Basic Wilderness Skills Sponsored by the Mountaineers Seattle Hiking Committee Overview
The Basic Wilderness Skills (BWS) course is for people just starting to hike, current hikers new to the NW, and/or those who enjoy group hiking activities. This course provides learning experiences for appropriate gear/equipment, trip preparation checklists, backcountry navigation, trail emergencies prep, Leave No Trace/wilderness ethics, nutrition & conditioning for hikes, mountain weather, and having fun on the trail.
The workshops and field trips are complimented by a 60 page student handbook and several reading assignments designed to reinforce workshop activities and discussion.
The hikes scheduled for the course during the spring/summer will give you an chance to get to know your fellow students, become familiar with local trails, and practice new skills. BWS Course Activities & Calendar
Two Sunday workshops Sun. April 9th Workshop1 (w/potluck lunch) 9 am – 3:30pm Sun. April 23rd Workshop2-Nav 9:00 am – 2:45pm Two field trips TBD date - Gear Shopping (opt in, ) th Sat. June 3 Trail Work Party – National Trails Day or with WTA by arrangement. Alternative stewardship arrangements or activities can be made, contact the course facilitator for more information.
Four Day Hikes – complete four club hikes during the spring/summer of 2017. These can be on BWS hikes or other Mountaineer club hikes. Little Si – North Bend Workshop1 – AM (Section 1 )
Introductions Course review & resources/materials Hikes beta: difficulty ratings, scheduling, pace Packs & Boots, Essential systems Elements of a Compass, required features Trail Hazards awareness
Hike Scenarios – group discussions Workshop1 – PM (Section 2)
Nutrition for hiking Conditioning for hikes Backcountry ethics – Leave No Trace First aid review – 7 Steps of Response
First aid includes an interactive activity and the conditioning topic will include some examples so casual/comfortable clothing is recommended. Navigation – Worshop2
Know the route and where you have been.
Find your destination Stewardship – Trail Work party Sign-up Date & Costs
Signup Wednesday March 1 – April 5th. You will need to be a Mountaineers member to sign-up for the 2017 BWS course. Course fee is $85.00. Sign-up via: Club website at www.Mountaineers.org Seattle clubhouse phone 206-521-6001 Course Hikes
Course hikes are designed to build fellowship within the BWS hikers, reinforce key learning areas from the workshops and explore some great easy to easy/moderate trails. We schedule 3 course hikes a month, from May thru Aug and at least one will be an easy hike. You can hike all your hikes on the easy trips or stretch out distance and elevation as you get in more hiking experiences. We hike rain or shine and expect our hikers to know their preferences. So cancel out with courtesy to other hikers if you don’t want to hike in bad weather. Course Completion – Graduation Badge
Hikers who attend 2 workshops, complete a stewardship fieldtrip and go on 4 club hikes will satisfy the grad requirements for BWS. Once hikers have completed their hikes, they will email the course facilitator to be awarded a badge to their member profile.
Questions???
Ready to sign-up for the Basic Wilderness Travel course
Shopping & Finding your gear
The most important gear to get right is your pack and boots. Plan to spend a few shopping trips to find the right fit. Annual REI sale is the end of April. Other local retailers include: Outdoor research Patagonia Eddie Bauer Second Ascent North Face Feathered Friends Cabela’s Play It Again Sports Outdoor Emporium Columbia Sports
Essential Systems Gear List
A good first step is taking an inventory of the gear you already have and can use for hiking. Below is the minimum gear list for your pack. Sun Protection - Sunglasses & sunscreen/lipbalm, sun hat
Navigation - Compass & Map
Illumination - Headlamp/small flashlight + batt.
Fire - Firestarter/matches
Emergency shelter - Rain/wind coat & pants or poncho, safety blanket
Insulation - Hat & gloves/mittens, extra dry socks/clothing
Hydration - Water bottle(s) or bladder & nozzle
First aid kit (bandaids, moleskin, medicines you need for overnight)
Repair kit - Pocket/utility knife
Nutrition - Extra food Sanitation - Plastic shovel/wipes & ziplocs Communication ** – whistle, camera/phone Essential Systems –other gear notes
Compass requirements: (bezel with 0-360 in 2 degree increments and with adjustable declination, 3-4in clear baseplate, sighting mirror and/or direction of travel arrow) More info at : http://www.mountaineers.org/seattle/navigation/ Will your trip needs include: ??? Insect Repellant, head net hat Hiking poles Communication Device, GPS
Conditioning and Knowing your Pace
Have you hiked before on PNW trails? Part of conditioning is knowing where you are starting from based on experience and fitness level. Pacing is not directly linked to a hike level rating. They are defined as: Slow or Leisurely (less than 1.5 mph average) Moderate (1.5- 2 mph average) Fast (> 2 mph average) Conditioner (means fast with fewer or no stops) Do you want to hike on different levels or stay with moderate or lower hikes and lower pace ratings? Elevation gains are different depending on how high you begin.
Know your general fitness level, understand that an uneven trail tread is different than the treadmill and stair stepper and start easy at the beginning. So many choices – know your preferences
Are you willing to drive a couple hours to get to the trail/hike? Do you care if part of the drive is on dusty/muddy FS roads that are rocky and somewhat potholed? Do you care whether there are flies and mosquitoes biting? Do you want to hike far? High? Or Both? Is solitude important when you hike or do you want to meet other folks hiking too? Do the people you are hiking with hike at the same pace and are reliable? Are you compatible with the goal for the hike (journey vs. destination)? E = easy (<8 mi RT, 1100’ gain) M = moderate (8-10 mi RT, <2100’ gain), S = strenuous (+10 mi, +2100’ gain). Know the answers to the above questions before you plan the hike and you will have fun, safe hikes for many seasons. Safety: Share your trip details with a family member or friend.
Whether you hike with a group or by yourself it is important to make a plan and share it with a backup – a friend, family member or co-worker.
Give the destination name, trail/map details,distance and what date/time you “expect” to be back (add a reasonable amount of time for travel to/from TH), the names/numbers of other people on the hike. Basically information you want S&R to know when they are coming to help.
Remember to phone/check in with your backup when you are back from the hike.
Leave valuables at home. Don’t leave anything in the car at the TH. Thieves know where to look and may be hanging around watching you put your wallet under the seat or the iPod in the trunk. Scary Stories
It is easier than you think to avoid becoming a missing hiker, lost hiker, or dead hiker. This presentation is to help you make smart choices and be prepared for the unexpected when you decide to go hiking.
Sept 20, 2007…Search and rescue volunteers and authorities are continuing the search for Mary Wingfield, a Seattle hiker lost on the Stetattle Creek trail in North Cascades National Park since Sept 16th. Searchers have found several notes and other items left by Wingfield several hundred yards off the trail. The notes indicate she is without food, water or a map and is attempting to hike downstream. Sept 21, 2007 – Missing Seattle Hiker found OK in the North Cascades National Park, she was was found Friday afternoon. At about 2 p.m., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter was flying back and forth above Stetattle Creek. On a hunch, pilot Chris Rosen decided to fly beyond the designated search area. He thought maybe Wingfield got confused and headed upstream, instead of down. “And that’s exactly what she’d done” said Rosen. “She’d wandered a good way out of the search area.” Rosen spotted Wilnfield at the top of a waterfall. Wingfield said she headed upstream because nothing had seemed familiar the other way.
Jul 14, 2004 …Searchers resumed their search Thursday morning for a missing hiker in the Cascades. Wednesday marked George Hurlbut's fourth night lost somewhere near Denny Creek, west of Snoqualmie Pass. There is some hope Hurlbut, 55, might have made the same mistake other hikers have made and that he may be wandering miles away - alive and well - somewhere in the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River. "We don't know that for sure, but we're definitely checking it out. From past searches we know that's where the drainage pushes them," said Deputy Ed Christian. Hurlbut's SUV was found parked at the Denny Creek trailhead near Snoqualmie Pass. A lot of people come to this spot to take a day hike to Melakwa Lake. Hikers who have gotten lost here before missed the trail on the return trip and can go in entirely the wrong direction. The summer weather is in this missing hiker's favor. Hurlbut has been lost since Sunday. He didn't tell anyone exactly where he was going. If he left a main trail he could very well be in the middle of nowhere, and just as difficult to find. About 70 searchers were on the ground Wednesday, 50 more will join them Thursday. Jul 15, 2004 George Hurlbut, who had been missing for five days in the Cascades near Denny Creek, was found alive and well Thursday afternoon. King County police say he is a bit dehydrated, but was otherwise OK. He didn't tell anyone exactly where he was going. His wife called friends Sunday night concerned after he didn't check in, and coworkers became concerned when he didn't show up for work at Washington Mutual on Monday. Those coworkers then formed their own search group and scoured all the parking lots around the popular hiking trailheads around I-90. They found Hurlbut's car on Tuesday but there was no sign of him, and the area is honeycombed with trails. At the searches' peak, 150 searchers were looking for him, but there was no sign of him until he walked out of the woods near the North Bend McDonald's.
Better Outcomes - Be Prepared…
May 28, 2009 - Searchers on Thursday were sent to find two hikers lost in the Salmon River area. Russ Gubele with Mountain Ridge Search and Rescue said the hikers were two adults who called 9-1-1 Thursday morning saying they got lost in the snow. The two were not hurt and said they had food and were pretty well equipped. Searchers tracked the cell phone to a ridge and located the pair around 4 p.m. The hikers said they got lost Wednesday and spent the night in the woods, having just enough food to get them through Thursday. Not long after 4 p.m. Clackamas County Search & Rescue crews made contact with the hikers and in about a half-hour SAR Command Post officials heard the message "We got'em – We got'em -We are with them both and they are safe." "That was great news to hear, I was getting concerned", Deputy Scott Meyers said. "I love this job."
On Wednesday, two hikers lost in the area since Monday were safely rescued by crews on the bank of the Salmon River. One of those rescued Wednesday said they had forgotten some of the "ten essentials:" Compass, first aid kit, emergency blanket, fire starter, knife, flashlight, whistle, water bottle, rain gear and sunscreen.
---- NWCN – Oregon News Other Info: Navigation: Maps & Trail Info
Green Trails are the map of choice for hikers. (publishes over 140 topographic recreation map titles) http://www.greentrailsmaps.com/ WA highway maps and FS road maps are also recommended to use for planning hikes.
WA Trails Association http://www.wta.org/ A great resource for current trail conditions go to Find A Hike/Freshest Trip Report from the top menu bar.
NW Hikers Forum – A friendly message board of experienced and active hikers who love to talk hiking and share information. http://www.nwhikers.net/
Parking Passes & Regulations
Free Days- 2017
A pass will not be required on these two days: . National Trails Day June 3, 2017 . National Public Lands Day September 30, 2017 NW Forest Pass Cost = Annual Pass cost $30.00 (good for one year from month of purchase) Day Passes cost $5.00
As a result of a Congressional order, in the Northwest Region (Region 6) of the USFS, we now have the Northwest Forest Pass program. For $30 you must now buy a pass that's good at all Forest Service trailheads through out Oregon and Washington. The pass is valid for one year from the day you purchased it.
NOTE: If you do not wish to pay the $30, you may do two days of volunteer work on Forest Service trails with WTA. Your volunteer service will be acknowledged with a free annual pass. (www.wta.org) WA Discover Pass Cost = Annual Pass cost $30.00 Parking Passes & Regulations cont.
National Park entrance fees Free Week: April 17 – 23, 2017 Free days/weekends: June 3, Sept 30, and Nov 11
Per park passes: week/7 day = $25, annual pass = $50.
America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass - Annual Pass = $80 Provides access to: Federal recreation sites that charge an entrance or Standard Amenity Fee. Senior Pass cost = $10 (Age 62 or older, Valid for: Lifetime of pass holder) .
Note: Replaces National Parks, Golden Eagle Hologram, Golden Access and Golden Age passport passes. Those in circulation are still honored according to the provisions of the pass. Paper Golden Age and Access can be exchanged for the new America the Beautiful pass.
Other Info : Phone# for Backcountry Information
DOT 511 Mt. Rainier National Park Mt Baker/Snoqualmie Nat’l Forest Forest Fires 800-562-6010 Forest Headquarters 425-775-9702 Headquarters 360-569-2211 Darrington R.D. 360-436-1155 Weather/Seattle Times Info Carbon River R.S. 360-829-5127 Glacier P.S.C. 360-599-2714 Main Number206-464-2000 North Bend R.D. 425-888-1421 NW Interior206-464-9901 Nisqually R.S. HQ+Ext. 3314 Mt. Baker R.D. 360-856-5700 Seattle Area206-464-9902 Ohanapecosh R.S. 360-569-6001 Skykomish R. D. 360-677-2414 Cascade206-464-9904 Snoqualmie Pass 360-434-6111 Extended West206-464-9907 Paradise R.S. HQ+Ext. 2328 Verlot P.S.C. 360-691-7791 Extended East206-464-9908 White River R.D. 360-825-6585 Mt. Rainier206-464-9915 Sunrise R.S. HQ+Ext. 2328 White River R.S. 360-663-2425 State Parks 360-902-8844
Olympic National Park Headquarters 360-565-3130 Dosewallips R.S. 360-877-5569 Elwha R.S. 360-452.9191 Heart O’ the Hills R.S. 360-452-2713 Hoh R.S. 360-374-6925 Lake Crescent R.S. 360-928-3380 Lake Ozette R.S. 360-963-2725 Quinalt R.S. 360-288-2444 Staircase R.S. 360-877-5569 Storm King/Sol Duc 360-928-3380 Other Info: Hiking Guides
Day Hiking: Mount Rainier National Park Guide Book by Dan A. Nelson & Alan L. Bauer (The Mountaineers Books) Day Hiking: Snoqualmie Region Guide Book by Dan A. Nelson with Alan L. Bauer (The Mountaineers Books)
60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Seattle Guide Book by Andrew Weber & Bryce Stevens (Menasha Ridge Press)
Best Wildflower Hikes Washington Guide Book by Art Kruckeberg with Karen Sykes & Craig Romano (The Mountaineers Books)
Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades Guide Book by Joan Burton (The Mountaineers Books)
Best of the Pacific Crest Trail: Washington Guide Book by Dan A. Nelson (The Mountaineers Books)