Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Look at it this way. The three dozen or so adventure outfitters that arrange trips into the
Bob charge upward of $2,000 for a week of camping, while the Bob Marshall Wilderness
Foundation will take you in for free. The scenery's the same, the food's pretty much the same
(when there aren't any Denny's nearby, trip leaders have little choice but to backpack in the
grub), and the accommodations are the same. The only difference, besides the sizable gap in
your wallet outlay, is that after a volunteer trip with the foundation, you can pat yourself on
the back for helping the world stay a little bit wilder.
“The Bob is one of the last best places in the country,” says Shannon Freix, program dir-
ector for the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation. “Unfortunately, because of budget cuts
and shrinking resources, the forest service can't maintain all the things they'd like to do. And
on these trips, especially at some of the campsite restoration trips, volunteers get to see in a
tangible way the impact humans have. It helps keep everything in perspective.”
There's no charge for a volunteer vacation in the Bob, but the foundation asks for a $50
deposit that you can either get back at the end of the trip or donate to the foundation's work.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation,
P.O. Box 903, Whitefish, MT 59937, 406-863-5411,
www.thebmwf.org.
