2017 Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP)
by Patrice Cook, BCEP 2017 Coordinator
I was lost on Table Mountain. I was 8 miles from the trailhead at the PCT. I was alone and had never done this hike. In fact, I was new to hiking and had done less than 4 gorge trails. The only people I had seen that day were on horseback, and that had been more than an hour ago. As I was in a scree field unable to find the trail, I knew they would not be coming this way. I had no compass, no map, no directions other than one page from a book, no extra water, food, or clothes. I think I actually dressed in cotton. This was my wake-up call. I did finally find my way to the summit. There I met a group of seven. They helped me find my way down and even drove me back to my car after a dip. It was a recently graduated group of Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) students and an assistant. They told me of the Mazamas and this class I could take to become a better hiker; even meet some folks to go with. That was my start. BCEP and this organization, this family I call the Mazamas, has changed my life.
BCEP applicants learn about our course through YOU. Through your excitement and love for the outdoors and through your stories of how it made a difference in your life. BCEP continues to be an amazing experience. We need your support. We need you to talk about BCEP with your friends, family, colleagues, co-workers and connections. Help us build our community and increase our membership with individuals who love the outdoors as much as we do.
We will have 20+ BCEP teams looking for roughly 250 people to share our knowledge of hiking, climbing, and the great outdoors.
Mark your calendars, for this year’s adventure. Information Night is Feb 2 at the Mazama Mountaineering Center. Classes run March 5 through April 25 at our new home at the OHSU Life Sciences Building (more to come on this). Help us make 2017 a great year full of worthy stories.