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Explorers - Olympia - 2022 - Olympia - 2021

Youth Program

Explorers - Olympia - 2022

For youth ages 10-12 who are interested in spending time outdoors. No experience or skills needed to join - we will teach all the skills they will need to participate in an activity. The group meets twice per month; once online or locally to learn and go over skills, as well as on a weekend to put the skills into practice and enjoy the outdoors.

Contacts

Becky Nielsen
Becky Nielsen
Leader

Please read this description in its entirety before registering.

Note: Explorers membership is $550 in total for the year. Participants may register here and pay in full, or may contact beckyn@mountaineers.org to set up a quarterly payment plan. 

We offer financial assistance! To apply for financial assistance click here.

Our Explorers program provides youth ages 10-12 and their parents/guardians with the opportunity to get out on an outdoor adventure each month. Explorers is designed to expose youth to a variety of outdoor activities, build skills and confidence, and have fun! Participants will have the chance to climb, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, paddle, explore, and learn how to be safe in the outdoors. 

Local Meetings will be help from 6-7:00 on the Second Tuesday of each month, and the weekend adventure will (generally) be the following weekend. 

Explorers will be supported by both Mountaineers staff as well as parents who are approved for leading trips. We encourage parents to play an active role in supporting their children, driving to trips, supervising, and possibly even leading some trips if they feel ready. We will provide opportunities for parents to advance their own outdoor skills as well as learn key skills for leading kids safely in the outdoors. This program will focus on skill-building for both youth and adults, and on building an outdoor community.

*Note that while  parents/guardians are expected to be active participants in the club, there is plenty of flexibility so that youth can participate in a trip even if a parent/guardian can't make it.

Explorers is a club and requires a time commitment and program fee of $550 (which can be paid in quarterly installments). In return, members gain a community of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy spending time learning skills together. As families grow through our programs, lifelong friendships are built. When graduates of our teen program come home from college, they meet up with other Mountaineers friends to go hiking, backpacking and climbing. This program is just the beginning.

Note: Youth ages 10-12  register as participants, and therefore pay the registration and program fee. Parents should become a Qualified Youth Leader and then register for the Explorers program as a Chaperone (there is no fee for this).

COVID-19 FALL UPDATE: EXPLORERS PROGRAMS ARE HAPPENING IN MODIFIED VERSIONS THAT ALIGN WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS' COVID-19 PROTOCOLS. THIS MAY MEAN SMALL-GROUP MEETINGS/OUTINGS AND MOVING MORE ACTIVITIES OUTDOORS, AMONG OTHER MORE MINOR MODIFICATIONS.

Badges you will earn:

Program Requirements

This program has no scheduled activities.

Roster
Required Equipment

All required equipment, with a few exceptions, is available to be borrowed from the Mountaineers. Before each trip, an itinerary/packing list will be distributed to the group that details all necessary gear and information for the trip. 

If families want to bring their own gear, here are some items you may find useful for most trips:

Backpack

Hiking boots

Wool socks

Non-cotton active clothing and insulating layers

First Aid Kit

Program Materials

There are no materials for this program.