Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp

On the first day of our camping trip we stopped at Umtanum Canyon to harvest materials for hand drill fire kits. In addition to learning about the best materials to use, we were able to observe a much different environment than on the Western side of the Cascade mountains. Students found signs of deer, Big-Horned sheep, beaver, Golden Eagles, porcupine, and many other species of animals.

Here Jason is explaining what to look for in Cottonwood roots and branches to make good fireboards for our Hand Drill kits.
We learned more about traditional uses of the land at the Yakima Indian Reservation Cultural Center Museum on the way to our campsite.

Here students are putting their knowledge of fire building into practice to build the fire up in camp. The fire not only serves as a source of heat, but a central place for all to gather around in community to reflect upon the day.

After a cold night, we woke up to frost. Many of us learned a valuable lesson about cold weather camping. After some modifications, such as using leaves as insulation under tents, most had a much warmer second night of camping. We then proceeded to Moses Lake sand dunes to study the desert ecology of the Northern Great Basin Desert.

On our final day we explored the Ginko Petrified Wood State Park as well as harvesting the long needles from the Ponderosa Pine for a class on basket making later in the semester. The trip was capped off by a snowstorm in the Cascade Mountains on the way home. We were able to put the knowledge of traditional ecological living that we have learned so far into practice on this trip. It was a good week.

After much effort on the part of Alderleaf residents, students, staff, and community; the outdoor classroom is now completed! It provides a much needed outdoor learning space that is dry and out of the rain. The hand-crafted cedar posts and cedar shakes turned out beautifully. Its quite a sight! Much thanks to all that contributed. We hope it serves the community for many years to come!

This Saturday was the start of another year of the Wildlife Tracking Apprenticeship at Alderleaf. It was an amazing day of tracking along the Snohomish and the Skykomish Rivers. We observed a long list of species and their tracks including mink, muskrat, Norway rat, great blue heron, turkey vulture, bullfrog, raccoon and many others. As we traveled from one amazing set of tracks to another, we picked up the relatively fresh trail of a pair of elk. We trailed them over sand, silt, mud, gravel and even through water!

As we covered ground, we came upon more and more amazing sights. It was at the end of the day that we had the greatest treat of all... Two ospreys on the ground and in the water! Osprey are on the ground only extremely rarely, and when we saw them take off we ran over to take a look. What we found was so amazing it was almost like finding the tracks of a mythical creature! The tracks were so strange... the contortions made by the toes and talons in order to allow this bird to walk are amazing and extreme. It is a great demonstration of how strongly adapted this bird is to catching fish.

Backcountry Camping

For those who wish to see the park by extended hiking, backpack camping is permitted within the wilderness area. Desert hiking requires taking precautions and carrying plenty of water, but offers the opportunity to see park features seldom seen by other visitors. Because of the slow rates of decomposition and growth in the desert and the fragile nature of the desert environment, minimum impact camping is very important.

Group size is limited to 15 persons. There are no signs or trails in the wilderness area. Be sure to carry appropriate topographical maps. By leaving no sign of your campsite and leaving no trash you can insure protection of wilderness values for future hikers and campers. Fires are not allowed, but you may use a fuel stove for cooking. Overnight campers must have a wilderness permit. Vehicles must be parked at Kachina Point, which is the entrance to the wilderness area.

The Painted Desert Wilderness consists of 43,020 acres of colorful mesas, buttes, and badlands with scattered areas of grasslands. Significant features include the Black Forest (petrified wood deposits) Chinde Mesa, and Pilot Rock. Parking for the trailhead is at the Painted Desert Inn parking area, located at Kachina Point. You must hike into the wilderness area (north of the Lithodendron Wash) to camp.

Yellow Emergency Phones are located at Puerco Pueblo, Blue Mesa and Crystal Forest to report medical emergencies, car trouble and theft or destruction of park resources.
If at all possible, don't hike alone.

Topographical maps are available for purchase at Painted Desert Visitor Center and Rainbow Forest Museum.
Telephones are available near the entrance to the visitor center and museum.
First aid and emergency services are available at the visitor center, museum and from any park ranger.

Heat Exhaustion is characterized by pale, cool and damp skin. Remove the person from direct sun, loosen restrictive clothing, and provide cool liquids.

Heat Stroke is characterized by hot, dry, red skin. This is a true emergency. Get the person out of the sun and immediately begin cooling the person's body with damp clothes and fanning. Get help.

Thunderstorms can cause flash flooding which can quickly fill sandy washes. Check the weather forecast before starting your hike and do not camp in low lying areas or washes if rain is a possibility.

Don't over extend yourself; clear desert air can make distant points seem closer.
Do not approach, feed or touch wildlife - they may carry diseases.

There is a good chance that you will NOT encounter any of the park's poisonous animals. However shaking out clothing will help avoid scorpions, spiders, and centipedes. Avoid placing hands and feet out of sight on ledges, in rock piles, or animal burrows. If you are bitten by a rattlesnake remain calm and immobilize the bitten limb/body area below the level of the heart. Get help.

Collection of plants, fossils, petrified wood, archeological material or other objects is strictly prohibited.
Day hiking is permitted in the park, but overnight camping is permitted only within the designated wilderness unit.

Motorized travel is permitted only on paved park roads. Stopping/parking is permitted only at paved pullouts and parking areas. Overnight wilderness campers park only at Kachina Point.
Access to wilderness area is allowed only by foot or horseback. Permits are required for overnight use.
Apply for your wilderness permit in time to arrive at your campsite by parking closing. Permits stop being issued one hour before the park closes.

The use or possession of firearms is prohibited in all areas of the park including the wilderness areas.
Groups using the wilderness areas overnight are restricted to 15 persons.
Horseback riding and pack animals are permitted in the wilderness, but overnight users are limited to six animals. All feed for animals must be packed in.
Campfires are prohibited; use of fuel stoves for cooking is recommended.
All litter and refuse must be packed out.
Bury human waste a minimum of six inches in the soil.
All day hikers must be back in their vehicles driving towards one of the park exists by the posted park closing time.