You will want to open the photo too!
JBK
Jeff Schmidt jeff.schmidt@sierraclub.org 4/1/2011 12:47 PM >>>
Happy April Fool’s Day!!
Exploring Appalachia's Enchanted Flatlands April 1, 2012
Photo: Alice McKeown
Trip Number: 124001a Price: $4,111 (12-15) Deposit: $400 Capacity: 15 Leader: Don Blankenship
Highlights:
· Explosions
· Toxic rubble
· Buried streams
· Monster trucks & exhaust
Includes:
· Guides, cooks, lobbyists, and all equipment for the ride
· Ride in stretch Hummer
· Non-local, factory-farmed food
Itinerary | Accommodations | Equipment | References | Leader
The Trip
Photo: Alice McKeown
This exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime foray will take you into the ripped-open heart of some of the most recently exposed scenery in Appalachia. Your friendly trip leader will provide nonstop tutorials on the hidden beauty (and intense profitability) of a once-lush mountain that's just been blown to smithereens. In your two days amid the magnificent rubble, you will experience the awesome silence of a newly buried stream. Gaze in disbelief as a toxic rainbow slick dances atop a sun-dappled waste pond. Playfully dive for cover as a herd of monster coal trucks rumbles past. And then, just when you think you've seen it all, witness the wonder of an explosion lofting ancient and precious forest habitat into the bright Kentucky sky. The shockwave will reverberate forever in your soul.
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Itinerary Day 1: We meet you at the airport in our special stretch Hummer and travel directly to the site of a thriving mountaintop-removal coal mine. The drive itself is often a thrill as we plow through a line of hippie protestors at the gate. Some of them are pretty smelly, so keep those windows rolled up! Once inside, no lollygagging. We immediately don our hazmat suits and wade into the waste pond, a rich stew of heavy (we prefer "precious") metals like arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium. The day ends with a long, hot shower and scrub-down in our relaxing decontamination chamber.
Day 2: We journey to the site of a stream that's been forever preserved beneath the rich overburden produced by ripping apart pristine forest habitat. It's not an arduous journey, because such waterways abound: more than 2,000 miles of degraded streams in Appalachia alone! Many people weep with joy at the sight of this cornucopia of environmental destruction.
Getting There The trip begins with pick-up from Frankfort, KY. The leader will provide guidance and contact information for a recommended travel agent who can arrange flights from your home city once you are approved for the trip.
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Accommodations and Food
Photo: Alice McKeown
Double-occupancy rooms are included with the trip. Our hotel features rooms with private baths, hot showers, and decontamination facilities. It's centrally located within walking distance of formerly hilly terrain.
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Trip Difficulty If you're not much of a hiker, don't worry: All mountainous terrain has been repurposed and horizontally optimized for retail and commercial development.
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Equipment and Clothing A detailed equipment list will be sent to approved trip participants. Hazmat suit will be provided, but you will need to bring your own waterproof and chemical-resistant footwear as we will be fording some seriously degraded waterways.
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References Books:
The following books should give you a feel for what the trek will be like. Your local library is also a good resource.
a.. Barton, Joe, Cry, the Beloved Mountaintop Removal b.. Donahue, Tom, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Guide to Winning Friends and Influencing Politicians c.. Gingrich, Newt, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mercury in My Water Maps
a.. Available at any service station. Be sure not to get a topographical map -- it will be out-of-date after the first dynamite blast. Conservation Coal is not yet critically endangered in America, but failure to destroy the mountain habitats that shelter it could lead to its extinction. Already, many majestic old-economy power plants on which coal depends have been shut down because they were unable to adapt to clean-energy standards. Coal extraction is also seriously threatened by clean-water standards, public-health concerns, and common sense.
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Trip Price This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader.
See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.
The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.
The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty.
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