Dee Ann Kline Parkinson
We gathered 146 Olympia Mountaineers and guests at Saint Martin's Pavilion for the Olympia Mountaineers Annual Awards Banquet, held on Oct 27. We celebrated a year of hard work, connected with new friends, shared a delicious meal, and remembered friends we lost this year.
During the banquet we congratulated award winners and course graduates, and listened to Heather Hansen's thoughtful commentary on her book Wildfire: On the Front Lines with Station 8.
The Branch Service Award was awarded to Dixie Havlak for her years of service to the Olympia Branch and her contributions to building viable youth outreach programs.
Mike Riley was the 2018 recipient of the Bruce Towhey Silver Crampon Award. Paul Kallmann was recognized as the Scramble Leader of the Year, and Nancy Lloyd was honored as the Hike Leader of the Year. Michelle Garcia was recognized as an outstanding leader in the Youth Outreach Program.
The Conservation Committee celebrated the year of the Stewardship Challenge. Dawn Rorvik and Regina Robinson were presented with Crew Leader Awards. Robert Sell and Jennifer Fortin both received the Frank Maranville Memorial Stewardship Award.
Award winners and presenters from left to right: Ginger Sarver, Regina Robinson, Robert Sell, Jennifer Fortin, Kathy Fox, Keith Arnold.
Our course graduates include: 11 from Alpine Scrambling, 13 from Basic Climbing, 1 from Backpacking, 1 from Intermediate Climbing, 12 from Beyond Basic, 6 from Introduction to Leading Bolted Routes, 15 from our Conditioning Hiking Series, 12 from Sea Kayaking, 5 from Basic Nordic Skiing, and 13 from Basic Snowshoeing.
A new addition to the banquet was the dessert table, filled with baked goods made by Mountaineers members. Thank you to all who brought sweets to fill the table!
