Osceola Section Hike and LNT Trainer Course

What a week it was! The crew was lucky enough to join our Agency partner John Bauer on a scouting hike while simultaneously tapping into his Leave No Trace (LNT) Master Educator status to provide each member the opportunity to become LNT Trainer certified. We filled our backpacks with gear and food and hit the trail on Tuesday. Six miles later we set up camp at a water front site on Ocean Pond. How beautiful it was! That night began the LNT training as we learned its history and the 7 Principles that guide backcountry users of our lands. They are; Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave what You Find, Minimize Campfire Impact, Respect Wildlife, and Respect Other Visitors.
The following day was a long one, 10 miles under our boots and more principles and training. This continued until Friday when all in all we hiked over 22 miles and each member was awarded the LNT Trainer Certificate after a much heated game of 'Step On It.'

The crew would like to thank John for offering the course and also the sidekicks who were already LNT Trainers, Daniel Moffatt and Jessica Kochman.

This week was truly one of the best so far and it became another shared experience in which the crew bonded and created more backcountry hiking experience and memories. We were also pleased to welcome the new FTA Assistant to Field Operations, Dawn Kopa on the hike.