Berkeley e-giving adds Sagehen's ARC Program to system!

The California Biodiversity Center has been pestering Berkeley to add the Field Stations to its on-line e-giving program & it's finally happened. Would-be sponsors can now donate to Sagehen generally, or specifically to the Sagehen Graduate Student Research Fund or the Adventure - Risk - Challenge Fund.

Use this link for more information or to make a secure on-line donation.

Organization of Biological Field Stations recognizes ARC Program

The ARC Program was recently recognized by the Organization of Biological Field Stations with a nomination for a Human Diversity Award at this year's annual meeting held in Junction, Texas.

Sagehen Orientation Climbs Steadfast

Six students headed into the wilderness of Plumas National Forest toward Smith Lake.

From time to time they might have been tied into knots...

...they might have had to pack and unpack...

...meet some great new friends...

...and work together...

...to get the job done.

Taking breaks during our hikes...

were fun...

...Mara and Luis even fell off a log.

They hammed it up for the camera ...

...and with thanks to the instructors...

...and a little steadfast determination and perseverence, they got to see some amazing views,...

...some cool trees,...

...rocks,...

...some valleys,...

...some lakes, (Do you know what lake that is?)...

...even a little bit...

of who they...

really are.

Steadfast, Strong and Smiley.

Nice job to the ARC 2007 Orientation Group on a job well done.

Hope to see you this summer.

Poetry Challenge for ARC graduates and participants

I STAND LIKE A TREE

Winds may blow violently at times,

Others, gently whispering cool secrets.

The deluge of the day wears away,

Digging deep around my roots.

My roots hold on. My trunk is solid,

strong, and determined. My skin protects.

The night approaches slowly

Silently like a hunting lion.

Chilled to the core, everything is darkened,

Some find fear here.

I sleep soundly. Dreaming of the light

And the life it helps me make.

Smoke fills the air. Fires burn below.

There is trouble brewing;

From time to time, panic sets in.

The clouds gather and the shadows lurk.

I stand like a tree because I am me.

And that is all I need to be.

john arsenault May 2007.

If anyARC graduates or current students have a poem or other writing that you want to submit for publication with the ARC Blog send them to John Arsenault. Submissions must be appropriate and relevant with your ARC experience. Advice, reflections, accounts of post-course service work, or other creative endeavors are most welcome. Happy trails.

Spring Preparations for 2007 ARC Course

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend from us all at ARC.

By John Arsenault, Course Director and English Teacher for the Sagehen Course,

I spent the weekend hiking various areas checking out the melting snow and blossoming spring around the ARC course area. With granola bars and water galore, I headed toward Mt Tallac and Loch Leven Trailheads. Tallac was mostly clear of snow. A few patches of snow remained on shady northern faces but for the most part the trail was not bad.

The views of Tahoe were absolutely stunning. My camera didn’t really do it justice.

The next day I checked out the Loch Leven area. I think this may be my new favorite hike. The snow pack was still around on northern faces; however, the trail was packed enough to be easily passable. I met all kinds of people on the trail, a large group of friends from San Francisco, a few couples, a troop of Boy Scouts training for their trip to Philmont, Arizona, and a train conductor. Yes, I waved to the train conductor as he chugged on by, empty cars and all.

There were spots on the Loch Leven trail that were absolutely mystical. Mossy trees, shaded glens by small mountain lakes, and alpine flowers poking through the rocks marked the trail ever higher. The snow deepened as I climbed, yet toward the top began yielding to puddles, brooks and streams everywhere. The forest smelled fresh as the sun warmed my nose. Robins darted here and there, curious, yet skiddish of my tromping.

Lizards did push-ups on rocks as they twisted their heads one way and then another.

Checking me checking them out.

Flowers poked out of the rock as if responsible for the widening cracks.

Finally I reached the lakes, took off my pack, and propped it against a tree. I ravaged through my pack for a granola bar, snagged a big old bite and settled into quick break.

I looked out over the Middle Loch Leven and thought, my heart still pounding away, “whoever is going on the 2007 ARC orientation trip is psyched!”

Until later. John

First descent of Sagehen Creek: Colin takes a kayak...

greetings friends of sagehen creek and extreme sportspeople,

i have just returned from what appears to be, (until declared otherwise), the successful first descent of the wild and scenic sagehen creek, 12 miles north of truckee california. previously thought unrunnable, this unique river has finally been tamed.

today i found myself, for the thousandth time, eyeballing the creek as it flowed behind my non-ramshackle cabin in the heart of the field station. but today was different, for you see, out of the other eye i noticed that i had my kayak right here in town, atop my crappy car. it seemed destiny was taunting me...it was now or never, or later...i went for it.



i put in at ARC headquarters, leo's lounge, much to the disbelief of at least one local scientist. the first 1/8 mile was treacherous...one fallen log after another, making it in fact impossible to even put in. i walked this section, making sure to memorize the lines for any future high-water descents. finally as i arrived just upstream of upper camp, i was able to set sail, so to speak, and commence the on-water portion of my journey.

a few must-make eddies and log-portages later the first major obstacle of the day came into view, "fish-house falls". a post-modern concrete and steel monster spanning the width of the entire river, i had but three choices. left, middle, or center. surprisingly, there was a small crowd of locals partying atop the structure, and it was only my will to impress that kept me in my boat for this one. i opted for the left channel, and, ducking under the steel latticework, hit the middle of the flume at breakneck speed and made the 18 inch drop into a frothing 4 inch wave which nearly stopped me dead in my tracks. the crowd went bananas.



i continued on around the bend, negotiating the 3 foot wide riverbed using a variety of techniques, including grass-pulling, log-limbo, and sheer determination. soon i came upon a horizon line, with a fine mist of foam arising from beyond. this was "the fesus freefall". just upstream of the fesus freefall was the gauging station, where i read the level to be an astonishing 2.60, a flow that had always been considered both too high and too low to be runnable. making a mental note of the level, i took a few furious strokes to get up some speed and launched myself over the 22 inch cataract. i made it, and let out a holler of joy to wake the sleeping scientists just a few hundred yards away.



thinking i had conquered the worst of the rapids i might face on this day, i floated along happily for the next 200 feet, until i came around a snag-lined bend to a shocking sight. the water slammed into a grass lined wall, folding in on itself and banking left into a 3 inch high v-wave which led directly into a 2 foot wide rock that would have been a guaranteed wrap, had i been in a 3 foot long raft. luckily i wasn't, so i kept going, and scraping both bank and rock, i barely made it through and into the calm 1 foot deep pool below. this rapid i would christen "gurecki's nightmare".

knowing that i had limited daylight, i continued to forge ahead, stopping only several dozen times to portage logs, hoist myself over grassy dead-ends, and wash the spiders from my hair. for several quarter miles i fought my way through upper, middle, and lower "insane beaver rapids". thankfully, i eventually made it to "comstock corner" where to my delight i recognized the perfectly level hand cut stumps that had no doubt been left behind by some gold rush era boaters. it was good to see the signs of an older generation's wisdom...a wisdom which properly cleared the river of these kayak-halting fallen trees.

the picnic didn't last too long however. nearing the final 1/2 mile i was once again pummeled by 2 foot wide twisting turning rapids, including "the moab mosh-pit", "toe bone", "rock me amadeus", "black rabbit disaster", and "derelicte". and the worst was still to come. but first i would have to squeeze through the 12 foot wide, 6 foot high "tunnel of love", a psychedelic spiraling steel cylinder laid directly in the river's path. after emerging unscathed i was faced with still more portages, all while the sun continued to disappear behind carpenter ridge, and i grew more nervous that my adventure might not reach it's conclusion before darkness fell. this creek never let up!

soon i heard the occaisional hum of vehicles on highway 89 and i knew i'd make it. just one more heart-stopping man-made bone-crusher between me and freedom..."the double barrell b.b. gun". when i saw it, i was speechless. two 4 foot by 4 foot squares of concrete disappearing under a highway where 20 ton 18 wheelers rolled overhead every 15 minutes or so...with just enough current to ensure that, if lucky, i might make it to the light at the end of the tunnel. using my best gondolier style i pole vaulted myself over the dual fallen logs which guarded the entrance to the b.b. gun, and smoothly slid into the right barrell, like a bullet into the chamber. just as i was about to congratulate myself for making it to the end, my reverie was interrupted by the nowhere near deafening flutter of 8-12 rabies-crazed cliff swallows swarming around my head. i thanked my lucky stars that i was wearing my helmet, and seconds later i emerged victorious on the east side of highway 89 where my battery depleted car awaited me.

after hailing the 4th or 5th passerby to give my chariot the jump-start it so desperately desired, i dipped into the creek for a final joyous rinsing off of spiders, mosquitos, mud and branches, and headed home where i was greeted by a mob of celebrants so elated they had already commenced their sleeping in my honor. it was truly a voyage to remember and i would heartily recommend it to anyone who loves to portage.

RUN AT A GLANCE
Run: Upper Middle Sagehen Creek
Put In: Leo's Lounge
Take Out: Highway 89
Length: 2.5 miles
Avg. Gradient: 38 inches/mile
Difficulty: Class III (with class V on-river bushwacking)
Number of Rapids: 45
Number of Portages: 117

-Colin Carpenter, Sagehen Creek Field Station ARC Program Instructor

A.R.C. Podcasts

Learn more about A.R.C. & hear past students discussing their experiences on Sagehen's new podcast. You just click on the "play" icon to listen, or download the programs to your iPod for listening later.

Welcome to the A.R.C. blog!

Sagehen is very pleased to team with Program Director Katie Fesus in offering the Adventure-Risk-Challenge Summer Literacy & Leadership Program (A.R.C.) for at-risk local teens.

This 6-week summer school program has been designed for motivated, high-level English Language Learner (ELL) students with leadership potential. The program combines an intensive literacy focus with outdoor, place-based, experiential curriculum.

Learn more about ARC here.