Backpack The Olympic Beach

After arriving into Seattle, we'll head a short distance west to the Olympic Beach and one of the last wilderness coastlines in North America. We will camp on sandy beaches nestled against rugged cliffs and witness an amazing variety of wildlife, such as deer, seals, bald eagles, starfish, otters, and possibly whales.

Sea Kayak the San Juan Islands

A short ferry ride will take us to the San Juan Islands, where we'll sea kayak for three days in safe and stable 2-person boats. In this placid ocean environment, we'll travel to uninhabited islands and experience beautiful sunsets, amazing varieties of marine life, and share our evenings with seals and orca whales.

Rock Climb at Smith Rock State Park

Smith Rock State Park is one of North America's premiere rock climbing desinations. We will set up our basecamp in this breathtaking high desert area of granite cliffs where, for three days, we will have the opportunity to learn basic climbing skills and safety procedures such as movement on rock, anchors, rappelling, rope systems and signaling. Grouped by ability, we'll climb a variety of challenging routes, culminating with an optional Tyrolean traverse of the Monkey's Face.

Whitewater Raft The Deschutes River

On this amazing river, we'll learn whitewater rafting and inflatable kayaking skills on one of the finest two-day stretches of rapids in North America. This famous river combines quiet, clear pools with loads of Class III and IV whitewater and sandy beaches for our campsites.

Backpack the Pacific Crest Trail and Climb Mount Adams

At 12,276 feet, Mount Adams is a perfect introduction to snow climbing and a wonderful prelude to climbing its northern neighbor, Mount Baker. We will backpack into this magnificent wilderness, where we'll build on our backcountry, leadership, and team building skills. From our campsite in the snow, we'll learn basic snow climbing skills before we embark on our summit bid. The spectacular view of Mount Baker from the summit of Mount Adams will leave us all greatly anticipating our next climb.

Climb Mount Baker

At 10,781 feet, Mount Baker is the northern-most and one of the most heavily glaciated volcanoes in the Cascades range. This is the perfect venue for our culminating ascent. Following a one-day refresher class in the fundamentals of snow climbing by world-class mountaineers, we'll embark on our exciting two-day climb. Day One finds us snuggled into our camp at 9,000 feet. Day Two will begin under the glow of headlamps as we rope together with our guides, secure our crampons and begin the final and most spectacular leg of our journey. Few words can describe the sunrise at 10,000 feet or the amazing views from Canada to California as we summit above the clouds. Following our successful climb, we'll return to Seattle for our end-of-trip banquet and flights home.

All the major components of this trip have been offered by us over the past 39 years.

 

Teachers/Group Leaders: This adventure or a variation of it can be offered as a private/custom trip with your own departure dates. Please contact our group desk at 800-533-2281.