CONSERVATION

Noxious weeds on the Continentail Divide Trail

Justin Dahlke and his brother spent several weeks on the Continental Divide Trail. With the help of some llamas and Jetboil gear, they documented the types and location of noxious weeds along the trail in a government research project. "We took the Helios cooking system and the Personal Cooking System with us on a trip along the Idaho, Montana continental divide. The first time we used our Jetboils, was after a short hike of only 6 miles. We fired the Jetboil up and within 3 minutes had water boiling and within 10 minutes we were eating a great meal of lasagna. Little did I realize what a luxury this was going to be on the rest of the trip! We would eventually travel 310 miles in a little under 1 month. The Jetboil started every time we used it, even in elevations as high as 10,000 feet. At the end of the day after walking 22 miles it was great to have a hot meal in such a short time. Not only does the Jetboil boil water extremely fast, but it also doesn't use a lot of fuel to boil the water. We didn't have to worry about packing a lot of fuel canisters, worry about fuel spilling, or worry about the Jetboil not lighting. For anyone spending any time in the mountains, or on a trail, a Jetboil is a must have! The Jetboil is a necessity on any trip just as proper shoes and packs are important! Because of our Jetboil we were able to have some luxury and comfort on our trek. Thank you for a great product!" - Justin Dahlke

Filming bears for PBS

Chris Morgan is a scientist and ecologist who specializes in global bear conservation. He's the featured character in BEARTREK, a non-profit campaign film for the bears of the world, and he is the host of PBS's 'Bears of the Last Frontier'. Both films are currently in production. Learn more, and help the wild places of the world that people and bears need at: www.wildlifemedia.org

"We're working in the backcountry of Alaska for several months while filming bears for PBS. Jetboils are the only stoves we carry. We've fallen in love with them because they are so rugged, fast, and light. On a cold, wet day it's good for the soul to know that a hot brew or a bowl of hot noodles is never more than 90 seconds away! I can't count the times we looked at each other this summer and shouted "I love my Jetboil!".

Fire management at Lassen Volcanic National Park

We took our Wildland Fire Module to Lassen Volcanic National Park in August for a wildland fire for resource benefit (1600 acres when it was all said and done). The fire was located in the wilderness and, as such, many of the traditional fire tools were not allowed. Our ten-person module utilized the large volume backpacks to haul in everything we would need for a 14-day assignment in the backcountry. That included food for seven days, bivy sacks, sleeping bags, EMT equipment, clothing, fire management gear (45 lbs worth), and items like chainsaws, chainsaw fuel and oil, and hi-tech equipment. The average pack weighed 80 lbs and some spiked at nearly 95 lbs. We hiked in six miles to our base camp at Lower Twin Lake at Lassen NP. When that much gear is necessary and expectations are to stay in the bush for 14 days and be self-sufficient, you look to cut corners anywhere you can with regards to weight. Your Jetboil systems allowed us to do that. We cooked in pairs and the freeze dried food we took in allowed us to make it the entire duration. The cooking is quick and easy - and the fellas loved it! Your stoves allow us the luxury of implementing such a strategy, which keeps impact to our wilderness minimal and ultimately keeps total cost on any given fire substantially lower than when helicopters and other medians are used. Thank you so much for your support! Matt Dutton Fire Operations Specialist Rocky Mountain National Park

Kyle, Amanda, and friends- conservation efforts in Smoky Mts. Nat'l Park

Twelve Ohio State University Students traveled to The Smoky Mountains National Park to volunteer for the National Park Service in conjunction with the American Hiking Society. We worked closely with National Park Service Park Rangers to treat hemlock trees for the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that is currently killing hemlock trees in the Eastern United States. We learned how to determine the quantity of chemical treatment to apply to the trees by measuring the diameter at breast height (DBH) of each individual tree. We spent most of our time trekking through steep mountain slopes off trail to reach the most vulnerable old growth hemlock trees. We removed and chemically treated multi-flora rose, an invasive plant from Asia, from certain areas within the park. Throughout the course of the entire week, we saved 671 hemlock trees, removed thousands of multi-flora rose, and cleaned three historical houses. Our work benefited not only the National Park Service and the Smoky Mountain Park Rangers, but the thousands of nature lovers that visit the park each year and the surrounding Smoky Mountain National Park community. Finally, I can say with certainty that each of us will look back on this trip with fond memories of friends, learning, and service and that none of us could imagine spending our spring break any other way! We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jet Boil for recognizing our project and deeming it worthy of a donation. Your products were a real big hit in our auction and we could not have made this trip possible without your generosity!

Wildlife research in Alaska

Nicole and I were dropped off on the Utukok River in the western Brooks Range: this area is accessible only by airplane. Our time was spent backpacking in the area over terrain ranging from mountains and ridge tops to valleys filled with endless knee-high tussocks. Wildlife we encountered included the Bluethroat (an Asian thrush) and Bar-tailed Godwit as well as marmots, caribou, grizzly bears, wolverines, and wolves. Alaska truly is one of the last areas of wilderness in the world, and the area we were in was no exception. With this degree of remoteness, high-quality gear that we could rely on was critical. The Jetboil equipment that we had met this challenge head-on and worked wonders for us. First of all, the stove was extremely lightweight and efficient, especially when compared to other stoves (canister and white gas stoves included). Second, the stove worked extremely well in the variety of weather conditions that we experienced, including very windy weather in which we had no choice but to cook in the open. Furthermore, we have found that using the Jetboil is very useful in our daily lives living in our cabin with no running water as well. The stove is more efficient than our propane stove/oven at heating water and general overall cooking. As a whole, we are extremely happy with how the Jetboil stove and cook set performed during our work in the Brooks Range of Alaska and have already recommended Jetboil to many of our friends and colleagues. We will definitely continue to depend on Jetboil for our future adventures (as well as in our daily lives) in this great state as well. Thanks for your support, Jeff Wells and Nicole Torre