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Thanks for your support, but I don't think we have any socks in your size.

Did you know that Smartwool is an official outfitter for the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer program? That means if you are at an event with one of the Traveling Trainer Teams, you can show your support for Leave No Trace by becoming a member (or renewing your membership) and we can give you a free pair of Smartwool socks! Now that feels good!

Oregon gets Youth Outdoors

With four visits to local Oregon schools, we were able to teach over 450 students about Leave No Trace!  We first visited Crook County High School and Middle School in Prineville, OR.  Crook County is enthusiastically engaging their students in outdoor learning through the use of their local watershed and the outdoor school.  The sixth graders spend two weeks at outdoor school where they learn about the local ecology and plant-life of central Oregon.  The high school students are involved in service projects that help restore and revive the watershed. Community support is essential in building student's connection to nature.  We applaud the work of the Crook County community.  

Our next stop was to the Northwest Youth Corp Outdoor High School in Eugene.  Here students are provided the opportunity to receive an education both in a classroom and in the outdoors.  They are involved in field work, trail crew, and youth corp service projects.  What a fun school!

Our final stop was at the Forest Grove Community School.  In it's second year, the community school has grown leaps and bounds.  The students impressed us with their knowledge of recycling, the environment, and Leave No Trace skills.  

We enjoyed reaching out to youth in Oregon and introducing them to the PEAK program!  Our time highlighted the importance of getting children excited about the outdoors and away from the TV and computer!  

Off to Durango, CO...

Safe travels- Kate and Tracy

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...BIGFOOT?

Another potential sighting in Southern Illinois...

Bigfoot in Portland???

Bigfoot on the front page of a Portland newspaper.  Potential sighting in the Northwest...

Kicking off the Summer in the Show-Me State

Whew! We had a very busy Memorial Day Weekend!

Friday we headed for the Current River in Missouri to do an evening workshop at the Pulltite Campground. It was a great group and one guest in particular demanded our full attention...a copperhead snake that decided to hang out under the stage for our entire presentation! He wanted to make sure we didn't forget to talk about Respect Wildlife.

Saturday we got up bright and early to set up at some of the popular launching areas. The Current River can see hundreds of boaters each day durning the busy season. We hoped to catch some of them before they hit the river and share some easy ways to practice Leave No Trace while boating. While we did talk to many boaters, we saw almost as many horsemen! The put-in area that we chose ended up being a crossroads for hikers, paddlers, trail riders, and ATVer's...talk about a diverse mix of recreation!

Sunday morning we headed to Hawn State Park to set up at the Whispering Pines trailhead to greet day hikers and backpackers. It was a lot of fun and we even managed to sneak in a quick trail run before thunderstorms put an early end to our busy weekend!

And just in case you are wondering...yes, we spent Monday BBQ-ing (can't start the summer without that right?).

Here's to summer!

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White Trillium in Central Oregon

Bigfoot Sightings!

NEWSFLASH:  Bigfoot sightings have been reported across the country!  We have reports all the way from Illinois to Oregon.  Where will bigfoot be seen next?  Keep checking in to the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer blog to find out more!

What does the “e” in “e-tour” stand for?

Explore, Enjoy, Experience, Environment, Excitement, Expedition, Education ...



Over the weekend we had the opportunity to meet up with Topher Marlatt and Alexis Ollar from the Leave No Trace e-tour. They joined us for the Scout Show and Pause for Patriotism event in Illinois, where we spoke with thousands of visitors about Leave No Trace. The e-tour brings hands-on Leave No Trace to schools, camps and youth-serving organizations from May through August and we were excited to see their hands-on techniques for sharing outdoor ethics with kids and families.

If you are looking for a fun way to get your kids outside this summer, take a minute and check out the e-tour’s calendar to see if they will be in your neck of the woods this summer!

Master Educator Course at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

I just wrapped up a Wilderness Education Association (WEA)-Leave No Trace Master Educator Course on Devil’s Kitchen Lake in Illinois. The course, which included both canoeing and backpacking, was ran through WEA affiliate, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Great scenery, great weather, and great company were all highlights of the course. I’m happy to announce that there are now 5 brand new Leave No Trace Master Educators in Southern Illinois. I would like to give a BIG THANKS to everyone who participated in the course, it was great to see the excitement and passion each of you have for Leave No Trace and the outdoors.
See you out there,
JD Tanner
Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer-Team East

Students from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale play "Leave No Trace Pictionary" during their Master Educator Course.

38 and counting

Heading west from Phoenix, AZ, the city we affectionately dubbed 'the oven', to the California coast, the cool, crisp Pacific breeze greeted us as we jumped on board the Island Adventure to go explore Channel Islands National Park.  A visit to Santa Cruz Island marked the 38th National Park we have adventured in!  The day started with an hour boat ride from Ventura, CA to Santa Cruz Island, 20 miles off the coast.  As soon as we left the hustle and bustle of the mainland, we were met with the beauty of an abundance of marine life, including sea lions, seals, and humpback whales.  The boat docked at the island and immediately we felt a sense of solitude and relaxation.  We had only 5 hours to explore the island to be back in time to catch the boat back to mainland, so we hustled along and hit the trails!  No sooner than we left a busy boat full of school field trips and other visitors, that we were 'alone' on the island and hiking by ourselves.  It was amazing to not see many others the entire day as we explored the bluffs and caves of Santa Cruz.  This was a fabulous way to take a break from driving and stretch our legs.  We are heading up to Oregon from here...Pacific Northwest here we come!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy

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Thank you Caylon! We had a great time meeting all the second grader's at Blanchard Elementary!!!

Flagstaff gets an A+

Outreach was a plenty in Flagstaff, AZ.  We visited two local schools to work with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students.  Competition grew fierce during Leave No Trace Jeopardy, as the students of the Outdoor Leadership program learned about minimizing impacts in the outdoors.  These student leaders will be educating their fellow classmates on the Leave No Trace principles before their next outing.  

In addition to our school visits, we spent an entire day with the rangers and volunteers of the Coconino National Forest at the Peak Ranger Station.  Justin Loxley, the R3 Leave No Trace Coordinator and the Volunteer Coordinator for Coconino National Forest, is enthusiastic about reaching park visitors with Leave No Trace information.  During the training we played a variety of activities to explore the principles of Leave No Trace, including "How Long Does It Last?" which focuses on Disposing of Waste Properly.  This was the first group we have worked with to correctly organize the items of waste into chronological order of how long they take to biodegrade.  Great job! A+

We look forward to working with Justin again at the Wilderness Rendezvous in Santa Fe, NM at the beginning of June.  

Off to Phoenix to wrap up our time in Arizona!

Safe travels...Kate and Tracy 

DO YOU KNOW MORE (LEAVE NO TRACE) THAN A SECOND GRADER?

Yesterday I had the privilege of working with an great group of students and teachers at Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The entire second grade met me outside on their beautiful playground to talk about Leave No Trace. After introducing the 7 Principles (not principals) of Leave No Trace, we played a game that focused on the most common impact we see…LITTER. We found that litter causes lots of problems. It can make wildlife sick, it pollutes our water sources, and it’s ugly - just to name a few. All of the students could relate to litter and decided that the best place for trash is in the trashcan or recycling-bin.

This event was made even more special because I was able to work with my dear friend Caroline Harper. I want to give a big thanks to Ms. Harper’s class!!! They were incredible! I look forward to hearing about your trip to see Earth. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll leave Blanchard Elementary School better than you found it in more ways than one!

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Sunrise over the Grand Canyon-snuggled in our Therma-Rest blankets with Kate's mom

Happy Mother's Day!

Leave No Trace at the NOC

We just wrapped up a Trainer Course with the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC. The NOC shares the outdoors with many thousands of guests each year through white water river rafting trips, kayak and canoe classes, group programs, ropes courses, flat water kayaking, mountain biking, fly fishing and hiking. Basically they get a lot of people outside doing lots of different activities, which is why we were excited to share ways to reach all of their guests with Leave No Trace information. It was great to see passion that these folks have for teaching others about the outdoors and we hope to meet up with the NOC crew again in the future (hopefully that meeting will involve a raft and a couple of paddles.)

Celebrate Wildlife...Grand Canyon Style!

We spent Saturday at the second annual Celebrate Wildlife festivities at Grand Canyon National Park.  The event also honored the work of biologist Eric York, who dedicated his life to the study of wildlife in Grand Canyon and National Park and around the world.  We encouraged park visitors to let us know how they Respect Wildlife.  There were some very thoughtful responses that ranged from "carry out your trash please" to "don't chase them" to "take pictures from far away".  We also saw some creative answers like "veggies are better" and "keep your coins, don't throw them in the canyon".   But one of the most insightful ideas came from a teenager who very seriously wrote "wildlife is our past and our future, we've got to preserve it!"   There are many ways to Respect Wildlife, so we pose the question to you :

                                               HOW DO YOU RESPECT WILDLIFE? 

Safe Travels...Kate and Tracy

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