Backcountry Academy
Important Links:
Backcountry Academy with Siskiyou Mountain Club
This course series is our effort to break down the barriers between everyday people and pursuing that next backpacking or backcountry camping trip on America's great public lands. Our crews know first-hand how important it is to unplug from our phones, connect with one another, and sleep outside.
We believe it's an experience everyone deserves, without having it cost you an arm-and-a-leg. So we're rebuilding our backpacking academy that includes an introductory course for aspiring car-campers.
Each offering is led by our SMC staff with multiple seasons of experience and hundreds of nights living (and working) in the backwoods. All questions are on the table and we're here to help you prepare and feel confident for your next overnight backpacking or backcountry camping trip.
Backcountry Clinic 101: The weekend backpack
This workshop is for anyone who wants to get into backpacking or who wants a reintroduction. It's also ideal for those getting into backcountry camping, meaning overnighting with as much gear as you can fit into a backpack, or certainly in the back of a sedan. The course covers:
- Basic trip planning and identifying appropriate places to camp and backpack
- General backcountry safety and Leave No Trace principles
- Use of satellite & emergency response
- Full gear list
- How to pack your bags
- Get fitted and select the right backpack
Backpacking Clinic 102: Multi-day preparation and navigation
This workshop is for anyone who has taken Backcountry 101 or has some recent backpacking experience. It goes beyond the gear and basic trip planning and introduces simple navigation and planning multi-day routes. The course covers:
- extended trip planning and how to plot the trail route for you
- simple navigation using topographic map
- using trail reports to help develop itineraries
- multi-day meal planning
- introduction to simple gear fixes
Backpacking Clinic 103: Thru-hikes, longer treks, and off-trail navigation
The workshop is intended for anyone who has taken Backpacking 102 or has strong and frequent backpacking experience. In this course, we'll provide an intro to orienteering and more advanced navigation. The course will cover:
- how to use a map and compass to take bearings and triangulate your precise location
- introduction to pursuing off-trail routes
- extended trip planning and detailed nutritional guidance
- basic self-care: sleep, blisters, poison oak, sunburn, rashes