Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trips with challenging ratings often involve long hikes with backpacks, significant elev-
ation changes, and occasional canoe portages. If you don't know that portaging means flip-
ping the canoe over and placing it on your shoulders to walk a trail, your head inside with
mosquitoes, flies, and zero visibility, then steer clear.
In other words, Wilderness Volunteer trips are not for wimps. Northcutt notes that “even
on our front-country trips, there's lots of moving big rocks, digging and bending. Volunteers
put in a full day of manual labor.” If your body mass index is over 28 (and there
is
a place
on the online application for listing your height and weight, so you
will
be busted), you will
probably be turned down for most of the trips. But never fear, the website also lists tips for
getting into shape. Northcutt suggest volunteers train before coming on a trip the way they
would train to run a marathon.
Wilderness Volunteers trips fill up quickly. The spring trips, which are listed on the web-
site at the beginning of October, are usually filled by the first of December. The yearlong
schedule that goes up by December is often filled by March.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Wilderness
Volunteers,
P.O.
Box
22292,
Flagstaff,
AZ
86002,
928-556-0038,
www.wildernessvolunteers.org.
