Cub Scouts in Yardley, PA

Last Friday evening we were invited to talk about Leave No Trace with a pack of 14 Cub Scouts and their families in northern Pennsylvania. The opportunity to work with the kids through PEAK pack activities such as Minimum Impact Match allowed us to help the scouts make connections between the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace and enjoying the outdoors responsibly.
The evening wrapped up with a group discussion about the group's next adventure into the outdoors and how to approach outdoor recreation in a responsible way.

Ahead this week the Traveling Trainers visit Princeton University to work with students who will be facilitating outdoor recreation trips for incoming freshman during the fall of 2010.

All the best,

Jason and Agata

Bigfoot Sightings...!

Bigfoot has had an extremely active summer!  There have been rumors of sightings at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City and the Lights On summer camp in Lander, WY.  There has also been confirmation that Bigfoot was seen dancing up a storm at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Rocky Grass and Folks Fest,  the Planet Bluegrass music festivals in Colorado.  Apparently he likes to boogie! Keep your eyes peeled because Bigfoot could be attending an event near you.  If you have not seen him yet, worry not.  You can get your Bigfoot fix by taking this months Bigfoot Challenge and be entered to win great outdoor gear from our partners.  Remember, you can reenter each month of 2010 for your chance to win! 

Happy Adventuring...Kate, Tracy, and Bigfoot!

Picture(s) of the Week 8/27/10

Sometimes just one isn't enough...

Tracy over looks Wizard Island atop Mt. Garfield
Moon rise over Crater Lake

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

It's good to be back East

We've been back east for a few weeks now and luckily have had time to do some exploring as we travel and teach. While at the New River Gorge last week, we checked out historic downtown Fayetteville and hiked a number of trails to incredible panoramas of the gorge. On our way north from West Virginia, we decided to take the scenic route and enjoyed a winding drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as a great hike out to McAfee's Knob (pictured above). Shenandoah National Park was our next stop and we enjoyed our visit despite the torrential downpour of rain we experienced at the Loft Mountain campground.

Keep an eye out for us in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the weeks ahead as we continue our journey as Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers!


All the best,

Agata and Jason

Lizards, Hoodoos, and Goblins...Oh My!

On our way from Colorado to Oregon, we stopped in for a play day at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. This park is a magical place covered in rock formations that resemble goblins! We arrived in the evening to a park lit by the full moon. We felt like we were on the moon, the way the terrain glowed and the stars sparkled. We awoke at sunrise and bicycled to the Goblin Valley in anticipation to explore this unspoiled terrain. We climbed, hiked, and photographed the area, all the while not running into another person the entire time! The silence of the morning was truly amazing. If you are even driving along I-70 in Utah, be sure to take the side trip and check out this park!

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

New River Gorge National River

On Saturday, we spent the day doing outreach at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. We talked to over 1oo visitors who came to the Visitor Center to get information about the many hiking opportunities available in the park, to catch a glimpse of the gorge, or on their way to raft down the river.



The local TV station, WOAY, stopped by and interviewed Jason about the Leave No Trace program and our important partnership with the National Park Service. The piece was the highlight of the evening news program!

A special thank you to Jodi French-Burr for putting our visit together and being such a gracious host.

All the best,

Agata and Jason

Run, (in the forest), Run!

All week long, more than 250 athletes are lacing up their sneakers and testing their endurance at the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run. This race begins in Buena Vista, CO and travels for over 113 miles up to Beaver Creek, CO through beautiful mountain scenery along the Continental Divide Trail. We were excited to be invited to speak to all of the athletes during the opening ceremony dinner and share with them tips on how to leave no trace during the race, as well as share our latest Leave No Trace video! We joined all of the athletes at tent city, shown above, at the Arrowhead campground. The amazing part of this race is that the runners only need to worry about running through the high altitude terrain. Trans Rockies takes care of food, medical supplies, lodging, and entertainment! Gore-Tex and Solomon even provide a "relaxation station" where the athletes can recover after the days stage of the race. We were invited to be a part of the relaxation station and speak with the athletes about Leave No Trace.

One topic that continually came up was what to do with orange and banana peels on the trail. Even though these items are biodegradable, it can still take up to two years for one peel to decompose. Another reason to pack out those peels is the wild life impact they can represent when left behind. Once animals get a taste for human food, they can potentially lose their fear of humans and become habituated. This represents a potential dangerous situation for both humans and wildlife.

Transrockies, a partner of Leave No Trace, does an excellent job of educating their runners before the race begins about the skills and ethics of Leave No Trace through emails and newsletters. We applaud their efforts and look forward to working with them at future races.

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy