Howdy! Sly introduction + recent photos from Mt Defiance/etc

[MarsIsCobra]

As Peder said, lots of people around who do the 20+ mile days. I'm a lot older than you and done both South Sister and Mt Adams (and many more) in a day out/back You can find good reliable people to hike with. Sounds like you might enjoy the catwalk on ruckle ridge. Look into that, it's a blast If you like mental challenges try rock of ages. short but sweet.

One of the things I really like about this forum is you'll find most people are "responsible" hikers, carry the 10 essentials, are reliable and have a good head on their shoulders.

and yeah like others are saying - snowshoe. it's awesome. Just strap 'em on your pack and go. Hit the higher elevations, strap em on and KEEP GOING!!! (don't forget a pair of microspikes)

tim

[Sly]

Thanks for the links, Jerry and awildman. Bookmarked for reference.

The Ruckle Ridge catwalk looks awesome! Definitely putting that one on the short list.

[Lurch]

Some other options:

Columbia River Orienteering Club - learn map and compass skills in a fun and accessible environment. They have courses all over the region, including Mt. Tabor, and many events are free or about $10. They'll teach you basic navigation skills and then you can practice on the courses with experienced folks.

Be careful thinking Orienteering clubs will teach you roughland/wilderness navigation! They use similar but different techniques. Most orienteering courses I know of operate on Magnetic north, completely ignoring declination and skipping a lot of redundancy techniques in favor of speed (timed courses).

If you're experienced with navigation their techniques can be adapted and helpful, but I wouldn't send someone there looking to learn from scratch and translate it over to backcountry nav.

[raven]

I don't see how learning to navigate with speed and situational awareness can be anything but an advantage. Orienteering offers a good chance to learn both and practice practical skills in a safe setting.

Translating a map to the ground is a step many people never successfully make. Instead they learn an area, say the Columbia Gorge, and in navigating within that area, believe themselves to have general skills. Others learn in the mountains, or learn mountain techniques using map and compass that rely on landmarks and sightings. In a wooded flattish area, one needs other skills.

Failing to learn to transfer map info into ground reality rapidly and accurately, many hide their ignorance behind a GPS. Nothing is wrong with using a GPS, but one should be a functional navigator without one, and that requires the experience in trusting one's judgment that double-checking a GPS prevents.

Speed and situational awareness easily extend into better ways of having situational awareness and an increased capacity for speedy and decision-making. I'm not convinced that the other direction works as well.

[Lurch]

I wasn't looking to get into a debate over it, just stating that traditional orienteering groups teach short cutted navigation that work in a speed oriented closed-course situations, but are bad habits for nav in a broader sense. If someone wanted to learn navigation as a whole, and orienteering club is not where I would send them to start.

[forestkeeper]

[awildman]

I wasn't looking to get into a debate over it, just stating that traditional orienteering groups teach short cutted navigation that work in a speed oriented closed-course situations, but are bad habits for nav in a broader sense. If someone wanted to learn navigation as a whole, and orienteering club is not where I would send them to start.

Thanks for the clarification, Lurch. I was focused on the low to no-cost resources where Sly could gain some knowledge. Do you know of any free map and compass courses in the region that are more suitable?