Get Outdoors with our Beginner's Backpacker Workshop

(click here for a print friendly pdf version of this workshop flyer)

When is it?

• Part I: Tuesday, March 11
  Part II: Thursday, March 13
  7:00 PM—9:00 PM

Where is it?

• Backwoods
  Town & Country Village
  12325 N May Ave
  OKC, 73120
  (122nd & N. May)

How do I sign up?

• $20 check made payable to the Sierra Club, includes a 508 page book
• E-mail David Franklin at dfranklin@ussok.com or call 405-293-9399 to get signed up

What is covered?

Experienced Sierra Club backpackers and instructors will teach on a variety of topics.

• Tuesday, March 11th
  • 7:00-7:15 – Getting started
  • 7:15-7:30 – The Ten essentials
  • 7:30-8:00 – Tents and Bags
  • 8:00-8:30 – Planning a trip (maps, resources, packing, etc)
  • 8:30-9:00 – Wilderness First Aid teaser (This is normally a 16 hour course by itself, so we can only cover some general ideas in the time we have.)
• Thursday, March 13th
  • 7:00-7:30 – Backcountry Hygiene
  • 7:30 -8:00 – Leave No Trace
  • 8:00-8:30 – Clothing, Boots and Packs
  • 8:30 – 9:00 – Food, Kitchens, Closing Q&A
• Lots more material in the book!

Who are the instructors?

• Jerel Cowan
  • Jerel teaches full time in UCO’s department of Kinesiology and Health studies in their Outdoor and Community Recreation studies program. He is a certified Leave No Trace instructor, certified Red Cross Wilderness First Aid instructor, and has done graduate field work in Alaska, the Wind River Range in Wyoming, and many other places around the US. He is also chairman of the Oklahoma Trails Advisory Board for the state of Oklahoma’s Department of Tourism.
• David Franklin
  • David Franklin is a long time Sierra Club member who has led over 200 trips for the club. He has backpacked all over the western US but his favorite areas are Utah and New Mexico. He is a volunteer outing leader for the club, former state outings chair, former local inner city outings chair, and is certified in Wilderness First Aid.
• Les Imboden
  • Les is a long time Sierra Club member and volunteer outing leader who has led backpack trips across the US. His favorite type of trip to lead is a canoe trip, but he is also leading the Beginner Backpack coming up this April and a week long backpacking trip to Big Bend National Park this March.
• Tom Libby
  • Tom is a long time Sierra Club member and volunteers at the local, state and national level. Tom has served on several national outing committees for the Sierra Club. He leads workshops that train outing leaders for the club literally from coast to coast and helps set national Sierra Club training and trip policy guidelines. Among his favorite trips, Tom has backpacked the entire Ozark Highlands Trail.
• Kathy Scurlock
  • Kathy joined Sierra Club in 1984 and became an active member in 1987. With over 20 years of volunteer service, the local group recently named an award in her honor. From sea kayaking in Baja to backpacks in Arkansas, Kathy had led too many trips to list!

Full Outing List

For a list of all outings originating in Oklahoma including those that leave from Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman, see our State Outings Website.