National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - Summer2008 - Index

BRANCH NOTES
NOLS TETON VALLEY
• About sixty 14- and 15-year-old Adventure Course
students will participate in a University of Utah
research project this summer on transference of
expedition behavior into the frontcountry.
• We planted six new trees on our branch property
this year. The ongoing generosity of a grad family is
underwriting our growing “forest.”
• We’re constructing our version of a ramada—a
shaded outdoor space—for use as a classroom, eating
space, and packing area.
Traditional Inuit Village
NOLS YUKON
• Besides full catalog courses in Canada’s North, we’re
partnering with Yukon College here in Whitehorse
to offer a special leadership and outdoor skills
course to Japan’s Waseda University. Also, we’re in
the planning stages of a risk management training
with Arctic College on Baffin Island.
• We’re offering a canoe-based Instructor Course in
the Yukon again this summer.
• The Donner Foundation and other alumni donations
are generously funding eleven Yukon and First Nations
students this year.
• Our Baffin Island Canoe/Backpacking course will
spend a weeklong cultural section in the Inuit community
of Kimmirut.
NOLS SOUTHWEST
• NOLS Southwest is bringing more lightweight gear
into our inventory and program—semester independent
student group expeditions are heading out
with packs less than 40 pounds.
• As part of the NOLS sustainability initiative, we’re
increasing composting and recycling. We’re also
using low-flow water fixtures and solar batch water
heaters. A proposal for full solar operations is also in
the works.
NOLS ROCKY MOUNTAIN
• Our first Scandinavian sea kayaking course started
in June.
• We’ve expanded the Noble Hotel store—snacks,
toiletries, and NOLS apparel are available for purchase.
• We’re experimenting with solar satellite phone
chargers for the field.
• Our new, grant-funded solar set up is getting an
interpretive update in the form of an interactive
display of daily, weekly, and yearly solar electricity
generation.
• Thanks to the efforts of the Deuter company, we’re
using two new lightweight backpacks this summer.
Both roomy models weigh less than five pounds empty.
• Our food room, the Gulch, recently received a facelift
in the form of a wall-sized mural of Wyoming’s
Cirque of the Towers. This beautiful painting by
artist Jon Cox includes four hidden pictures—no
one has found all four yet.
Jaret Slipp
BOOK REVIEW
SUMMER 2008
Guidebooks by NOLS Grads:
Seeking Some of the Best Hiking and Paddling Across the Nation
BY MEREDITH HAAS, NOLS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Here we’ve highlighted several guidebooks from NOLS graduates who have ventured across the country
to share their knowledge on some of the best places to hike and paddle in the nation. From Utah and
Colorado to the Grand Canyon and Florida Keys, readers will discover where to go, whether it’s for a
short day trip or extended backcountry expedition, and will benefit from the detailed descriptions and
tips provided by folks who share the NOLS enthusiasm and respect for outdoor adventure.
Best Summit Hikes in Colorado – James Dziezynski,
Wind River Mountaineering ‘98
A guide to more than 50 ascents
of classic and little-known peaks
from 8,144 to 14,433 feet, Summit
Hikes highlights some of the
best routes the Colorado Rocky
Mountains has to offer. Learn to
find sights like fossilized
seashells more than two miles
above sea level with detailed topographic maps,
GPS waypoints, and elevation profiles. Difficulty and
class ratings, optional routes for further exploration,
and fascinating trivia and history are included right
along with hiking essentials and ethics, such as the
classic Leave No Trace principles. Published by
Wilderness Press, © 2007, 9x6, 339pp, $17.95.
Utah Hiking: A Complete Guide to More Than 300
Hikes – Buck Tilton, WMI Co-founder and Instructor
Whether you’re in search of kidfriendly
trails, day hikes, or weeklong
backcountry treks, you’ll find
what you’re looking for in Buck
Tilton’s Utah Hiking guide, which
provides information on more
than 300 hikes from Zion to Bryce,
through the Uinta Mountains. Trail
descriptions include difficulty ratings, scenic beauty,
and best hikes, in addition to planning details such as
roundtrip distance and hiking time, best seasons, park
fees, and contact information for each hike. This book
offers reliable information on each location and activity,
while emphasizing low-impact enjoyment for anyone
wishing to venture into some of Utah’s most
breathtaking places. Published by Avalon Travel Publishing,
© 2005, 8.5x5.5, 228pp, $16.95.
America’s Wilderness: The Complete Guide to More
Than 600 National Wilderness Areas – Buck Tilton
Highlighting more than 600 National
Wilderness Areas across
the country, America’s Wilderness
provides information on
when to go, how to get there,
what permits and maps you’ll
need, who to contact for more
details, and other essential tidbits
including where to backpack, bird-watch, camp,
canoe, fish, hike, horsepack, kayak, observe wildlife,
photograph the best natural scenery, raft in whitewater
rapids, and rock climb, as well as guidelines
on how to explore the Great Outdoors without leaving
a trace. Published by Foghorn Press, © 1996,
8.5x5.5, 591pp, $19.95.
Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion: A Guide to
Hiking and Backpacking the Most Popular Trails Into
the Canyon – Brian J. Lane, Wilderness First Aid ‘99
As a National Best Books Awards
finalist in 2007 and chosen by the
Benjamin Franklin Awards in
2008, Hikernut’s Grand Canyon
Companion is written especially
for the first-time hiker or backpacker
wanting to explore the
Grand Canyon. It includes information
on what equipment to bring, permit
requirements and how to apply, rules and restrictions,
trail descriptions, and other tips geared toward the
most popular, easily accessible, and maintained trails
into the Canyon. Full-colored maps and over 50
photos, along with detailed trail descriptions with
length, time, and difficulty are also included. Published
by A Sense of Nature, © 2007, 8.5x5.5, 90pp, $9.95
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Sacramento – Jordan
Summers, Outdoor Educator Course ’90 & Wilderness
First Aid ‘07
For anyone within the Sacramento
area who has limited time and
wants to find good hiking within an
hour’s drive of this great city,
Jordan Summers, a local hiking
enthusiast, offers the best day
hikes from the Foothills, Mother
Lode, and Delta regions. Quick and
easy assessments of each trail are provided along with
information pertaining to facilities, trail traffic, best
times to go, scenic views, and trail history, in addition
to driving distances and directions to trailheads, GPSbased
trail maps, and elevation profiles. Published by
Menasha Ridge Press, © 2008, 9x6, 324pp, $17.95
Florida Keys Paddling Atlas – Bill Burnham, Yukon
Outdoor Educator Backpacking ’03, and Mary Burnham
This detailed color atlas of the
Florida Keys is specifically for paddlers
and other small craft water
enthusiasts. Custom-made charts
highlight paddle-friendly marinas,
hidden waterways, bird-watching
sites, as well as fishing and surf
spots. Accompanying field notes provide route-finding
information, including distances and suggested
routes, paddling highlights, cautions, natural history,
flora and fauna, and points of interest to guide water
travelers on their own excursions and adventures. An
extensive appendix includes information on kayak
launches, outfitters, guides, and rentals. Published by
Globe Pequot Press, © 2007, 11x8.5, 128pp, $34.95
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