Cleaning up the Desert
TRASH: Paul Miles shows off garbage he found in the desert. Crew members find abandoned cars, shell casings and many other types of trash that one would expect to see in a dump. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)
CHIEF: Group coordinator Mizuki Seita mugs through a tent window. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)
BREAK TIME: Dan Prell, 21, and Mary Verrilli, 25, play a game of Hacky Sack to stay warm one afternoon. Verilli has built trails in Tennessee, but now is attacking illegal ones in the Mojave. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)
FUEL IN THE FIGHT: With dreadlocks blowing in a cold wind, Paul Miles collects dead branches that will be used to hide illegal trail heads from off-roaders. He says the desert is amazing, and so is its abuse by careless, destructive visitors. (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)
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ENTHUSIASM: Dan Prell of Wisconsin helps clean the desert near Barstow. He says the experience lets him get out of a small city and go camping for eight months. What could be better? (Karen Tapia-Andersen / LAT)