BACKPACKING BUILDING BLOCKS "DEMO DAY" - Mountaineers Seattle Program Center

You will be assigned with your mentor group to an 8AM-noon or a 1-5PM session.  Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center  for your assigned session, and come prepared with gear for staying warm and dry outdoors rain or shine.  Masks will be required.  You will go through 5 stations with your group, spread out across the program center facility and outdoors, and it will take your full time slot to move through all the stations so please don't plan to leave early.  More details will be provided in advance of the session.

During this 4-hour hands-on class, students will visit several indoor and outdoor stations with their mentor group and their mentor will demonstrate various categories of gear - shelters and sleep systems, clothing, footwear, backpacks, packing a pack - and the different food options for backpacking.  You will have the opportunity to get a close look, compare and understand your options, ask a lot of questions, and get information about prices and where to go to rent or buy some of the options.  Students will stay in their mentor groups through the entire session and will not interact with anyone else;  the stations will be spread out to support social distancing with only half of the class going through at once;  the stations will be outdoors or inside a large space with doors open for ventilation; participants will be expected to wear masks and keep a distance; and careful hand sanitiation will be maintained throughout.