Leader Training Trip, Yosemite National Park, CA

Dates

Jun 7th - Jun 13th 2009

Service Project

Removing invasive weeds, campsite restoration

Free Days

Dayhiking, swimming, photography

Accommodations

Backpack camping

Trip Rating

Strenuous : 5 mile backpack with 1220-ft elevation gain. Pack animal supported.

Leaders

Deborah Northcutt
Bill Sheppard
Dave Pacheco

Equipment

Yosemite National Park, located in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, is one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best know for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.Our trip will take place in the Hetch Hetchy section of the park. Around the turn of the 20th century, Hetch Hetchy Valley became the center of a bitter political struggle when the City of San Francisco wanted to dam the Tuolumne River inside Yosemite National Park as a source of drinking water and hydroelectric power. In 1913, conservationists led by John Muir lost the battle when Congress passed the Raker Act, authorizing the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam. Even with the dam and reservoir, this is a beautiful part of the Sierras. Large sheets of granite, expansive views and high peaks abound. Come visit backcountry Yosemite and help us Give Something Back to this premier park.

Our Yosemite National Park project is our Leader Training Trip for 2009. If you're interested in becoming a Wilderness Volunteer leader, you are encouraged to attend this special traiing. The training will include discussion of leadership topics and a Leave No Trace Trainers Course. If you like working with people, have a commitment to wild places and camping/backpacking experience, we invite you to join our extremely talented volunteer staff in Giving Something Back. Participants who successfully complete the Leader Training Trip will be refunded the fee for the training after they sucessfully complete this training and subsequently colead a service project.

The service project aspect of the trip involves a backpack approximately 5 miles to Rancheria Falls where we'll set up a basecamp nearby. Our work is invasive weed removal and campsite restoration. This project requires participants to hike several miles each day to the work sites. The Park Service will supply pack support to carry the tools, food and commissary gear to camp.