006

Mountain Rescuers

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us to a training exercise of the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU). The rescuers practice their winter alpine rescue skills in the Carson Pass area, just south of Lake Tahoe, California.

Most search and rescue teams in the U.S. are all-volunteer. BAMRU is just one example. To find out about the mountain rescue teams near you, you can look at the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA).

In next week's show, we'll talk more to John Chang of BAMRU and Tim Kovacs of MRA about how you can get involved and volunteer for mountain and wilderness rescues.

• Show number 32 [MP3 format; length 9:47; 2,351,357 bytes]
• Show number 32, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 9:47; 9,405,880 bytes]
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• Photo album

Fri, Feb 24, 2006

Freeheeling Ski Festival

Posted at 17:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us to the Bear Valley Telemark Festival (you might need to turn off Javascript to see this page). One of the key skills for backcountry ski touring is the telemark turn. It's a way to descend larger, steeper hills on skis that are more like cross-country skis. Festival events like the Bear Valley Tele Fest help you get a jump-start on the skills.

Steve gives a history of telemark skiing. He talks to a couple of people about their experience at the festival, visits some of the events at the show, and attends a lesson.

There's a history of telemark skiing on the site, TelemarkTips.com. They also have an online "lesson" and many other articles about getting started. There's a magazine devoted to Telemark skiing. Telemark skiing gear and technique is also frequently covered in the backcountry skiing magazine Couloir.

• Show number 31 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,389,321 bytes]
• Show number 31, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 9:57; 9,554,194 bytes]
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Thu, Feb 16, 2006

Winter OR 2006

Posted at 09:00

/shows/gear [link ]

This gear program is a report on the Winter 2006 Outdoor Retailer's Expo. Jerry Goller, Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd, and Steven Nelson of Backpack Gear Test report on the show in general, and the gear they saw there in particular.

They commented on gear made by Heat Factory, Jetboil, Arc'teryx, Osprey, Mountain Hardware, Pacific Outdoor Equipment, Kahtoola, Java Juice, Ursack, Icebreaker Merino, and Injinji.

Backpack Gear Test has more gear to review than reviewers. You can start out by reviewing gear you already own, and then you might be able to get other free gear to review. Read: How to become a tester.

• Show number 30 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,393,780 bytes]
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Thu, Feb 09, 2006

Wilderness First Aid Training

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a mini wilderness first aid class. Bobbie Foster of Foster Calm is a wilderness EMT and professional first aid trainer. She talks us through the most common health problems people encounter on backcountry trips, and what to do about them. She explains the different levels of wilderness first-aid training of interest to non-medical professionals.

Standards for wilderness first aid courses is established by the Wilderness Medical Society. To find wilderness first aid training near you, look for wilderness first aid or wilderness first responder using your favorite search engine. Although there are a lot of good books on wilderness first aid, the most up-to-date volume we know about for non-professional users is Wilderness 911 by Eric Weiss, M.D.

• Show number 29 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,396,288 bytes]
• Show number 29 script

Thu, Feb 02, 2006

Staying On Top of the Snow

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to avalanche safety. Gary Bard, an avalanche safety instructor for Mountain Adventure Seminars, talks about easy ways to stay out of avalanches, and describes a rescue. Brandon Schwartz of the Sierra Avalanche Center talks about avalanche forecasting and the Snow Condition Report. Tom Murphy, of the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), talks about avalanche safety education.

There's a lot of additonal information about avalanche-related organizations, and avalanche safety, under the To find out more... link, below.

• Show number 28 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,400,154 bytes]
• Show number 28, extended version [MP3 format; length 12:43; 6,110,063 bytes]
• Show number 28 script
• To find out more...

Sun, Jan 29, 2006

Vox WildeBeat for January 29, 2006

Posted at 12:00

/vox [link ]

Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd of Backpack Gear Test called-in to report new gear that she saw on her first day at the Winter 2006 Outdoor Retailer's show.

• Vox WildeBeat 2 [MP3 format; length 6:10; 1,483,256 bytes]

Thu, Jan 26, 2006

Really Cool Camping, part 2

Posted at 09:01

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to snow camping by Mike Clelland. Mike is a winter camping instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. He's also the illustrator and co-author of Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book.

In this part, Mike talks about kitchens, cooking and nutrition, and staying warm at night. Ben Lawhon from the Leave No Trace Center gives some additional tips for low-impact snow camping.

• Show number 27 [MP3 format; length 9:54; 2,378,420 bytes]
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• To find out more...

Thu, Jan 19, 2006

Really Cool Camping, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to snow camping by Mike Clelland. Mike is a winter camping instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School. He's also the illustrator and co-author of Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book.

In this part, Mike talks about clothing, camp site selection, and shelter. Next week in part two, he'll tell you the rest you need to know to get started.

• Show number 26 [MP3 format; length 8:51; 2,125,032 bytes]
• Show number 26 script

Thu, Jan 12, 2006

The Outdoors Club

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is an interview with Tim Bui, the founder of the online social network for outdoors activities called, The Outdoors Club.

Long before the current craze of web sites called social networks, the web site outdoorsclub.org was connecting climbers, hikers, and other wilderness travelers. There's a wide range of outdoor activities in their calendar, from beginner classes to major expeditions, and they were doing it back when final vowels were still in fashion.

• Show number 25 [MP3 format; length 9:50; 2,361,702 bytes]
• Show number 25 script

Wed, Jan 11, 2006

Vox WildeBeat for January 11, 2006

Posted at 22:01

/shows/news [link ]

This is an introduction to Vox WildeBeat, a new companion podcast feed that's all about your participation. After you listen to what it's about, it's your turn to talk!

• Vox WildeBeat 1 [MP3 format; length 5:04; 1,217,434 bytes]

Vox WildeBeat for January 11, 2006

Posted at 22:00

/vox [link ]

This is an introduction to Vox WildeBeat, a new companion podcast feed that's all about your participation. After you listen to what it's about, it's your turn to talk!

• Vox WildeBeat 1 [MP3 format; length 5:04; 1,217,434 bytes]

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