Thanks!

Sawtooth Wilderness, ID (2007)

With Thanksgiving just a day away, it seems as appropriate a time as any to give thanks to all of the hard-working volunteers for all their important work this past year!

The 2011 projects were responsible for an incredible amount of work. The results are still being tallied, but we've maintained and built over 70 miles of trail, installed nearly 400 waterbars, cleared more than 90 trees from trails, moved over 70 tons of rock, removed 5 miles of fencing and more than 150 fire rings, naturalized more than 100 campsites, planted more than 13,000 plants, and removed thousands of invasive weeds, for a grand total of more than 15,000 hours of work - valued at more than $400K - on public land!

Thanks to all of you for "Giving Something Back" in 2011!

No thanks is complete without an extra special thanks to long-time volunteer, leader, board member, and top chef Gayle Marechal, who is stepping down after nine years on the WV Board and eleven years as a trip leader. Many of you have shared a trail, a pulaski, and, if you're lucky, a backcountry blueberry pancake with Gayle, who has led nearly 30 trips over the last decade.

"The Master at Work"

From Oregon to Montana to Colorado, Texas, Idaho, and beyond, Gayle has shared not only his trail-work skills but also his culinary prowess, leaving all of us well fed and wondering when he'll publish his very own backcountry cookbook. From Turkish rice and vegetarian curry to hash browns and scrambled eggs, Gayle, simply put, has the knack when it comes to cooking in the woods. The average trip requires 17 meals be served, and Gayle has cooked on all but 3 of the 29 trips he's led since 2000. My rough math tells me that's more than 400 group meals served; with an average of 7 (hungry!) participants per trip, that's more than 3,000 mouths fed. And that's not even counting seconds!

So what's Gayle's favorite backcountry meal? Native American Stew with quesadillas. Get the full recipe here.

Gayle - we thank you. For your hard work, your selfless commitment, your wonderful cooking, and your superb leadership and friendship. You'll be missed!

Happy Trails, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kitchen Corner

Escalante River, Grand Staircase Escalante Nat'l Monument (2006)

If there is one issue all Wilderness Volunteers leaders should concern themselves with when leading a trip, it is how members of the group interact with each other or, put another way, group dynamics. No other issue is of such singular importance when leading WV projects because the effectiveness of a group is directly affected by the way the members of the group respond to each other and to the leader. If my experiences are any indication of group dynamics, I would say that most groups get along well, the participants enjoy each other's company, and most groups work effectively together to complete the task at hand.

But what makes for good group dynamics? A good portion of the answer is in the fact that WV groups are self-selecting. People are coming together for a common purpose of working in the wilderness on something they feel is worthwhile, so WV participants are likely to be similar in a variety of key components. On backpacking trips, that notion is multiplied because people who backpack are an even more exclusive group and thus even more likely to be of a similar mind-set. Anyone willing to put a heavy pack on her/his back and hike several miles (usually uphill) to do something such as heavy trail maintenance is likely to have much in common with his or her fellow participants. The commonality of purpose and the common experience of backpacking unite people and make them more likely to bond.

Of course, luck plays a role in the cohesion of a group. Other factors involved center on the intensity of the backpacking experience. The difficulty factor, living close together for a week in the backcountry and depending on each other, working side by side each day, eating together, talking about the day’s experiences, sharing ideas, solving problems, and doing all those other things a team must do add to the intensity of the experience and help unite the group in positive ways.

What about car camping? How does the model above work in car camping situations where participants are camped near their cars and often near attractions that participants can easily drive to at the end of a work day? My experience has been that it is more difficult to establish the closeness engendered by backcountry projects even though car camping projects involve many of the same experiences. That is not to say that car camping precludes groups from becoming cohesive or bonding in similar ways. However, I do think there is a difference in the way that different types of projects affect the group and the group dynamics.

What is your experience with group interaction in leading trips? Do you have special techniques for getting groups to bond, to become cohesive units, or do you simply let things develop naturally? What do you do, if anything, when the dynamics of the group are developing in negative ways? What happens when one participant’s negativity affects others? What are your thoughts on group dynamics? Let me hear from you; I’m curious.

The recipe below can be used on either backpacking or car camping projects.


Turkish Rice

Olive oil
4 cups rice + 6 cups water (add water as needed during cooking to keep from sticking)
1 large onion
5 garlic cloves, chopped and divided
1 pkg diced Pomi tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth (use 2 veggie cubes)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon red pepper
1 15 oz. can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch Italian parsley

Heat oil in large pan. Add onion and cook until tender. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about ten minutes. Add rice, broth, and simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, cumin, and red pepper, blend in to rice mixture and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Add parsley.

By Foot and By Paddle - WV Heads to the Hills and the Water

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, CO (2010)

It's been a busy year for volunteer leaders Robin and Carter Bland, who have led four trips all across the country, ranging from the canyons of Utah to the mountains of New Hampshire. And they're not done yet, as they've just embarked on yet another trip to Maine's Acadia National Park. As you can imagine, all that hiking makes for plenty to write about. Here's Robin's report (and a recipe) from their latest adventures:

"Over a five week span this summer, I enjoyed two different and beautiful Wilderness Volunteers experiences. In late July, I participated in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness project led by Brian Bone and my husband, Carter Bland. We camped at 10,800 feet beneath spectacular jagged peaks and alongside huge meadows of wildflowers at peak bloom. Our work project was building check dams and waterbars on the West Maroon Pass trail between Crested Butte and Aspen. Each day, as we lunched amidst this glorious scenery, I thought there’s no better view at the best table in the finest restaurant! On Tuesday, a photographer from the Crested Butte News happened to hike by and stopped to take a photo of our crew. Later in the week, other hikers passing us on the trail mentioned that they had seen our picture in the paper - what great publicity for Wilderness Volunteers. On our day off, some of us hiked to Frigid Air pass, where we were rewarded by a fantastic view of the iconic Maroon Bells. Luckily, we reached the pass before any rumble of thunder - a daily occurrence in summer afternoons - could turn us back. It was a week enjoyed by novice backpackers and veterans alike."

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN (2010)

"A month later, I enjoyed a very different landscape when Carter and I led a WV crew to a beautiful corner of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the Superior National Forest of northern Minnesota. The BWCAW comprises over one million acres of crystal clear lakes, sparkling streams, and boreal forest. After shuttling across Lake Vermillion in a US Forest Service power boat, we paddled our canoes across Trout and Pine Lakes to our basecamp where we set up for a week of portage trail maintenance and campsite rehab. One of our tasks was to build a stone staircase at the landing for our campsite. We were treated to gorgeous weather all week and, after work each day, were rewarded with a dip - or long swim for some - in the warm water. As for the legendary BWCAW mosquitoes and biting flies...they more or less left us in peace for the week. Loons and whippoorwills serenaded us each night as we sat by our campfire and watched the light of the full moon glisten across the water. It was a little bit of heaven."

Two beautiful trips, two different landscapes. Two great ways to Give Something Back.

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Here is a recipe for a cereal/energy bar that was popular on both trips. Some ate it at breakfast; others took it to have alongside their lunch.

1 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup honey
4 cups Grape-Nuts cereal ( or use a generic barley nugget cereal)
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup raisins or craisins

Combine honey and peanut butter in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.
Spread into a 9”X13” baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil (e.g. Pam). Use wax paper to press into pan and flatten it out. Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes, cut into bars, and enjoy!

Idaho's Sawtooths Revisited

Sawtooth Wilderness, ID (2010)

One of the numerous rewards of having been a Wilderness Volunteers leader for many years is working with the same people - both trip participants and agency personnel. Often on my trips, I will already know close to half the participants from having worked with them previously. I have also enjoyed the working relationships I have established with certain agency personnel in areas to which I have returned over the years as a trip leader, and in no place is this more so than in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in central Idaho.

I have been going to the Sawtooths since 1992, and I have been leading WV trips there since 2003. Since I began leading trips to the Sawtooths, I have come to know Liese Dean, the Wilderness Program Coordinator, and we have an easy and cordial working relationship. In 2004, I began working in the backcountry with Deb Peters, who not only packs in, with the help of some mules and horses, all the tools, commissary gear, and food but works with and guides the WV groups in various projects. I have felt fortunate in knowing these two individuals who are dedicated to preserving and maintaining the beautiful Sawtooth Wilderness. Their enthusiasm and love of the area is contagious and has been instrumental in my returning year after year to the Sawtooths.

This year’s trip was a special one for me because Liese and Deb honored me and my co-leader and wife, Bunny, with tangible recognition of our contribution in sweat equity to the Sawtooths. I was given a beautiful framed photograph of a lake high in the Sawtooths surrounded by mountains. Bunny received a much more practical but no less thoughtful gift of some Smokey Bear sleep bottoms. She proudly wore them each evening of the Sawtooth trip. My memento now has an honored place on a wall at home.

The trip was special for other reasons as well. John Kaye and his son Rob have been participating in the Sawtooth trip since 2004. John has been there every year, and having him along is like having a third unofficial leader. Rob hasn’t been on the trip every year, but when he is, I appreciate his strength, work ethic, and enthusiasm for the task at hand. I was especially happy to have veteran trip participants such as John and Rob on this trip because the work we did was not only technical in nature but difficult and strenuous. Luckily the entire crew was equally enthusiastic and hard working, making the week we spent in the backcountry one of the more pleasant and satisfying in recent memory.

Our work was on the Iron Creek Trail, the trail which leads to Sawtooth Lake, and is probably the most popular trail on the east side of the Sawtooths. The main project was rebuilding a section of shelf trail that was in danger of collapsing. Repairing this section of trail required a method known as cribbing. Cribbing involves placing a sturdy base of rocks below the trail tread by digging into the downhill side of the trail. Rocks are then added to this base until the structure reaches above the existing trail. The tread is then filled in. This method of trail building requires the use of large rocks which are of the appropriate size and shape. Five of us worked on a section of trail which was approximately thirty feet long. The cribbing base was in some parts about ten feet below the tread. The group dismantled and rebuilt the section in two and a half days. Other members of the group completed a smaller section of cribbing, removed rocks from the trail, widened the trail, built stone steps, cleared rubble from the trail, cut back tree branches, and generally improved the trail. Each day dozens of day hikers and a few backpackers came by as we worked; our group and the work we were doing became a showcase for what WV does.

Not only did this group work hard, but its members played hard and were a hardy group. Our campsite was at Alpine Lake, a small lake about a half mile from the main worksite. Each evening we reaped the benefits of lakeside camping by utilizing the lake for leisurely swims, fishing, and contemplative relaxation. One hardy soul took a chilly, early morning swim each day. On the free day, folks went fishing at other lakes, climbed nearby peaks, and hiked. No one stayed in camp. Camp chores got done quickly and often by someone who wasn’t even on duty. I was even brought freshly caught fish on more than one occasion, and I gladly prepared these treats as additional appetizers for the group. Thanks to all who helped make the 2010 Sawtooth trip one of the best ever.


Below is one of the dishes I prepared on this year’s trip.

Vegetarian Curry

4 cups Dried potatoes
3 cups water
2 onions chopped
3 bell peppers chopped
2 cups Lentils
garlic
1 tsp cumin
¼ cup Curry Powder
Basmati Rice

Invasive Species...and Kitchen Corner

Every region of the country has invasive plants that present their own particular problems. When my wife and I moved to a state in the Deep South shortly after we married, we encountered Kudzu for the first time. Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States in the nineteenth century and was promoted as a forage crop and an ornamental plant. In the 1930s, farmers in the southeastern United States were encouraged to plant Kudzu to reduce soil erosion. The plant wasn’t considered a pest weed until 1953, and now this invasive swallows up houses if not kept in check. Tumbleweed, the plant so associated with desolate Western landscapes in movies, is an invasive as well, probably having arrived in the United States in seed shipments. Other invasive plants such as Russian Olive and Tamarisk (salt cedar) were purposely introduced to the United States and have become severe problems along many waterways in the western part of the country. In the Northwest, we have English Ivy as well as Scotch Broom to contend with. It is probably not news that no section of the country is free from invasive plants.

Given the pervasiveness of invasives, why even discuss them here? Although most invasives will never be eradicated from environments where they can thrive and crowd out native plants, we can do things to lessen their spread to sensitive areas. Wilderness Volunteers participants join our 50 or so trips each year and come from all over the country to do so. Unwittingly, many of these well-meaning participants may be helping spread invasives or introducing plants from their region of the country into regions where these plants are unknown. The most common way this happens is through seed dispersal, and we humans often become the vehicles for this dispersal.

What can you do as an individual? The simplest thing you can do is check your boots before leaving home for that camping or backpacking trip and make sure the soles are clean. Do the same just prior to leaving your camping/backpacking location to return home. Check your clothing as well. Many seeds can easily attach themselves to clothing or even get into pockets. If you can’t effectively clean your boots and clothing prior to heading home after a trip and have to wait until you get home to do so, there are still ways to prevent seeds from potentially germinating in a new environment. Clean boots and clothing somewhere where the soil and plant matter can be contained; then soak the plant matter in bleach before disposing of it. As volunteers who often enter sensitive wilderness areas, we don’t want to be unsuspecting agents who introduce non-native plants to an area whether it be that wilderness area or our own home territory. Below are some links to sites with more detailed information.

http://www.ucsusa.org/invasive_species/what_you_can_do/what-you-can-do-to-prevent.html

http://www.fws.gov/invasives/what-you-can-do.html

http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/prevention/index.shtml

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/


PASTA AND GARBANZO BEAN STEW
Olive oil
2 cups crushed tomatoes with added puree
4 garlic cloves
3-4 tablespoons fresh or dried rosemary
8 cups vegetable broth (use 4 Knorr Vegetarian Bouillon cubes in water)
4 15-16 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz. Fettuccine in one inch pieces
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large pan. Add tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary. Simmer 5 minutes. Add broth and garbanzo beans and stir to blend. Bring to boil and add the fettuccine. Simmer until pasta is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add parmesan separately.

Kitchen Corner

Many of us who lead backcountry service trips like to serve as many meals with fresh ingredients as possible, but preserving fresh ingredients poses challenges. Those challenges can vary depending on the area where the group is working, the agency the group is working with, and whether or not the agency offers pack support. Even if the agency does offer pack support, what the packers are willing to carry in and what type of panniers they use can be factors in fresh food storage. I’ve worked with horse and mule packers in several areas (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Texas, and Colorado). Some packers work directly for the agency, others are volunteers, and some are independent packers who have contracts with the agency. The pack equipment the different packers have varies widely, so if I am working with an agency for the first time I always ask what type of panniers the packers use. If I can speak directly to the packer, that is even better for me. Once I have determined what type of packing equipment the packers have, I can plan accordingly.

The best backcountry cold storage system I have used is provided on the Sawtooth Wilderness trip in central Idaho. Working with this agency is the ideal situation because the packer, Deb Peters, is a Forest Service employee and she also remains with the group and works on our projects with us. For cold storage, Deb provides two large canvas and metal panniers that have removable form insulation on the inside. Two or three blocks of ice fit easily on the bottom of each pannier, and we put cardboard on top of the ice. We then place food on top of the ice/cardboard base. As the ice melts, the water drains out the bottom of the pannier. Ice generally lasts for five to six days, so I feel pretty safe in taking a variety of fresh ingredients with the above system. If an agency does not provide something such as I have described above, I always ask if the packer would be willing to haul in a small ice chest. No packer has ever refused this request. I use the same packing system as described above (block ice on bottom, cardboard, then food), and I make sure to drain the water from the ice chest at least twice a day.

Here’s a recipe using lots of fresh ingredients. I also pre-clean and chop all the veggies in order to save myself time in camp, and I pack fragile veggies such as spinach in hard plastic containers.


Vegetable and Soba Noodle Bowl for Twelve

20 oz soba noodles
4 tablespoons sesame oil
3 red peppers, sliced
1 pkg dried mushrooms, reconstituted
½ cup fresh ginger, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 yellow squash, sliced
2 pkgs. snow pea pods
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cups vegetable broth (use 2 veggie cubes)
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 green onions, sliced
1 bunch cilantro

Cook noodles al dente. Heat sesame oil with other oil and sauté bell peppers, mushrooms, ginger, and garlic for about 4 minutes. Add squash, soy sauce, broth, and vinegar, and cook another 4 minutes. Stir in snow peas, cilantro, and green onions and cook until bright green. Mix with drained noodles.

Kitchen Kits 101

What’s in your kitchen kit? When I became a WV leader in 2000, I was sent a basic cook kit consisting of four cooking pots (two large and two small) with lids, two coffee pots, and an assortment of utensils which included large spoons, a spatula, a Sierra cup, and other items. As the person who does all or most of the cooking on trips I lead, I wanted to make food preparation as efficient and easy on me as possible, so over the years I have added a variety of kitchen tools to make my time in the backcountry kitchen as pleasant an experience as possible.

One of the first items I added was a high quality folding knife with a partially serrated cutting edge. Conventional wisdom is that more injuries occur when someone uses a dull knife. I don’t know if this is true, but a sharp knife certainly is better and more efficient when I have to cut or chop various ingredients. My next additions had to do with coffee preparation. I am an advocate for quality coffee, even in the backcountry, so I first tried using a plastic French press coffee maker. The French press works well, but dealing with the coffee grounds, especially when wet was a problem. What I use now is a large plastic cone that takes number 6 paper coffee filters. I also have two stainless steel carafe type thermoses into which I filter the brewed coffee. This system works well for several reasons. I can set aside the used grounds in the paper filter, and they will dry out before being put in the trash. I can also make coffee well in advance of breakfast and keep it hot so when folks start getting up a fresh cup of coffee awaits them.

I have added other items to my cook kit as well, and the above represent only some of the refinements I have made to my kit. Everything I have for the kitchen kit fits in a large duffle that is easy for agency personnel to put on pack animals for transport into the backcountry. If I am leading a trip where the agency does not supply pack support, I modify my kitchen kit to accommodate the circumstances. What modifications have you made to your cook kit that others might want to know about? Post them here.

Hash browns with mushrooms and bacon bits.

6-8 cups dried shredded potatoes (available in the bulk section of most grocery stores)
2 packages of dried wild mushrooms
1 package of bacon bits (substitute sundried tomatoes to make dish vegetarian friendly)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for cooking

Re-hydrate dried items in warm water. Allow about 30 minutes for this process. Add ingredients to hot oil and cook until tender and potatoes are starting to brown. It is important to constantly stir the potatoes as they can stick easily to the pan.

Note: The above potato amounts may vary depending on what else you might be serving with the hash browns for breakfast.

Kitchen Corner

Below is one of my favorite recipes, one which I have used for many years. The recipe works best for car camping trips because it uses canned items, but I use it often on backpacking trips where there is pack support from the agency. Lately, I've been chopping the fresh items prior to the trip. This saves a little room and time spent in the kitchen after a long day of grubbing trails or whatever work we might be doing. I've also used dried ingredients instead of canned when I can find them. For example, dried corn is readily available from on-line sources.

This recipe lends itself to variations, such as adding grated cheese on top of the stew along with chopped green onions, depending on the cook's preferences. The important components are to have some fresh ingredients (bell pepper, carrots, etc.) and the seasonings. Don't scrimp on the chili powder!

Gayle Marechal


Native American Stew for 12

2 can red beans drained and rinsed
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
2 cans whole kernel corn drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 can hominy drained and rinsed
1 box Pomi crushed tomatoes
1 large onion
2 large carrots
3 celery stalks
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup chili powder (pre-mix this w/seasonings below)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
3 vegetarian bullion cubes
Olive oil

Coarsely chop onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper then saute with the garlic in the oil until tender. Add the red and black beans, corn, hominy, and garbanzo beans. Add the crushed tomatoes and pre-mixed seasonings along with a quart or so of water, depending on the consistency desired. Allow stew to simmer covered over low heat for about half an hour or until carrots are tender. Serve with flour tortillas.

Calling All Cooks!

Volunteer Leader Gayle Marechal at Work in the Sawtooth Wilderness, ID (2007)

One of the most daunting tasks a new Wilderness Volunteers trip leader faces is menu planning. Among the many questions a new leader faces regarding food and menu planning are how much food to buy, what types of meals to prepare, how to keep food fresh, how to provide variety, should meals be vegetarian friendly, and the list goes on.

To help with this aspect of leadership, WV is launching “The Kitchen Corner," a new monthly blog post led by volunteer leader Gayle Marechal which will provide answers to these questions and more and include tried-and-true recipes for you to use in the backcountry. We hope that you find what is posted here helpful and encourage you to submit comments, questions, and your own favorite recipes and cooking tips in the months to come. (It's worth adding that, among other things, Gayle makes the best blueberry pancakes you'll ever eat in the backcountry!)

The first installment of "The Kitchen Corner" has particular relevance for New Years Day revelers, though it comes a few weeks belated. But anytime is a good time for a party, right?

Here's Gayle:

"I recognize that each leader, whether new or old, approaches menu planning and food issues on WV trips differently. I hope to give you the benefit of my years of experience as a WV trip leader and let you know what has worked for me over time."

"A tradition in the South is to eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day to ensure good luck for the year - a tradition which dates back many centuries. Southern black-eyed peas are typically prepared with some type of meat (salt pork, bacon, ham) and onion for flavor. Originally from Texas, my wife Bunny and I have embraced this tradition but have added a few "Texan touches" to make our own version of this New Years dish. Serve the peas with corn bread for a healthy and filling meal or as a side dish."

Bunny’s Black-Eyed Peas

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas or 2 lbs fresh (often available around New Years)
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 stalks celery cut into ¼ in. slices
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2-3 qts. water

Put water and bacon in a large pan and bring to boil. Sort and wash the black-eyed peas (if using dried; not necessary if using fresh) and put in water to begin cooking. Sauté the celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a bit of olive oil until soft, and then put them in the pan with the peas. Sautéing the vegetables is the secret to adding the extra zest to this dish. Add the tomatoes, juices and all. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer covered over low heat until the peas are soft. Add water as necessary to keep the mixture as soupy as you want. Note: fresh black-eyed peas will cook much quicker than dried, and cornbread recipes are available upon request.