Chenmin Liu
On November 2, 2018, members of the Everett Mountaineers had a great time celebrating course graduates and honoring award recipients at the annual award banquet.
This year, 29 students from the Basic Climbing Course were awarded their hard-earned graduation certificates, and celebrated their accomplishment and fun memories in the class! Over the span of 8 months, they attended 13 lectures and 6 field trips (including 3 overnights), passed 2 exams, successfully summited at least 3 peaks, and practiced wilderness navigation and first aid skills. To top these off, they probably also spent hours outside of the class tying knots, practicing rescue skills, reviewing the textbook, conditioning and gym climbing. They trained hard, built friendships, encouraged each other to push their limit, and made lots of fun memories!
Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our amazing volunteer instructors who share their wealth of passion, knowledge, and experience with climbing students year after year. The banquet was also a time to recognize leaders for their commitment to the Everett Mountaineers. The Ken Nelson Climbing Award honors outstanding climbing leadership and service to the climbing program. Recipients are nominated by the branch members and selected by the climbing committees. Congratulations to Ian Lauder, the Intermediate Climbing Program coordinator, for his well-earned award! Your commitment to instructing and trip leading is much appreciated, and your self-discipline in training truly inspires many of us. The Larry Ingalls Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes voluntarism in various committees over years, was presented to Louis Coglas. Thanks Louis for your dedication to fire lookout maintenance and leadership in stewardship in the past 20+ years. You made the Mt Pilchuck and Three Finger Lookouts sweet homes for many backpackers. These lookouts are a great representation of our awesome family of Everett Mountaineer volunteers. Thank you all for giving up your weekends and evenings to help students learn and grow.
Our own branch chair Elaina Jorgensen gave an inspiring talk about her 8-month fun and ‘cheap’ solo backpacking trip. Her adventure through 16 countries on 3 continents included trekking the 'W' in Patagonia, kite surfing lessons in Zanzibar, exploring caves on Easter Island, riding two-hump camels in the Gobi.
Congratulations again to all the graduates and the award recipients. Thank you for all you do for the Everett Mountaineers community.
