The WildeBeat

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This gear program presents reviews of three base-layer shirts. A lot of us don't give much consideration to those layers we wear closest to our skin.

Kevin Hollingsworth reviews the Drimove L/S Top by Go Lite. Coy Starnes reviews the Outdoor Research Men's Sequence LS Tee. Kathy Waters reviews the women's version of OR's Sequence shirt, the Outdoor Research Women's Essence LS Tee.

If you're interested in reviewing for Backpack Gear Test, read: How to become a tester. Manufacturers provide too much gear for the reviewers they have.

Steve announced that we need to take a break to make some changes in what we're doing. Please watch our web page for updates.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Reprise: Mountain Rescuers

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[Mountain Rescuers] 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.

Thu, Mar 22, 2007

Sheephole Valley Wilderness

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[Sheephole Valley panorama] This wild places program profiles the Sheephole Valley Wilderness in the Mojave Desert. This may be the largest waterless wilderness in the 48 states.

We hear from Steve Tabor, the president of the Berkeley, California based outings group, the Desert Survivors. Steve Tabor has extensive experience in the Sheephole Valley Wilderness, and may be one of the first in recorded history to cross it, unsupported, on foot. Dan Abbe, the Wilderness Specialist for the Needles Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management provides the official perspective on the area.

If you're considering visiting a desert wilderness, there are some things you should know. Steve Tabor got us started in our edition #34, Desert Backpacking Tips. Steve Sergeant visited the Sheephole Valley with the Desert Survivors last year, and produced our editions #35 & #36, Surviving the Desert, as a report on that trip.

Thu, Mar 15, 2007

Fighting Animal Terror

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This skills program looks at how to handle potentially dangerous animals in the wilderness. How afraid of them do you really need to be? Is this something that should prevent you from getting into the wilderness?

Steve interviews Dave Smith, a former backcountry caretaker at Yellowstone National Park, and the author of two books, Don't Get Eaten, The Dangers of Animals that Charge or Attack, and Backcountry Bear Basics, the Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters. Dave talks about ways to handle bear, cougar, and large herd-animal encounters.

Two great sources of information about bears are the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group, and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Also, check out our earlier edition titled Keeping Bears Hungry.

Thu, Mar 08, 2007

Counting Up Essentials, part 2

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[Equipped To Survive/Angels in the Wilderness] This skills program is the second half of a look at the ten essentials. Are there ten, and why are they essentials?

Since it's mysterious introduction by the Mountaineers early in the twentieth century, the 10 Essentials have been the list that everyone should know, and few could recite with certainty. In this edition, Doug Ritter, the executive director of the Equipped To Survive Foundation, and Amy Racina, author of the book Angels in the Wilderness, compare notes on some of their ideas of the 10 essentials. Amy finishes her story about her rescue from a life-threatening emergency in a remote location of Kings Canyon National Park. Doug completes his list of the Ten Essentials.

There's additonal information about the ten essentials, and a bonus audio clip, under the To find out more... link, below.

Thu, Mar 01, 2007

Counting Up Essentials, part 1

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[Steve's 10 Essentials] This skills program is the first half of a look at the ten essentials. Are there ten, and why are they essentials?

Next week, in part two, we'll finish Doug's list, and you'll find out what happened to Amy.

Thu, Feb 22, 2007

Yosemite Snow Vox Pop

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[WildeBeat Vox Pop] 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.

Thu, Feb 15, 2007

WildLink Program

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[WildLink Program] 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.

Thu, Feb 08, 2007

Winter OR 2007

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This gear program is a report on the Winter 2007 Outdoor Retailer's Expo. When the outdoor industry gathers, it's a major expedition for the folks at Backpack Gear Test; but it isn't all about the toys.

Jason Boyle¹, Raymond Estrella², and Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd³ report on the most interesting gear they hope to test for BackpackGearTest.ORG. They comment on products by: GoLite¹, Snow Peak¹, MSR¹, Primus¹, Fox River¹, Injinji¹, Sierra Designs², Osprey Packs², Blue Desert³, MontBell³, and Go Pro³.

Backpack Gear Test has more gear to review than reviewers. You might be able to get free gear to review. Read: How to become a tester.

As a wrap-up, we invited Kurt Repanshek to comment on a larger issue facing the outdoor industry. His commentary includes a statement by Peter Metcalf, president of Black Diamond Equipment. More of Kurt's commentary is available on his web site, National Parks Traveler.

Thu, Feb 01, 2007

Reprise: Staying On Top of the Snow

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[Avalanche photo by Brad White, courtesy of avalanche.org] This skills program is a reprise of our February 2nd, 2006 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.

Thu, Jan 25, 2007

Race in the Backcountry

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[Doctor Nina Roberts] This wild places program asks why ethnic minorities are even more in the minority in wilderness recreation areas.

Steve interviewed Nina Roberts, Ph.D., in November 2005. Dr. Roberts is an assistant professor at San Francisco State University in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. An expert on the demographics of National Park visitation, she previously worked for the National Park Service as an education and outreach specialist.

The National Park Service has this web page on diversity issues and resources that Dr. Roberts originally developed while working with the NPS. She also conducted a major study of diversity issues in Rocky Mountain National Park, published in 2004.

Update: (1/29/2007) Listen to Vox WildeBeat number 11 for some updated information provided by Dr. Roberts.

Thu, Jan 18, 2007

History of Backcountry Skiing

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[Backcountry Skiing] This skills program is a look at the evolution and history of the sport of backcountry ski touring in California.

Howard Weamer, who also appeared in edition #69: Indoor Snow Camping, has been the keeper or master of the backcountry ski hut at Ostrander Lake in Yosemite National Park for 33 years. Over that time, and in his formative years before, Howard saw tremendous changes in the sport of backcountry skiing. Howard talks about some of those changes, and his experiences in the early days of backcountry skiing in California.

Thu, Dec 28, 2006

Year in Gear '06

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This gear program is a wrap-up of Backpack Gear Tests's reviews of 2006. Steve asked the volunteer editors and moderators from Backpack Gear Test to pick their favorites; three replied: Ray Estrella¹, Rick Allnutt², and Jim Sabiston³. Out of more than a thousand reviews published on BGT this year, they recommended these:

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.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Park Pass Pique

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[2007 America The Beautiful Pass?] This wild places program investigates the new America The Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands Interagency Recreation Pass. Is this new public lands pass a sneaky price hike, or a great new bargain?

Steve visits Muir Woods National Monument and buys a new National Parks Pass. He tells the rest of the story with the help of:

Alex Picavet, the Public Information Officer of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Jim Bedwell, National Director of Recreation and Heritage Resources for the United States Forest Service.
Kurt Repanshek, author of the National Parks Traveler blog.
Scott Silver, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group, Wild Wilderness.
Ian Cook and Amanda Barnes, Muir Woods hikers visiting from Middletown, New York.

The America The Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands Interagency Recreation Pass will be available at most federal fee areas, including national parks, after January 1st, 2007. In the remaining week or so, the original National Park Pass with the Golden Eagle sticker, or the Golden Eagle Pass, looks like a pretty good deal.

Thu, Dec 14, 2006

Indoor Snow Camping

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[Sieera Club's Bradley Hut] This skills program presents a way to try snow-camping without actually sleeping on the snow, but rather in a rustic backcountry ski hut.

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.

Thu, Dec 07, 2006

Light Lofty Jackets

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This gear program presents reviews of two lightweight synthetic-insulated jackets. These jackets can serve as lighter, more compressible replacements for the ubiquitous fleece jacket. The reviews are provided by volunteer reviewers from Backpack Gear Test.

Pamela Wyant reviews the Big Sky Products Convertible Sweater. Christine Korhonen reviews the Integral Designs PLQ Jacket.

Thu, Nov 30, 2006

Reprise: A Winter Storm Warning

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[Winter Storm] This skills program is a reprise of show numbers 15 and 16, first posted on October 20th, 2005. It's the story of backpacker Mike Bargetto and his three relatives, who started out on a casual autumn backpacking trip in October of 2004. The weather was pleasant when they arrived at their Rae Lake camp site, in California's John Muir Wilderness.

Unfortunately, the weather changed drastically, and their only hope was a rescue. The rescue team was lead by Lieutenant Phil Caporale, of the Fresno County Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit. He and Mike tell the story of the rescue from both perspectives.

See the supplemental information link, below, to learn about how you can be better prepared for unexpected mountain storms, and how to stay safe in such conditions. Follow that link, as well, for a bonus audio clip of our interview with Lieutenant Phil Caporale, with his final analysis of Mike and his companion's predicament.

Fri, Nov 24, 2006

Wilderness Deals for Wheels

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[No Bikes in Wilderness] This wild places program investigates the relationship of the popular sport of mountain bicycling to wilderness preservation. What do these groups want when they lobby for the protection of wild places?

Steve tells the story with the help of:

Roger Abeh, a park ranger for the Department of Parks of the City of San Jose, California.
John Kramer, the acting Wilderness Manager for the Pacific Southwest Region of the National Forest Service.
Ryan Henson, the policy director for the California Wilderness Coalition.
Mark Eller, Communications Director for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, also known as IMBA.

A recent point of contention between wilderness groups and mountain bicycling groups was over the establishment of the King Range Wilderness. This wilderness was established in October, 2006, as part of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act.

The bonus material linked below includes additional interview clips about responsible mountain bike riding in the backcountry. Steve talks to Tom Ward, the California Policy director of the International Mountain Bicycling Association and Ben Lawhon, the education director of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Backcountry Home Cooking

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[Vegetarian Spaghetti] This skills program illustrates how easy it is to prepare your own home-cooked meals in the backcountry. Though the commercially-packaged foods are very convenient, you could save money and get exactly what you like by making your own.

Steve demonstrates how to make one of his favorite pre-packaged dried meals, a vegetarian spaghetti. We also hear from:

John Garrett of Enertia Trail Foods.
Roberta Cobb, who also appeared in our edition number 2, A Gathering of Long Distance Hikers.
Mary Howley Ryan, the nutritional advisor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). She also appeared in edition numbers 51, 52, & 64.

See the supplemental information link, below, for the text of that recipe, and links to sources of dried ingredients. If you're looking for more recipes, Backpack Gear Test reviewed backcountry cookbooks in our edition number 9, Backpacking Cookbook Reviews.

Thu, Nov 09, 2006

Fast Food for the Backcountry

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