Foothills Backpacking Committee
The Foothills Backpacking Committee is a thriving center of excellence for backpacking in the club, offering a broad array of trips across the state and beyond, courses to improve your backpacking skills, conditioning and gear (including the popular B3 Backpacking Building Blocks course), and strong support, training, resources and recognition for anyone who would like to broaden their leadership skills and 'give back' by becoming a backpack leader. We are particularly proud of being a gateway for people new to backpacking to find a welcoming community that meets them where they are and helps them find their backpacking dreams, while also offering plenty of interesting seminars and trips for more experienced backpackers!
Our Backpacking TRIPs and courses
Our dedicated Foothills backpack leaders cover a wide variety of destinations, level of physical challenge and emphasis, from easy beginner overnights to challenging multi-day adventures to remote destinations; and in addition, our Backpacking Building Blocks course delivered over two dozen additional trips specifically for our students! Check out our upcoming backpack trips at Mountaineers Backpacking Trips Coming Up!
We also put on several courses, clinics and seminars to help new and seasoned backpackers gain new skills and refresh existing ones, build their conditioning, and find out about the latest gear to have a safe, comfortable trip with the lightest possible pack weight. The more comprehensive courses are usually offered just once a year (signups in early winter to early spring).
Our popular flagship program, Backpacking Building Blocks (B3), now in its 13th year, is a season-long course organized to:
- Provide new and experienced backpackers with the latest knowledge, gear info and practical experience to be skilled, safe and successful on overnight or longer trips;
- Teach participants to pack light by balancing camp comfort with pack weight and trail comfort;
- Providing participants with information about the latest backpacking gear and food choices; and
- Connect you with trusted trip leaders and compatible companions, by offering an array of trips of varying intensity in the fabulous Northwest backcountry. Our backpack trips offered through the B3 course provide an additional component of coaching and hands-on demonstration to help students gain confidence and try out different gear options.
- The large majority of our backpacking trips are open to all qualified Mountaineers members, to build a strong backpacking community and connect students with experienced backpackers.
- Ultralight Backpacking Gear and Strategies
- Lightweight Backpack Food Planning and Prep
- Conditioning for Hiking and Backpacking
- "Staying Found" On-Trail Navigation
- Essential Trip Planning Tools and Skills for Backpackers
- Tips and Tricks for Women Backpackers
INTERESTED IN LEADING BACKPACK TRIPS FOR THE MOUNTAINEERS?
The Foothills Backpacking Committee is a great home for any Foothills Branch member who would like to 'give back', learn valuable outdoor leadership skills, connect up with compatible backpacking companions, and gain greater control over where and when their Mountaineers backpack trips will go. We do this by:- Offering a regular New Hike/Backpack Leader Seminar where you can learn the expectations and procedures for being a Mountaineers backpack leader and learn from experienced leaders in a small-group discussion format how to handle some of the most common leadership challenges on hikes;
- Providing mentors and other assistance for new leaders as they set up and lead their first Mountaineers backpack;
- Offering a wide range of Backpack Leader Resources and regular updates on skills and tools; and
- Providing generous rewards for our active leaders including free and subsidized core-skills training and REI gift cards.