Category: Community

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Mazama Trail Tending in 2020

Delayed But Not Stopped by COVID

August 24, 2020
By Susan Brickey

Many thanks to the twelve Mazamas and the Forest Service Volunteer Coordinator, Paul Bach, for stepping up on short notice and assuring the Mazama Trail’s legacy continues! 

Image: Three men with brightly colored safety helmets wave from the upper leg of a switchback on the Mazama Trail, Mt. Hood. The men are practicing safe physical distancing. Behind them, further up the switchback, is a tip of a small peak, with dead trees and bright green bushes surrounding it. It is a bright, sunny day with blue skies.
Mazama trail tendering volunteers on the Mazama trail. Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

Normally, the Mazama Trail work party is scheduled in late June after most of the snow is gone, but this year COVID-related delays by both the Forest Service and Mazamas postponed it until the heat of August.  Still, after much communication, the work went on with additional COVID protocols and special release requirements.  While we missed the Avalanche Lilies, a huge feature of the June work parties, we were delighted with the ripe huckleberries that replaced them as an enticement up the trail.

What is the legacy of the Mazama Trail?  Last year, longtime Mazama climb and hike leader Ray Sheldon retold the story for the 125th anniversary of the Mazamas.  It all started in 1994 when the Mazamas went in search of an appropriate way to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The abandoned Cathedral Ridge Trail was identified, adopted, and rebuilt!  This project took four years and involved temporary shelters to house people and gear.  When it was finished, the trail was renamed after our organization and a legacy was born.  See “Mazama Trail Construction” (DVD) in the Mazama Library for the full story and for images from the project.

The traditional three-day work parties involve camaraderie and fun, with the common goal of clearing the trail and protecting it for another year of adventuring.  Since the Dollar Lake Fire in 2011, a large part of the trail maintenance requires taking out trees that have fallen over, impeding the trail.  There are two major burn areas on the trail but in the years since the fire, huckleberries, flowers, and trees return.  One year, 75 trees fell across the trail!  This year, relatively lucky only 28 needed to be cut.  It’s a good thing that tree removal is a favorite of work parties!  However, this job is also dangerous, and saw certification training is required for the oversight. Thankfully, Mazama leader Rick Pope has that certification, which allows us to host work parties consistently.  Safety is key, especially in wilderness areas!  Don’t be discouraged if you’re new the trail tending game, though. First-timers quickly learn to handle the second side of the saws. This year, new participant Andy Klumpp took his first turn on the trip and said he’d be back to help again. We’re looking forward to it, Andy!

Mazama leaders, volunteers, and our USFS partner removed 28 trees during this work party! Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

Trail tending offers work for everyone.  In addition to the heavy work of removing trees, the work usually includes benching the trail to keep it wide, cutting back brush (with a benefit this year of munching the huckleberries along the way), and clearing drains to assure water runs off with all of our rains and snowmelt.  

The Mazama Trail features 14 switchbacks before you reach the Mt. Hood Wilderness boundary.  When you reach the boundary, be sure to look back over your shoulder to view the tops of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens.  Not to mention, the breathtaking views of Mt. Hood that you are treated to at the trailhead, as well as several places along the trail. Nothing like trail work with a view (and snacks, don’t forget those huckleberries)!

Finding some huckleberry snacks along the trail. Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

To ensure the health of our leaders and volunteers, 2020’s sign up process limited the number of workers each day and required using the online sign-up system (the same as used when signing up for hikes and climbs). Participants in this year’s trail tending work party were Paul Bach, our Forest Service representative, Rick Pope, Mazama Lead, Sue Brickey, Asst. Lead, Mary and Dave Mullen, David Carrier, Gary Riggs, Jeff Hawkins, Andy Klumpp, John Maroney, Tom Davidson, John Meckel, and Mike Kacmar. Thank you to these dedicated and hardworking volunteers!  

Missed this year’s work party and feeling bummed? Fear not! The logs holding the switchbacks in place require replacing and gravel on the scree field needs refreshing, so be sure to watch for more trail tending work parties in the near future!  

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Mazama Face Mask Design Contest

Now that we have all added a new item to our packing checklist, we thought it was time to make some functional, yet beautiful, masks!

So, whether you’ve found some new quarantine-inspired creativity or you’ve been at it for years, we want to see what you’ve got! Enter as many designs as you’d like and once the submission period ends, the Mazama community will have the chance to vote on their favorite designs. 

The design with the most votes will be available for pre-order purchase, at which time we will close the form and make our order. Masks will be sold for $21 each, with quantity-based discounts to ensure you have a mask for every occasion. The purchase price includes shipping and handling. 

Masks will be made from stretch-woven polyester face fabric and cotton blend lining, with an antimicrobial finish. Comfortable, breathable, and built to last, it’s a great option for everyday wear or your next alpine adventure. Plus, they’re local! All masks will be made in Salem, OR by our friends at NW Alpine. Designers can get an idea of the possibilities at nwalpine.com/collections/masks.

Design Specs*

  • Designs should be in the spirit of the Mazama mission to “inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains.” 
  • Designers may submit as many designs as they choose.
  • Files should be submitted as .ai, .tiff, or .png.
  • The outer mask has 2 sides that get seamed together in the middle. See this PDF for a design template.

*The Mazamas reserve the right to deny design submissions based on our quality and community standards. 

The artist whose design is chosen will receive 10 masks in their design!

Submit your original artwork here!

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Anti-Racism Resources for Outdoor Recreationalists

It’s (way past) time to hit the books (and articles, podcasts, videos, and webinars)!

Most of us have a lot to learn when it comes to racism, anti-racism, and allyship in the United States, especially as it relates to outdoor recreation. There are hundreds of important resources available online, in the library, and through your headphones. Below are just a few of the outdoor-related ones that have resonated with the staff at the Mazamas, but trust us, time, a search engine, and a few keywords will be your biggest friends in this course on how to be a better human.

Online Presentations & Webinars

Articles & Other Written Materials

Podcasts & Audio Recordings

Videos & Movies

  • Pedal Through—A short film about finding healing through bikepacking. The film is part of the #OregonMade “Oregon’s Outdoors Are For Everyone” film grant series created by Travel Oregon and the Oregon Office of Film & Television.
  • Titan Project is a film about Sabrina Chapman, a Canadian sport climber with Indian & African heritage. Sabrina is on a mission to send her first 5.14a — the threshold for elite climbing. It’s also much more than that. It’s a story of one womxn’s journey of self-acceptance, healing, and resilience.

We realize this is a (very) incomplete list. Have you read or watched something pertaining to racism in the outdoors that you think should be here? Let us know! Share the pieces that have resonated with you in the comments below and we will get them added to our list! 

But, wait, there’s more! Check out the list that the American Hiking Society is curating.

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Being and feeling safe is a right for all people.

This is not true for too many of our fellow citizens.

In the last few months, we have witnessed George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery murdered, and Christian Cooper threatened while birdwatching. In the wake of these events, our country has erupted in violence and in riots.

Dr. Martin Luther King said:

“Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention”

“The Other America” Given at Stanford University on April 14, 1967. Full text.

We have failed to hear the injustices.

In our outdoor spaces, in recreation, and in our industry, we direct indignities and injustices towards Indigenous, black, and brown people. It has been a part of the fabric of America since our beginning. There is inequity in who is welcome, who is safe, and who has access to resources and opportunities. America has systemically oppressed people.

As climbers, hikers, backpackers, trailrunners, backcountry skiers, our identity is formed on our public lands and waters, and through our activities on National Forests and Parks. These spaces were created for us by displacing those who were here before us. Parts of our industry are sustained on the backs of indigenous, black, and brown people. The outdoors today is not welcoming or just to all people.

As a 125 year-old organization in a State originally created only for white people, the Mazamas have played a role in the oppression of minorities, perhaps not with intent, but the impact is no less. As an organization whose mission is to Inspire Everyone to Love and Protect the Mountains, we have work to do. Our pillars to educate, build community, and advocate for the protection of and access to our public lands and water is sound. But, we must redefine “everyone.” We, as an organization and all of us as individuals that make up our community, have significant work in learning, understanding, and evolving our actions to create a more just and equitable world.

Our vision to inform the mountain culture in the NW must include our work to acknowledge our past and actively redefine ourselves to create equitable access to our mountains and a just future for all.

We are working to become better.

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News release: Limited Columbia River Gorge Trails and Day Use Sites Open As Crowded Waterfalls, Campgrounds, and Visitor’s Centers Remain Closed

The following update on Gorge recreation was created and released by the USDA Forest Service in collaboration with Washington State Parks, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept., and the Oregon Dept. of Transportation.

May 27, 2020 — Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

A group of state and federal agencies are opening a limited number trails and day use sites in the Columbia River Gorge today, while crowded sites (including most waterfall viewing areas), campgrounds, and visitor’s centers remain closed.

When determining which facilities and services could resume, land managers followed CDC and state health authorities’ guidance for the outdoor recreation sector. The day use sites are part of a phased resumption of access that will likely span several months. Decisions are made in the interest of protecting the health of the public as well as local communities and agency employees, and sites could be subject to closing again if crowded conditions are deemed unsafe. The public should expect fewer available trails, activities, and services through the summer.

Agencies are coordinating their frameworks for phasing in access to public lands and waterways to make a conscious attempt to encourage visitors to disperse across as many alternative recreation opportunities as possible. Most waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls and others along the stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway known as “Waterfall Corridor,” remain closed because they draw millions of visitors from around the world each summer. Dog Mountain, Beacon Rock Trail, and several other narrow hiking trails also remain closed. The trails in the closed post-Eagle Creek Fire area (including Eagle Creek Trail itself and the nearby day use site) also remain closed.

The driveable portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway, also known as US 30 or the Scenic Byway, remains closed between Larch Mountain Road and Ainsworth.

Here is an interagency snapshot of recreation site status in the Columbia River Gorge as of May 27, 2020:

The Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail is open to pedestrians and bicyclists from Hood River to Mosier (the “Twin Tunnels” section) and along the newer section from Wyeth to Viento. The section from John B. Yeon to Cascade Locks remains closed (this includes John B. Yeon, Tooth Rock, and Cascade Locks trailheads and parking areas).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the following sites for day use:

Western GorgeEastern Gorge
Bass Lake Wildlife AreaSeufert Park
Fort Cascades National Historic AreaHess Park
Hamilton Island Recreation Area (inc. the boat ramp)Spearfish Park
North Shore Recreation AreaAvery Park
Tanner Creek Recreation AreaThe Dalles Dam Northshore
Day use sights open in the Gorge.

Washington State Parks has opened Doug’s Beach and Columbia Hills State Park (including Horsethief Butte, Horsethief Lake, Dalles Mountain Ranch, and Crawford Oaks). Limited parts of Beacon Rock State Park are open, including the Doetsch Day Use Area, Hamilton Mountain Trailhead, equestrian trailhead, and boat launch.

Oregon State Parks has opened the following parks for day use only. [See this map for Oregon State Parks by status.]

DabneySeneca Fouts
Dalton PointSeneca Fouts – Seven Streams
Government IslandStarvation Creek
Mayor State ParkViento
Portland Women’s ForumVinzenz Lausmann
Post CanyonWyeth
Rooster RockWygant
Sandy River State Park (note: not the same as Sandry River Delta)
Oregon State Parks reopened on 5/27/2020.

The USDA Forest Service is opening:

Balfour-KlickitatLyle Trailhead & the Klickitat Trail
Bonneville TrailheadSams Walker
Bridge of the Gods Trailhead & the Pacific Crest TrailSt. Cloud Day Use Area
Catherine Creek Recreation AreaOn the White Salmon Wild & Scenic River:
Herman Creek TrailheadBZ Corners
Larch Mountain Recreation AreaHusum
USDA Forest Service managed trails reopened on 5/27/2020.

Skamania County has rescinded its Order of the Health Officer under RCW 70.05.070 that closed recreational hiking in Skamania County.

Visitors are asked to plan ahead, by checking agency websites or ReadySetGorge.com to see what is open before driving out and by considering a couple of “Plan B” recreation activities in case their first choice is too crowded when they arrive. Recreation sites may open or close with little advance notice; please respect any closures posted when you arrive.

Agencies are working in dialogue with a bi-state group of local and tribal leaders, and will monitor site use and its connection to local economic recovery as well as community health. Community leaders ask that you give them time before visiting, as the Gorge is still in transition. The Gorge is getting ready for visitors, but the region is still in recovery and is still adjusting and putting new measures in place.

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Memorial Day Weekend During Coronavirus

Hike Leader Angela Schaefer enjoying the wildflowers around Mt. Hood in 2019.

Ahhh, Memorial Day. Barbeques, hikes, picnics — the symbolic start of summer, though not necessarily sunshine, in the Pacific Northwest. How serendipitous that our outdoors have begun to reopen for recreation just in time for us to use this 3-day weekend to its fullest.

If you choose to go outside, do your own research on the area you intend to visit and make back up plans! We highly encourage you to try to call ahead to be sure your destination is accepting visitors. And while we still may not be able to backpack or camp overnight in many places, we can still get outside every day and explore our beautiful, local areas.

Find the latest updates for the following agencies by clicking on their names:

Oregon State Parks
Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
US Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management

As you venture back out to the trails, peaks, crags, and waters we love, we implore you to do so with an abundance of caution and flexibility. Luckily, as outdoor recreationists, we are better prepared than many to adapt to changing surroundings and circumstances, so use your training, do your research, and go forth into this 3-day weekend!

Have you found a helpful article or webpage in your research? Share it in the comments!

P.S. Don’t forget to check out these helpful guidelines shared by the Recreate Responsibly Coalition!

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Returning to Outdoor Recreation in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

As an organization, the Mazamas is not here to tell what you should or should not do. We are working hard to build a community of trust and accountability, and we share these links as resources so that you can make informed decisions about recreating outdoors. We will add new resources as we find and receive them, and we encourage you to share helpful resources that you have found in the comments.

As temperatures rise and we see more bluebird days, we encourage everyone to make good decisions and err on the side of safety!

From the state:

From fellow climbing organizations:

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#vanlife

Darrin Gunkel outside his van down by the Alaskan Highway, with a pug.
Photo: Karin Hedlund. 

by Jonathan Barrett


As a parent of a small child, I have a deep, almost primeval, fear of vans. As a child of the 80’s, after school specials and public service announcements warned me against people who called out, “Hey kid! I’m a professional photographer. Come with me to my van, and I’ll take your picture.” As a result windowless van is the first place I am going to look when my son’s face appears on the back of the milk container. The problem is that now, all these vans are filled with beautiful, half-dressed Athleta models and Patagonia ambassadors. Since when did prAna start hiring transients as marketing influencers?

As a result, I find the whole #vanlife thing really confusing, as does my kid. For example, I brought my son, Liam, to Smith last fall. We got out of the car in the bivouac parking lot, and there was a man sitting in the open door of his black Sprinter. Liam grabbed my hand a little tighter and said fearfully, “Daddy, don’t let him take me!” I turned to him and replied, “Don’t worry, son. He has a trust fund. He can’t hurt you.” Liam looked really confused. This man’s fingernails were black. He was barefoot. His beard was thick, but artfully cut. He was shirtless. In his fingers was a funny smelling cigarette. “Daddy, why is he smoking?” Liam asked. “Well, son. Sometimes adults have a hard time coping with reality.”

“So he’s doing drugs?”

“No, that’s why he bought the van. The cigarette is just cloves.”

That evening when we returned to the parking lot, there was a man standing on the roof of a ‘96 Ford Econoline. “Daddy, is he fixing his roof?” Liam asked. I looked at him skeptically. Was he messing with me? The dude was doing downward dog in the fading sunlight. My son had seen me doing yoga in the our privacy of our basement before. He knew I kind of hated it. In his mind, no one would ever do it in public. “Maybe he is looking for a hole that water is coming through,” he offered thoughtfully. The shirtless man in $100 shorts moved gracefully into tree pose. “Oh no!” Liam said. “He’s going to fall off!” A lithe woman appeared on the ground next to the van. “Maybe she will catch him.” She took out her iPhone. “No, wait I think she is going to take his picture. Daddy, why is she taking his picture?”

The rainbow is not Photoshopped. Photo: Darrin Gunkel

“Well, son. Sometimes when you live in a van, it’s hard to stay connected to people. Always moving around. Not being in the same place all the time,” I said. Vanlifer was now doing Pungu Mayuransana, wounded peacock, and the girl continued to take pictures of him. Secretly I wondered: if a climber falls off a van roof in the woods, can anyone hear him scream?

“So, he’s homeless. We should give him something to eat. He can have my apple. I still have it from our hike.” He started to reach into his bag.

By this time the man had finished his poses and was climbing down off the roof of his van. He took a long swig from his Hydroflask. “Honey!” he called to his partner, “Can you check the Goal Zero batteries? There is a crack in the solar panel cable. It might not be charging.”

“‘Scuse me,” Liam said. “Here. You can have this.” He held out his apple in a gesture of sincere concern.

“Is it organic?” he asked. Liam looked at him blankly as the man took it to inspect the sticker.
“Thanks kiddo, but I am really careful with my body. You can keep it,” he said as he handed it back.

As Liam and I walked back to the car, he shook his head. “What’s the matter, bud?” I asked.

“That guy. He makes bad choices. Maybe that’s why he’s homeless.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He said he wants to take care of his body, but he was being very unsafe on the roof. And look,” he said as he pointed back in the direction of the van where the man was walking across the parking lot in his bare feet. “He should put some shoes on so he doesn’t cut his foot.”

Back at our friend’s house in Bend, Liam climbed into their truck-bed camper which served as guest quarters when we visited them. It was 8 p.m, his regular bedtime. “Daddy,” he said. “I’m really glad that we live in a house.”

“Why is that, bud?” I asked as I tucked him in with his stuffed moose, Mary.

“Because I’d miss my friends if we were always moving around, like that guy we saw today.”

“Well, I suppose that’s a fair point,” I said. How could I explain the fact that these people likely have many friends and acquaintances spread across the West, people that they regularly meet at Indian Creek or in Squamish. How could I explain that much of their community was online and digital? That even though they can open their doors and make a parking lot their new front yard, they can’t always know who their neighbors will be from one day to the next. That they are sacrificing a degree of regular, in-the-flesh human contact for space and mobility.

I pulled the fleece blanket up against his chin. “Well. They have friends online who like to see their pictures. They can share their lives that way,” I said.

“Oh,” Liam said. “Well, I like knowing that Owen is just up the street. And that he’ll always be up the street. He’ll never move away.”

“Yeah, kiddo. I don’t think that I would want to live on the road like they do, either.”

“What’s it like to live in a mobile home?” he asked as I was just opening Captain Underpants to read the next chapter to him.

“Well, actually it’s not really a mobile home,” I said.

“Oh, I mean RV.” I put the book down. How was I to explain that it was their home but not a mobile home. That old people live in RVs and go to national parks, like Yosemite. That young people live in vans and … go to national parks, like Yosemite. But it’s not the same.

“It’s a van, son. Let’s just read some of the book so you can get to sleep on time.” Somehow the world of an ill-tempered grade school principal who transforms into a superhero made more sense to him in that moment than the subtleties of #vanlife.

We all remember the Chris Farley SNL sketch where he admonishes David Spade and Christina Applegate to get their lives in order, otherwise they will be, “living in a van down by the river.” Maybe my point of view needs to shift. Maybe there is nothing wrong at all with childless men living in a van down by the river. After all, if my son becomes one of them, I know where to find his picture.

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ICS Spouse Survival Guide

by Becky Nelson

The author, right, and her husband Harry Colas.

So your loved one is considering the Mazama Intermediate Climbing School (ICS).
When my husband announced his intentions last year to apply for the ICS I wasn’t surprised—but I was a little worried.

We had made a Faustian bargain the year before: he would agree to move to my favorite city, Portland, if and only if I would sign up for a basic mountaineering course with him, which of course turned out to be the Mazama Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP). At the age of six, I floated a similar bargain to my parentas: I would agree to move to Arizona if and only if they bought me a hamster. Six weeks later, in Scottsdale, Busy Bob entered our lives. Despite a debilitating fear of heights and a distaste for anything remotely athletic—coordination is not my strong suit—I figured BCEP couldn’t be half as bad as owning a pet hamster so we shook on it, moved to Portland, and six weeks later jumped into BCEP.

And we had a total blast! But while I loved my BCEP experience, ICS felt like another beast altogether: a big, scary, massive time suck of a class colorfully illustrated by intense photos, secondhand tall tales, and snarky warnings (including my favorite, “BCEP is where you find a partner, ICS is where you lose them.”) If I wasn’t ready to take the plunge myself, I was even less enthusiastic about watching my partner do so. Harry, on the other hand, was fearless. So I watched him apply, ace the test, and get accepted with trepidation in my heart (trepidation, of course, requiring very little coordination).

The author, right, and her husband Harry Colas at Smith Rock.

But we made it through the nine months of ICS and I’m happy to report, at least for us, the worry and the warnings did not come to fruition—we are even still married! So if you find yourself weighing whether to wholeheartedly support or wholeheartedly sabotage your loved one’s application, I encourage you to consider the five simple survival tips below. Follow them closely for a happy, productive, and dare I say enjoyable nine months as the spouse of an ICS student.

Survival Tip #1: Learn the Lingo

It can be tough to get your spouse’s attention when he is full-throttle ICS, all the time. If you’re finding that real life pales in comparison to Defeating the Plaquette or Escaping the Belay, learn to compete by becoming fluent in mountaineering jargon. Imagine the excitement involved in Evacuating the Dishwasher, Exterminating the Dandelions, or Expurgating the Bedlinens!

Survival Tip #2: Anticipate Needs

After about 30 minutes with an ICS assistant, your partner’s definition of basic human needs will expand to include not just food, shelter, and water, but also things like a pink tricam and a second ice tool. This is great news for you! Not only will buying your spouse the random $8 carabiner bring profane amounts of irrational delight, but you are set up for the most straightforward holiday shopping season ever (spoiler: you’re going to be buying those yellow La Sportiva boots.)
Also you’re going to need an air freshener for the car. Just trust me on this one. One of those pine tree jobbers will help make your partner (and her new dirty mountain friends) feel right at home.

Survival Tip #3: Practice Patience 

It’s the defining truth of ICS abandonment that your partner will be out of the house a lot. Take advantage of this absence by teaching the dog, cat, or kid—your choice!—where his loyalty should lie. My dog and I had a great nine months hiking, snuggling, eating table scraps, wrestling on the upholstery, pooping on the lawn, burying bones under my husband’s pillow … you get the idea.

The author, right, and her husband Harry Colas.

I also recommend watching the trashiest options available on your partner’s Netflix account, thereby completely ruining the algorithm for all time.

When you do see your partner, chances are good that you will be climbing. Prepare for a change in your typical climbing day. Pre-ICS may have consisted of a leisurely breakfast burrito, six solid hours of climbing, and a leisurely burger and beer before heading home. Post-ICS, you should come to expect a leisurely breakfast burrito (save half for lunch, the most valuable advice given in ICS), five hours and forty-five minutes of intense discussion about the climbing anchor, fifteen minutes of climbing, a fraught burger and beer over which there is more intense discussion about the climbing anchor, and guess what? More discussion on the drive home. Pack headphones.

Survival Tip #4: Accentuate the Positive

A few ICS hacks I learned this year: 

  • ICS is the perfect time to challenge your partner to a footrace with high stakes. Their confidence is high, their physical fitness incredibly low. For a course about mountaineering, there is very little actual mountaineering (or hiking, or really even walking) being done.
  • ICS is also the perfect time to suggest a visit from your in-laws. Not only will there be no free weekends during which your partner can take you up on this very kind, oh-so-thoughtful, just the sweetest offer, but your guest room will also more closely resemble an REI garage sale staging ground than an actual room that actual people could sleep in.
  • Your spouse’s baseline for “fun” will drop precipitously, and include things like intentionally falling off tall climbing walls, laying maimed on a snowy mountain for hours during first-aid scenarios, and drinking lukewarm Starbucks Vias. Dinner with your friends or seeing the latest Marvel monstrosity will seem positively rapturous by comparison. 

Use these hacks to your advantage.

Survival Tip #5: Don’t Keep Score

It may be framed as a year of sacrifice for the spouse that’s been “left behind,” but there are actually many benefits of ICS that will come to you through the hard work of your partner.
Though he will be eating, sleeping, and breathing ICS, he also will be weirdly paranoid about failing his tests. By quizzing him, you are not only improving your lingo fluency (see survival tip #1), you are also essentially auditing the class for free. When you inevitably apply for ICS, you will be way ahead of the game.

You will inherit, through very little effort on your part, cool new friends who have gone through nine months of serious vetting.

And, most importantly, it is extremely likely that the beneficiary of all this newly minted rescue expertise will be you. After a year of hard work, your spouse will still not be able to pull herself out of a crevasse. But she will be able to pull your lazy bones out of a crevasse, or lower your broken bones down a pitch, or CPR your unresponsive bones back to life, or at the very least prevent the dog from burying any bones under your pillow. She will work hard all year to learn skills that will benefit all of her future climbing partners, including you.

So it turns out that your loved one’s nine months of intense mountaineering training away from home really ends up being a selfless act of love and protection, and there’s no room whatsoever for resentment or regret.

Of course the best way to pay that forward, or perhaps exact your revenge, is to apply for ICS yourself. (Learn more about ICS)

Author Bio: Becky Nelson has been a member of the Mazamas since 2016. In addition to this, her Bulletin debut, she writes several emails a day.

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Ascent: Climbing Explored

Early mountaineering gear exhibit case featuring alpenstock, boots, jackets,
and climbing gear from the Mazama Library and Historical Collections.

An Exhibit at High Desert Museum 


article & photos by Mathew Brock

Chouinard Equipment exhibit case featuring signed ice axe
and catalog from the Mazama Library and Historical Collections. 

A new exhibit recently opened at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon that is of interest to all Mazamas. Ascent: Climbing Explored showcases the dynamic history, evolution, and culture of climbing and mountaineering in the West. Curated by High Desert Museum staff, the exhibit tells the story of how technology pushed the sport to new heights over several decades, explores the geology of the High Desert region, and shares the vibrant culture climbers cultivated along the way.

Curator of Western History Dr. Laura Ferguson spent the better part of a year researching the sport as she developed the exhibit. “The climbing community has been incredibly generous, and I’ve loved having a chance to learn more about the history of climbing from those who played a key role in shaping it,” said Dr. Laura Ferguson. Over eighty objects from the Mazama Library and Historical Collections are on loan to the High Desert Museum.  A few of the objects featured in the exhibit include an alpenstock, early 1900s women’s climbing boots, and a wide array of summit register containers. Besides physical objects, the Mazama Library also provided many photographs used throughout the exhibit. Jeff Thomas, a renowned climber, author, and Mazama Library volunteer loaned several artifacts from his personal collection, including a complete rock climbing rack used during many first ascents at Smith Rock.

Summit register container exhibit case featuring containers
from Mazama Library and Historical Collections. 

The exhibition takes an incredible journey back in time, tracing modern-day climbing to its early mountaineering roots when people began exploring peaks in pursuit of scientific discovery. It examines the rise in mountaineering expeditions that followed as people started to climb for the sheer joy of it and the development of rock climbing. Along the way, it highlights technical advances—from evolving shoe styles to the advent and improvement of safety gear.

The exhibit also features beautiful artwork and objects on loan from around the region and across the nation, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society, and Patagonia. The exhibit highlights the geology of the area, including Smith Rock, which became a national destination in the 1980s. “It’s exciting that Smith Rock, which has played a significant role in the world of climbing, is right in our backyard,” said Dr. Ferguson. The exhibition also addresses the importance of balancing adventure-based, outdoor recreation with environmental stewardship.

Climbing ropes from the Mazama Library
and Historical Collections. 

“Ascent provides a connection between the past and present, exploring climbing from its humble beginnings through the enthusiastic following the sport has today,” said the Museum’s Executive Director, Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D.  “Climbing culture runs deep in our region and we’re pleased to be able to expand our visitors’ knowledge through this exhibit.” The exhibition runs through September 3, 2018.