Wilderness Skills - Olympia Mountaineers

In 2003, the Olympia Branch adopted the special Frank Maranville
Memorial Stewardship Award in honor of one of our branch’s most
notable and dedicated Conservationists and Backcountry Stewards,
Frank Maranville who passed away in 2001. The award is given
annually to recognize those branch members who have taken a
leadership role in helping to protect and preserve our natural world.
The branch also adopted a Stewardship Award (shown to the right) to
be given to any branch member who completes 12 hours of
stewardship, in a single year, to help protect, preserve and enhance our
trails, waterways, forests, wildlife, atmosphere or other part of our
environment.
Trail Maintenance as you travel
If you use and enjoy wilderness and backcountry travel, it may be important to you to “pitch in” for the
enjoyment you receive. You can contribute as you hike along. Here are a few simple but helpful practices that
contribute to the health and safety of our trails and wilderness areas.
• Remove fallen branches from the trail; scatter them on the downhill side.
• Move rocks off the trail as needed, especially those over six inches in diameter......but do so only if
you won't endanger anyone below you.
• Drainage problems cause the most damage to trails. Use your boot heel to drain puddles. If the trail has
become a stream bed, go to the source and remove the debris from the natural water course.
• Report major washouts, blow-downs, missing trail signs, and mud wallows to the district ranger station.
Leave a note at the trailhead on your way home or call the ranger station the next day.
• Sign up for work parties. Un-maintained trails disappear. Spend a day preserving our environment.
Give back to Nature for some of the enjoyment and pleasure that you have received from your outdoor
trips.
Wilderness Skills Module Page 42 of 73
Olympia Mountaineers - Hiking, Alpine Scrambling and Basic Climbing