Lighten Your Load

I am about to embark on the longest backpacking trip I’ve been on – 22 miles. For some that may be a stroll, for others that might be an epic distance. Either way, that’s not a distance I want to carry 35 pounds. I’ve heard various numbers for how much your pack should weigh; including a third of your body weight, in which case I’m good to go. Recently I found a figure of 15 to 25 percent of your body weight; now my pack needs to lose at least five pounds. Here are some weight-loss ideas I put into practice:

- Swapped my camp shoes from Chacos to light-weight slip-ons. That just cut about two pounds, plus the point of camp shoes is to make less of an impact and my slip-ons have no tread left on the bottom – Mother Nature wins too.
- Traded my super-cush Thermorest for a three-quarter length lighter one.
- Lightened up on the trail mix. I always seem to hike back to the trailhead with an absurd amount of trail mix left, not this time!
- Photocopied the section of the trail we’ll be hiking, instead of packing the map of the entire Tahoe Basin.
- Removed the day-pack attachment; we’ll be through-hiking so there was no need for a day-pack besides to add extra weight.
- Combined educational materials. This is a Leave No Trace Trainer Course, which adds instructional materials to my pack weight. I ditched the clips and rubber bands and combined everything in one sandwich bag.
- Opted for a down-feather sleeping bag. Ok, this was done a long time ago because my synthetic sleeping bag weighed five pounds and took up a third of my pack space. My down bag weighs half of that and compresses significantly smaller.


What good did all of that do me? Eight pounds! I’m much more excited about this trip now that I’m only carrying 27 pounds. Pick up a copy of Lighten Up! A complete handbook for Light & Ultralight backpacking by Don Ladigin for ideas on lightening your pack. Illustrations are by Mike Clelland, who also did the illustrations for Allen & Mike’s Really Cool Backpackin’ Book.

The best way to find out strategies for light backpacking is through experience and the experienced. How have you cut pack weight?

-Trails

National Public Lands Day

NPLD is coming up! Join public land managers near you to lend a hand during the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. There are opportunities across the United States – find one close to you at PublicLandsDay.org. Or join us for an event!

September 16th – 18th
Join Nevada Outdoor School along with a few of our partners: Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Friends of Black Rock High Rock, and the Bureau of Land Management, for a weekend of education, fellowship, and restoration in the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon-Emigrant Trails-National Conservation Area. A variety of restoration projects will be completed on this trip, including “KTM campground” clean up and spring monitoring. Families are encouraged to attend; NOS will provide youth programs during the restoration events. Give us a call at the office for more information 775-623-5656.

NPLD Kids’ Camp 2010

September 23rd – 25th
Join Friends of Nevada Wilderness and the USDA Forest Service - Santa Rosa Ranger District in the Santa Rosa-Paradise Peak Wilderness for a trail-maintenance backpacking trip. Contact Wes at Wes@NevadaWilderness.org or 775-324-7667 for details.

Destination Recreation: Lamoille Canyon

Our education staff is gearing up for our annual fifth-grade field trip to Lamoille Canyon; we think you should venture out to this glacier-carved granite-fest too!

Destination: Lamoille Canyon
Adventurer: Shelby Hollmaier
Chosen Activity: Rock climbing and enjoying the scenery


Allure: Close enough for a day trip, but far enough to "get away" Lamoille Canyon is a beautiful location for a variety of outdoor recreation. There's something for every adventurer whether you're looking for a few days hiking the backcountry or a few hours picnicking by the river. Rock climbers will love the vast array of faces available for both trad and sport climbing or bouldering with well maintained hardware.


Other Activities: hiking, backpacking, camping, bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, photography, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling
Location: North-eastern Nevada, twenty miles south-east of Elko off Lamoille Highway
Information:
America’s Byways – Lamoille Canyon Road
Nevada Rock Climbing
USDA Forest Service – Ruby Mountains Ranger District
Nevada Adventures – Lamoille Canyon

Visit the Nevada Outdoor School website – Destination Recreation page to explore the rest of our favorite places to play in Nevada.

Beyond the Sagebrush

Use your imagination to find shapes in
Valley of Fire State Park

Trekking the Sierras

Last week I was at Meadow Lake, near Truckee, California, for Sierra Trek, one of the largest fundraisers for the California Association of 4WD Clubs, Inc. aka Cal 4-Wheel. This event has various types of runs from the extremely-challenging Fordyce Trail to SUV runs over easier terrain. There are also activities at base camp for all ages including a log sawing contest, a canoe race, and live music. All of this takes place with the gorgeous Sierra Nevadas as a backdrop.

Four-wheeling is the reason I am outdoorsy today. Some may be surprised that I love this recreation activity for a lot of the same reasons folks love to hike or bike – camaraderie, scenery, adrenaline, and fresh air. I wanted to give you a better idea of what four-wheeling is about, because when we tell friends and family that we’re taking the Jeep to go four-wheeling they think dirt roads. Well sure, we drive down dirt roads to get to the big-rocky trails. Since pictures are worth a 1,000 words, I figure I’d save you some reading and put together a photo essay of sorts instead.



Rigs (Jeeps, Broncos, trucks, etc) on the Fordyce Trail

Spotters help guide drivers on
tougher spots along the trail

We pack out trash too -
including banana peels!

Getting some air at the top of Winch Hill 5 -
this is where that adrenaline comes in

Working our muscles during the log sawing contest

The ice cream truck testing its flexibility on the RTI Ramp -
Ramp Travel Index, hosted b the Joaquin Jeepers

How do you trek the Sierras?
Trails

Buckaroo Dutch Oven Cook-Off

When you’re outdoors an exciting way to cook is with a Dutch Oven. Want to see the process? Join us for Nevada Outdoor School’s 3rd Annual Buckaroo Dutch Oven Cook-Off where experienced and beginner cooks come together to enjoy a day of friendly-competitive cooking. You can taste-test your way to a new dish to try on your next outdoor adventure. Already have some experience in the outdoor kitchen? Heat up your Dutch Oven(s) and show us what you’ve got at the Cook–Off on August 27th. Family, friends, and the local community will all enjoy this relaxing day of fun-filled cooking and tasting. Come and join the friendly competition to find out who has the best cooking techniques in the area.





There will be two categories to register in either Bean Master, cooks a main dish and dessert, or Chuck Wagon, which cooks a main dish. Each category will have separate tasting and a panel of judges to decide the winner. There will also be an overall People’s Choice award that will receive a trophy and be judged by the public. Cash prizes of $200 and $100 for winners!People’s Choice Award – You be the Judge! Taste many different Dutch Oven dishes when participating in the People Choice Award. For a suggested $10 donation, that includes all utensils needed to taste, a drink and five tickets to use for voting this year’s winner. The first 100 participants will receive a commemorative cup.


For inspiration on a dish to cook check out this Fizzy Fruit Cobbler recipe from DutchOvenDude.com. There are so many yummy recipes to choose from it is hard to pick just one!


Fizzy Fruit Cobbler Dutch Oven Recipe


Ingredients: Apple pie filling, 1 box yellow cake mix, 1/2 can 7-Up, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon


Directions: Any combination of flavors that sound good to you can be tried. This example is apple, yellow cake, and cinnamon. Another might be cherry filling, chocolate cake, and powdered sugar. Or, blueberry filling, white cake, and grape soda.


Line the dutch oven with aluminum foil to make clean up easier if you aren't adverse to doing that. Pour the fruit filing into the bottom of the D.O. Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the filing - do not stir it. Pour the soda on top of the mix from a low height so it does not splatter all over. With a fork, mix the soda into the cake mix, being careful not to mix it into the filling too much - a little is ok. When the cake mix is stirred, sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cook for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.


Light your fires!
Bug Dust

Get to Know an Invasive Species: Cheatgrass

Cheatgrass - as far as the eye can see.

Everyone has run into this pesky invasive species. It sticks to your socks and shoes and even in your dog’s paws. It raids lawns and gardens. This invasive species has taken over numerous beautiful areas in Nevada; including Water Canyon, a local recreation area. The abundance of cheatgrass takes away from the native landscape. Good luck getting rid of this plant now; it will just keep taking over. In Nevada cheatgrass is a huge issue and it is difficult to control.

Cheatgrass
photo courtesy of Steve Dewey,
Utah State University, Bugwood.org


Some ways to indentify cheatgrass:

- Stems are slender and several inches tall
- Leaf sheaths and blades are covered in short, soft hairs
- Leaves can be up to eight inches long
- Root is finely divided into fibrous roots
- Cheatgrass is annual, meaning it completes its lifecycle in one year
- Invades rangelands, prairies, and pastures; widespread in Pershing, Humboldt (lucky us!), Lander, and Eureka counties
- Potential to completely alter the ecosystem it invades by replacing native vegetation and changing fire regimes; burns very fast and hot

Some ways to control this pesky plant is frequent mowing or tillage, fire under controlled conditions (let’s leave that to the land managers though!) You can help stop the spread of this invasive by washing vehicles and ATVs after an outdoor adventure, shaking your tent out, and bathing your pets. If everyone lends a hand this invasive species it can be controlled.

- Nemo