The WildeBeat

Thu, Apr 17, 2008

Grizzlies in the Mist

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program takes a look at the latest in safety advice in grizzly bear country. What if the safest way to protect yourself from a grizzly bear was also safer for the bear?

Steve talks to Chris Servheen, the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Chris authored several fact sheets on bears, including the most recent, Bear Spray vs. Bullets—which offers better protection?

Chris refers Steve to a scientist who's doing the leading-edge studies on how to most safely handle yourself in grizzly bear habitat. Tom Smith, an Associate Professor of Plant and Wildlife Sciences at Brigham Young University, has studied the entire documented history of bear encounters in North America for the past 120 years. Tom explains why certain deterrents work better than others.

WildeBeat Members can download our entire 40-minute interview with bear researcher Tom Smith from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 134 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,840 bytes]
• Show number 134 extended version [MP3 format; length 10:53; 5,231,250 bytes]
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Thu, Apr 10, 2008

Enchiladas del Sol

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a wrap. Well, really it's about baking fresh enchiladas, in a backcountry camp, without a fire or a stove.

Steve returns to visit the kitchen of backcountry cooking author Linda Frederick Yaffe. Ms. Yaffe is the author of the books Backpack Gourmet, Solar Cooking for Home and Camp, High Trail Cookery, and The Well Organized Camper.

Our guest backpack gourmet demonstrates a solar oven that portable enough to be carried in a backpack, and simple enough to build for yourself. She uses her solar cooker to prepare delicious fresh bean and cheese enchiladas with fresh tomatoes. She also mentions other things you can make with a clamshell solar cooker.

Follow the supplemental information link below to get the complete recipe and pictures of her and the enchiladas. Ms. Yaffe mentions the non-profit organization, Solar Cookers International, which she recommends as a source for appropriate cook pots and pans.

WildeBeat Members can download our entire collection of unedited sit-down interviews with Linda Frederick Yaffe, from each of the three shows she appears in, from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 133 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,396,540 bytes]
• Show number 133 extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 11:12; 10,769,628 bytes]
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• Supplemental information...

Thu, Apr 03, 2008

Flying Backpacks

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program looks at packing your gear for air travel to a distant trailhead. Air travel can be a hassle if you don't plan ahead and prepare.

We hear a phoned-in comment from listener Jeremy Sullivan. He relates a situation when he had difficulty traveling with his camping gear. Steve meets with Robert Cassidy, a hazardous materials specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration. Robert provides a lot of helpful information, but he explains that in the end the Transportation Security Administration has the final say at the security checkpoint about what you can take on an airliner. Steve talks to Nico Melendez by phone. Nico is the Pacific Region spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

You can find additional information to help you identify hazardous materials to avoid taking on an airplane on the FAA's Hazardous Materials Information for Passengers page. More general information on planning ahead and preparing for air travel with your backcountry gear can be found on the TSA's Air Travel Tips pages. In particular, they have a page devoted to traveling with camping gear.

WildeBeat members can download an extended interview with Robert Cassidy of the FAA, from our WildeBeat Insiders web pages.

• Show number 132 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,731 bytes]
• Show number 132, extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 11:49; 6,171,404 bytes]
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This edition was made possible by:

Thu, Mar 13, 2008

A Snowshoe Primer

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program presents an introduction to winter hiking on snowshoes. If you can hike, you can snowshoe.

Steve takes a hike with author Mike White, who wrote the books, Best Snowshoe Trails of California, Snowshoe Trails of Yosemite, and Snowshoe Trails Tahoe. A couple of weeks ago, they hiked out and back a couple of miles in the Tahoe National Forest near Donner Pass in California.

Snowshoe hiking is the easiest way to start exploring the wilderness in the winter. Mike explains the gear you need, and how to get started.

WildeBeat members can download an extended interview with Mike White featuring more detailed tips for getting started, from our WildeBeat Insiders web pages.

• Show number 129 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,628 bytes]
• Show number 129, extended high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 12:16; 11,778,580 bytes]
• Show number 129 script

Thu, Feb 07, 2008

Getting Around GPS

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program discusses things you need to know before relying on a portable GPS receiver. Finding your way there and finding your way home is not always so easy in the wilderness.

Steve talks with author Stephen Hinch who wrote the book, Outdoor Navigation with GPS. Stephen is a high-tech executive with technical knowledge of the GPS system and a love of wilderness travel.

A GPS receiver can make navigaton easier, but what do you need to know to use it, and what do you need to know when it's not making it easier? What should you look for if you're shopping for one? What's the easiest way to use one in order to keep from getting lost?

Stephen also mentions orienteering as a great way to learn navigation skills to use when you can't use GPS. Through the U.S. Orienteering Federation, you can find a local club that can teach you more traditional navigation skills.

• Show number 124 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,734 bytes]
• Show number 124, extended version [MP3 format; length 12:11; 5,855,052 bytes]
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Thu, Jan 24, 2008

Calling for Help Revisited

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. This is an updated version of our program number 37 of April 13, 2006.

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. Amateur radio is still the primary choice for most volunteer search and rescue organizations.

We also hear about Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) from Doug Ritter, a survival skills consultant and journalist who operates the Equipped to Survive Foundation. Laurel Boyers, who recently retired as Yosemite National Park's wilderness manager, talks about how easy access to rescue services makes the wilderness less wild. Finally, we hear from Tim Kovacks of the Mountain Rescue Association.

Links to more information about a number of these communication and signaling options are listed in the pages linked below, under To Find Out More...

• Show number 122 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,393,099 bytes]
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• To find out more...

Thu, Jan 17, 2008

Reprise: Sierra Backcountry Ski Trails

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an interview with Marcus Libkind. This is a reprise of our program number 21 of December 1, 2005.

Marcus wrote the most comprehensive and widely used trail guides for backcountry ski tours in the Sierra Nevada:

• Ski Tours in the Sierra Nevada, Volume 1: Lake Tahoe
• Ski Tours in the Sierra Nevada, Volume 2: Carson Pass, Bear Valley, Pinecrest
• Ski Tours in the Sierra Nevada, Volume 3: Yosemite, Huntington and Shaver Lakes, Kings Canyon, Sequoia
• Ski Tours in the Sierra Nevada, Volume 4: East of the Sierra Crest
• Ski Tours in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Marcus has moved these guides online to his Ski Tours in the Sierra Nevada web site. He will add tours to this site one by one as soon as they are field checked for updates. The whole site is about your participation—he invites you to explore his routes and then submit updated information about the ski tours from his books. Also, you can suggest new tour routes for this online guide.

If you want to get started exploring the backcountry on skis, Marcus recommends getting lessons and practice at groomed-track cross-country ski resorts first. The Cross Country Ski Areas Association has a directory of cross country ski trail systems. One good beginner's guide to winter backcountry skills is Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book.

• Show number 121 [MP3 format; length 9:51; 2,366,049 bytes]
• Show number 121, extended version [MP3 format; length 10:34; 5,076,623 bytes]
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Thu, Jan 10, 2008

Reprise: Really Cool Camping, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to snow camping. Snow camping is really cool, but it doesn't have to be cold if you know what you're doing. This is a reprise of our program number 27 of January 26, 2006.

Mike Clelland 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.

WildeBeat members can download the entire, unedited interview with Mike Clelland from our WildeBeat Insiders web site.

• Show number 120 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,395,617 bytes]
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• Supplemental information...

Thu, Jan 03, 2008

Reprise: Really Cool Camping, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an introduction to snow camping. Snow camping is really cool, but it doesn't have to be cold if you know what you're doing. This is a reprise of our program number 26 of January 19, 2006.

Steve interviewed Mike Clelland, 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, campsite selection, and shelter. Next week in part two, he'll tell you the rest you need to know to get started.

• Show number 119 [MP3 format; length 9:43; 2,335,118 bytes]
• Show number 119 script

Thu, Dec 20, 2007

Baking in the Sun

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program is a piece of cake. Well, really it's about baking a cake, in camp, without a fire or a stove.

Steve returns to visit the kitchen of backcountry cooking author Linda Frederick Yaffe. Ms. Yaffe is the author of the books Backpack Gourmet, Solar Cooking for Home and Camp, High Trail Cookery, and The Well Organized Camper.

Our guest backpack gourmet gives us an introduction to baking a cake with a homemade solar oven. Without fuel or fire, she bakes a delicious gingerbread cake. Find out how you can make these kind of fun foods yourself on your backcountry trips. She offers to tell us about a more packable solar oven in a future program.

Ms. Yaffe mentions the non-profit organization, Solar Cookers International, which she recommends as a source for appropriate cook pots and pans. Follow the supplemental information link below to get the complete recipe and pictures of her cooker and the cake.

• Show number 117 [MP3 format; length 9:51; 2,369,058 bytes]
• Show number 117 extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 10:23; 9,981,774 bytes]
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• Supplemental information...

Thu, Dec 13, 2007

Camping Together

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program provides some ideas on how to have a romantic camping trip. Outdoors folks have this image of being tough, and of facing risky challenges in adverse situations. But there's also a softer, warmer type of outdoor adventure.

Steve talks with Michelle Waitzman, the author of the book, Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple's Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature. Michelle talks about how to look for an outdoorsy partner. She tells the story of author Kathleen Meyer's search for the perfect match.

How do you get a less outdoorsy sweetie into your tent? And what are some of the benefits to your relationship if you do? Michelle retells some of the stories she gathered for her book.

We had to edit out some of the interview from this G-rated version. WildeBeat members can download those portions from our WildeBeat Insiders web pages.

Michelle invites you to share your stories about romance in the wilderness on her blog, Love in a Tent. We invite you to share your wilderness love stories by calling our toll-free comment line at 866-590-7373.

• Show number 116 [MP3 format; length 9:53; 2,373,759 bytes]
• Show number 116, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:31; 5,531,133 bytes]
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Thu, Nov 29, 2007

Urban Girls Gone Wild

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program is an introduction to how life-long urbanites can discover camping. What happens when you take a city girl to the woods?

Steve interviews Heather Menicucci, the author of Let's Get Primitive, The Urban Girl's Guide to Camping. Heather talks about the boyfriend who seduced her with the outdoors, how she made the transition from neurotic New Yorker to nature girl, and some of the things you need to know to get out of the concrete jungle and into the primeval forest.

What is pastoral paranoia, and how do you cure it? Heather Menicucci says that it's all in getting a dose of nature and discovering what you've been missing.

Heather invites you to share your fears about getting out of the city and into the wilderness at her blog, Let's Get Primitive. We invite you to share your story about how you got out of the city and discovered camping and nature by calling our toll-free comment line at 866-590-7373.

• Show number 114 [MP3 format; length 9:54; 2,380,451 bytes]
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• Show number 114 script, extended version

Thu, Nov 08, 2007

Reprise: Indoor Snow Camping

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program presents a way to try snow-camping without actually sleeping on the snow, but rather in a rustic backcountry ski hut. This is a reprise of our program number 69 of December 14, 2006.

Steve starts out at a volunteer maintenance work-party at the Sierra Club's Bradley Hut in the Tahoe National Forest. We hear from Dick Simpson, the volunteer coordinator for the four huts in the Sierra Club's system.

Steve then talks to Howard Weamer, the Hut Master of the Ostrander Lake Hut in Yosemite National Park. He wraps up by talking to Ben Dodge, the Executive Director of the Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association in Colorado. Ben mentions Vance's Cabin as being a typical hut in the system.

• Show number 111 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,848 bytes]
• Show number 111, extended high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 11:41; 11,220,616 bytes]
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Thu, Nov 01, 2007

Creatures of the Night, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is part 2 of a look at how to appreciate bats in the wild. (Part one is here.)

We hear from Curt Black, a technical advisor for the nonprofit group, Bats Northwest. We join Curt on one of his evening bat walks, recorded in Seattle's Green Lake Park, on August 11th, 2007. Curt demonstrates the electronic equipment he uses to listen to the ultrasonic echolocation calls that bats produce. He identifies the call of a silver-haired bat. Afterwards, he talks about how we can watch and listen to bats on our own wilderness adventures.

Curt indicated that the level of environmental threats to bats are unknown. We don't know enough about them to know whether they are endangered. We do know that forestry practices and pesticide use is adversely affecting their populations. You can find more information on the web site of the Bat Conservation International organization.

WildeBeat members can download a bonus recording of an entire evening bat walk from the WildeBeat Insider web site.

• Show number 110 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,327 bytes]
• Combined show numbers 109 & 110, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 18:25; 17,695,627 bytes]
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• Show numbers 109 & 110 combined script

Thu, Oct 25, 2007

Creatures of the Night, part 1

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is part one of a Halloween look at how to appreciate those mysterious flying, furry mammals that dominate the night sky. What do we really know about them, and how can we learn more about them?

Steve talks with Curt Black from Seattle, an expert on certain mammals of the order Chiroptera, who tells us why they're fascinating. Curt dispels some common myths that often cause people to fear them.

We also hear briefly from Dave Smith, an expert on safety around animals such as bears and cougars, who we interviewed in our show number 80, Fighting Animal Terror. Dave has his own reaction to these nocturnal creatures.

How can you go bat-watching? What's the best way to watch bats in your own favorite wilderness? Find out next week, in part two.

• Show number 109 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,390,801 bytes]
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Thu, Sep 20, 2007

It's Soup

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a guide to cooking and dehydrating a gourmet bouillabaisse soup for your backcountry trips. A lot of people think you can't take food this good on the trail.

Steve visited the kitchen of backcountry cooking author Linda Frederick Yaffe. Ms. Yaffe is the author of the books Backpack Gourmet, Solar Cooking for Home and Camp, High Trail Cookery, and The Well Organized Camper.

Our guest backpack gourmet gives us an introduction to dehydrating our own meals from gourmet recipes and ingredients. Listen to this show, and learn how to make four servings of delicious soup fit in a small plastic bag weighing four ounces per serving.

Follow the supplemental information link, below, to get the complete recipe, and pictures of the soup.

We'll hear more from Linda Frederick Yaffe in a future program. WildeBeat members can download a longer extended version of the interview from the WildeBeat Insider web site.

• Show number 104 [MP3 format; length 9:54; 2,380,776 bytes]
• Show number 104 extended stereo version [MP3 format; length 12:59; 12,472,408 bytes]
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• Supplemental information...

Thu, Aug 09, 2007

What's in Sierra Water?

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is an interview about backcountry water quality in general, and about California's Sierra Nevada in particular.

Steve interviewed Dr. Robert Derlet. Dr. Derlet is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Dr. Derlet is also a recognized researcher and expert on the quality of backcountry water in the Sierra Nevada. His latest paper on the subject is titled, Coliform bacteria in Sierra Nevada wilderness lakes and streams: what is the impact of backpackers, pack animals, and cattle?.

In this interview, Dr. Derlet talks about how he tests water quality, what kinds of problems lurk in our water, about the various purification treatments for backcountry water, and some tips on choosing a good water source.

We'll hear more from Dr. Derlet in a future program. WildeBeat members can download a longer extended version of the interview from the WildeBeat Insider web site.

• Show number 98 [MP3 format; length 9:45; 2,341,326 bytes]
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Thu, Jul 19, 2007

Leave No Trace Revisited

Posted at 09:00

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This skills program presents the Leave No Trace skills for minimizing our impact on wilderness areas. This is a remix of our show number 4 of July 18, 2005.

Steve encountered hikers on the trail last week in the Lassen National Forest, and tested them on their knowledge of Leave No Trace principles. Then we replay portions of our 2005 interview with Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Ben quizzes Steve on his low-impact wilderness skills.

The Leave No Trace organization offers hundreds of training classes around the country, ranging from two hour introductions to week-long master classes. They have partnerships with parks, equipment manufacturers, commercial outfitters, major media outlets, and small non-profit organizations like ours. Check the training schedule on their web site for opportunities to learn these minimum impact skills from a qualified volunteer.

• Show number 95 [MP3 format; length 9:53; 2,372,217 bytes]
• Show number 95, high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 9:53; 9,485,681 bytes]
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Thu, Jul 12, 2007

Reprise: Keeping Bears Hungry

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is a look at the arms race between campers and bears in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. How should you protect your food from bears? This is a reprise of our show number 48, first presented on June 29, 2006.

We include excerpts from interviews with Tori Seher, the wildlife biologist in charge of human/bear management at Yosemite National Park, and Laurel Boyers, the Wilderness Manager at Yosemite. They talk about the history of keeping bears from camper's food in the Sierra Nevada, and the destructive effect that human food has on Yosemite's bears. They also give advice on dealing with bear encounters.

You can find out more about bears in the Sierra Nevada and the site SierraWildBear.GOV, which is jointly operated by the park service and the forest service.

• Show number 94 [MP3 format; length 9:55; 2,383,824 bytes]
• Show number 94, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:09; 5,361,265 bytes]
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Thu, May 24, 2007

Using All Fours, part 2

Posted at 09:00

/shows/skills [link ]

This skills program is part 2 of our look at the science and skills, myths and fact around trekking poles. Is hiking with poles a trendy gimmick, or a valuable skill?

Julianne Abendroth-Smith talks about the results of research into the effects on the body of hiking with trekking poles. She's a biomechanics professor at Willamette University in Salem Oregon.

We hear from Jayah Faye Paley, an author and educator, and co-host of an educational DVD, POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking. Jayah's web site, Adventure Buddies, provides more information about her educational products and services. Jayah describes basic skills for using trekking poles.

Trekking poles can have a destructive effect on the trails that shoes alone don't have. Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, talks about those effects.

Members of the WildeBeat can download an additional bonus segment, featuring Jayah Faye Paley in a beginner's tutorial about proper pole use. Look for the link in our insiders newsletter.

• Show number 87 [MP3 format; length 9:47; 2,350,799 bytes]
• Show number 86 & 87, combined version [MP3 format; length 17:44; 8,520,813 bytes]
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• Show number 86 & 87 combined script

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