Backpacking Building Blocks (B3) Course

WANT TO JUMP-START YOUR BACKPACKING DREAMS?

The Backpacking Building Blocks (B3) course offers a comprehensive season-long program of lectures, gear demonstration and practice, and several optional in-depth seminars to help you dig deeper!  And in addition we offer the support of experienced mentors and chances to practice the new skills, as well as a community of trusted trail companions, to help you get prepared and confident for successful, safe and enjoyable backpacking trips from one night to multiple nights!

FOCUS AREAS:

• • Strategies and choices to balance comfort on the trail and comfort at camp to minimize your ‘happy’ pack weight
  • Getting in shape to enjoy ‘getting there’
  • Essential gear options and how to choose, within your budget
  • Core skills for each part of the trip
  • Practical experience on backpacking trips with compatible fellow students
  • Getting you started building a community of people you trust to backpack with!

PLUS A STRONG FOCUS ON MENTORING, PRACTICE AND COMMUNITY:   

• Mentoring and peer interaction, hands-on and practice time, trying out gear options
• Chance to get comfortable with a small group of people, plus opportunities to expand personal community to other experienced backpackers
• Connect you with trusted trip leaders and compatible companions, through small mentoring groups, student-only group activities, and a wide array of group backpack trips of varying intensity in the fabulous Northwest backcountry. 

NOTE:  You do NOT need to take this or any other course to go on Mountaineers backpacking trips!  just go to activities, filter for BACKPACKING, and sign up!  Some trips may require advance Leader Permission, and the leader may ask you questions to determine your ability to be safe and successful on their planned route.

 WHAT DO I GET FOR MY COURSE FEE?

• A personal digital copy of Andrew Skurka's Ultimate Gear Guide, Second Edition (or alternative if Skurka's book is no longer available).
• Mentor groups with an experienced backpack leader and other students of similar interests and experience, for personalized help through the season,  and a community of people you get to know and feel comfortable with.
• A one-hour virtual student orientation session on the evening of March 7th to answer your questions about course logistics and help you choose a mentor group that's right for you
• Three informative required sessions to acquaint you with essential skills and gear, starting from the beginning and providing lots of hands-on experience:
  • Two interactive evening "Basics" lectures March 15th and 22nd, on zoom (7-8:30PM)
  • A  small-group,  hands-on  gear-demonstration day with your mentor group on Sunday March 25 at the Mountaineers Seattle Program Center .
• A  fun and informative 'practice camp' at a local park during the spring with your mentor group, where you'll pack your packs and go out in small covid-safe groups to set up a camp, treat water, and prepare a backpack meal on a camp stove, all within a short walk of your car.  {You don't need to have all your gear yet, and you may decide to skip this and go on an actual trip instead if you're ready!)  NOTE:  Practice camp dates and destinations may not be posted yet when the course opens because mentors often want to meet with their students first to determine the best date(s) and locations.
• Several beginner  backpacking trips with your mentor group or other B3 students, through the spring and early summer, aimed at building on-trail friendships and giving you  experience with packing and carrying gear and camping overnight in a non-threatening environment with a mentor and fellow participants that you know and trust.   (You'll choose the dates for these with your group).  You must complete 3 trips to graduate.  NOTE:  Few trips will be posted as of the day that the course opens because mentors often want to meet with their groups before deciding on trip dates and routes.

• PLUS A UNIQUE SET OF OPTIONAL SEMINARS, OFFERED FREE OR AT A DISCOUNT TO B3 STUDENTS, TO HELP YOU 'DIG DEEPER' - register for these when you sign up for the course!:

  • Conditoning for Hiking and Backpacking (on March 8, April 5, May 9)
  • Ultra-light gear and strategies (on April 4)
  • Tips and tricks for women backpackers (on May 3)
  • Lightweight backpacking food planning and prep (on April 18)
  • Essential backpacking trip planning tools and tips (on April 27)
  • Tips for Long Distance backpacking (on May 11)
  • Navigation skills and tools to ‘stay found’ on trails (see  Staying Found course  - 50% discount available on request for B3 students)

B3 is a bit more expensive than some of the other Mountaineers backpacking course offerings, but when you look at the many seminars that you can attend for free as a B3 student that would otherwise cost you a seminar fee, combined with all the extra mentoring and support that will help you save money by getting the right gear the first time and build your confidence quickly, you'll more than make up the difference!  

NO PREREQUISITES!  

There are no course or activity requirements to sign up for the B3 course, but you must be a Mountaineers member (not just a guest member) to participate in all the required elements.    IT IS VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME RECENT EXPERIENCE HIKING IN THE BACKCOUNTRY, though this is not required.  (You can sign up for the course and we'll help you find some hikes to help you get this experience before the course begins!)

REGISTERING FOR B3:

AT THE TIME YOU REGISTER FOR THE B3 COURSE, PLEASE ALSO REGISTER FOR THE REQUIRED STUDENT ORIENTATION,  "BASICS" LECTURES AND DEMO DAY.  WE ALSO ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE FOR  ANY OF THE OPTIONAL  SEMINARS OR CLINICS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN.  

• At your earliest convenience after registering for the course, please complete and submit the required mentor group information form to help us tailor the course to your needs and inform your mentors of your interests, priorities and background.  
  • The form will be easiest to complete on a tablet or computer, more clunky on a smartphone, though certainly can complete either way.
• If you absolutely can't attend one of the four required components, email Cheryl Talbert at cascadehiker12@gmail.com  and we'll discuss your options to get that information or experience another way - we're here for you and know that schedules can be crazy!
• If  you can't commit to one of the seminars or clinics shown within the course listing at the time you register for the B3 course, you may come back and register later if space is available by opening the B3 course listing, scrolling down, and clicking on Manage My Registration.  Space is limited so reserve your spot as soon as you can.  Students will also have access to recordings of the lectures and seminars after they are held - but you'll want to attend in person if you can so that you can get involved in Q&A and breakout discussions.

B3 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

To graduate, students must complete all of the required components plus  3 backpack trips {of which at least one is two nights or more}.   

• Any Mountaineers backpack trip including 'open' trips (on the Mountaineers Activity page for Backpacking) as well as B3 student-only backpacks and mentor group backpacks count, as do Mountaineers overnights for the scramble or winter camping courses! 
• One of the three backpack trips can be a private trip as long as the student does the primary planning, supplies and carries their own gear, sets up their own camp and plans-carries-prepares their own trail food; at least two need to be a Mountaineers-led backpack. 

In addition, to graduate we also ask that you complete the free online Low Impact Recreation course offered by the Mountaineers, and at least one stewardship activity.

• Stewardship trips are available in quantity on the Washington Trails Association and Mountaineers websites and are easy to get onto but you must register!  You may complete your stewardship even before the first course lecture if you'd like, and stewardship activities completed in the past 6 months for other courses can count.

YOU MUST COMPLETE YOUR THREE TRIPS, GET YOUR LOW-IMPACT RECREATION BADGE AND COMPLETE A STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITY TO GRADUATE FROM THE COURSE! 

• You have as many years as you need to complete the requirements without having to retake the course.

GROUP BACKPACK TRIPS!

Beginning in the early spring, your assigned mentors will post a series of mentor group backpacking trips on the B3 course page, generally one to two nights, with a focus on gaining confidence and practicing with skills and gear.   If any of your mentor group trips don't fit with your schedule, you are encouraged to request a spot with other mentor groups!   

In parallel, on the backpacking activity page  of the Mountaineers website you'll find trips from overnight to 5 days or more, from easy to challenging, and these trips will help you expand your backpacking skills, confidence and community, and introduce you to our favorite places in the amazing PNW backcountry with experienced Mountaineers leaders and trail companions you will come to know and trust.    These trips are open to all qualified Mountaineers members, but we'll show you how to get on an email list so that you find out about new and interesting trips as soon as they are listed!  

NOT A MOUNTAINEERS MEMBER YET?  

You must be a Mountaineers member to take this course.   Guest members are not eligible.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE to significantly reduce the cost of your membership and registration!  It takes a week or so to be approved, but most applications are granted.  However, you must apply for financial assistance BEFORE you pay for your membership or register for the course - refunds are not available.  

• To apply for financial assistance for your membership fee, complete and submit the form at this link. 
• To hold a spot in B3 while you wait for your application to be granted, call Mountaineers Member Services at 206-521-6001, explain that you have applied for financial assistance but want to hold a spot in the Backpacking Building Blocks course. 
• They will save you a spot in the order that requests are received.

If you are not planning to seek financial assistance, to become a member go to this link and scroll down to select the membership type that fits for you.  (If you are signing up with your spouse, you can save some money by creating a Family membership.)   Then you will be taken to a screen  to pay for the membership, and you'll be prompted to fill out information to set up an account.  Once your account is set up you'll be able to register for the course.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS

If you cancel yourself from the course up to and including March 7, you can get a full refund less a $10 cancellation fee.  If you cancel between March 8 and March 15, you are eligible for a 50% refund ($87.5).  If you cancel after March 15 you will not be eligible for a refund.

WANT TO TAKE YOUR KIDS BACKPACKING?    WANT TO MEET OTHER FAMILIES TO BACKPACK WITH?  

Watch for our Backpacking with Kids course for 2023, for parents with some backpacking experience who want to take their children (little ones to teenagers) backpacking. Learn more about planning, on the trail, gear, tips and tricks, etc.  Check it out here!