Sunday- Base bus pick up from Sea-Tac airport by 12 noon, 1 hr ride to Camp Sheppard High Adventure
Base, arrive by 1 PM. Cabin assignments, Lunch. Introductions, HA history, seminar orientation,
equipment check, team building activity and service project. Dinner, Begin instruction; mountaineering
knots, rope handling, signals and belaying, climbing and rappelling, Leave No Trace.
Monday- Breakfast, Gear issue, pack backpacks for shakedown hike to Ranger Rock. 30-minute bus ride to Ranger Rock trailhead. Hike 1⁄4 mile with full packs to Ranger Rock. Instruction; anchors, belaying and rappelling. Practice rappelling techniques. Lunch, 45 min. bus ride to Boulder Alley at Cayuse Pass, (4694’). Instruction; anchors, belaying and rock climbing. Practice rock climbing techniques. Bus ride back to base. Dinner, Instruction; dressing for the mountains and food planning. Gear and food issue, pack for North Bend Rocks climbing/ rappelling area and Mt. Baker summit climb.
Tuesday - Breakfast, 90 min. bus ride to North Bend Rocks trailhead. 15-min. hike up to rocks, Elev. 1000’ Instruction: climbing and rappelling. Lunch, more climbing and rappelling. 2-hr bus ride to Beyond Sheppard Advance Base in Darrington. Dinner, Gear and food issue. Instruction; packing for Mt. Baker.
Wednesday - Early Breakfast, bus ride to Park Butte trailhead, Elev. 3330’, hike 3 miles to High Camp, (5500’). Instruction; map and compass, body comfort control, nutrition and hydration, flora and fauna identification, energy conservation, foot care and river crossing. Lunch, Instruction- campsite selection and prep., tent/ fly pitching, glacier camps/ perimeters, sanitation and hygiene Mt. ecosystems & habitats, daily travel planning, prussiks, snow anchors/belays and pulley systems. Return to High
Camp. Dinner, Instruction; stove use and care, water treatment/ illness, basic cooking, bear camping techniques, wilderness/ mountain orientation, emergency procedures, weather/ lightning and Mt. Baker mountaineering history. Instruction; high altitude illness, geology/ glaciology, avalanche and bivouacs, map reading, compass, GPS. Prepare gear for summit climb. Early to bed.
Thursday - Get up early, breakfast. Rope up and climb 3.5 miles and 4000 feet to Mt. Baker summit by 8 AM via Easton Glacier route. Instruction; ice axe use, self-arrest, glacier travel, snow climbing
techniques and route finding, rope handling, cramponing-french technique, running belays, anchors, route/ hazard evaluation and fixed lines. Rest on summit, sign register, group picture, descend to High
Camp, rest. Dinner and free time.
Friday - Breakfast, break camp, crevasse rescue practice and hike out to trailhead. Lunch, bus ride back to Advance Base. Clean up, gather gear, bus ride back to Sheppard Base. Turn in gear, clean up and rest. BBQ dinner, awards presentation, group picture, meet with Director to talk about seminar, local trekkers depart for home, free time. Guests are invited to our 5 PM all-you-can-eat chicken BBQ and awards ceremony for $5 per person. They should inform Base in advance of arrival please.
Saturday - Early Breakfast, bus ride to airport by 10 AM.
Suggested reading before the seminar: Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.
