This is a special announcement in place of our regular show.

Steve announces a change in our format and our production schedule. Our future programs will be presented in a longer format on roughly a monthly schedule. We expect to release the first in our new series of programs in December.

• Special Announcement on November 6, 2008 [MP3 format; length 6:32; 3,133,896 bytes]

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This skills program is part 2 of our look at the science and skills, myths and fact around trekking poles. Is hiking with poles a trendy gimmick, or a valuable skill? (This is an update of our edition 87 originally presented on May 24, 2007.)

Julianne Abendroth-Smith talks about the results of research into the effects on the body of hiking with trekking poles. She's a biomechanics professor at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

We hear from Jayah Faye Paley, an author and educator, and co-host of an educational DVD, POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking. Jayah's web site, Adventure Buddies, provides more information about her educational products and services. Jayah describes basic skills for using trekking poles.

Julianne Abendroth-Smith updates us on the very latest scientific results about the effectiveness of trekking poles and the effects of using them.

• Show number 162 [MP3 format; length 10:20; 2,483,385 bytes]
• Show number 161 & 162, combined version [MP3 format; length 19:58; 19,179,807 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 162
• Transcript of editions 161 & 162 combined

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This skills program is part 1 of our look at the science and skills, myths and fact around trekking poles. Is hiking with poles a trendy gimmick, or a valuable skill? (This is a reprise of our edition 86 originally presented on May 17, 2007.)

Steve talks to Julianne Abendroth-Smith of Willamette University in Salem Oregon. She's a biomechanics professor studying the physics of hiking, and how hiking with various poles and walking sticks affect the body.

Steve talks to Jayah Faye Paley, an author and educator, and co-host of an educational DVD, POLES for Hiking, Trekking & Walking. Jayah's web site, Adventure Buddies, provides more information about her educational products and services.

We'll hear more from Julianne Abrendroth-Smith and Jayah Faye Paley in part two. We'll find out Jayah's techniques for using poles, and we'll update you with the latest scientific research about those techniques.

• Show number 161 [MP3 format; length 9:55; 2,382,262 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 161

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In this wild places program, Guest Correspondent Kurt Repanshek investigates the changes coming to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

Kurt explains how the mountain pine beetle is affecting the white bark pine trees, and man animals and people who depend on these trees. Why is this beetle a growing problem now?

We also hear from Dr. Jesse Logan, a recently retired U.S. Forest Service entomologist, Diana Tomback, a biology professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, and Louisa Willcox, a senior wildlife advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

You can read more reporting by Kurt Repanshek at his National Parks Traveler web site.

• Show number 160 [MP3 format; length 9:51; 2,368,849 bytes]
• Show number 160, extended version [MP3 format; length 11:01; 5,748,377 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 160

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This skills program presents skills for building primitive shelters. This is the fifth in a series featuring primitive technologies experts from Primitive Ways. Other shows in this series are edition 141, First Skills, edition 146, Starting with Fire, edition 150, Ancient Firemaking, and edition 155, Primal Grooming.

Using primitive tools and natural materials, naturalist Norm Kidder explains how to choose a sheltered location, demonstrates how to cut wood with a rock, and describes how to build a basic lean-to structure.

The Primitive Ways website has many articles on primitive shelter construction. Another source of information on primitive skills is the Society of Primitive Technologies.

• Show number 159 [MP3 format; length 11:47; 2,831,519 bytes]
• Show number 159, extended high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 16:33; 15,904,670 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 159

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This gear program presents the first of our new series of gear reviews. Now, more than ever, our gear programs depend on your participation.

Steve talks to Backpack Gear Test founder and publisher Jerry Goller about the new relationship between Backpack Gear Test and the WildeBeat. Richard Lyon reviews the Ryders Eyewear Intersect sunglasses.

If you're interested in reviewing for Backpack Gear Test (BGT), read: How to become a tester. Manufacturers provide more gear than the volunteers at BGT can keep up with. By becoming a tester, you can help your fellow wilderness travelers find out what gear will work for them.

• Show number 158 [MP3 format; length 9:55; 2,384,833 bytes]
• Show number 158, extended version [MP3 format; length 12:53; 6,189,415 bytes]
• Show number 158 script

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In part two of this wild places program, Assistant Producer Kate Taylor presents the pros and cons of using communication devices in the back-country, a topic that has sparked controversy among outdoor enthusiasts. (Here is part 1 of Keep Me Connected.)

Listeners respond to part one with their opinions and experiences using communication devices on wilderness trips. Derek Moore, SPOT LLC's manager of marketing and public relations, and Gregg Fauth, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park's wilderness manager, discuss the difference between a "challenge" and an emergency. Paul Magnanti and retired wilderness manager Laurel Boyers tell how they see a change in back-country use.

• Show number 157 [MP3 format; length 9:56; 2,387,560 bytes]
• Combined show numbers 156 & 157, exntended version [MP3 format; length 18:52; 9,060,381 bytes]
• Show number 157 script
• Combined show numbers 156 & 157 script

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In part one of this wild places program, Assistant Producer Kate Taylor presents the pros and cons of using communication devices in the back-country, a topic that has sparked controversy among outdoor enthusiasts.

Blogger Paul Magnanti shares an essay he wrote about the issue, and Derek Moore from SPOT LLC comments on his company's device, the SPOT Satellite Messenger. Gregg Fauth and Laurel Boyers, both wilderness managers of national parks, tell how communication technology has changed the wilderness experience.

To read Paul's essay and about his outdoor experiences, titled The Changing Culture of Connectivity, visit his blogsite at PMags.com.

Next week, in part 2, we'll hear more from Gregg Fauth and Paul Magnanti, and find out what types of situations warrant the use of communication devices in the back-country.

• Show number 156 [MP3 format; length 9:57; 2,391,427 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 156

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This skills program presents primitive skills for personal grooming. This is the fourth in a series featuring primitive technologies experts from Primitive Ways. Other shows in this series are edition 141, First Skills, the edition 146, Starting with Fire, and edition 150, Ancient Firemaking.

Using primitive tools and natural materials, naturalist Sue Labiste demonstrates how to soap up, perform dental hygiene, and give yourself a manicure.

The Primitive Ways website has many articles on primitive health care and grooming. Another source of information on primitive skills is the Society of Primitive Technologies.

• Show number 155 [MP3 format; length 9:52; 2,371,564 bytes]
• Show number 155, high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 9:52; 9,483,147 bytes]
• Show number 155 script
• Photo Album of demonstration

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This skills program presents the Leave No Trace principle of Be Considerate of Other Visitors. This is the fourth and final edition in a series featuring the Leave No Trace traveling trainers.

We hear J.D. and Emily in several situations where someone didn't consider this seventh principle of Leave No Trace. J.D. and Emily summit a peak, encounter a cyclist on the trail, and try to get some sleep in a campsite.

Emily and J.D., along with the other Leave No Trace traveling trainers, maintain the Traveling Trainers Blog.

The music from the party in the adjacent campsite is Why don't you tell me by the band One Day Remains, available from the PodSafe Music Network.

• Show number 154 [MP3 format; length 9:43; 2,336,246 bytes]
• Show number 154, high-quality stereo version [MP3 format; length 10:12; 9,804,557 bytes]
• Show number 154 script

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This outings program is part two of a look at the sport of orienteering. You'll win this race by getting lost the least often, because it's all about your navigation skills. Participating in orienteering events can significantly improve your backcountry navigation skills. (Part one is here.)

Steve attends an orienteering meet organized by the Bay Area Orienteering Club at California's China Camp State Park. Long-time club member Terri Ferrah explains the e-punch system used to track progress on an orienteering course. Tyler Atherton and his fellow Boy Scouts take off on a beginner (white-level) course. We hear from Mikkel Conradi, who designed the course and the map using O-CAD software. Erin Majors from Roseville, California, and Dana Koontz from Larkspur, California, talk about their experiences orienteering. Gary Kraght, a past president of the United States Orienteering Federation, sums up orienteering's wide appeal.

If you really want to master map and compass navigation in the wilderness, then orienteering is one of the best ways to learn. You can find a local club through the United States Orienteering Federation.

WildeBeat members can download a compete recording of Scott's 12-minute beginner's clinic from our WildeBeat Insider web pages.

• Edition number 153 [MP3 format; length 10:33; 2,385,571 bytes]
• Combined edition numbers 152 & 153, high-fidelity stereo [MP3 format; length 20:25; 19,609,458 bytes]
• Transcript of edition 153
• Transcript of combined editions 152 & 153 combined script
• Photo album

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