This wild places program is part 2 of an exploration of how mass media might be affecting people's interest in getting into the wilderness. (Part 1 is here.)

They came, they saw, they almost bought it; are these the kind of stories that inspire you to get into the wilderness? Do they represent the normal experience of a wilderness visitor?

Steve answers this question with the help of:

• Fitz Cahall, creator and producer of the podcast, the Dirtbag Diaries.
• Tom Mangan, a newspaper editor, and hiking blogger.
• Scott Graham, author of the book Extreme Kids. (Scott also appeared in the WildeBeat editions 46 and 47.)
• Emily White, marketing and publicity specialist for Wilderness Press.
• Andrew Skurka, noted long-distance hiker, the first to hike the 6,875 mile Great Western Loop.
• Ryan Jordan, founder and publisher of Backpacking Light Magazine, and participant in the Arctic 1,000 Expedition.

Our thanks to Fitz Cahall for supplying the recording of his interview, and for permission to use an excerpt from his show, No Big Deal.

• Show number 126 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,424 bytes]
• Combined show numbers 126 & 127 [MP3 format; length 18:17; 8,777,628 bytes]
• Show number 127 script
• Show number 126 & 127 combined script

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This wild places program asks how mass media might be affecting people's interest in getting into the wilderness. They came, they saw, they almost bought it; are these the kind of stories that inspire you to get into the wilderness?

Steve explores this question with the help of:

• Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
• Raymond Garcia, a summer visitor to Yosemite National Park.
• Fitz Cahall, creator and producer of the podcast, the Dirtbag Diaries.
• Ryan Jordan, founder and publisher of Backpacking Light Magazine, and participant in the Arctic 1,000 Expedition.
• Andrew Skurka, noted long-distance hiker, the first to hike the 6,875 mile Great Western Loop.

We'd like to include some of your comments in next week's part 2. Can you give us examples of mainstream media you've read, listened to, or watched that scared you away from trying what you saw? Better yet, how about examples of mainstream media describing wilderness adventures that seemed completely within your reach and looked like a good time? Let us know by calling our toll-free comment line at 866-590-7373.

Next week, in part 2, we'll try to answer the question that this week's program asks.

Our thanks to Fitz Cahall for supplying the recording of his interview, and for permission to use an excerpt from his show, No Big Deal.

• Show number 126 [MP3 format; length 9:58; 2,395,812 bytes]
• Show number 126 script

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This wild places program examines proposed rules affecting outfitter guides in the National Forests. Will these rules make it harder, or more expensive, for you to get into Forest Service wilderness?

Steve explores the issue with the help of:

• Jim Bedwell, Director of Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources for the National Forest Service in Washington, D.C.
• Todd Vogel, Education and Stewardship director for the Friends of the Inyo, and co-owner of Sierra Mountain Center, a commercial guide service
• Dave Simon, Director of Outdoor Activities for the Sierra Club
• Matt Bloom, owner of the Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station, on the edge of the Emigrant Wilderness in California's Stanislaus National Forest.

The Forest Service issued a proposed rule change titled, Proposed Directives for Forest Service Outfitting and Guiding Special Use Permits and Insurance Requirements for Forest Service Special Use Permits. This rule is open for public comments through February 19, 2008.

An Arizona-based group, the River Runners for Wilderness, sounded an ominous alert about some possible problems with this rule in November of 2007. Later, the Casper Star-Tribune published an article by Brodie Farquhar presenting the controversy.

We suggest you take a look at the revised rules yourself, and then make your own comments to the Forest Service if you think your access will be affected.

WildeBeat members can download bonus extended interviews from Todd Vogel and Jim Bedwell from the WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Show number 125 [MP3 format; length 9:54; 2,377,417 bytes]
• Show number 125, extended version [MP3 format; length 13:49; 6,639,351 bytes]
• Show number 125 script

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This skills program discusses things you need to know before relying on a portable GPS receiver. Finding your way there and finding your way home is not always so easy in the wilderness.

Steve talks with author Stephen Hinch who wrote the book, Outdoor Navigation with GPS. Stephen is a high-tech executive with technical knowledge of the GPS system and a love of wilderness travel.

A GPS receiver can make navigaton easier, but what do you need to know to use it, and what do you need to know when it's not making it easier? What should you look for if you're shopping for one? What's the easiest way to use one in order to keep from getting lost?

Stephen also mentions orienteering as a great way to learn navigation skills to use when you can't use GPS. Through the U.S. Orienteering Federation, you can find a local club that can teach you more traditional navigation skills.

• Show number 124 [MP3 format; length 9:59; 2,398,734 bytes]
• Show number 124, extended version [MP3 format; length 12:11; 5,855,052 bytes]
• Show number 124 script

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This skills program is an overview of some of the ways you can call for help from the wilderness. Have you ever thought about how you'd get help if you needed it? Out of all the different ways you could let somebody know about your situation, some of them work better than others. This is an updated version of our program number 37 of April 13, 2006.

Steve talks about simple signaling techniques, like whistles, signal mirrors, and smoke signals, and then discusses various phones and radio technologies. He talks to Caroline Semerdjian at Sprint-Nextel. She mentions a page to find out their network coverage by zip-code. We replay a comment by Sgt. Phil Caporale of the Fresno County Sheriff's search and rescue unit from A Winter Storm Warning (our editions #15 & #16), where he talks about problems with satellite phones.

Steve talks to Bill Jeffrey about amateur (or "ham") radio. Bill created and maintains a web site called the Pacific Crest Trail Repeater Guide. Amateur radio is still the primary choice for most volunteer search and rescue organizations.

We also hear about Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) from Doug Ritter, a survival skills consultant and journalist who operates the Equipped to Survive Foundation. Laurel Boyers, who recently retired as Yosemite National Park's wilderness manager, talks about how easy access to rescue services makes the wilderness less wild. Finally, we hear from Tim Kovacks of the Mountain Rescue Association.

Links to more information about a number of these communication and signaling options are listed in the pages linked below, under To Find Out More...

• Show number 122 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,393,099 bytes]
• Show number 122, extended version [MP3 format; length 10:32; 5,059,684 bytes]
• Show number 122 script
• To find out more...

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