Matt Vadnal
On Wednesday, March 1, a large group of Mountaineers gathered for the Everett Branch’s Annual Pot Luck Dinner and Gear Grab at the Everett United Church of Christ (UCC). Members of the general public attended as well and learned about Mountaineers courses and activities. The UCC is a historic gathering place for the Everett Branch because its membership meetings convened there for 38 years.
Tables were covered with camping, climbing, hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing gear. Buyers were pleased by the good deals and sellers seemed happy to unload items which they had not used for years. As always, conversations morphed into discussions about mountaineering adventures in the recent and distant past and the Mountaineers who participated in them. Two Mountaineers who joined our organization in the late ‘70s reminisced on climbing together for nearly 40 years.
The highlight of the evening was a presentation by Mountaineers Books author Craig Romano, a prolific outdoor writer and hiker, who has authored or co-authored 18 hiking guides. His research efforts included hiking over 19,000 miles all over the Pacific Northwest. Craig introduced his latest work, Day Hiking, Olympic Peninsula, 2nd Edition, through photos and descriptions from many of the 136 hikes in the guide. The presentation included many new hiking trails, which have been created or restored since Craig authored the first edition in 2007. After his presentation, Craig stayed to autograph copies.
