Fall Term 2010 Schedule

Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Myers

Email: jeffrey.myers@osucascades.edu

Office: 322-3116

Cell: 390-1967

Student Contact: TBD

Weekly Meeting Activities

Wednesday 12:00-1:00pm

Cascades RM TBD

Meetings are held once weekly as a forum to plan and provide information on upcoming outings and workshops. Meetings also include classes focusing on leadership development in an outdoor setting. Leadership topics cover emergency response, wilderness medicine, group decision making, skill instruction, principles of Leave No Trace recreation and more.

Game Day / October 6th

Leading a group through a sequence of challenges can be a daunting task for most people. Groups often share a collection of ideas and concerns that the leaders must be aware of in order to assure a high quality & safe experience for their participants. Come join Cascades Adventures at our weekly meeting for an introduction to some games and team building exercises that are designed to facilitate fun, trust, effective communication and cooperation in a group setting. If you’re already familiar with some activities that promote these benefits, come share them with your fellow classmates. Please be prepared to be active, have fun, collaborate with others, and further develop your leadership skills.

Orienteering / October 13th

Still getting to know your way around the COCC/OSU Cascades campus? Come practice your map reading skills and get to know the campus like the back of your hand. Cascades Adventures will be hosting a Rogaine-style orienteering race in which students will compete against one another to see who knows the campus best. To participate, simply show up at 12:00pm in RM 117 of the Cascades Hall to register with Jeff Myers. Once there you will receive a map of campus marked with checkpoints stationed throughout – each worth differing point values. Your goal is to get the highest point value by finding as many check points as possible. The race begins at 12:00pm and will run until 2:00pm or however quickly you can finish.   

Whisperlite Cook Off / October 20th

Are you a gourmet backcountry chef or a ramen eating outdoorsman? Do you have a delicious backcountry recipe you have been waiting to share? Now is your chance! Cascades Adventures will be hosting our second ever Whisperlite cook off. Any students up to the challenge should bring in their best backcountry recipes and the food needed to prepare it. Cascades Adventures will provide stoves, fuel, pots and pans for you to test your recipes against your fellow student’s creativity. All cooking will take place outside on the patio regardless of the weather so be prepared to cook in all of the elements. Don’t have any previous experience cooking with a backcountry stove, that’s ok! Come taste some delicious entrees and learn a little about cooking with the Whisperlite stove.

Knotty Lessons! / Wednesday, October 27^th

College populations are often recognized for their knotty behavior on and off campus. Cascades Adventures would like to celebrate this knotty behavior by asking students to share their knowledge of knots. Are you an expert at one knot but could use a refresher tying all of those knots that have eluded your memory. Join Cascades Adventures at our weekly meeting as we go over the bends and bites of knotty behavior.

Fall 2010 Outings and Events

Outings

Outings are trips led by qualified Cascades Adventures trip leaders, in duration from a half day to multi-day excursions. Cascades Adventures offers a variety of activities for all levels of participants.

Assesments/Trainings

The assessments and trainings are intended to provide future and current trip leaders with practical learning experiences in leadership and advanced skills. These are conducted periodically and range from activity specific trainings to workshops on a broad scope of leadership skills. Trainings will be held during weekly meetings and assesment workshops are typically scheduled for Fridays.

Wondering about which trips suit you? Check here to learn about the variety of experience levels offered on Cascades Adventures trips.

South Sister Summit Salmon Celebration

Saturday, October 2nd

South Sister (Mt. Charity) is the youngest of the Three Sisters, appealing in her relatively gentle slopes and convenient access. At 10,363 ft above sea level, Charity (as she was originally titled by early mission settlers in Salem) offers a full alpine experience. This non-technical ascent offers climbers a dazzling walk through old growth hemlock forests and glimpse into the volcanic history revealing itself throughout the climb. The summit offers spectacular views of the other Sisters, Broken Top, Mt. Bachelor and various Cascades peaks rewarding all who accept the challenge.  *Contact Jeff Myers for a complete equipment list or to reserve your space!!

Participant Level: Intermediate 
Sign Up Deadline: September 30th
Min/Max Participants: 4/10

Leave No Trace Trainer Course

Saturday, October 16th & Sunday, October 17th

Interested in getting outside to Central Oregon's open spaces and beautiful places. Enjoying those beautiful places requires us to play responsibly and promote stewardship of favorite local haunts. Cascades Adventures will be hosting its second Leave No Trace Trainer Course focusing on minimizing our impact when out playing. Come join us and learn how you can apply Leave No Trace ethics during your favorite outdoor activities. Whether you are just getting started or you are a seasoned outdoor person, come and learn about stewardship in your own backyard.

“Trainer courses are designed for educators, guides, agency employees, and other outdoor professionals. Participants learn the concepts of Leave No Trace and prepare to teach Leave No Trace curriculum in a variety of settings-schools, camps, parks, wilderness and front country areas. Workshop topics include the underlying ethics and seven principles of Leave No Trace”

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave What You Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Other Visitors

“Successful graduates of the Trainer Course gain the skills to teach Leave No Trace techniques and ethics to their clients, friends and family. “

Participant Level: Beginner/Intermediate 
Sign Up Deadline: October 13th
Min/Max Participants: 4/10

International Wilderness Leadership School Presentation

When: Monday, October 25th @ 5:00pm 

Where: Hitchcock Auditorium

Join Cascades Adventures in welcoming instructors from the International Wilderness Leadership School for a dynamic slide show presentation featuring their worldwide outdoor leadership programs.  IWLS courses are taught in: Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Utah, Yukon, Africa, Mexico, Patagonia, Ecuador, Nepal and many other locations throughout the world!  IWLS focuses on leadership in: Mountaineering, Ski/Snowboard Mountaineering, Sea Kayaking, Rock & Ice Climbing, Backpacking, River Skills, First Aid Courses, Rescue Courses, and more...

Trip Leader Review and Assessment Days

Interested in being a trip leader, but not sure what activities you are knowledgeable enough to lead? Come get more information about becoming a Cascades Adventures trip leader and learn from trip leaders who have already gone through the assessment process.  All current trip leaders and assistant trip leaders are required to attend the review/training  workshop. Cascades Adventures will be hosting two Trip Leader review and assessment days this Fall Quarter. Both of these review and assessment days will be broken into two half day workshops.

Review/Training

Friday, October 30th 

The first review/training day will have trip leaders go over first aid protocols and standing orders for trip leaders, Cascades Adventures emergency action plan, risk management plan and specific activity policies as time permits.

Participant Level: Trip Leaders & Potential Trip leaders
Sign Up Deadline: October 27th
Min/Max Participants: 4/10

Assessment/Training

Saturday, October 31th

The assessment/training  day will have potential trip leaders individually demonstrating backcountry living skills required to lead. Trip leaders will be assessed on their ability to appropriately manage risk as well as on their hard skills for living in the backcountry such as orienteering; backcountry cooking, shelter building, knot tying and Leave No trace practices. Trip leaders who have completed the requirements for Cascades Adventures backcountry living skills activities are not required to attend the assessment/training day but are encouraged to assist with this training. For more information or to sign up contact Jeff Myers at Jeffrey.myers@osucascades.edu

Participant Level: Intermediate 
Sign Up Deadline: October 23rd
Min/Max Participants: 4/10