Mount Shasta: Scale a Dormant-Active Volcano

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Aerial photo of Mount Shasta taken while flyin...
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Classically cone-shaped, majestic Mount Shasta is not only nearly 10,000 feet tall, home to seven glaciers and numerous myths and legends. It’s also a dormant, yet active, volcano. Dormant because it has a history of only erupting once every 600 to 800 years; active because the fumaroles–small vents in the ground that let out steam and air from volcanic chambers beneath–on the mountain tell us that it’s still very much full of hot magma underneath.

Mount Shasta’s last eruption is speculated to have happened around 200 years ago; the speculation is based upon an account by French Navy explorer La Pérouse in his journal after observing the volcano erupting offshore of California from his ship in 1786. If this was indeed an eruption of Mount Shasta (for no other large volcanoes are anywhere near where La Pérouse observed the eruption), and if the pattern holds true, then the volcano will erupt again in around 400 years’ time. Not anything to cancel your vacation over!

Mount Shasta is notorious for having steep climbing trails; inexperienced climbers frequently must be rescued after taking on a climb more dangerous than they can handle, so if you are planning on attempting to reach the summit, be aware that it’s not a beginner-level kind of climb. Most popular (and involving over 6,000 feet of vertical gain) to climb is Avalanche Gulch, also known as the John Muir route. Obstacles in your path if you take this route include danger of rockfall (hence the name “Avalanche Gulch”), numerous snowfields and moraines, and a bergschrund.

To avoid the avalanches and other pitfalls of the John Muir route, Casaval Ridge and Sargents Ridge are your best options, especially during the winter months. There are hiking trails around the base of the mountain, too, if the summit isn’t your goal and you’d rather enjoy the atmosphere without as much of the risk. Thanks to its snowy, steep peaks, Mount Shasta is also a popular destination for back country skiing. Experienced skiers may choose the steep upper slopes, while the less-daring can still enjoy the mountain with less-angled slopes further down.

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Don’t Leave Home Without These Camping Trip Essentials

October 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Eilean Nan Ron. This Photo was taken on an ove...
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Camping is a great way to spend time with the family, enjoy nature, breath in the fresh air, and see new places. No matter if you are camping at a local family campground or going on an adventure in another state, a little planning in advance will make sure you packed all the camping trip essentials. Here is a camping trip essentials check list:

Food:
• Granola bars, trail mix
• Bread
• Cereal
• Crackers
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Milk
• Hotdogs
• Hamburgers
• Bacon
• Sandwiches
• Fresh fruits and veggies like apples, bananas, carrots, celery
• Canned beans, soup
• Peanut butter
• Water
• A few chocolate bars

Cooking and eating supplies:
• Frying pan
• Boiling pan
• Spatula
• Knife
• Tongs
• Silverware
• Paper plates
• Paper cups
• Aluminum foil
• Can opener
• Plastic bags or containers
• Dish soap
• Paper towels
• Sponge

Camping equipment:
• Tent
• Ground tarp
• Rope
• Mallet or hammer to drive tent spikes into the ground
• Matches/lighter
• Trash bags
• Camping stove or small grill
• Fuel, charcoal, fire starter

Personal needs:
• Sleeping bags
• Pillow
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Clothes, such as True Religion jeans
• Swimwear
• Rain gear
• Towel
• Soap
• Shampoo
• Razor
• Toilet paper
• Medication

First Aid:
• Band-aids, bandages,
• Tape
• Antiseptic wipes
• Sunscreen
• Bug repellent
• Insect bite medication
• Burn ointment
• Aspirin, Ibuprofen

Miscellaneous:
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Camp chairs
• Camera, charger
• Cell phone, charger
• Sunglasses
• Coins for showers and vending machines
• Playing cards

NOTE: Make sure at least one relative knows your itinerary, cell phone number, and your vehicle’s license plate.

Of course, these are just suggestions and your list may change depending on your camping needs.

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Llamas for Wilderness Travel

August 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Llama overlooking Machu Picchu, Peru.
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The llama, a relative to the camel, is a long-necked, two-toed animal originally from North America. After a migration to Asia and South America around 3 million years ago, they became extinct in North America, so most people believe that llamas originally came from South American countries like Peru. Today, llamas make excellent pack animals for hiking, particularly mountain-climbing. Their two-toed feet are much better at navigating steep and bumpy terrain than a horse’s hooves, and they are not easily spooked.

Adult llamas can grow as large as 650 pounds, standing as tall as 6 feet at the top of the head. The average llama is around 300 pounds, and 5 and a half feet tall, though. Llamas are known to steadily carry around 75 pounds of equipment in packs on their backs. Most llama owners and llama rental places will advise against riding a llama, as the average adult is too heavy for them to carry. Cases have been documented of particularly large llamas being trained to haul heavier and heavier packs until they could carry a 170 pound person around, though, so it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Using a pack, llamas can carry up to 30 percent of their body weight. Their naturally gentle and calm disposition makes them safe for children to ride on the trail, as well. Contrary to popular belief, llamas don’t generally spit at people. They only spit at other llamas, and the ones that do spit at people are improperly socialized so that they think of you as a llama. They don’t kick, either, and if they did their feet wouldn’t be very dangerous, since they aren’t hard hooves like a horse’s. An agitated llama lays its ears back flat on its head.

Though they can’t carry you through the wilderness, llamas can carry your gear so that you last longer hiking than you would on your own. Their padded feet don’t rip up the ground like a horse’s, so they are particularly ideal for following the Leave No Trace principles. Many people riding horses bring llamas as well to carry their gear.

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Snowshoeing With Young Children

August 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A snowshoer packing cross-country skis for a t...
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If you have young children, maintaining your active outdoors lifestyle can be difficult. Cross-country skiing and hiking up mountains are probably out of the question for a few years. Not every activity is unsuited for children, though, and taking your child along will help instill a love of the outdoors in them as well as give you an activity to enjoy doing together. Any child that has ever seen snow likely already knows that he loves sledding and having snowball fights. For a slower-paced activity that can include even the youngest of children, why not try snowshoeing?
Snowshoeing is one of the most child-friendly winter sports. It’s slow-paced enough to allow children to keep up with you, easy to learn to do, and most companies that make snowshoes make pairs in small sizes to accommodate children. In addition, snowshoeing makes an excellent group activity–the more packed-down the snow is from the leaders of the group, the easier it will be for anybody following them to walk on. A good way to introduce your child to snowshoeing is to walk just ahead of her so that she can follow in your footsteps and have packed-down snow upon which to walk.
Before going out on any trails, practice basic snowshoeing techniques with your child so that he knows how to walk in his snowshoes, how to get up if he falls down, and how to climb up and down hills. Walking in snowshoes actually seems to come more naturally to children than it does to adults, so don’t be surprised if your child gets the hang of it faster than you do!
When on a snowshoeing excursion with children, it’s a great idea to pull a small plastic sled behind you. Not only can you place your pack in it to glide behind you instead of being a heavy weight on your back, but if your child gets tired before you do, you can have her sit in it and pull her along behind you easily. Pack lots of snacks and a thermos with hot cocoa to stay warm and hydrated, and have fun!
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Snowshoeing vs. Skiing

August 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Snowshoeing might seem like a slow-paced, trudging way to climb a mountain, especially if you’re used to riding a ski lift. However, there are some definite benefits of snowshoeing that skiing doesn’t have. One obvious advantage of snowshoeing is that you’re getting more exercise. Skiers use their whole bodies to steer their skis, and it’s definitely a workout, but the trip up the slope is as simple as sitting in a ski lift and being carried to the top. Snowshoeing requires that you climb that slope. Walking on snow is more of a strenuous workout than walking on the ground, especially while traveling uphill. It will take longer to reach the top, but if you enjoyed the trip up, why not take your time?
Perhaps the prospect of having to climb back down the hill is what is deterring you from snowshoeing. With skiing, you can slide down speedily and enjoy the air flying past you. You can’t do that on a pair of snowshoes—but you can pull a plastic sled behind you on the way up, and ride it down the hill in a fun, speedy slide if you like! You can put your snowshoes into the sled, too, so everything that you brought up the hill can come back down with you–no need to climb the hill again if you don’t want to. There is something satisfying about climbing a hill and having a picnic at the top while enjoying the view; pull your backpack in the sled on the way up.
If you’ve never tried snowshoeing before, you should try renting a set of snowshoes and walking poles before investing in a set of your own gear. Dress as you would for a regular winter hike: warmly, with a hat, gloves, inner cotton or wool shell, and waterproof outside layer such as rain paints. Waterproof shoes are a must–if you wear wool socks, your can use regular leather hiking boots. Since snowshoeing takes considerably more effort than regular hiking, your body will generate enough heat to keep itself fairly warm so long as you keep moving.
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Creating a Safe Campfire

August 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A campfire at my uncle's camp in Webster Sprin...
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If you’re going to be camping out overnight, unless you’re okay with living on jerky and trail mix you’re going to need to cook in the wilderness. Most people get the general idea for how to build a campfire: make a circle of stones, light the fire inside, and make sure it doesn’t get out. What they may not know is that you are supposed to clear the ground down to soil inside of the campfire ring and as far as five feet around the outside as well.

Building a good, safe campfire isn’t just about how to build it, though—it’s also about where you build it. Campfires should always be at least five feet away from your tent, gear and firewood, and placed downwind so that it doesn’t blow toward them if the wind picks up. You should never build a campfire near dry, brittle or flammable things, even grass or other parts of the landscape. In fact, at the driest parts of the year it’s not advisable to start any campfires at all. Many campgrounds have their own built in fire rings, which you should use instead of building your own, if possible.

Do not try to burn any pieces of wood longer than the fire pit is wide. Never leave your campfire unattended, even for a moment. When it comes times to put out the campfire, always ensure that it is “dead out”–entirely out, including embers and even warm coals. The best way to do this is to not only pour water onto the fire to extinguish it, but to mix the soil, water and coals thoroughly.

If properly created and put out, campfires can conform to the principles of Leave No Trace. However, many wilderness areas and other places you may go to camp do not allow campfires at all; in these instances you’ll need to use a small stove instead. Stoves, because they are self-contained and have an enclosed top, don’t present the safety hazard of sparks jumping out into dry grass or the wind blowing licks of flame onto other dry items as a campfire does.

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Ascending in Snowshoes

August 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Snowshoe and cross country ski track in Samoens
Image by Gerald Davison via Flickr
One of the most important skills to know for snowshoeing is how to climb a hill. Ascending, as it is called, in snowshoes takes practice and precision. There are several commonly-practiced techniques for ascending, four of which will be covered here. Depending on the steepness of the slope and how well the snow packs, you may choose from several of these techniques when sizing up a particular hill.
Herringbone Step
Herringbone stepping is the term for ascending by pointing your snowshoes outward as you step up the hill. To herringbone step, you must point your feet at forty-five degree angles from your body and lean your weight onto the outside edges of your snowshoes to press the snow down enough to hold you. Herringbone stepping may be familiar to you already if you have done any cross-country skiing.
Stepping Up
Stepping up is one of the most common ways for a snowshoer to ascend a hill. It involves facing the hill and stepping into it with the toes of your snowshoes in order to literally walk through the snow as if you were climbing a set of steps.
Scramble Step
The scramble step, also called simply scrambling, is basically a speedy way of stepping up. Make sure to keep your weight leaning onto the toes of your snowshoes! This may be more difficult to do when moving faster.
Side Step
To side step, stand so that the hill is at your side and ascend sideways. Before you place each snowshoe down fully, press down on the snow with only the outer side of the snowshoe to pack it down; this technique is called edging, and it’s a vital snowshoeing skill. Before you start side stepping, use edging to make a shelf with your first step, then step with the same foot up one step higher so that your other foot can be lifted to rest on the first shelf. As you take each new step, your other foot will end up on the last shelf that your leading foot occupied.
Always research and practice new techniques at home before you hit any mountain trails.

One of the most important skills to know for snowshoeing is how to climb a hill. Ascending, as it is called, in snowshoes takes practice and precision. There are several commonly-practiced techniques for ascending, four of which will be covered here. Depending on the steepness of the slope and how well the snow packs, you may choose from several of these techniques when sizing up a particular hill.
Herringbone Step
Herringbone stepping is the term for ascending by pointing your snowshoes outward as you step up the hill. To herringbone step, you must point your feet at forty-five degree angles from your body and lean your weight onto the outside edges of your snowshoes to press the snow down enough to hold you. Herringbone stepping may be familiar to you already if you have done any cross-country skiing.
Stepping Up
Stepping up is one of the most common ways for a snowshoer to ascend a hill. It involves facing the hill and stepping into it with the toes of your snowshoes in order to literally walk through the snow as if you were climbing a set of steps.
Scramble Step
The scramble step, also called simply scrambling, is basically a speedy way of stepping up. Make sure to keep your weight leaning onto the toes of your snowshoes! This may be more difficult to do when moving faster.
Side Step
To side step, stand so that the hill is at your side and ascend sideways. Before you place each snowshoe down fully, press down on the snow with only the outer side of the snowshoe to pack it down; this technique is called edging, and it’s a vital snowshoeing skill. Before you start side stepping, use edging to make a shelf with your first step, then step with the same foot up one step higher so that your other foot can be lifted to rest on the first shelf. As you take each new step, your other foot will end up on the last shelf that your leading foot occupied.
Always research and practice new techniques at home before you hit any mountain trails.

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A Brief History of Yosemite National Park

July 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Merced River, Little Yosemite Valley, Yosemite...
Image by chucklepix (Steve) via Flickr

Before it was a national park, before it was given the name that we now know it by, Yosemite National Park was far from uninhabited. People have been living in the lush, rugged area for tens of thousands of years, starting with the Ahwahneechee tribe, who lived there for generations before Europeans arrived in 1851. From around 1855 to 1865, only 650 people managed to travel through the untamed terrain and reach what those that lived there were calling “The Incomparable Valley”.

Some people came for the beauty–artists, photographers, writers. Their work told the rest of the world about Yosemite’s splendor. Others were not so respectful of their new home, and began to exploit the landscape. After conservationists called out to stop this exploitation, in 1864 President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill that granted Yosemite Valley to the state of California, and it was declared a national park in 1890.

Today, Yosemite National Park is visited by three and a half million people per year. Despite Europeans’ attempts to rid Yosemite Valley of them, the Native Americans who first lived there have endured—today seven tribes count themselves as descendents of the original Yosemite Valley natives. Programs dedicated to preserving the rich cultural history of the valley include excavating settlement sites and displaying over four million artifact items in the Yosemite museum. The museum also boasts a library about Yosemite that contains over ten thousand books, many of which are becoming available in digital format in the National Park Association’s online library.

Throughout Yosemite’s years as a national park, the National Park Agency has been diligent in preserving the natural beauty of the area. The buildings are maintained the way that they were originally constructed, in the National Park Service Rustic Style, to uphold the philosophy that architecture should blend in with their natural surroundings. Unrestricted camping is now prohibited in the park in order to protect the environment; campers may use one of the dozens of campsites instead. Thanks to the continued efforts of the National Park Agency, Yosemite National Park will surely continue to delight visitors for many years to come.

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Yosemite’s Buffalo Soldiers

June 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Buffalo Soldiers Display in Tangipahoa African...
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Yosemite National Park has many historical events associated with it. It was a pioneering time when the park was founded in 1890, and pioneers led difficult, often dangerous lives. A lesser-known fact about Yosemite is that for a time, its security was entrusted to all African-American U.S. Soldiers. These black Americans were nicknamed “Buffalo Soldiers”, which may be Native American in origin and based upon how the soldiers’ curly hair resembled the pad of hair between a buffalo’s horns. Wherever the name came from, it stuck, and it became a term for all African-American soldiers at the time.

The Buffalo Soldiers had the exact same duties as white soldiers in the U.S. military did; they wore the same uniforms, and they were armed with the same weapons. Two out of the three 60-man Buffalo Soldier outfits were exclusively African-American, complete with a black commanding officer. This was very unusual for the time.

The only thing about the Buffalo Soldiers’ duties that was not identical to the white soldiers’ duties was that the former had to deal with racism while performing theirs. Because their duties often dealt with people, they had to perfect the fine balance between being diplomatic and being a firm authority figure. During their visits, they infused the economy with new money, and so they were often positively-received when they came to Yosemite each summer.

Despite the racial prejudice of the times, the Buffalo Soldiers were essentially the lawmen of Yosemite National Park during their stays; some of their duties included putting out forest fires, stopping illegal grazing of animals on national park land, building of trails (including the first trail to the top of Mount Whitney), and constructing the first museum in the National Park System–an arboretum with benches, paths and identified names of plants.

During their services to the United States as park rangers and otherwise, the Buffalo soldiers have been given many medals of honor, and there are monuments standing today in honor of them. In Sequoia National Park, Buffalo Soldier and first-ever African-American park superintendent Charles Young even has a Giant Sequoia named after him.

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