Service and the Arts: A Creative Week at Clair Tappaan Lodge, Tahoe National Forest, California
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Service/Volunteer
Highlights
- Engage in restoration projects at Clair Tappaan Lodge
- Let the Sierra Nevada inspire your creativity
- Enjoy a day hiking & sightseeing in beautiful region
Includes
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Contribute to preservation of lodge near Donner Pass
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Group activities to promote writing & photography
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Showers, laundry & vegetarian-friendly meals
Overview
The Trip
Based in the historic 1934 volunteer-built rustic lodge that has long hosted skiers and snow-shoers in winter and hikers at other seasons, this trip allows participants to participate in the ongoing restoration of the lodge while exploring the flora and some fauna of the Donner Summit north of Lake Tahoe. We’ll enjoy the vistas and ambience that have moved adventurers for many decades, while availing ourselves of modern conveniences such as showers and chef-prepared meals. After dinner, in the shade of the massive stone fireplace, we’ll share accounts of the day’s work and our creative responses to what we've seen and done. On this trip we invite creative writers, photographers, and other artists to exercise their creative muscles in response to this special place in the High Sierra
The Trip
Based in the historic 1934 volunteer-built rustic lodge that has long hosted skiers and snow-shoers in winter and hikers at other seasons, this trip allows participants to participate in the ongoing restoration of the lodge while exploring the flora and some fauna of the Donner Summit north of Lake Tahoe. We’ll enjoy the vistas and ambience that have moved adventurers for many decades, while availing ourselves of modern conveniences such as showers and chef-prepared meals. After dinner, in the shade of the massive stone fireplace, we’ll share accounts of the day’s work and our creative responses to what we've seen and done. On this trip we invite creative writers, photographers, and other artists to exercise their creative muscles in response to this special place in the High Sierra.
The Project
The work project is, primarily, lodge improvement — addressing the ravages of the wild winters by painting, staining wood, woodworking and possibly plumbing or other craft projects -- whatever the lodge needs, using whatever talents and experience possessed by the participants. The artistic aspect of the trip is meant to encourage writers and photographers from beginners to professionals to respond to the environment, the work, the company, in whatever creative way moves them. We’ll have some short reading “prompts” and look at work by such photographers of the Sierra as Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter, to develop new ways of looking/seeing. At the end of each work day we will have time for sharing and discussion. The lodge has facilities not only for showing videos, but to project our work via laptop computer: the lodge has wifi, which will facilitate exchanging both photos and writing.
Itinerary
Each day we’ll engage in restoration projects given us by the lodge’s Operations Manager, using tools and supplies provided. As we learn prior to the trip what projects are lined up for us, we may want to bring some of our own tools and protective gear. Photographers will bring their cameras (and chargers), while writers will bring their favorite medium, whether paper and pencil or digital pad. After the work day we’ll have time to share our work as the spirit moves us -- this is not a “class” experience but an opportunity to create and share with each other.
Logistics
Getting There
The Clair Tappaan Lodge website provides excellent directions for getting to the lodge from any direction. Carpooling is encouraged, whether from home or from nearby airports -- Reno is close on the east and Sacramento on the west. The lodge is less than half an hour north of Truckee, CA on historic CA 89 or U.S. 40.
Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader
Getting There
The Clair Tappaan Lodge website provides excellent directions for getting to the lodge from any direction. Carpooling is encouraged, whether from home or from nearby airports -- Reno is close on the east and Sacramento on the west. The lodge is less than half an hour north of Truckee, CA on historic CA 89 or U.S. 40.
Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.
Accommodations and Food
This historic mountain lodge provides a level of comfort in a near-outdoor setting. On the second floor, small, double-occupancy rooms and group rooms--all with bunk beds--are amenities that reflect the age, history, and purpose of the building, and not the usual accommodations of a modern lodge facility.
Hot meals and showers allow you to refresh yourself after a day of satisfying service work, and a WiFi connection allows you to stay in-touch with the world beyond the mountains, should you desire or need it. A spacious living/group room with an enormous fireplace, a book- filled, quiet library, and an outdoor fire ring add to the special appeal of this rustic setting.
Our hearty, fresh, family-style meals are served at breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is served at 8 a.m. Participants will prepare their sandwich and snack lunches from a selection of items. Vegetarian meals are available on request. Coffee and tea are always available. If you have dietary restrictions or concerns, please contact the trip leader.
A friendly staff cares for the Lodge, yet in keeping with the cooperative spirit of the Sierra Club, each guest contributes by a simple chore that takes about a half-hour each day. Chores could include helping to prepare or serve meals, setting and clearing tables, washing dishes, sweeping floors, and removing/recycling trash.
Refrigerators, food storage lockers, free laundry facilities, and a microwave are available.
Trip Difficulty
Participants match their skills to the tasks at hand. The work can be strenuous, with lots of lifting and bending, or less taxing, as in quietly painting trail signs. Participants are asked to work diligently, but not beyond their capacity.
Equipment and Clothing
Personal gear should include warm sleeping apparel and outdoor clothing for evenings and early mornings. Walking sticks are much appreciated on the trails and at the 7,000-foot altitude. Work clothing and boots or shoes that can get dirty or stained are a must — or bring your own painters’ coverall and a bandana. Although there are gloves available for painting, heavy work gloves in your size will be a boon. Knee pads or kneeling pads for work at ground level have been appreciated. Ear plugs are strongly recommended for the dorm accommodations and the thin-walled, close quarters of the individual rooms. Towels and blankets or a sleeping bag are good, though the lodge can provide some blankets.
References
- Muir, John, My First Summer in the Sierra or The Wild Muir (ed. Stetson)
- Porter, Eliot, In Wildness is the Preservation of the World.
- “Monumental: David Brower’s Fight for Wild America,” video, 2004.
- “Ansel Adams, a Documentary Film,” 2002.
- Powell, Margie, Donner Summit, A Brief History.
- Tahoe National Forest: fs.usda.gov
- Pacific Crest Trail Association: http://www.pcta.org/
- Clair Tappaan Lodge: http://clairtappaanlodge.com
Conservation
Clair Tappaan Lodge was built to give city-dwellers access to the wilderness and wilderness activity. By working to preserve it, we engage in the same project as John Muir in the early days of the Sierra Club: we help people slough off the crust of contemporary daily life so that they can find “in wilderness,” as Muir wrote, "the salvation of the world.” By engaging in reflection on the wilderness in our creative activities, we will emulate Muir, Adams, and other portrayers of the wild, bringing our own unique perspectives to the project.
Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.
Staff
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners