The Mountaineers
Join the Olympia branch on the first Wednesday of every month, from September through May, at the Friends Meeting House at Priest Point for a potluck and talk as part of our Adventure Speaker Series.
Our schedule is below, or jump to a specific speaker:
- September 7, 2016
- October 5, 2016
- December 7, 2016
- January 4, 2017
- February 1, 2017
- March 1, 2017
- April 5, 2017
- May 3, 2017
6:15pm Social: grab a hot drink, check out or return Mountaineer library books, connect with our great outdoor community.
6:30pm Meet the Mountaineers: audio visual & flyers,membership and class information
7pm Adventure Speaker Series : Starts promptly, arrive earlier for parking and seating
Come early for all activities or arrive no later then 6:45 for the Adventure Speaker.
Laurie Choate | Tour Du Mont Blanc
SePTember 7, 2016
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a classic European trek that winds around the Mont Blanc massif, traversing through the French, Italian, and Swiss high Alps. The circuit is 110 miles in length, and rises and falls over 30,000 feet in elevation along the ever changing mountain panoramas.
Join Mountaineer member Laurie Choate as she shares her 10 day adventure with her daughter, Katie, on this spectacular hike. Carrying only a day pack, Katie and Laurie enjoyed mountain huts, alpine villages, snow capped peaks, and endless glaciers as they hiked through pristine valleys and over dramatic mountain passes.
If you think hiking in the Alps is beyond your grasp, come learn how anyone with reasonable fitness can enjoy this classic trek. Laurie will be sharing her lessons learned and give helpful hints as you plan your own adventure. RSVP encouraged but not required. RSVP today.
Zachary Brown | 2300 mile Trek by foot and kayak
October 5, 2016
Join Zachary Brown (PhD, Stanford University, Arctic climate science) as he speaks about his efforts to create an institute for education and research in wild Alaska. Inian Islands Institute brings scientists and student groups for field-based courses among the mountains, glaciers, and fjords of Alaska, focused on environmental leadership. As part of this project, in the summer of 2014 Zachary set off from Stanford University for a 4-month, 2300-mile solo trek up the Pacific coast to Alaska, on foot and by kayak - and he looks forward to sharing his photos and stories from that grand adventure with you. RSVP encouraged but not required. RSVP today.
No November Speaker
Instead Join us for the Olympia Mountaineers Annual Banquet on October 29. Robert Kandiko, American Alpine Club's 2016 award recipient, will share his Denali rescue experience and lessons learned from mountaineering. Purchase tickets in advance (ticket link will be posted when available. Mountaineer's banquet will be at the Worthington Center, St. Martin's University.
Craig Romano | Olympic Peninsula
December 7, 2016
Come take a slideshow hiking tour around the Olympic Peninsula, Grays Harbor and Long Beach Peninsula with award winning guidebook author Craig Romano. Drawing from his long-awaited for and newly released Second Edition Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula (Mountaineers Books); Craig will introduce you to a diverse array of trails on the Olympic Peninsula. Craig hiked more than 2000 miles researching this book from easy nature trails to wilderness romps. This all new completely revised and updated volume contains 136 hikes, including many found in no other guidebooks. Many of the hikes from the previous edition have been greatly expanded providing for even more hiking opportunities.
Romano is one of the most prolific trails writers in the Northwest having penned more than a dozen books covering the region. His Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington’s Last Frontier, was recognized in 2010 by Washington Secretary of State, Sam Reed and State Librarian, Jan Walsh as a Washington Reads book for its contribution to Washington’s cultural heritage.
Susan Marie Conrad | Kayaking the inside Passage
January 4, 2017
Please join us for an evening with local author and paddler Susan Conrad as she shares stories and images from her solo sea kayak journey up the western seaboard. She’ll talk about the magic and mayhem of paddling to Alaska—and writing a book! Come listen to this story of the sea and the soul. Susan will also read from her recently published memoir "INSIDE: One Woman's Journey Through the Inside Passage." Hardcover copies will be available. Get yours autographed at the event!
Michael Walther | Hiking American's longest Mountain trails
February 1, 2017
Homegrown Olympia Mountaineer Michael Walther traded his college years for the chance to hike America's longest mountain trails. Join him for a romp along the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and Continental Divide trails, a total of 7500 miles. See some of our most celebrated national parks, towering mountain ranges, lush forests, and friendliest towns through the eyes of a young thru hiker. Along the way you'll meet fellow hikers and generous Trail Angels, camp in a restroom, get a very unfortunate tick bite, and find a mysterious burlap bundle in the desert. What's more, you may discover a long walk in your future!
Eli Boschetto | Oregon's Crest Trail
March 1, 2017
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon is written by Eli Boschetto. A guidebook author and website editor based in Portland, OR, Eli has been writing and photographing trails in the Northwest for more than 10 years. He has served as a Northwest trail correspondent for Backpacker, and is the former editor of Washington Trails.
Heather Hanson | Cuba
April 5, 2017
Cuba is a mystery to most Americans. When we do think about it, our thoughts are often limited to politics or old cars. Heather spent 10 days on a botanical tour of Cuba in November 2015. In addition to exotic flowers, they also saw a wide variety of birds and other fauna and got to know the Cuban people. Learn about the challenges of daily life in Cuba as well as the beauty of the island
May 3, 2017 | William Sullivan- New Hikes on the Oregon Coast
Oregon's hiking guru takes on a slide show tour of a dozen new trails he discovered while researching the new fourth edition of his book, "100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range." Discover a loop hike around Depoe Bay, an abandoned railroad along a river near Tillamook, and a trek to the world’s tallest redwoods just over the border in California. As always, Sullivan spices his talk with notes on the geology, wildlife, and history of the land.
Sullivan is the author of 17 books about Oregon, including "Oregon Trips & Trails," "Oregon's Greatest Natural Disasters," Hiking Oregon's History, and the popular “100 Hikes” series. His journal of a 1000-mile hike he took across Oregon in 1985, “Listening for Coyote,” was chosen by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission as one of Oregon’s “100 Books,” the 100 most significant books in the state’s history. He has also written four novels and a collection of short stories, “The Oregon Variations.”
About the Adventure Speaker Series
The adventure speaker series is coordinated by Carolyn Burreson. If you'd like more information or if you are interested in speaking, please contact Carolyn.
No meetings in the summer months, June, July, or August.
