The WildeBeat

Thu, Apr 24, 2008

A Family Hike

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program tells the story of a 10 year old girl and her parents who went on a hike. With all the emphasis on getting more kids outdoors, it might be helpful to give them a role model. Listen to hear about a great one.

Mary "Scrambler" and her parents, Gary and Barbara, hiked the length of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2004. Their 2,650 mile journey started April 8th, and they were on the trail until October 25th. They talk about preparation for their journey, stories along the trail, and some of the more profound things they got out of the experience.

Barbara Egbert wrote about the adventure, and included photos, copies of Mary's journal, drawings, and more in her book, Zero Days. Gary maintains a web site at pctfamily.com.

• Show number 135 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,397,057 bytes]
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Thu, Mar 20, 2008

Skiing for Skiers

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a patrol day with the Lake Alpine Nordic Ski Patrol. You can have a great time while helping others by joining a ski patrol.

Steve joins the patrol skiing in the backcountry near Bear Valley, California. We hear from Charles Schafer, the patrol director for the Lake Alpine Nordic Ski Patrol. His group is affiliated with the Far West Division of the National Ski Patrol. Charles talks about the reason they're out there skiing the backcountry: To provide assistance to backcountry skiers and to make their experience safer.

After the tour, Steve talked with Jeff Gurrola, the Nordic Supervisor for the Far West Division of the National Ski Patrol. Jeff talks about how you can join up with a backcountry ski patrol.

To join a ski patrol in your favorite backcountry area, you can start by contacting the National Ski Patrol and finding out about which areas near you have active patrols. Call their national office in Colorado at 303-988-1111.

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Thu, Oct 18, 2007

Inner-City Outings, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a campout with the Sierra Club's Inner-City Outings (ICO) section. This is part two of a follow up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users. (Part one is here.)

Steve visits a campout led by the ICO at the Arroyo Seco Campground in the Los Padres National Forest. We hear from:

• Gabriella, a campout participant and four-year veteran of ICO outings
• Debra Asher, the national administrator of the Sierra Club's Inner-City Outings
• Larry Volpe, a fifth-grade teacher and ICO leader
• Graciella, a campout participant
• Francesca, Graciella's mother

The Sierra Club's Inner-City Outings program continues to expand, entirely due to the energy of it's volunteers. But there are always more schools and youth organizations that would like to add outdoor outings to their programs. To find out more about volunteering as a leader, see their Get Involved page. To find existing groups that might be able to organize outings for your school or youth group, see their Local Contacts page.

• Show number 108 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,392,995 bytes]
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• Photo album

Thu, Oct 11, 2007

Inner-City Outings, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a campout with the Sierra Club's Inner-City Outings (ICO) section. This part one of two is a follow up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

Steve visits a campout led by the ICO at the Arroyo Seco Campground in the Los Padres National Forest. We hear from:

• Gabriella, a campout participant and four-year veteran of ICO outings
• Larry Volpe, a fifth-grade teacher and ICO leader
• Sergio, a campout participant
• Graciella, a campout participant
• Debra Asher, the national administrator of the Sierra Club's Inner-City Outings

So what do the kids think of the Inner-City Outings program? How does it affect them and their parents? What's it like to be an ICO outing leader, and how can you become one? Find out next week, in part two.

• Show number 107 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,390,801 bytes]
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Thu, Jun 28, 2007

Bay Area Wilderness Training, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a Wilderness Leadership Training course offered by the non-profit group, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). This part 2 of 2 is a follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

Steve meets a diverse group of teachers, counselors, and other youth workers on the trail just outside of Yosemite National Park. He talks to:

• Roger Miller, executive director of BAWT.
• Hector Nuño, a volunteer youth counselor from San Jose, California.
• Judy Kuang, a youth coordinator for the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco.

We also hear from:

• Katie DeClercq, a program assistant for the Norcal Mountain Bike Racing League in
• Kellie Meehan, camp director for the Presidio Community YMCA in San Francisco, California.
• The entire WLT class singing.

If you're a teacher, youth counselor, or other youth development professional in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, BAWT's Wilderness Leadership Training can teach you all the skills you'll need to take at-risk and under-privileged youth out on life-affirming wilderness adventures.

You can help BAWT with their work by participating in Climbing for Kids. A program that provides you gear and gets you up a major mountain in exchange for your fund-raising assistance.

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• Group Picture, opens in new window [JPEG format; 835x768 pixels; 273,041 bytes]

Thu, Jun 21, 2007

Bay Area Wilderness Training, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on a Wilderness Leadership Training course offered by the non-profit group, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT). This part 1 of 2 is a follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

Steve meets a diverse group of teachers, counselors, and other youth workers at the Cherry Lake campground just outside of Yosemite National Park. He talks to:

• Roger Miller, executive director of BAWT.
• Hector Nuño, a volunteer youth counselor from San Jose, California.
• Judy Kuang, a youth coordinator for the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco.
• We also hear from Chelsea Griffie, program director for BAWT.

So what happens to our teachers on the trail? How does BAWT finish the process of turning them into qualified wilderness guides? We'll rejoin them in part two of Bay Area Wilderness Training.

• Show number 91 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,400,229 bytes]
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Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Reprise: Mountain Rescuers

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program joins 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).

This is a reprise of our edition #32 of March 9, 2006. We followed it with a companion edition #33, Wilderness Rescuing, where talked more to John Chang of BAMRU and Tim Kovacs of MRA about how you can get involved and volunteer for mountain and wilderness rescue teams.

• Show number 82 [MP3 format; length 9:56; 2,388,918 bytes]
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• Photo album

Thu, Feb 22, 2007

Yosemite Snow Vox Pop

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is a Vox Pop where we ask: Are snow campers and winter wilderness visitors super-human?

Steve recorded the candid thoughts of several skiers, snowshoe hikers, and snow campers at Summit Meadow along the Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park. Summit Meadow is about a mile from the Badger Pass downhill ski area, a popular trailhead for winter access to the Yosemite backcountry.

First, we hear from Howard Weamer, the Hut Master for Yosemite Park's backcountry ski hut at Ostrander Lake (who we heard from in edition 72), about the history of cross country skiing in Yosemite. Then we hear the intermingled comments of Kevin Schwartz, Tazuo Han, Ken Branson, Karina Schwag, Rich Rasmussen, Chris Gorton, and Chris Clay.

At the end, Steve invites listeners to contribute their comments to Vox WildeBeat, our companion podcast of community conversation.

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Thu, Feb 15, 2007

WildLink Program

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is a visit to the WildLink program, a partnership between the Yosemite Institute and the Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project. This is the first follow-up to our original program on ethnic diversity among wilderness users.

WildLink is a program to expose teens from low-income, ethnically-diverse families to a wilderness experience. Nina Roberts, Ph.D, assistant professor at San Francisco State University, explains why a program like WildLink is necessary.

Steve visited one of WildLink's family weekends in November of 2005. He goes on a day hike to the Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoia trees, and talks to:

• Mandy Vance, the director of the WildLink program.
• Lawrence, a WildLink student from Sanger, CA.
• Lawrence's mother.
• Lawrence's sister, Christella.
• Jonathon, a WildLink student from Traver, CA.

In the bonus interview segment, linked below, Mandy Vance talks about the origin of WildLink, why she thinks minorities are under-represented in the wilderness, and her thoughts on how others can help her efforts.

• Show number 76 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,395,766 bytes]
• Show number 76, extended high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 10:31; 10,112,589 bytes]
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• Bonus interview segment, Mandy Vance [MP3 format; length 9:28; 1,137.604 bytes]

Thu, Sep 28, 2006

All Around Lake Tahoe, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is a follow-up with hikers on the Tahoe Rim Trail. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary by leading fifteen people on a through hike of their 165 mile trail.

Steve talks to:

• Steve Andersen, the president of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association
• Nicole Anderson, the youngest member of the party
• Gary Hanneman, the eldest member of the party

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association organizes guided hikes of sections of the trail as well.

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Thu, Sep 21, 2006

All Around Lake Tahoe, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is a visit to the Tahoe Rim Trail. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary by leading fifteen people on a through hike of their 165 mile trail.

Steve hikes from Echo Summit along a section of trail shared by the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. He meets the hikers at their mid-trip camp at Showers Lake. From there, he hikes with them to Echo Lake.

Steve talks to:

• Steve Andersen, the president of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association
• Nicole Anderson, the youngest member of the party
• Gary Hanneman, the eldest member of the party
• Nada Vogt, one of the support volunteers
• Lorenz Robinson, perhaps the participant with the least prior outdoor experience

Next week's show will feature wrap-up interviews with some of the trip's participants.

• Show number 58 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,394,864 bytes]
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Thu, Sep 14, 2006

Reprise: Volunteer Trail Crew

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program is a reprise of show number 10, first posted on September 15th, 2005. Steve joins a work day with the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew, in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness of the Sequoia National Forest.

The crew was camped at Jennie Lake. They cleared fallen trees near Poop Out Pass, and added switchbacks to a steep and eroding trail descending from there to Jennie Lake.

Why join a trail crew? For the feeling of making a difference, to be with more experienced outdoors men and women, to spend time in the wilderness, for the fun and camaraderie, or perhaps just for the food!

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• Pictures of the trail crew

Thu, May 25, 2006

A Wild Bird Chase, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on outings organized as part of the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival in Arcata, California. Arcata can claim to be one of the top birding locations in the country.

In this part, Steve continues on a hike in the Headwaters Forest Reserve in a quest to see a particularly difficult to find, endangered wild bird, the marbled murrelet. Dave Anthon and Julie Clark from the Bureau of Land Management led the hike.

Now in an obsessive persuit of the marbled murrelet, Steve joins a sea kayaking tour in Trinidad Bay lead by guides from Kayak Zaks.

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• Show number 42 & 43, combined high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 18:36; 17,868,718 bytes]
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• Show number 42 & 43 combined script

Thu, May 18, 2006

A Wild Bird Chase, Part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

This outings program takes us on outings organized as part of the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival in Arcata, California. Arcata can claim to be one of the top birding locations in the country.

In this part, Steve talks to Rob Hewitt, the festival organizer about the festival and his passion for birding. Steve sees his first bird of the festival right there in the main hall of Arcata's community center; Nichole Monty of the Humbolt Wildlife Care Center shows off her western screech owl, Ch'Hooly. Steve ends up on a hike in the Headwaters Forest Reserve in a quest to see a particularly difficult to find, endangered wild bird

In part 2, Steve continues on the hike and goes on another outing determined to see the bird.

• Show number 42 [MP3 format; length 8:46; 2,104,239 bytes]
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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.

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• Photo album

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]
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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]
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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.

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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.

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Thu, Nov 17, 2005

Restoring a Park Gone to Pot

Posted at 09:00

/shows/outings [link ]

Photo by Paige Falk

Marijuana cultivation is a growing problem in public lands, especially in the Pacific west. Marijuana demand is increasing, our borders are tightening, and budgets for managing our public lands are being cut. National Parks, National Forests, and State Parks are increasingly attractive to organized crime for use as cultivation sites.

You can help in two ways: 1) By refusing to fund the black market for marijuana production, and 2) by volunteering for or donating to volunteer organizations who provide labor to restore these damaged ecosystems.

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• Supplemental links and information

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