e-Touring Beneath the Waves (Part 2)

From GLNMM_Muskegon 2

As it turned out, neither of us saw the ghost, but it was what we heard that was memorable. We slept peacefully beneath Lake Michigan in the womb of the sub, lullabied by the rhythmic lapping of waters against the still solid hull of 70-year old Silversides. We realized that sound, not sight, was truly the sensory currency of the submariners, for while sight was certainly critical to navigation and attack, it was sound that was the primary sensory stimulation for the crew in the close, dimly lit confines of the sub. There were the sounds of sonar, torpedoes, propellers of enemy destroyers, depth charges … all measured by duration, proximity, and magnitude…  sounds and silences by which these men lived and died. Running silent and deep gave the sub a stealthy advantage and made the sub less likely to be detected by the enemy, while sound betrayed their position and increased the already high risks of successful enemy counter-measures.  A careless, indiscrete sound could literally sink the sub. The experience gave us pause, as we reflected on the indiscrete behaviors that unwittingly impose on the sensory sensibilities of others… something to think about in anticipation of the next time we bike a path, hike a trail, paddle a slough, or consider the “be considerate of others” principle of Leave No Trace.

Our accommodations on Sunday night were aboard a 1927 US Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC McLane, that was commissioned by President Calvin Coolidge with the intention of interdicting the rum and whiskey-running bootleggers of the Prohibition Period. Evidently, the McLane was somewhat less successful in its mission than Silversides, undoubtedly due to the fact that the relatively slow cutter could not match the pace of the souped-up speedboats employed by the bootleggers. That night, our dreams of  “The Untouchables” were accompanied by the siren-like whale songs of ships fenders rubbing against the McLane’s steel hull as the vessel gently rocked at her berth.

From GLNMM_Muskegon 2

Both sub and cutter are open daily for tours, and groups may also make arrangements for overnight visits similar to our own. In fact, on Saturday we presented a program to a troop of Boy Scouts who had traveled up from the Dayton, Ohio vicinity just to visit the GLNMM and spend a memorable night on the WWII sub. Both Mark Gleason and Gary Reynolds envision an experiential learning initiative that will accommodate thousands of scouts at the GLNMM for similar kinds of programs, and it presents a great opportunity to introduce a cohort of young folks to Leave No Trace.  As Scouting Liaison for the Museum, Gary was especially intent on giving the scouts an upfront introduction to the principles of “Outdoor Ethics for Heritage Sites” before the boys set foot on the beautifully and carefully maintained Silversides, whose rare and significant heritage values are acknowledged by her designation as a National Historic Landmark.

Labor Day Monday at GLNMM was once again stormy and wet, and a steady stream of visitors seeking indoor diversions visited our Outdoor Ethics resource table, talked with us about their favorite camping experiences, and watched the NPS Leave No Trace DVD.  We all watched the treetops dance wildly in the powerful squalls that swept in from Lake Michigan, and were glad for our safe harbor.

All in all, the Labor Day weekend experience reminded us of the extraordinary variety of audiences, settings, and outreach opportunities that we have encountered in our e-Tour odyssey. The raison d’être of this epic journey is growing on us… or maybe within us… as each day we feel a deepening sense of appreciation for the hospitality, goodwill, and genuine interest that has greeted us at every event, campground, and port-of-call along the way. We respect and admire the many folks, who like the GLNMM staff (Mark, Gary, Bob, Jack and others), are committed to creating experiential learning opportunities that connect youth with the outdoors and the legacy of our natural and cultural heritage in substantive, engaging, and fun ways. With such a dedicated staff and historic, hands-on resources like the Silversides and McLane, the GLNMM serves the role of a lighthouse beacon, illuminating a meaningful passage towards understanding outdoor ethics and appreciating the critical importance of collective stewardship.

From GLNMM_Muskegon 2

Hope to find safe anchorage alongside your vessel in our next port,

Peggy and Barrett

e-Tour 2010

e-Word: “experiential-learning” 

e-Touring Above the Waves (Part 1)

We journeyed to the storied shoreline of western Michigan this past week for rounds of campground outreach at Charles Mears State Park in Pentwater, talking with other campers about their outdoor activities, favorite places, and gear preferences.  Our pop-up was deployed directly on the leeward side of a 30 foot-high dune that protected us a little from the violent storm that swept across Lake Michigan on Thursday night. Early gusts of wind and the rolling thunder of distant lightning strikes roused campers to batten down the hatches. There was a frantic flurry of securing camp chairs, tables, grills, ice chests, and bicycles under sheltering tents and awnings. It was exciting to ride out the storm in our little E1, with rain drumming on our roof, strobes of lightning flashing, and thunder booming overhead. We stayed safe and dry while the campground was washed and refreshed.

From GLNMM_Muskegon

On Friday, we drove further south down the Lake Michigan coast to the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum (GLNMM) in Muskegon for a Labor Day weekend event. The GLNMM mission is "to honor the people who have served and are serving the naval and maritime traditions of our nation, through education and historic preservation.” We were impressed with how well they are fulfilling their mission with the help of people like Dr. Mark Gleason, director of education for the museum. Mark is also the Leave No Trace State Advocate for Michigan, and we had an extended conversation with him about Leave No Trace–related initiatives at the museum.

The showpiece of the GLNMM is the USS Silversides (SS-236), a World War II era Gato Class submarine that was one of the three most accomplished subs of WWII. The Silversides history is truly remarkable, and GLNMM does a great job of interpreting the story of its wartime service in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Gary Reynolds, the museum’s Scouting Liaison and Silversides expert, gave us a great tour of the submarine on the evening of our arrival. We then had the privilege of spending the night in the officers’ quarters of the submarine, and of course, as part of our orientation, we were told about the ghost sightings of a lone uniformed submariner disappearing behind the periscope housing…

(…to be continued)

Peggy and Barrett

e-Tour 2010

e-Word: “ethereal”

e-Tour Explores The North Face of Michigan

We spent an afternoon chatting up customers of The North Face store in the shopping mecca of Birch Run, Michigan. Shoppers took pause from their quest for outdoor gear and clothing to talk with us about Leave No Trace. And when there was a break in the steady flow of customer traffic, the store staff came by our table and shared interesting stories and information about their outdoor experiences. We are indebted to store manager, Frank Coleman, for welcoming us warmly and for directing us toward contacts with outdoor clubs in the area, such as SOLAR and North Country Trail Association for Lower Michigan.

From Frankenmuth TNF

Leave No Trace and The North Face have a healthy partnership that is based on a mutual belief in "the important and crucial element that education plays as a means to protect the outdoor places we explore." The North Face is also an active participant in the Leave No Trace Connect Grants Initiative, which provides direct support and training grants for organizations and people that serve culturally diverse communities .

From Frankenmuth TNF

Hope to see you down the road,

Barrett and Peggy

e-word: "equal" (outdoor opportunities)

e-Touring By Lantern Light

During the e-Tour team's visit to the Coleman Store in Birch Run, MI, we had the feeling of coming home to Momma! Coleman is our primary e-Tour sponsor, and the name Coleman has a long association with outdoor recreational activities and values. For us and many others, Coleman evokes nostalgic memories of family outings and camping experiences...

From Frankenmuth Coleman

...and so it was on Saturday that we recollected those memories during a full afternoon of outreach at the Coleman Outlet Store. Stephanie, the store manager, carved out a prime piece of real estate for us that was adjacent to the main service counter in the heart of the store.  In this strategic location, we were able to interact with virtually everyone that visited the store through our display of Leave No Trace resources, Camp Oh-No!, and the Bag’N Bigfoot game of skill. As we might have expected, most of the Coleman shoppers were keenly interested in various kinds of camping and outdoor recreational activities, from dedicated RVers to backcountry hikers bound for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness areas.

The Birch Run store offers everything from “instant tents” to complete outdoor kitchens. Shoppers took their time, carefully examining many of the products, knowing that this was their opportunity to make camp life that much easier and more comfortable. They worked their way from camp chairs to coolers, sleeping bags to backpacks, and of course to the historic Coleman stoves and lanterns. As a side note, and at risk of showing our age, we use our (more than) 40-year old Coleman gas lantern and 2-burner stove not only for frontcountry camping, but also as our super-reliable, emergency back-up lighting and cooking system every hurricane season in south Louisiana. Our interactions with folks were very positive, both in regard to Leave No Trace and Coleman, and the opinions that we heard in our many conversations were testament to Coleman's long-standing reputation for serving a wide array of camping needs, camper preferences, and outdoor stewardship concerns.

From Frankenmuth Coleman

We had frequent opportunities to talk with visitors about Leave No Trace and how the seven principles of LNT Outdoor Ethics applied to their various outdoor activities. From them, we learned about their favorite camping spots in Michigan, and were tantalized by images of nearby Mio (host to a festival for the rare Kirtland’s Warbler), as well as the more distant Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Lake Gogebic State Park in the Upper Peninsula.  After an afternoon of such encounters and with a touch of autumn in the air, we were eager to hit the road again, bound for any one of the myriad state parks and campgrounds that Michigan has to offer.  

Hope to see you down the road in one of those campgrounds. We may be arriving late, so we’d be obliged if you’d keep the lantern burning…

Barrett and Peggy

e-Tour 2010

e-word: "enlightened"

E-Tour Goes a Little Bavarian

From Frankenmuth Jellystone

The e-Tour visited the Jellystone Park in Frankenmuth, Michigan for “Family Reunion Weekend” this past Saturday and Sunday. Once again, it was a full and busy Jellystone that greeted us on Friday night as we arrived at our campsite in the farmlands of Eastern Michigan near Saginaw Bay. Frankenmuth, known as Little Bavaria, is an interesting community with a strong German heritage that was settled first as a Lutheran mission in the early 19^th Century. The celebration of its Bavarian roots is the signature feature of the community today. Local school children still study German from kindergarten to high school, and the architectural styling, music, food, and beer all recall the traditions of German alpine culture.

The campground was carefully groomed, with a network of paved roads that the kids (and adults) used to good advantage for their virtually nonstop cruising on bicycles and pedal-cars. We could hear squeals of laughter as spontaneous games of wheeled chase erupted on the child-friendly autobahn, and the “pursued” pedaled furiously to outpace their equally determined “pursuers.” It reminded us of similar summer pastimes we enjoyed while growing up in New Orleans, a time when neighborhood streets offered a relatively safe haven as a playground on balmy summer evenings. Sitting implacably on porches and shooting the breeze under ceiling fans that laboriously paddled the steamy airs, adults watched the ongoing goings-on with the laissez-faire attitude of distracted shepherds who tend their flock with an assurance that all will turn out well enough. We’ve come to appreciate the appeal of Jellystone as a similarly safe and comfortable haven for young and old who seek to enjoy a sense of community with like-minded neighbors. It’s a place where all can take pause from the frenetic pace of urbanized and internetized lifestyles, and enjoy the outdoor leisure activities that kids and adults have timelessly appreciated when afforded the opportunity.

On Saturday morning, we had a sizeable and eager crew of young Jellystoners for our Leave No Trace craft activity. First, we introduced the seven principles of Leave No Trace with the “Camp Oh-No!” tableau. Even the youngest could recognize the many (all-too-familiar) problems with Camp Oh-No! Then, while some of the kids decorated personalized “nature name tags” that featured their favorite animal, plant or place, others tested their casting skill with the Bag’N Bigfoot game and earned Clif bar prizes. Later, we had the opportunity to talk briefly about the courtesies, considerations, and common sense of outdoor ethics and show the short NPS “Leave No Trace” DVD before the evening’s feature film.

From Frankenmuth Jellystone

With timely recruiting assistance from Jena, one of the Jellystone staff, we had another large crowd for Sunday morning’s LNT session. Initially, the younger campers were engaged in crafting “Bigfoot ticklers,” while the older participants chose to make LNT bead bracelets. However, by the time we closed up shop, most all of the participants had done both craft activities, including the parents and grandparents who attended.

From Frankenmuth Jellystone

During our visit, we had the opportunity to talk with Cindy Keinath, an owner and general manager of Jellystone Frankenmuth, and also with her dad, Erv, about the complementary objectives of Jellystone and Leave No Trace. In an approach that is similar to Jellystone Maryland’s mentoring relationship with Girls Inc, Cindy is excited about the prospect of Jellystone Frankenmuth becoming host to local scout troops and school teachers for Leave No Trace training and education programs.

We’ve become accustomed to hospitable and friendly hosts at Jellystone Park, and the Frankenmuth group exceeded even those high expectations. Danke shoen for making us feel a welcome part of the community.

Hope to see you cruising pedal-style down and around the roads,

Peggy and Barrett

e-Tour 2010

e-word: edelweiss

Wayfaring in the Right Kind of Way

From Erie Canal and Finger Lakes

We meet many people in our travels, and most are interested in talking with us about their favorite outdoor activities and camping memories. All of the folks who lament the litter and the inconsiderate behaviors of other visitors are pleased to learn that there is actually a Leave No Trace organization that promotes responsible recreational use of the outdoors, and that there is a framework for advocacy and education that builds on an informed and common sense outdoor ethic that few can reasonably dispute. We can hope that these good folks will consider joining Leave No Trace and strengthening our member network and capacity for outreach and advocacy. More importantly, we hope they feel affirmation that they are not alone in their sense of responsible outdoor ethics. Perhaps a new awareness of a broad Leave No Trace community of like-minded individuals will redouble their personal convictions, and maybe even embolden them to actively speak out about the sustainable practices and shared responsibilities of enjoying the outdoors in the right kind of way…


Hope to see you down the road, and hear what you've got to say...

Peggy and Barrett
e-Tour Wayfarers 2010

e-word: embolden

Casting for Bigfoot at Bass Pro

We made an extended visit to the Bass Pro Store in Auburn, New York this past week and got a warm reception from both the staff and store patrons. On Wednesday evening, we conducted a seminar for area Boy Scout leaders. We engaged them in samplings of PEAK Pack activities and told them about the mother lode of teaching and activity resources on the Leave No Trace Web site. Then on Saturday and Sunday, we conducted outreach with shoppers in the store from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We were especially looking for a way to appeal to the young folks, and Peggy’s recently acquired infatuation with Cornhole (really, that’s what it’s called…) led to the "Bag'N Bigfoot" adaptation of the increasingly popular campground game. It was a great hit, so to speak. We had lots of eager participants testing their bean bag casting skill and/or luck for the chance to win Leave No Trace stickers, Clif bars, and such. Of course, everyone was a winner, and for some it just took a few more throws from a gradually diminishing distance. More than a few parents also succumbed to their competitive inclinations, and we expect that casting for Bigfoot (aka "Bag'N Bigfoot") will be a regular fixture at similar outreach events in the future.

From BassPro Auburn NY

The other poplar activity for the kids was the Leave No Trace bead bracelet craft that we had beta tested at Jellystone Maryland. Again, the craft activity engaged the interest and creative impulses of the kids while we took the opportunity to talk with parents about Leave No Trace and the Bigfoot Challenge.

From BassPro Auburn NY

On Saturday it was if we were tailgating for Bigfoot. Our setup was well-positioned at the store exit next to (downwind of) the outdoor barbecue and across from the Girl Scout bake sale, and it seemed to be a natural place where folks took pause, ate their grilled dogs or cupcakes, and waited with shopping cart-loads of purchases in anticipation of a curbside pickup while companions went off to fetch vehicles from the parking lot. We handed out several hundred LNT reference cards, and found that most of the Bass Pro patrons we approached were pleased to receive the outdoor ethics tags for hunting or fishing and to have an opportunity to voice their opinions about responsible outdoor ethics.

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We returned to Bass Pro on Sunday in a blustery rain, and moved our operation indoors near the store entry. Our interactions throughout the day were primarily with an adult audience, and we were able to show the National Park Service Leave No Trace DVD on a virtually continuous loop.

From BassPro Auburn NY

Barb Phillips of Bass Pro was terrific, not only in accommodating our outreach efforts at the store, but also in allowing us to descend on her family and setup our Coleman trailer in the backyard of her well-loved country home (…we really are talking more “south forty...” the backyard was expansive as it unrolled down past the soybeans to the banks of Nine Mile Creek, a locally renowned trout stream). Memorable food, conversation, camaraderie, and sunsets characterized our time with the Phillips family.

Hope to see you down the road,

Peggy and Barrett
e-Tour 2010

e-word: expansive