Four Peaks Pickup

A blog for the first Four Peaks Pickup that was held February 9th 2008.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

First off its great to see the sponsors getting some press and print. They deserve every bit of it.
Secondly, I've signed up to be a member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. You get the magazine they send out, the latest with the cleanup in it, and it makes you feel great.
BRC and Tread Lightly are just great and I want to support them. Enough talking.
The link is below to the digital version of the BRC magazine about the clean-up. Enjoy!!
Tim Huber

Four Peaks Pickup in the Blue Ribbon Coalition magazine.

http://www.sharetrails.org/magazine/article.php?id=1563

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Four Peaks Pickup Press!

Say that five times fast!



First off its great to see the sponsors getting some press and print. They deserve every bit of it.

Secondly, I've signed up to be a member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. You get the magazine they send out, the latest with the cleanup in it, and it makes you feel great.

BRC and Tread Lightly are just great and I want to support them. Enough talking.

The link is below to the digital version of the BRC magazine. Enjoy!!

Tim Huber



Four Peaks Pickup in the Blue Ribbon Coalition magazine.

http://www.sharetrails.org/magazine/article.php?id=1563

Thursday, April 10, 2008

TABLE MESA CLEANUP April 19th!!

Get out there and lend a hand and meet some more great people!!!




If you ever enjoy the outdoors for hiking, mountain biking, 4-wheeling, hunting or shooting, then you have probably shaken your head in disgust when others dump trash at trailheads and across our deserts.

Now is your chance to help!

The Bureau of Land Management is hosting a public lands clean-up at Table Mesa on Saturday, April 19, 2008, from 8 AM to noon.

Event sponsors include the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (AZOHVC), and the Good Gun Foundation, with additional event support from the Arizona Virtual Jeep Club, Arizona Rock Rats, and Absolute Offroad. The event starts at 8:00 AM with a safety orientation, and then participants will spread out to various work areas.

Wear long pants, long-sleeved-shirt, heavy gloves, hat, sunscreen and eye protection. Trash bags and some tools will be provided, but it is helpful if participants can bring their own rakes and flat-head shovels. Five-gallon buckets with handles are also handy for collecting small debris and broken glass. Another handy device are those little reach extending grabbing claws. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water to drink!

Directions: From Phoenix, take I-17 north to exit #236.

Exit and turn left on the overpass, heading west. Follow road for approximately ½ mile. After the road turns to dirt, look for the wide trailhead on the left.


Volunteer a few hours for a good cause. Keeping our public lands clean ensures that we will be able to enjoy them for generations to come.


For questions, contact Mary Skordinsky, BLM Lead Outdoor Recreation Planner, (623) 580-5586 or Nena Barlow, AZOHV Public Relations (928) 274-0570.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Channel 12 News Coverage for Four Peaks Pickup

***Click HERE for the video***

Press Release

(For immediate release)

Four Peaks Pickup: A great success!
Over 250 people from all walks of life came together on February 9th 2008 to clean up a high use, off highway area near Phoenix, AZ. More than 7 tons of trash were picked up and 30 clubs represented.
The idea to do something about the mess came to a group of local outdoor enthusiasts recently. The Four Peaks area, north east of Phoenix, is a beautiful natural area that hosts all sorts outdoor lovers. The sight of burnt out cars, water heaters, TV’s and computers in addition to loads of smaller trash prompted them to act.
Groups from all walks of life were contacted and the response was nothing short of amazing! Clubs, companies, online forums and enthusiasts offered their support to make a difference. Included in the volunteers were groups of responsible four wheelers, shooters, hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, dirt bikers, and general outdoor enthusiasts.
The day started out with over 250 volunteers signing in and heading out to one of 10 pre-mapped targeted clean up areas with trash bags in hand and trailers in tow. The support kept pouring in all day! There were even a few Harley’s and Mercedes that made the trek out the dirt road to the clean-up! The dumpsters were filled and a large pile of trash began to form at the clean up headquarters.
After hours of filling bags, loading up trailers, and meeting great people the volunteers headed back to the pickup headquarters for burgers donated by Border Construction Specialties.
Not long after, the give away commenced. An impressive array of prizes from concerned companies were handed out including items from: Racer Offroad, The Good Gun Foundation, SDHQ Offroad, Total Chaos Fabrication, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, Overland Journal, Overland Video, and Sierra Expeditions.
The Forest service was able to donate the use of dumpsters for the event and even provided trash bags! Also, several Maricopa County Sheriff Officers were in attendance to participate as well. The Maricopa Sheriff sponsored rock buggy, built by Hunter Offroad, was a huge hit with the crowds and everyone appreciated them being there to keep it safe and fun!

On behalf of the volunteers and organizers we would like to thank all of the sponsors including REI, The Daybreak Deli, Tyson Crews Development, Stardust Country, Hunter Offroad, M&I Bank, Copper State Cruisers, The AZ Virtual Jeep Club, AZ TTORA, AZ Xterra Owners Club, and everyone already mentioned above!
For future cleanups check out www.fourpeakspickup.blogspot.com

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Photobucket

Monday, February 11, 2008

Others Pictures of the Pickup

http://picasaweb.google.com/redfinmoab/NewAlbum21008917AM

http://www.jeepanywhere.com/4peaks/main.php

http://www.expeditionswest.com/adventures/2008/Four_Peaks/2008/index.html

http://s252.photobucket.com/albums/hh16/azskyrider/4peaks_cleanup/

http://www.kreationkrawlers.com/Web/Albums/2008-Feb-9_Four-Peaks-Cleanup/index.html

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Four Peaks Pickup, from my point of view.

It was an amazing couple of days. I received a call from Channel 12 news on Thursday. Once again, someone took their time to help the effort.
They sent a heart felt email to Nicole at Channel 12 news. Unbeknowst to any of us Channel 12 had been considering doing the story. I was shocked when the call came in.
I was meeting them at 5:00 AM Friday morning at the dreamy draw park near my home. It was a cold morning!
Photobucket
I sure was nervous, but I knew it was important to get the message out there so I tried to pull it together.
Photobucket
We headed out after work to get the site ready and signs posted.
Photobucket
Photobucket
A wonderful friend had posted notice of the clean up Thursday night to make sure we got the site we needed.
Not long after we pulled in a great group of folks pulled in. We spent the night around a camp fire getting to know our new friends and their dog Paco. What great people. I've never met so many wonderful people, seen so many old friends and had so much fun in one 24 hour period.
The set up crew, driven volunteers, worked hard to get everything ready.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Not long after, the volunteers started to arrive. I must admit, I was in a bit of a zone all day. I was so focused on making sure we pulled it off. PHEW! I wish I could have spoken to everyone more. Danica and I met so many hard working responsible outdoor users.
For many, it was their first clean up. That is wonderful. It was also MY first clean up! First of many I hope. I'll make sure to post on this blog to support other efforts that I hear of. There are so many great efforts from hikers, bikers, wheelers etc!
I was so pleased to see Hunter and his Sheriff mobile out there. A big thank you to the other Sheriff's that came out. It gives such piece of mind especially considering that the clean up areas were primarily shooting areas. Also, thank you to the EMT's. There was a lot of glass and sharp metal out there. We were so pleased to have you there as well!
Photobucket
When I say we had just about every group there, I'm serious! Take a look at this Mercedes Unimog. Just a work of engineering art.
Photobucket
Photobucket
BEFORE SHOT:
Photobucket
After:
Its hard to believe that this is where a burnt out FJ Cruiser and thousands of pieces of trash used to sit. Notice the black marks from the burning FJ on the large rocks.
Photobucket
Enthusiastic workers filled trailers literally to the breaking point. Several were damaged in the name of cleaning up. Thank you.
Photobucket
Some great folks we call the flying family were out in force. Here Flying baby takes a quick break from cleaning to relax in the shade!
Photobucket
This area had some of the worst trash. The volunteers said they walked around for a few minutes in a bit of awe. Where to start...
Before:
Photobucket
AFTER:
Photobucket
Some of the many great volunteers
Photobucket
The mountain was crowded in the best way with great people.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Some of the guys have a warped sense of humor, just like me. :)
Hehehe!!
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
This is some hard work. I was lucky and spent most of the day running around. When I did spend some time shoveling and raking I felt even more indebted to these great people.
Photobucket
People came and went all day. Just like I had hoped for. If you were headed to somewhere or back from somewhere thats just fine. The fact that you came and filled even a single bag makes a difference!!
Thank you for every minute you spent out here. From one to 480 minutes! :)
Here is a great Aerial shot! A great fella named phxtoad couldn't make it to the clean up, but he got some great shots from the sky! I told everyone he wasn't trying to bomb us. :)
Photobucket
Photobucket
Here is a great shot of a full dumpster and the pile begining to grow!
Photobucket
We did a lot of give aways and ate some burgers! This little kid won $200 cash!!! Thats a lot of candy!
Photobucket
My number one volunteer!
Photobucket
Photobucket
As the day came to an end we tore down the camp and made a last round of the cleanup sights to take a look and get the signs.

It was so beautiful. The desert seemed to be smiling, less ashamed than it looks when covered in litter...
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
I always feel that the outdoors are so much more clean and pleasant than even the cleanest home or city.
Photobucket
On our way up the mountain I noticed a group of folks that I saw early that morning. We stopped to say hello. They had just finished hiking Four Peaks! That sounded like a good time. Since some communities of outdoor lovers can be more difficult to locate I was excited to meet some new folks. I'll be giving them a call to invite them to the next clean up.
Photobucket
I can't thank you all enough. I can't owe you enough. I can try to do it again and promise to work hard. Thats the only thing I can think to do to show my thanks.
Photobucket
Good night.
Photobucket

Saturday, February 9, 2008

A complete success.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is as close as it gets to a perfect day.

We had folks there on harleys, in mercedes, in every make and model 4x4, dirt bikes, etc.

As I look at each and every name on the sign up sheet as I sit here, over 220, I am so thankful. (I estimate at least 50 or more that didn't sign too)
I can see the personalities in the signings. I'll give the Forest Service a copy, I'm keeping these sheets forever.

The Forest Service said the the roll-off weighed in at almost 4 tons! Plus the pile we made looks like another 3 at least.

Pictures and more to come.

Tim Huber

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Clean up map! See you out there! Thanks!


We'll be out there at location 10 helping folks get to the clean up sites all day, but here is a map just in case.




http://fourpeakspickup.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 4, 2008

Four Peaks Pickup Information

Four Peaks Pickup Information.

Restrooms are located at the main Four Peaks Recreation area parking lot. (On the right just after turning onto Four Peaks Rd)



TIMELINE:


8:00 AM - Set up for clean up. Clean up area team leaders arrive.
(I want to take a second to mention and thank Joe, Linda and Melissa Itule at the Daybreak DeliParadise Village Office Park 11811 North Tatum Blvd. P-108Phoenix, AZ 85028 Phone - 602-953-6766. They are a great family run business that is helping us with food for this event. Amazing folks! If you need any catering or food to bring by YOUR office. Give this wonderful family a call!

9:00 AM - Meet at clean up headquarters and start directing volunteers to target areas with team leads directing the way.

9:00 AM to 2:30 PM Clean up. (Come or go as needed. Use team leaders or meeting site for questions, problems, suggestions.)

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Make final trash run to dumpsters and head back to clean up headquarters.

2:00 PM to 3:15 PM - Grab a burger or snack at headquarters while they last.

3:00 PM - Prize give-aways at headquarters and a Thank YOU to all the volunteers!


Trash bags will be located at the main clean up headquarters and with the clean up area team leaders.


Be CAREFUL! Much of the trash is glass, sharp rusted metal etc. Bring and wear gloves and eye protection.

It may be cold so bring appropriate clothing. Use sunblock!


COMMUNICATION:
1. CB radio. AKA: Citizen Band. The clean up will be on channel 14.
2. FRS Radio. AKA: Store bought personal radios. (walkie talkie type). The clean up will be on channel 14.
3. 2 meter radio. AKA: Amatuer Radio. The clean up will be on channel 146.480

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

How to carry trash with your SUV

I know a lot of us have an SUV, Jeep or other "non" truck. Although piling bags of trash in the back can work, many don't want to take the risk of hurting the interior of their vehicle or just don't have the room!
If you have a hitch mounted bike rack you may have the perfect alternative. I simply looped the bag back on itself to make sure it gets a good grip and doesn't go anywhere.
Take a look:






Keep in mind that the bags will sway around back there and I don't recommend any highspeed or highway driving with this set up. It may just make the difference in carrying enough trash to make a difference though.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Updated flyer

One more sponsor I wanted to thank. Doug and Elizabeth at Stardust Country are helping out with the food! Thank you!
Go and visit them at www.stardust-country.com or 4346 W. Olive, Glendale, AZ!


I made a couple of corrections to this one. :)

Friday, January 25, 2008

More great sponsors!



I want to thank Icon Vehicle Dynamics www.iconvehicledynamics.com and SDHQ www.sdhqoffroad.com for supporting the clean up effort!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

4 Peaks Pickup Flyer!


Feel free to download this flyer to pass around or link to. Thanks for spreading the word.

(Thank you to Jessica Lane for helping out with the flyers!)

Saturday, January 19, 2008

COMMUNICATION at the clean up.

We will be using several forms of communication at the clean up.

1. CB radio. AKA: Citizen Band. The clean up will be on channel 14.
2. FRS Radio. AKA: Store bought personal radios. (walkie talkie type). The clean up will be on channel 14.
3. 2 meter radio. AKA: Amatuer Radio. The clean up will be on channel 146.480

Great give-aways from supportive companies.


Overland Journal has contributed a free subscription (or renewal for you current readers!) and Overland Video is offering two free DVD's for the give-away!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

More great sponsors!



I wanted to thank Border Construction Specialties for stepping up big with the giant grill. Brandon, the president of Copper State Cruisers has gotten burgers and the use of this trailer sized grill donated for the clean-up! Thank YOU!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Clean up update!!

A couple of updates!
The outpouring of help is inspiring. I can't thank enough folks! I really appreciate all of the volunteers who get out of bed the morning of the 9th and come out. To give thanks to the volunteers the following companies have stepped up to help!

Good Gun Foundation www.goodgun.org has donated some money to the cause as a giveaway! As well as some members coming to help. I'm excited to see responsible shooters step up.



Oakley has given some sun glasses to give away.

The Tacoma Territory, Xterra Owners Club , Copper State Cruisers, and Virtual Jeep Club have stepped up to make it an official run of theirs!

The Copper State Cruisers have stepped up with a giant grill that can cook 80 burgers at a time! YIKES thats a lot of cow. mmmm!

Some folks are bringing a rake if they can. Its not a neccessity, but it will help with the shells and glass being picked up!

The Forest Service is going to bring a couple of Roll Off Dumpsters too!

REI is donating some Clif bars for the volunteers. www.rei.com

Big thanks to Nicole at Total Chaos for donating some great DVD's for the give-away! 2008 Total Chaos Fabrication


A personal thanks to Bman at the Copper State Cruisers,
Mark at the AZ TTORA,
Scott Brady at Overland Journal, Expeditions West, www.expeditionportal.com,
Danica for helping immensely and being a great Co-driver
and especially Elvota for his skills and always being positive!
Thanks for being so supportive guys and gal!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Trash of four peaks...

My friend Brandon and I headed out to Four Peaks to do a little planing for the clean up.
Here is just a little of whats out there.



Google