About two years ago, I took an overnight course/camping trip to become a Leave No Trace (LNT) Trainer. It was fascinating and though I haven't had the opportunity to put it to a great deal of use, I've always wanted to take my training to the next level and become a LNT Master Educator. I have watched the organization's website for some time waiting for for a good opportunity to take the 5-day course. I finally found a offering of the course that was to take place in Saguaro National Park, near Tucson in the extremely southern side of Arizona. As I haven't been to this park before, it seemed an excellent chance to knock out two birds with one stone.
My road trip was designed to deliver me in Tucson the evening before the start of the course, and while I was able to include several additional adventures during the trip, the focus was always the course and associated backpacking trip in Saguaro.
While I did experience a few delays on the road due to closures, I arrived in Tucson around 8 PM. I took the opportunity to hit a couple of new breweries and relax. I knew the next several days would be quite challenging, both physically and mentally.
Arriving at NOLS Southwest, we quickly unloaded our gear and jumped into our classes and trip preparation. Gear was issued, food was packed, and backpacks were loaded and checked, all the while our crew of future Master Educators got to know each other. It was a great cross-section of outdoor enthusiasts, including a teacher, a search and rescue captain, a couple of college students, a first-time visitor from Singapore, and a couple of others. In total, twelve students and two instructors would head off the next morning into the backcountry of Saguaro.
After a full day of learning and preparation, we set up our tents in NOLS back yard (a nice swatch of desert) and wound down, before turning in. We had divide ourselves up into tent/kitchen groups, which we would maintain throughout the trip. I ended up with Matt and Ian, a great couple of guys. The coyotes were howling all night and it got everyone excited for our upcoming adventure.
Day 2
We awoke, made final preparations and finally set off in the van for our trailhead. The morning air was pretty cold, but we knew it would heat up very quickly. The diurnal in a true desert like this can commonly swing fifty to seventy degrees within the same day, and so, I stripped off a layer before our feet started moving.
The mighty saguaro cactus dominates the landscape here at these lower elevations. Standing from ground-level to as tall as seventy feet. Very tree-like in it's appearance, the saguaro grows very slowly in this arid environment. From what I'm told, the first branches don't begin go grow off of the main trunk until the plant is at least sixty years old, and branches don't grow from other branches until well over a hundred years old. They really are something to see.
As we make our way up the trail, I note that our friend from Singapore, Tammy, is wearing snow pants and is struggling on this incline. From my earlier conversations with her, I know she is an ultra-runner and so, I know she can handle the physical nature of the trail, but I suspect she was overheating. I suggest she take off the snow pants and switch to something a little cooler. She finds a relatively private place and takes the advice. It seems to make quite a difference and she seems much happier.
I place my fellow students around the base of the dry waterfall and begin my exposition. I tried to incorporate a lot of group discussion and examples into my lesson, but mostly I focused on the idea that the definition of a durable surface is more than a binary decision and many factors must be considered. From the feedback I got both from my fellow students and from my instructors, I think the class went pretty well. Throughout the day, a couple other students would give their presentations. Each was excellent and packed full of information.
Day 3
Rising early and getting some breakfast in, we break camp and start on the trail. Today's hike will gain a few thousand feet of elevation, as we march towards our trail-high point at Manning Camp (7,900'). It will prove to be our most challenging day. As we push through different ecosystems at the different elevations, the vegetation changes dramatically. We have left the saguaro far below and now the terrain starts to look a bit more like my home in the eastern Sierra Nevada with pine needles carpeting the forest floor and ponderosa pines offering shade from the desert sun.
Along the way, more students give their presentations. Again, they are well thought out and professionally delivered. Each discussion offers a chance for points and counter points, and provokes a great deal of head-scratching and pondering. It's very exhilarating to discuss the principles of conservation with such an intelligent and environmentally-concerned group of people.
Arriving at our campsite near dusk, we quickly erected our tents. Manning Campground is much larger than our accommodations last night and allowed us to spread up a great deal more freely. Being at a higher elevation, we expected the night to be colder and hoped the tent would contain some small measure of warmth.
After putting the tent up, we arranged our small kitchen areas and began cooking dinner. Pasta with red sauce was on the menu this evening. In my personal backpacking trips, I normally use a canister stove and dehydrated meals, but NOLS prefers to use white gas, which allows a much more controllable flame and preparation of fresh food. Our menus were built around this idea and allowed some element of gourmet flare from each of us.
After dinner, we turned in for a much needed rest. Between the long hike, the stimulating discussions, and the standard chores necessary for a campsite, we were all ready for some shut-eye.
Day 4
This day was planned as a down day with no actual further travel. As we awoke, we were glad to be relieved of the duty of breaking camp once again. While the task is not overly burdensome, the idea of untying knots and packing packs in the frigid morning air is always somewhat unpleasant.
We immediately set ourselves to the task of preparing breakfast. As we had additional time due to staying put today, we decided to cooking the often tricky dried hash browns. My tent-mate, Ian, has concerns and comments that he has never been able to turn them to anything but mush. After chatting with our instructor, Ashley, I put her advice to use and start preparing them. The first step is to slightly brown the dried hashbrowns with nothing more than a bit of oil. Next, a small amount of water is added. Just enough to mostly cover the "ha bros", which allows them to rehydrate. Cover the skillet and wait a couple of minutes while the water is absorbed. Finally, add a generous amount of butter to the center of the skillet and allow the now toasted and rehydrated hash browns to saute. After taking our individual portions from the skillet, we added some nice cheddar cheese. Ian comments on how life-changing this meal is for him, lol.
After breakfast, we have a couple of more presentations before heading off for a short day hike. This time, we gladly leave our heavy packs at camp and simply carry the essentials. We hike a mile or so up the trail to Spud Rock, which is an exposed piece of granite atop a small peak. It's incredibly windy up here and in the distance we can see a recently started forest fire in a valley near the Mexican border. We get in position and take a few group photos.
While out without our packs, we have a couple of more discussions and take a few minutes to privately reflect on why each of us loves being out here so much. For me, the great outdoors is my church. It is the place in my life where I feel most connected to the world around me and to something much larger than myself. Though, it's easy to get wrapped up in our daily tasks, be it in town or in the backcountry, we must always remember why we do these things. We must remember the things that make life worth living.
We head back to camp off-trail, purposefully. As this is always part of the outdoor experience, our goal is to do it while leaving as little impact to our surroundings as possible, and to make it even more interesting, the fourteen of us do it in complete silence. We use only gestures and hand signals to communicate.
Back at camp, we begin to prepare dinner. Tonight's special will consist of a curried quinoa. I use some of my chef's flare to add some freshly cut vegetables, peanut butter, and raisins to the dish. Someone comments on my knowledge of Indian cuisine as we enjoy our dinner. I must admit, it is quite delicious.
As the sun settles in the west, I make my way the hill to bath in the day's final rays of warmth. The winds have only strengthened during dinner and we decide to tie our tent down even closer to the ground in preparation for our coldest night yet.
Day 5
The gusts must have died down sometime in the early morning and while it probably approached the freezing mark, it is actually quite nice this morning. Today, we hike out of the back country along a steep course. As we have many miles to cover and much to do once we arrive back at NOLS, we hit the trail before first light.
After only an hour or so, we are able to eliminate our headlamps. The trail includes a number of carved steps. It is easily the most challenging terrain we have covered to this point. The Turkey Creek Trail heads southwest out of the park and enters National Forest Lands.
Higher up, we passed by a small grove of white trunks belonging to a group of quaking aspens. They stand out against the high desert landscape. When we arrive further down the trail, we are able to see the patch of white on the hillside far above us.
As we approach our exit trailhead, we are greeted by some NOLS staff directing us to the van. I love backpacking, but it will be nice to return to civilization and showers!!! In total we have traversed about 23 miles and gained and then lost about 4,000 feet of elevation. In conjunction with all of the learning and teaching done, it made for a packed trip.
After about an hour-and-a-half drive, we arrive back at headquarters for debrief and graduation. I'm very proud to have completed this trip and course, and to be recognized with my fellow students as Leave No Trace Master Educators. With this certification, we are now empowered to certify other trainers and preach the good word. Congratulations to all of my peers and my gratitude to our wonderful instructors.
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