2005 LNT Train the Trainer Annual Backpacking Trip

Four Earth Guardian volunteers (Karina O'Connor, Tony Guerra, Larry Breed and Nancy Abodeely) all LNT Masters., confidently led this year's  group, with help from LNT Trainers Mike Pruente, Susan Able and Kurt Kuznicki.  We prepared everyone pre-trip with maps, gear lists, and warning of possible snow!  Each person was also assigned a Leave No Trace principle to teach.

The Trip - The Basics

We moved this year’s trip up north to beautiful Fly Canyon. This location allowed us to explore an even more pristine area of Black Rock and use the lush Soldier Meadows Ranch as a staging area.

We got to start out the trip with a hearty ranching breakfast at the ranch and finish our trip with snacks and beverages under their shady trees. From here we loaded up the vehicles and drove down dirt roads towards the canyon areas of Soldier Meadows. In this same area, later in 2005, Earth Guadians helped develop a new campground new the hot springs / hot creek area and document some historic sites.

After we parked and unloaded the vehicles, we dropped down into Fly canyon.

Highlights of this year’s trip included hiking into the narrow canyon, sharing an awesome dinner and campfire, hearing each others stories, viewing historic rock glyphs and drinking frothy beverages on the green lawn of soldier meadows ranch.

Our annual backpacking trip has been an awesome way to meet burners from many different volunteer groups and theme camps at Burning Man and introduce them to how Leave No Trace principles apply to our event. As we incorporate our own younger Earth Guardian (1 year old Jai) into the training, we will continue to make the trip more ‘comfortable’, in hopes that more participants will feel that they are able to participate.

If there are other ways (short workshops, etc) that would be more useful to Burning man volunteers and particiapants on evolving LNT techniques, please let our trainers know! Email us at earthguardians (at) burningman (dot) com.