Basic Wilderness Skills Course

Learn the fundamentals for planning and going hiking, including topics on gear selection, navigation skills, conditioning tips, the  essential systems in your pack, safety/travel smarts in the backcountry and other topics.  A fun, interactive course for people new to hiking or hiking in the Pacific Northwest. The completion badge for Wilderness Skills will be given to students who complete the workshop, required 2 field trips (navigation & stewardship), and go on four club hikes by the end of August 2015.   
Sat. May 2nd, 2015 - skills workshop (required)
Sat. May 16th, 2015 - navigation field trip (required)
Sat. June 6th, 2015 - stewardship field trip/trail work party on National Trails day. (opt. dates)

We schedule course hikes from April through August (2-3 hikes each month).  Both regular club hikes and course hikes count toward the course completion. The easy and moderate hikes (distance 4-9 miles RT, elevation gain <2400') may challenge you physically, and/or provide the opportunity to summit some of the smaller peaks in our beautiful Cascade and Olympic Mountains.