National Outings Training Trip - Backpacking Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The Trip

During each of four full-days of the field trip, the LOD teams will practice what they learned during the Homeschool phase as well as field training, and will lead all aspects of our trip for an entire day (with guidance from instructors). Training days are long and full, and the trip is physically and mentally demanding. In addition to typical trip activities, such as meal preparation and hikes, there will be breaks for in-depth group discussions and daily training exercises. These daily activities will provide trainees the opportunity to practice skills and think through leadership situations that may occur on an actual trip; the practice of being the leader for the day is the heart of the training trip. 

Each day you will receive continuous feedback while hiking, during a nightly debrief, and detailed in a personal development plan at the end of the trip. Eventually, this training prepares you for a knowledgeable, working relationship with other Sierra Club leaders in the years ahead.

The goal is to build your skills and leadership ability, and to ensure ongoing support through mentors and other Sierra Club resources so that you confidently can lead Sierra Club trips to help others explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

The Little Missouri River Badlands is a beautiful landscape of eroded buttes, valleys, and canyons accented with lush vegetation. Rolling prairies and high plateaus add to the visual enjoyment during classic day hikes in remote Theodore Roosevelt National Park where wildlife is abundant. It is common to see bison in the backcountry, sometimes blocking trails, and there are chirping prairie dogs by the thousands. The park is home to wild horses, elk, pronghorn, coyotes -- who may be heard howling near our camp at night -- and hundreds of species of birds, including eagles, falcons, and hawks. Rattlesnakes, too.

Enjoy the wildlife and wilderness amongst park’s 70,000 acres, almost half of which are in a wilderness area, where most of our hikes lead. Embark on wilderness day hikes on sometimes-rustic trails with few improvements and where bison knock down trail signs and markers. Occasional knee-deep river and stream crossings further add to the adventure -- effort rewarded by camera-clicking vistas. Each afternoon we return to a cozy, car-accessible campsite for cold drinks, a hot meal and, possibly, a campfire.

We will be car-camping in two national park campgrounds and shuttling to trailheads each morning. On day 4, our location changes from the North Unit of the park to the South Unit, 70 miles away.

Theodore Roosevelt credits his time here for creating his interest in conservation. Later as president he established five national parks, 18 national monuments, 150 national forests, and dozens of federal reserves -- 230 million acres in all. America’s legacy to preserve and protect special places didn’t start here, but it influenced a president who did more of it than any other.

Day 1: Arrival at Juniper Campground, Northern Unit; orientation, reception, and dinner

Days 2-5: Each day the contents of the Individual Development Plan will be reviewed to help trainees connect the homeschool lessons to the field training, and for trainees to self-evaluate progress.

Each day begins with breakfast and lunch led by the assigned LOD partners and prepared by the group. Following breakfast and lunch preparation, the group will review the plan for the day, briefly covering what it discussed after the previous day’s training.

Field trip leaders will reinforce what was learned, what we want to improve upon, and plan for the day’s hike. Each daily hike will cover from four to eight miles over terrain of varying difficulty, but not exceeding moderate.

Each day individual trainees in the LOD team will share a conservation message. Sharing a conservation story or message is a practice that leaders of National Outings are expected to do as a model for the trip’s participant group and a means to generate a group-wide conversation.

When we return to camp we will debrief, relax, and prepare for dinner. In the evening the group will discuss the day’s activities. After all training tasks are finished, trainees will socialize, share stories, and begin to develop important future trip-staffing connections with each other.

Day 4: We transfer to Cottonwood Campground.

Day 6: On the morning of the last day after breakfast field trainers and trainees will meet individually for a final review of the IDPs. The group will then “sweep” the camp site, pack gear, and drive to the airport.

Note: As with all Sierra Club trips, the itinerary is subject to change depending on weather, trail conditions, wildlife, and other issues out of the leaders’ control.

Getting There

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is composed of three separate units in an isolated corner of western North Dakota. The North Unit, where our trip starts, is 50 miles north of I-94 on U.S. Highway 85, about 15 miles south of Watford City and 70 miles south of Williston. The Williston airport has limited commercial service to Minneapolis and Denver. Amtrak stops in Williston. Please make travel arrangements to meet the group at that time since we will caravan to the campsite.

An email address listing will be shared to encourage ride-sharing, if traveling by car, and hotel/motel room-sharing before or after the trip, if needed.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

Food is a critical part of any Sierra Club trip, and one of the most useful aspects about this training is for you to practice providing food to a diverse group. As mentioned above, LOD teams will be expected to purchase and have meal ingredients ready when they arrive. Your Homeschool mentors and field trainers will provide guidance to the LOD partners. The first meal of the trip will be dinner on day 1 and the last planned meal will be breakfast on the final day. 

All food expenses are included in the cost of the training. Upon completion of the NOTT, trainees will submit a form requesting reimbursement to the Sierra Club National Outings main office using the same procedures as leaders do for their “live” trips.

Trip Difficulty

To appreciate this outing, hikers should be in good physical condition and enjoy challenging day hikes that range from rolling prairie to rugged and steep. If conditions are dry, the Little Missouri River can be crossed on stepping stones. If it does rain, the river could be knee-deep and some of the trails may be impassable due to slippery bentonitic clay. Grazing bison may block a trail requiring an off-trail detour, which can include steep slopes and creek crossings. Prairie rattlesnakes make their home here and we give them a wide berth. Typical temperatures in early September range from the 70s to 80s, with overnight lows in the 40s and 50s, but conditions may be hotter, colder, wetter, and drier than expected.

Equipment and Clothing

Participants need their own personal camping gear, including a waterproof tent, sleeping bag rated at 32 degrees or below, reliable raingear, daypack, and well-broken-in, lugged-soled boots. Binoculars will be helpful to see distant wildlife. A detailed equipment list will be shared with the group.

References

• National Geographic/Trails Illustrated Map of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

• Novey, Levi, Explore! Theodore Roosevelt National Park. A Falcon Guide.

• Park website: https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm/

• Caraher, William and Bret Weber, The Bakken: An Archaeology of an Industrial Landscape.

Conservation

The boom, bust, and now partial recovery of oil extraction from the Bakken formation is on the doorstep of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The boom brought tens of thousands of jobs to the area with an increase of traffic, noise, and dust to the region. Gas flares and 24-hour operation contributes to light pollution obscuring the formerly dark nights of North Dakota. None of this is evident in the park -- there is no drilling in the park -- but this special place is not immune to the activity of neighbors and the potential environmental concerns that accompany fracking.

We will discuss these local environmental issues, as well as other national park threats and the Sierra Club response.