Palms, Parks and the Pacific Crest Trail

Story and photos by Tracy Albrecht, BLM Interpretive Specialist for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

Students at Agua Caliente Elementary School ‘Took It Outside’ with the Bureau of Land Management during the first half of the 2018-2019 school year. Following teacher and BLM staff coordination and curriculum planning, fourth grade students received a slide show in October about public lands and received an Every Kid in a Park pass. During November, the BLM crew of staff and volunteers traveled class to class with hands-on lessons about local geology, flora and fauna, and then returned a week later to take individual classes on field trips to the Indian Canyons in the heart of Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. Located on tribal lands and managed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Indian Canyons is a desert wonder that hosts North America’s largest native fan palm oasis. Students hiked a three-mile trek, conducted a rock survey, maintained a species list, and completed group science projects on palm ecology.

Students focused their next outdoor education journey on the Pacific Crest Trail or PCT. December preparation included map viewing, a slideshow presentation and additional field folder build-out. The fourth graders learned how PCT through-hikers prepare for the 2,660-mile trek, and how trail builders maintain the trail. Although the planned outing was a much shorter five-mile trek, students learned how to pack healthy food and hiking essentials, and learned stewardship skills of how to check for safe trail conditions and conduct minor trail maintenance such as vegetation trimming.

The field trip day brought classes to the PCT trailhead at The Wildlands Conservancy Whitewater Preserve, a scenic canyon entry point to Sand to Snow National Monument. December rains preceded the hiking days and ideal conditions greeted the hikers. The five-mile trek was the longest distance any of the students had ever hiked. Many students were so enthusiastic about the PCT and the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System that they spontaneously took on the role of trail ambassadors, handed out stickers, and explained to hikers what the anniversary commemorates. For more information on the National trails System go to www.trails50.org.

Back at school students wrote letters:

Dear BLM, My name is Tiffany and my trail name is Palo Verde. I am 9 and a half years old. I like how flowers color the desert. I went on a field trip and I saw thirty-four different plants. We walked five miles. I go to Agua Caliente School. I like the Pacific Crest Trail. It is so pretty. Thank you for keeping the Public Land open for others. From Tiffany

Dear BLM, My trail name is Arroweed and my name is Alex. I am 9 years old. I like to ride my bike. I like rocks. I went on two field trips. On the first one we walked and stopped to identify rocks. We counted how many of each different rock we saw. We saw the riverbed and there was no water, but we saw how high it used to be. Then we ate lunch. On the second field trip there was a bunch of mud. When we crossed the river there was some water. We saw really big rocks and hole for animals to live in. Then we ate lunch. Thank you for keeping the area clean. Thank you for letting us go to Whitewater and the PCT. Thank you for keeping the path clean for hikers. Thank you for having Tracker come to our class. Sincerely, Alex

Dear BLM, My name is Zoey and on the trail I go by Catclaw. I hiked on the Pacific Crest trail and it was fun. I learned that nature is Beautiful and you can enjoy it forever. Thank you for letting us visit, I will be back. From Zoey

In the coming months the outdoor education journey will be self-continued. Equipped with recreation maps, species lists, and experiences behind them, these ‘Rock Star Hikers’ are self starters to guide their families to the local outdoors.

We all have something in common. We have places that we have very special memories about. My first place was a German restaurant in Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro called Stuppendorf's. It was owned by a man named Dieter. After a long and hard day of work, I would go over there for a real German beer and great German food. Sadly that restaurant closed many decades ago. Back in late 2000 when Elena landed at SFO to meet me for the first time, I gave Elena a quick tour of San Francisco. I took her across the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove into Sausalito. We had an unforgettable lunch at a Mexican restaurant named Margaritaville. Sadly, it no longer exists. After Elena and I got married in our apartment in San Jose in February of 2001, we went to a restaurant in Willow Glan named Aqui. We had their great Margaritas and a very healthy Mexican lunch. That restaurant is still there. If you came with me, I could show you the exact table where we had lunch.