Olympia Adventure Speakers Committee
Olympia Mountaineers invites members and non-members to join us at our evening socials featuring speakers guaranteed to inspire your next adventure.
The Adventure Speaker Series meets on the first Wednesday of the month, November through March. We meet at the Friends Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Rd. NE, Olympia 98506.
6:00 - Doors open. Meet the Mountaineers, check out our library, watch the audiovisual presentation, and pick up pamphlets on membership, activities, and classes.
6:45 - Branch announcements of upcoming classes and events.
7:00 - The Adventure Speaker Series starts promptly at 7pm. Arrive earlier for parking and seating.
The event is free, but please RSVP. Our RSVP sign up links will be added to this site soon.
For more information, contact Carolyn Burreson.
2024-2025 Olympia Mountaineers Adventure Speaker Series
November 6: Dixie Havlak Adventures in Canada
Our neighbor to the north offers some fabulous wilderness experiences, from inland canoe routes to protected sea kayaking, to remote fly-in parks and boat-in preserves, to spectacular hiking trails and lengthy biking routes. All surrounded by a natural beauty that is similar and yet distinct from that of Washington and infused with strong indigenous cultures. This presentation will help you set your sights northward, with
picture tours of Bowron Lakes, Broken Group Islands, Haida Gwaii, Tweedsmuir and Wells Gray, Callaghan ski lodge, Cape Scott, the West Coast Trail, and more!
December 4: Craig Romano. Day Hiking Columba River Gorge
Craig Romano with his trademark enthusiasm and expertise, will share information on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Silver Star Scenic Area, Trapper Creek Wilderness, Cottonwood Canyon State Park and some select hikes along the Columbia east of the Gorge, with explorations of national forests and wilderness areas, state forests, state parks, county parks, city parks, and national wildlife refuges.
Craig’s new book Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge, 2nd Edition is the perfect guide book for exploring the breathtaking beauty of one of the most popular hiking destinations near the Portland–Vancouver metro area. Updated and expanded and now with full-color photos, this new edition offers something for everyone–including accessible trails, historical destinations, wildflowers, waterfalls, the old-growth forests of Oregon, and the sun-kissed rolling hills of Washington. Purchase a signed copy at Craig’s presentation.
JANUARY 8: MARKO PAVELA. SOUTHERN CROATIA
Calling all multi sport enthusiasts and "off the beaten path" international travelers! Join us on January 8, when Olympia Mountaineer Marko Pavela will share stories and adventures from his many travels to Croatia. The presentation will focus on possible "active travel" or "adventure tourism" day trips through the Dalmatian Hinterlands, or the inland southern part of the country.
February 5 Jon and Sharon Hubbell – “A Year in Australia”
Jon and Sharon spent 12 months traveling 18,000 miles in Australia. Their adventure included driving “on the wrong side of the road” in their Aussie RV. They will share “favorite places” from east to west around the circumference and north to south through the red center of the continent.
MARCH 5: SCOTT WAESCHLE- WILDERNESS TRAVEL IN THE FAR NORTH OF CANADA
Climber, paddler, guide, and photographer Scott Waeschle shares amazing images and tales of adventure- white water canoeing the Hood River, Nunavut. Waeschle traveled with his sons and a friend above the Arctic circle on the Hood River from its source to the Arctic ocean in July 2023.Scott will also share a trip he lead July 2024 . A group of Six paddled the Bonnet Plume
River through the Makenzie mountains of Yukon. Northern Canada is one of the last lightly traveled wildernesses where one can spend a month traveling a river without seeing another person.