This is our Mok Wilderness volunteer forum. Please feel free to post relevant information to encourage engagement and collaboration with your fellow volunteers. So check in, keep us up to speed, and post away!
Turns out that people who ride snowmobiles, ski, or participate in other active sports might be triggering the SOS function, even when nothing is wrong, The phone attributes that violent motion to a disaster...while it might just be a bit of a walk on the wild side.
Be careful. You don't want to get billed for a helicopter rescue just because fell head over heels in the snow...
Here's what I have posted--feel free to copy and paste, or adapt:
I do some volunteer trail work in the Sierra. Since I am retired, I find it's a great way to spend more time in the mountains, do some good for the areas I love, and meet some pretty interesting people as well. And we hit trails that are not heavily used, learn new skills. enter areas where permits might be hard to get, and see the wilderness in a while new light. What's not to like?
This post is to encourage anyone who might be interested to take the next step and reach out. While this post is specific to the Mokelumne Wilderness, I also volunteer in the Desolation Wilderness and the Stanislaus and Sierra national Forests--and there are certainly volunteer groups around the country, wherever you live.
Trail work will shut down soon, but we can still share some ideas and plans for 2023, and hopefully we'll be able to hit the ground running—or at least at a slow jog—once the high country opens up again.
If you're anywhere near the Sierra, I've created a website for the Mokelumne Volunteers, and I would welcome any input on it---from gentle suggestions to screaming criticism. I hope you'll help me make it effective. Here's a link: https://balzaccom.wixsite.com/mokwildvolunteers
You'll note that there is not only a general website for anyone who might be interested, but there is also a members' section and a forum for those members. If you could sign up as a member, we'll be able to create a community forum where we can share some of the info we all collect as we get out—from trail work that needs to be done, to wildlife sightings, to plans for future trips.
(One of the Mok Volunteer members had a great example of this recently when he spotted and reported a fire while doing some trail work—which was quickly attacked and extinguished thanks to his keen eyes!)
Finally, I just want to thank anyone who helped out any way, and anywhere. As we move forward into winter, I know we all have a lot on our plates, but I hope to lay out some real objectives for 2023 in the Mok—and we would love to be able to count on you to help out. If there are specific trails or activities you are particularly interested in or enthusiastic about, please let me know.
I hope we can create a group of volunteers who keep in touch over the winter months. Spring will be here soon...and it will be time to get back out into the mountains.
Happy to see that our latest campaign is getting some attention. We've reached out to a number of reddit subforums, as well as some backpacking and hiking forums. Please do what you can to spread the word via your own facebook page, or other social media. In the next post I'll provide a template that you can edit to your own specs and uses.
Welcome! To get things started, we've created a shared spreadsheet on GoogleDocs that allows you to let us know where and when you'll be in the field. You can access it here. You'll need to register first to get access, then it's easy to enter your name under the appropriate date and location.
This is not surprising. The new iPhone, with its automatic crash reporting app, is apparently not in fallible.
https://www.ped30.com/2022/12/17/bouncing-iphone-in-glove-compartment-triggers-10000-false-alarm/
Turns out that people who ride snowmobiles, ski, or participate in other active sports might be triggering the SOS function, even when nothing is wrong, The phone attributes that violent motion to a disaster...while it might just be a bit of a walk on the wild side.
Be careful. You don't want to get billed for a helicopter rescue just because fell head over heels in the snow...
Here's what I have posted--feel free to copy and paste, or adapt:
I do some volunteer trail work in the Sierra. Since I am retired, I find it's a great way to spend more time in the mountains, do some good for the areas I love, and meet some pretty interesting people as well. And we hit trails that are not heavily used, learn new skills. enter areas where permits might be hard to get, and see the wilderness in a while new light. What's not to like?
This post is to encourage anyone who might be interested to take the next step and reach out. While this post is specific to the Mokelumne Wilderness, I also volunteer in the Desolation Wilderness and the Stanislaus and Sierra national Forests--and there are certainly volunteer groups around the country, wherever you live.
Trail work will shut down soon, but we can still share some ideas and plans for 2023, and hopefully we'll be able to hit the ground running—or at least at a slow jog—once the high country opens up again.
If you're anywhere near the Sierra, I've created a website for the Mokelumne Volunteers, and I would welcome any input on it---from gentle suggestions to screaming criticism. I hope you'll help me make it effective. Here's a link: https://balzaccom.wixsite.com/mokwildvolunteers
You'll note that there is not only a general website for anyone who might be interested, but there is also a members' section and a forum for those members. If you could sign up as a member, we'll be able to create a community forum where we can share some of the info we all collect as we get out—from trail work that needs to be done, to wildlife sightings, to plans for future trips.
(One of the Mok Volunteer members had a great example of this recently when he spotted and reported a fire while doing some trail work—which was quickly attacked and extinguished thanks to his keen eyes!)
Finally, I just want to thank anyone who helped out any way, and anywhere. As we move forward into winter, I know we all have a lot on our plates, but I hope to lay out some real objectives for 2023 in the Mok—and we would love to be able to count on you to help out. If there are specific trails or activities you are particularly interested in or enthusiastic about, please let me know.
I hope we can create a group of volunteers who keep in touch over the winter months. Spring will be here soon...and it will be time to get back out into the mountains.
Happy to see that our latest campaign is getting some attention. We've reached out to a number of reddit subforums, as well as some backpacking and hiking forums. Please do what you can to spread the word via your own facebook page, or other social media. In the next post I'll provide a template that you can edit to your own specs and uses.
Welcome! To get things started, we've created a shared spreadsheet on GoogleDocs that allows you to let us know where and when you'll be in the field. You can access it here. You'll need to register first to get access, then it's easy to enter your name under the appropriate date and location.