NOS Mission

Nevada Outdoor School inspires exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat and dedication to community.
This is the spot for us to share stories, fun ideas or general musings. When you aren't in here, we hope to see you out there!







Thursday, June 28, 2012

Trails's Guide: Tip #1

Explore your National Forests - same amazing scenery as a neighboring
National Park, but with a fraction of the crowd. Plus dogs are allowed!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Guided Recreation

Let’s be honest, guided recreation isn’t for everyone.  Some people just like to explore the outdoors on their own terms.  Plus, there are certainly people who just don’t like having to be at a certain place at a certain time to experience nature.  However, there are many benefits to guided recreation.  Meeting people with similar interests is just one.  Exploring unknown places and learning new and exciting information are others.  Take for example, Nevada Outdoor School’s summer Water Canyon series.   These events give you opportunities to learn about the history and culture of Water Canyon on the Interpretive Trail, go birding, learn nature photography and even bike the Bloody Shins Trail with fellow bike enthusiasts.  It doesn’t matter if you show up by yourself or bring your friends, everyone is sure to have a great time and take away a meaningful experience.  Guided recreation encourages every one of all ability levels to work together, get involved and accomplish a goal, whether that’s to identify a bird or summit a peak.  So, if you are looking for some fantastic, exciting ways to learn about and experience nature this summer, there’s no excuse not to – come up to Water Canyon and recreate with NOS!

by:
 ~Jive~

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Lady Products in the Backcountry


Warning: This blog may cause men to squirm or blush.

Back in 2006 I worked at a ranger station that issued wilderness permits. A young couple came in one day to get a permit to go into Emigrant Wilderness. After I gave them the usual run down and handed over their paperwork they headed back to the parking lot. I can only guess the excuse this girl gave her boyfriend, but she came running back into the station and quietly told me she was on her period and asked me what she needed to do with her feminine products. I made an I am so sorry face and informed her used products need to be treated like the rest of your trash and have to go up the tree in the bear bag with all of the other scented items. But hey, you don’t have to worry about getting eaten by a bear. There is no evidence suggesting bears are attracted to menstruating women – they’re much more likely to sniff out your trail mix.

It’s not ideal to have Aunt Flow along for a backpacking trip, but hey all of those tampon commercials show women taking on the world even though they’re on their period, why not a summit or two?! Here are a few things to keep in mind though:

- There’s a bit of personal preference here, but backpacking with a pad sounds awful, I vote tampons. Be sure to pack these out – never bury paper products, especially used tampons. A) They will take a long time to decompose. B) A wild animal may dig it up before A happens. C) If B does happen, that is not something I want to stumble upon while out in the wilderness - gross.
- Plan ahead and prepare for storage – zip lock bags do wonders in this department. I even have a little green nylon sack to allow for a bit of discretion.
- Hygiene is essential – wet wipes and hand sanitizer are a must to keep fresh and sanitary. 
- Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. You ladies don’t need me to tell you physical or emotional stresses can trigger your period unexpectedly. In the backcountry you’re not going to find tampon dispensers or a prepared/kind soul in the stall next to you – pack a few feminine products just in case.

I’m not sure if any guys actually made it to the end of this post, but feel free to pass this information on to the ladies in your life. They’ll appreciate the tips and tricks.

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Trails

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Leave it as you found it.

Ranchers have their cattle out grazing on public lands. Here's your friendly reminder to leave gates as you found them - whether that be closed or open. Ranchers may have gates closed to keep cattle in or open to let them get to water on the other side. I'll let you think of other potential reason. There is the argument of, well what if the last person didn't close the gate behind them? That's when the ranchers that don't want to take any chances post signs such as the one above; as you can see it doesn't have to be anything fancy, it just has to get the point across.

Happy,
Trails