Amazing time-lapse photography of our National Parks

Our friends at The Wilderness Society shared a wonderful post featuring some gorgeous time-lapse photography of our National Parks. Below are a few of our favorites, where we also happen to have projects in 2015!

Yosemite National Park - June 7-13, 2015
There may still be time to throw your pack in the car and join WV in giving back on a backpack adventure in this outstanding National Park. This time-lapse is jaw-droppingly beautiful, but that's not surprising in Yosemite.

via Project Yosemite

Joshua Tree National Park - October 11-18, 2015
This Southern California National Park receives more than 1 million visitors, and there's really no question as to why. Our project there is currently full, but you're welcome to add your name to the waitlist in case of a cancellation, which does happen. And you can join us next year as well!

via Gavin Heffernan

Acadia National Park - September 20-26, 2015
Spots remain on our continuing service project in one of the most picturesque, wild places in the northeast. You'll get a good overview of the Park while giving something back.


Acadia National Park from John Fouse on Vimeo.

Zion National Park
Our continuing service project in Zion is currently full for 2015, but you can always visit this gorgeous National Park on your way to other WV service projects on the Colorado Plateau like the San Rafael Swell project or Grand Gulch-Cedar Mesa project that both still have spaces available.

via Matt Bowen

Denali National Park - July 12-18, 2015
WV returns to help maintain the Savage River Trail, a trail we helped build! This project is full for 2015, but stay tuned, as we plan to return in 2016.

via lanesapples

Olympic National Park - October 18-24, 2015
Our continuing project on the Elwha is helping naturalize the area after the dams were removed, in many cases planting saplings from seed previous WV groups helped collect.  Currently this project is full, but you're always welcome on the waitlist in case a cancellation or two occurs.

via Glenn Wadsworth

Big Bend National Park - November 1-7, 2015

Another continuing project, WV will once again return to the jewel on the Rio Grande to give something back with the National Park Service. While this project is full, WV is offering another spectacular trip in Saguaro National Park that has spaces available. 

via Sundance Kid

See the whole TWS blog post for more videos.

Hike Stronger

This year's Wilderness Volunteers projects have started, with one trip in the field this week, and three going out next week.

If you are preparing for your upcoming project, or for a backpack trip in the upcoming months, you are probably working on being in shape. These are some things you can do to help you hike stronger.

Increase your lung capacity by doing some interval training -- short bursts of aerobic work. One way to do this is to warm up for ten minutes by walking or jogging at your regular pace and then to alternate walking or jogging as fast as possible for three minutes with three minutes of slower walking or jogging. Repeat four times gradually building up to eight.

Superman

Prevent shin splints by walking on your heels with your toes pointed up for at least 90 seconds, and then stretch by pointing your toes for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.

Strengthen your lower back by practicing the Superman: lie face down the lift your lets, chest, and arms off the ground. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat three to five times.

Plank

Strengthen your core by doing the plank: Get into pushup position on the floor. Now bend your elbows 90 degrees and rest your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should be directly beneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and then lower yourself to the floor. Repeat five to eight times and work up to three sets.

IT band stretch

Strengthen outer knees (IT band) by moving your right leg behind your left, then bending left at the waist and keeping both feet flat on the ground. Hold this stretch for 20 - 30 seconds. Repeat on the right by moving your left leg behind your right leg and bending to the right at the waist. Alternate sides three times each.

Squat

Build your legs and strengthen your core by doing squats. There are many different types of squats, but a simple bodyweight squat is a great exercise. Stand with heels shoulder width apart, arms at your side, and toes slightly turned outward. Thrust your hips back and arms up as you squat keeping weight on your heels. Watch this video for proper form.

These exercises, combined with actually getting out and doing some hiking on uneven terrain, will get you ready to have a safe and fun project.

WV's Dave Pacheco on KUED

If you were watching Utah public television station KUED during our online auction, chances are you saw our very own Dave Pacheco talking about WV's environmental do-goodery as well as the online auction that ultimately raised over $13,500 for our work!  Don't worry if you missed the video on TV, you can watch it below. And if you missed the auction, you can still pick up great items for a great cause by purchasing a WV hat, t-shirt, water bottle and more from our website (just click buy amazing merchandise to pull up the options).

Getting into Shape

After you sign up for a Wilderness Volunteers project, you should start ramping up your fitness program to be in the best shape possible for your trip. Having a goal, like getting ready for your project, is a good motivator for working out. Being fit and strong is a great way to prevent injuries in the field, and to make sure you aren't struggling to keep up with the group.

However, there are many fitness myths out there. Test your knowledge and then get moving!

John Moeller getting ready

Myth 1. Stretching prevents injuries and improves performance.
Contrary to this wide held belief, studies show that starting slowly and warming up while engaged in your activity is preferable to stretching before beginning. Static stretching temporarily decreases strength in the stretched muscle by as much as 30% for up to a half hour. And in several large-scale studies, static stretching did not reduce injury over those who didn't stretch prior to working out.

Myth 2. Guzzling water and electrolytes prevents cramps. 
Cramps weren't related to hydration in two studies where both the well-hydrated and less-hydrated were equally likely to experience cramps. It is believed that cramps are due to exertion, fatigue and the accompanying biochemical processes. Again, starting slowly and then ramping up activity seems to help prevent cramping.

Myth 3. Taking ibuprofen before a hard effort prevents sore muscles afterward.
Competitors who popped ibu before distance runs were just as sore as those who didn't take the pills. More troubling, they displayed more blood markers of inflammation than the other competitors. The thinking now is that frequent use of NSAIDS blunts the ability of muscles to adapt to exercise. Save the ibuprofen for legitimate injuries or afteruse soreness. Muscle pain is part of the body's training response.

Myth 4.  No pain, no gain.
This myth holds the most potential for harm. While you should expect to have some degree of soreness a day or two after working out, this is very different from having pain while you are working out. A fitness activity shouldn't hurt while you are doing it, and if it does, you are either doing it wrong or already have an injury. Don't work through the pain, experts agree. They say that if it hurts, stop, rest and see if the pain goes away. If it doesn't go away or increases after you start to work out, see a doctor.

Tell us what you are doing to get in shape for your trip.