Pallets? What Pallets?

Last week NOLS was hit with the yearly flood of catalogs—55,000 of them, and 15,000 yet to come. While the clear plastic, cardboard boxes and paper wrappings are all easily recycled, what about the 18 wooden pallets they arrived on?
    Believe it or not, wooden pallets are recyclable, and fairly easily, too. Each year in the aftermath of Catalog Day, NOLS Rocky Mountain Facilities Manager Latane Frank collects the pallets that are no longer fit for duty and hauls them off to the Lander landfill to be shredded and recycled into compost. The pallets are thrown into the wood and yard waste pile where a machine then scoops them up, drops them into a shredder and produces a fresh pile of mulch, which you can purchase for your own use. Just like that, they’re gone—vanished and on their way to a flowerbed near you.
    Pallets aren’t the only wood product that can be recycled. Old furniture, packing crates, and particleboard can all be ground up and reused. For more information on wood recycling visit American Forest and Paper.

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Go West FSR1!

As the summer slows down, NOLS Rocky Mountain is hit with a series of Fall Semesters in the Rockies (FSR) going into the field.  The first of those semesters, FSR1, spent  wonderful first days enjoying life in Lander and then headed into the Wind River Mountains with a backpacking section.  Led by Instructors Lindsey Bosworth, Muthoni, and Victor Garcia, the expedition will spend 3 weeks learning camping skills that will aid them for the rest of the semester and perhaps even make an attempt at a peak ascent on Wind River Peak.  The group gets back from their hiking section on September 1 and heads to the Rocky Mountain River Base in Vernal, UT.  FSR1, We Salute You!

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Catalog Day at Headquarters

This morning an ominous sight was spotted outside of NOLS HQ: an 18-wheeler carrying 55,000 NOLS 2008 Course Catalogs. This year “Catalog Day,” as it is referred to around here, arrived early. While the truck was scheduled to arrive on August 22 it mysteriously appeared on August 21. Surprise! No bother—the NOLS HQ staff stepped up to the challenge armed with box cutters, carts, and unstoppable fire lines.

From truck, to forklift, to hand cart, through the elevator (the scariest bit) and then disassembled from their pallets and transported via fire line, HQ staff hauled each box into the building. Some catalogs found homes under unused desks in Admission and Marketing while others are now hiding out in the basement. Regardless of where they ended up, all 55,000 were unloaded and stored away in just under two hours. What a team!

And what kind of food accompanies such an awesome morning? Pizza of course! Thanks to all of those who helped out!

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Remembering Pete

It is with a very heavy heart that I report the tragic loss of Pete Absolon, our NOLS Rocky Mountain director. Pete died Saturday in an accident at the Leg Lake Cirque in the Wind River Range. He was climbing with a friend for the weekend when he was struck by a rock that had been thrown by a group of hikers above. The hikers were unaware that there were climbers below. They hiked around and met Steve after they realized what happened. It is my understanding that Pete was killed instantly.

Pete was a close friend to many of us. He was a passionate and enthusiastic guy who loved NOLS and loved life. He had a great sense of humor and a quick and sometimes mischievous grin.

Pete became a NOLS field instructor in 1990. He was a dedicated teacher who thrilled in the achievements of his students.

In his various in-town capacities with NOLS—admission officer; program supervisor, assistant NOLS Rocky Mountain director, associate human resources director and NOLS Rocky Mountain director—Pete could be counted on to work tirelessly, without complaint. He was a patient man and one who always accepted full responsibility. He was “stand-up” guy. He let you know what was on his mind and he was careful listener constantly striving to be the best he could be.

Pete was also a dedicated family man. He leaves behind his wife Molly and their daughter Avery. Molly also has had a long history with NOLS. She has instructed for the school and also served as a member of the publications department during the 1990s. Molly, Avery and all of Pete’s family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Many friends are posting rememberances at:http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=432518 

Memorial Service
The memorial service to celebrate Pete's life will be this Sunday, August 19th, at 3pm at CWC/Sinks Canyon Center (SCC) in Lander.

This is a community event. You can support the service in the following ways:

Food: Please bring a main dish, salad or dessert to share.

Flowers: Avery has asked that there be lots of flowers at the service. If possible, please bring some, either from your garden at home, if you have one, or from elsewhere.

Thoughts about Pete: Quotations from friends and family will be posted at the service and put into a book for Molly and Avery. If you'd like to share a thought (one or two sentences is great), please email it to jen_lamb@nols.edu.

Photographs: If you have a photo of Pete you'd like to share, please bring it to the service. Photos will be collected on the lower level of the SCC and posted along with the quotes mentioned above.

Transportation: Parking is tight at SCC. NOLS Rocky Mountain will provide shuttle buses from Sinks Canyon Road. Please follow signs to parking and bus stops and consider leaving a little extra time to get to the service.

Bruce Palmer

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We Walked a Million Hills with the Man who Sold the World

    As I sit atop a ridge, I look down into the valley of long, green, rolling hills.  Only one thought can come into my mind:  Where are we going and where have we been?  I can remember when we first came to Lander this summer, the other interns and I; we thought we knew so much.  But now, it seems that NOLS has proven us wrong.

    At the beginning of the summer, we were so excited to learn and to understand how NOLS worked.  As courses left, we wished them well on their journeys and could not wait to see them as they returned; we knew they would change.  However, now as courses begin to roll in, we start to understand that they are not the only ones changing; we too are growing.  NOLS has given us all so much and if you are reading this I’m sure you can understand this.  But something we do not always see, is that NOLS continues to change you; weeks, months, and even years after your course.   And so as we witness courses coming back from the field, we see their change, but something is changing for us too.  The experience of NOLS and the power of community and education are more powerful for us to understand immediately.  We must always look back at the path we have traveled to understand where we have come and see where we are going.

    Unfortunately, the latter is difficult to see, but sometimes if the conditions are right, we can get a glimpse of where we should be and how we should get there.  I think NOLS provides this experience and allows us to see ourselves as we truly want to be seen.  However, NOLS is only the beginning of this journey and I can personally say that we still have a long way to go.

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Wellness Day for the Gulch

When the Rations Department (a.k.a. the Gulch) at NOLS Rocky Mountain take a Wellness Day, they do it with a western flair.  Last Thursday, the Gulch took the day off from their busy summer schedules to bond with one another.  They kicked off the morning with a hike to Stough Creek in the Wind River Range. Along the way, they ran into a moose, antelopes, and even a golden eagle! After the morning hike, these gals (and one guy) were stoked to stop in Pinedale to go shopping in one of Wyoming’s finest cowboy (and cowgirl) shops. Matthew loves his new paisley shirt. Hungry from all of the hiking and shopping, they stopped in Atlantic City to have an old- fashioned steak dinner at the Mercantile.  These girls (and one guy) know how to have fun, western style.

Jane Lynn, Matthew Celesta, Antonella Cavallo, and Claudia Pearson near Stough Creek.

Stop on the Lander cut-off.

The Atlantic City Mercantile.

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Sustainability Experts Visit Lander

We're excited about the arrival tonight of two representatives from Pure Strategies, the firm that will perform an environmental sustainability assessment (aka "the audit") of NOLS global environmental footprint! Tim Greiner and Bob Kerr will spend the next three days meeting with staff from HQ and Rocky Mountain to learn the details of how we operate. They will probe for data and information that will help us answer questions like, What are our annual energy consumption levels and GHG emissions? How much water do we use and for what purposes? How do we buy our office supplies, food and gear? How much waste do we throw away and how much do we recycle? These questions just scratch the surface of what the assessment will explore. The ultimate goal is twofold. First, it will take a snapshot of our footprint today, thus helping us identify areas where we need to improve. Second, it will serve as a baseline for measuring continuous improvement in the future as we hike the path toward greater sustainability!

We considered a number of companies that provide sustainability consulting services -- a cool, emerging industry. Pure Strategies submitted a simple and clear proposal that best matched our needs: to assess our existing programs, quantify our current level of impact and provide recommendations from a "systems perspective" about how we can be a more sustainable organization.

After visiting Lander, Tim and Bob will head to the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest later in August, where they'll see first-hand how we operate in different climates and locations. After the site visits, we'll focus on collecting a whole lot of data from our programs around the world. Pure Strategies will combine this data with the information they collect during the site visits to quantify our overall footprint and provide us with short- and long-term goals for improvement. Once we have their recommendations, we'll contemplate our priorities and put together a strategy toward great sustainability. Stay tuned!!

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Cook Caitie whips up another delicious treat!

As instructors for ADO 8/4 began their first day of briefing yesterday, our Kitchen Manager Caitie prepared a special treat for them. Caitie, who is well-known in the kitchen for such delicious dishes as "Thai Coconut Chicken Pasta" and "Sundried Tomato and Mozzarella Risotto", presented them not only with delicious, homemade banana-molasses bread, but also with a specialty that she calls "Tahitian Yum-Yum Smoothies". In the following interview, Caitie reveals to you and me the secret behind this tasty treat!

Kristen: Caitie,  you're the kitchen manager and cook here at NOLS TVB -- how's the summer been for you?
Caitie: The summer has been surprising. I've encountered many challenges as well as many successes, one of them being my Tahitian Yum-Yum Smoothies.
K: Mmm! Sounds delicious! (Caitie nods in agreement.) What exactly is a Tahitian Yum-Yum Smoothie?
C: Well, Kristen, Tahitian Yum-Yums are more than just a smoothie. They start with an entirely vegan-friendly base, the star ingredient of which is coconut milk. After the base, you can add whatever you want -- various fruits, vegetables and supplemental protein poweders -- you are NOT limited to the produce of Tahiti. I like to stick to the bare essentials -- bananas and berries.
K: So why call it a Tahitian Yum-Yum if the produce is not native to Tahiti?
C: When confronted with the decision of what to name this unique blended drink, I called upon the memory of my favorite childhood beverage, Tahitian Treat (a.k.a. Hawaiian Punch). The sweet yet tangy experience I deliver with my smoothie is reminiscent of the delicious, exotic flavor of Tahitian Treat.
K: That's fantastic! I tried a Tahitian Yum-Yum myself this morning, and man was it yummy!
C: This pleases me.
K: Do you have any more culinary surprises in store for the rest of the summer?
C: Well, Kristen, due to a high number of dairy alleries, my most exciting entree has been postponed -- Ten Cheese Macaroni, as requested by Scott Palmer, our Issue Room Manager. This dish will definitely make an appearance of at the Teton Valley Branch before the end of the summer.
K: Thanks so much for your time and your delicious food, Caitie! I can't wait to see which chesses you choose for Ten Cheese Macaroni.
C: My pleasure.

Cook Caitie with her Tahitian Yum-Yums!

Tahitian Yum Yums! (Serves 4)
Base:
1 part soy milk
1 part coconut milk
1 part Orange Juice

Blend together in a blender:
2 cups base
4 frozen bananas
2 cups fruits and vegetables of your choice*
*If using  all frozen fruits/veggies, you may need to add more orange juice to thin out the smoothie.

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Three Peaks Ranch Re-rations ROC 7-26!

While NOLS Three Peaks Ranch is located in the small town of Boulder, WY (population 75) it is by no means a small operation. In addition to being home to all of the school's horsepacking courses and housing over 70 horses, the ranch also resupplies many of the Rocky Mountain (RM) courses on horseback. July is an exceptionally busy month at the ranch. They have done 33 re-rations this July! Two lucky summer RM employees, Antonella Cavallo and Sarah Reid, were able to get a day out of the office in Lander to see what goes on during a ranch re-ration of a rock climbing course (ROC 7-26).

Mornings are early and efficient at the ranch. The day started at 5 a.m. Rachel, the ranch cook, had scrambled eggs and sausage ready for us to eat. By 5:45, the staff was busy at the corral catching horses - five staff horses and six horses for the ROC re-rations. By six, we were on the road and headed to New Fork Park.

Once we arrived at the trailhead, Three Peaks staff PeeBee, Bill, and Narren were awesome at explaining the process of dressing the horses to the two newbies. The pack horses each carry about 100 pounds. Each re-ration box is no more than 25 pounds, and usually the horses carry four boxes. After getting all of the horses fitted with their saddles and gear, we were off on our three hour ride to rendezvous with the ROC course. Words fail to describe how gorgeous the ride was through New Fork Park, but picture sparkling lakes, green meadows, steep cliffs, rushing rivers, and aspen forests.

ROC 7-26 was eager and ready for their re-ration when we met up with them. The students were very excited to get more spices and their climbing gear. Course instructor's Cody Paulson, Amy Digiovanni, and Andy Spilecki were great at guiding their students through the re-rationing process.  In less than an hour we were back on the trail and made it in time to the Sugar Shack in Pinedale for milkshakes on the way back to the ranch. This was a momentous occasion for Antonella - it was her first milkshake. All in all, it was an amazing experience. Three Peaks Ranch - you rock!!

Antonella points to her horse Tex.

ROC students and instructors sort through their re-ration boxes.

Bill and Narren help each other repack the horses.

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