Conditioning Hiking Series

 You must be a member of The Mountaineers to register for the course. 

Registration dates are as follows:

• Jan 29th 9:00AM-Feb 11th 5:00PM: registration open for first-time participants only
• Feb 12th 9:00AM-Feb 28th 5:00PM: registration open to everyone (this includes returning participants and prior CHS graduates)

Returning participants who register before Feb 12th at 9:00AM will be removed from the roster and required to re-register at the assigned time, no exceptions!

Online or telephone registration only.  The course fee is $150.00. Scholarships are available, please see the link above.  

Cancellations are subject to the following refund schedule.  Please note that all refunds will incur a $10 club cancellation fee.

• Before Apr 1 - 100% 
• Apr 1-30 - 75%
• May 1-31 - 50%
• After May 31 - no refund

Overview: This course is for hiking enthusiasts who are interested in challenging themselves by working up to day hikes of 15+ miles.  Our Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS) kicks off in March, and is designed to prepare hikers who are currently experienced at the upper easy/moderate level for the challenges of strenuous, long-distance day hiking.  It is also designed to provide a small-group trip environment in which hikers can build friendships by hiking with many of the same people on each trip.  All hikes are limited to participants in the course.

Minimum Qualifications: This course is not for beginning hikers.  (If you are a beginning hiker, perhaps check out our  'GoHike' series here.)  For CHS, you should be capable of a minimum sustained pace of 1.5 miles per hour (think 1:20 up Rattlesnake Ledge trail or 2:40 up Mt. Si trail).  Participants are strongly encouraged to build physical fitness and spend time outside of the course keeping themselves in shape. You should be available and committed to go on eleven hikes over the course of the summer. You should also enjoy group hiking and socializing with your fellow participants.

What to Expect: The 2020 CHS program consists of a mandatory daytime class on Saturday, March 14 at the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center, a minimum of two CHS hikes per month building in mileage and elevation gain from April through August, and a graduation hike of 15+ miles in September. The class session on March 14 is designed to teach basic information that is needed to prep for longer hikes, and also to go over course guidelines and expectations.  Participants are also required to complete one day of Stewardship in the form of trail maintenance and earn their  Low Impact Recreation badge (consisting of a few videos and a quiz) in order to graduate.  This is a popular series with a long waitlist, therefore, you must be willing and committed to graduating in order to occupy a spot on the roster.

Prior to your first hike in April, you will choose your preference for moderate (CHS1) or fast (CHS2) paced hikes. If you are uncertain which level is best for you, pacing hikes will be offered on March 21/22 and our leaders will help you select a pacing group.

Where We Hike:  Our hike destinations vary depending on the month and range from the Cascades to the Olympics, from Mt. Baker to the Columbia Gorge, and everywhere in between including Mt. Rainier, Eastern Washington, the Kitsap peninsula, Mount St. Helens, Hwy 2, and the I-90 Snoqualmie Corridor.  We offer hikes on each Sat/Sun of every month with occasional weekday offerings for those with flexible schedules.  Please note that the hike list below is a work in progress.  For a more accurate representation of what will be offered, you can view sample hike schedules from a previous year  here (for the CHS 1 moderate pace group) and here (for the CHS 2 faster pace group).  

Miscellaneous Details:

• Other popular annual events (all optional) offered with Seattle CHS include the Coast Cleanup Weekend at Shi Shi Beach (April),  a Columbia Gorge hiking weekend (May), a Mt. Rainier campout weekend featuring  hikes in and around the park (July), and a North Cascades campout weekend highlighting several stunning hike locales  in the 'American Alps' (August).   
• As with all club hikes, participants are expected to contribute toward carpooling costs if they are riding as a passenger.
• Our optional overnight trips have extra costs associated with them. 
• We frequently stop for an inexpensive meal or snack following our hikes.