Press Release Amanda Barragar, Ascend Wilderness Experience
Trinity County, California, is a place known for its raw, unadulterated beauty. With a population of about 16,000 and just one stoplight, Trinity County has earned a reputation for its pristine nature areas. With increased internet and social media activity, this once unknown pocket of California is increasingly getting on travelers radars. In the Trinity Alps Wilderness alone, overnight user permits have increased 1400% since 2015, and are expected to continue that rise. Although rich in environmental resources, it is economically one of the lowest ranking counties in California.
Local conservationists and nature advocates in Trinity County are grappling with how to expand its ecotourism opportunities to welcome visitors into pristine forests and still maintain the health and ecology of the land. Perhaps because its communities are small and tight knit, Trinity County regularly models collaborative partnerships and a ton of heart when it comes to finding solutions to our challenges. Local non-profits and agencies alike share the common thread of employees who love their backyard and work daily to protect and preserve it. With more than usual legislative monies coming down the pipeline right now, and years of nurtured collaborative partnerships among these Trinity County organizations, the county is experiencing more opportunities for volunteer stewardship in some of our state’s most pristine and beautiful nature areas than ever before.
In addition to a robust regional U.S. Forest Service office in Weaverville (Shasta-Trinity National Forest), which is the county hub and largest town boasting roughly 3,500 residents, Trinity County has a few nonprofits focused on maintaining wilderness purity, forest resiliency, outdoor recreation opportunities, and restoring areas affected by drought, wildfire, and storm damage. Some organizations are primarily concentrated on healthy watershed systems in Trinity County, where weather can directly affect services and utilities, as well as the public’s ability to safely live and recreate. Other businesses are rooted in outdoor education and experiences, helping enthusiasts to create memories while learning about the wilderness. And some, like Ascend Wilderness Experience, are on a mission to provide both.
With its unique model of free backpacking trips for youth and adults, Ascend Wilderness Experience (appropriately, AWE) has positioned itself over the last 20 years as a wilderness educator for both locals and visitors, providing resources that may otherwise be absent, and extending experiences for people to connect with nature on a deep and personal level that many consider to be life changing. In essence, AWE took those elements of collaboration and heart to grow a nonprofit that serves its local forests and communities with backpacking trips and volunteer trail stewardship opportunities for people of all ages. This is no small feat—Trinity has the most forest geography than any other county in California with 75% of the county on National Forest public land and hundreds of miles of wilderness trails.
Several nonprofits in Trinity County offer outdoor education to youth, such as the Trinity County Resource Conservation District, the Watershed Center and Ascend Wilderness Experience, where lessons on stewardship, environmental science, personal growth and respect for nature have a powerful impact. Between spring and summer, environmental education camps relieve parents of pressures from child care, and the ongoing battle over screen time. Participating youngsters learn about indigenous tribes and practices, wildlife biology, anadromous fisheries, flora and fauna identification, fire safety, and more. They partake in games, day hikes, camping, swimming, stewardship, river rafting, campfire stories & s’mores, team building, nature arts and crafts, and lots of free play time.
Opportunities for locals and visitors alike can join Ascend Wilderness Experience in a variety of wilderness stewardship regardless of age or level of experience. Funded by grants, AWE works closely with USFS to identify trails and areas in need of work, then schedules various backpacking trips grouped by age throughout the spring, summer and fall. Family (or “All Ages trips”) are also offered and have been increasingly popular since AWE supplies the food, gear, guide, equipment, and itinerary, so all a family does after registration and orientation is show up for a great time. The trip is split between stewardship work and plenty of free time…to swim in alpine lakes, hike a mountain peak, or fish for dinner. Guests learn from experienced guides about wilderness skills and leave-no-trace ethics, and since electronics are not allowed on AWE trips, hikers also take the time to deepen their connection with each other and ultimately, themselves. New, wiser perspectives are formed in the vast surroundings of infinite trees and stars.
Organizations like Ascend Wilderness Experience are weaving nature preservation and restoration programs into free and all-inclusive recreation options that structurally support a healthy equilibrium amidst ever-increasing outdoor tourism. It’s an innovative and forward-thinking approach to satisfy the demand of tourism in such a pure area of wilderness. Volunteers feel pride in helping to clean up trails for other outdoor enthusiasts. Helping to preserve the forests with their own time and hands creates a sense of ownership and develops a deeper sense of belonging and relationship to a place. To learn more about Ascend, visit ascendwilderness.org. 