Backpacking Conditioner - Cougar Mountain: Jim Whittaker Wilderness Peak Trailhead

This hike is part of a series of pre-season Backpacking Conditioners.  

These events are intended to help current backpacking course students as well as course graduates build their fitness and endurance through the winter and spring months to tackle their summer objectives, as well as build community within the Mountaineers backpacking community.

Each of these hikes are tailored to meet specific pack weight, distance, and elevation goals which will steadily increase as the clinics move through the spring months. While it is encouraged to slowly increase these factors over time, feel free to join if you judge yourself as being capable of meeting these targets.

While these conditioning hikes are carefully planned, they are intended to support and develop the backpacking community within this organization. With this goal in mind, the pace will be slow to encourage conversation and bonding time, as well as develop aerobic fitness. 

Meet at Jim Whittaker trailhead at 0800: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//47.5102,-122.0872/@47.5102,-122.0872,12z/data=?hl=en

No pass required.

We will do the loop as described here: Wilderness Peak Loop — Washington Trails Association

I will bring a scale so we can weigh all our packs and keep track of our progress through the spring season. Expect a casual pace, so that we can get to know each other and build community. We will take a little snack break at the "top" (not much of a view), before continuing the loop back down to our cars. 

As this is the first conditioner of the season, I will be hiking with about 25-33% of my full pack weight.