Evening Travel Programs

7:00 pm, Wednesday evenings (and some Fridays), October through April
at the Mazama Mountaineering Center (Click here for a Map to the MMC)

Welcome to the Mazama 2011–2012 season of evening programs, from October through April. Our shows are free and open to Mazama members and the general public. We do appreciate a voluntary contribution at the discretion of each attendee. Thank you for supporting our successful series by your regular attendance.

The Mazamas Program Committee hosts evening slide programs.  These programs are free and both members and non-members are welcome to attend.  Programs begin at 7:00 pm, and are usually held every Wednesday (and occasionally Fridays) from early October through late April.  During the program season, a full description of each show is printed in the Mazama Bulletin and will be posted on this web page.  While scheduled programs almost always keep to this schedule, there are occasional cancellations and last minute switches.  It can be a good idea to contact the Mazama Mountaineering Center at 503-227-2345 to confirm these shows beforehand.  Please scroll down this page for more detailed show descriptions.

Program Committee: John Leary (Co-chair), Nancy Bentley (Co-chair), Gail O’Neill, Barbara Russell, Ric Russell, Paul Winther and Dyanne Foster (EC Liaison).

An Africa Rarely Seen: Botswana the Life Preserver
Wednesday, February 1
Most people think of Africa and tend to envision the sweeping green plains or the savannah grasslands of East Africa. Most do not imagine the water wonderland that exists in the northern Kalahari Desert of Botswana in southern Africa. Join Erica Varga for a safari through the country of Botswana and as we explore its jewel, the Okavango Delta, nothing like it exists anywhere else on the planet.  We will take in the amazing diversity of plant, bird, fish, and animal life that the Delta supports and immerse ourselves in its timeless landscapes.  We will also venture into the country of Namibia for a quick look at its dramatic Skeleton Coast and towering sand dunes. We will be discussing the best ways to experience Botswana via safari and the different options that are available to visitors today.  You will be introduced to an ecotourism company that has received international recognition for the community development and conservation programs it has established in Botswana and other countries in southern Africa.  Erica has traveled extensively throughout East and southern Africa over the past 20 years.  She has guided guests from around the globe on overland safaris across Botswana and into Zambia and Zimbabwe and worked in Botswana as an Assistant Anthropologist. She currently owns and operates Acappella Safaris.

Photo Journal of the Pacific Northwest: Beyond just Hiking Guidebooks
Wednesday, February 8
Professional photographer Alan Bauer returns and is excited to share with you photos and places beyond what he has shared through his stories and photography in previous years.

The Cirque of the Unclimbables
Wednesday, February 15
In a remote region of the Mackenzie Mountains in the NW Territories of Canada is a high alpine meadow surrounded on all sides by towering walls of vertical granite rising 2-3000 feet. This cirque is home to The Lotus Flower Tower, one of the 50 classic climbs of North America. In August, 2011 a team of 4 Mazamas traveled by jet, car, float plane and helicopter to arrive in this pristine place and climb the famous tower. Please join Mazama climb leader Ryan Christie as he describes the adventure as the team spent two and a half days ascending and descending this technical rock face.

Charms of Tanzania:  Kilimanjaro Climb and the Serengeti
Wednesday, February 22
In August 2010, Chuck Daellenbach of Albany and his son, Keith Daellenbach of Portland, climbed Kilimanjaro (19,341’) and then went on a wildlife safari in northern Tanzania.  The seven day climb of Africa’s highest peak and world’s largest free standing mountain commenced in the Lemosho Glades, ascended the seldom climbed Western Breach, and descended via Mweka on the south side.  The route gained 11,500 feet and covered 35 miles.  The tight-knit team of guides and porters were from the local Chagga tribe and shared many interesting aspects of their culture along the way.  The six day safari to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara covered 800 miles, many on gravel roads in distant stretches of the vast savannah.  Chuck and Keith saw a variety of amazing animals including the “Big Five” (elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhinoceros) and witnessed the fascinating interplay between predator and prey.  Please join Chuck and Keith as they present their adventures from this stunning corner of the world near the equator.

Island Peak & Everest Base Camp, Nepal
Wednesday, February 29
Few mountainous places on earth are steeped in as much legend, culture, and history as the Khumbu Valley of Nepal, home to the Sherpa people who have built a culture shaped by the highest peaks in the world, including Mt. Everest. Donovan Pacholl and Jim Ronning will share stories, pictures, trials and tribulations of their recent expedition in the Everest region of Nepal. Ten Mazamas spent more than 3 weeks on the trail, hiking through this breathtakingly rugged landscape including the Sherpa villages of Namche and Pangboche to Everest Base Camp and climbing nearby 20,000’ Island Peak.

Smash & Grab - A Film About Style and an Ascent of Alaska’s Burkett Needle
Wednesday, March 7
John Frieh, Zac West and Dave Burdick will present images and a short film about Smash & Grab style climbing in Alaska’s Stikine Icecap. The presentation will center around their recent ascent of a new route on Burkett Needle’s East Arete.

Hitting the Highpoints
Wednesday, March 14
Highpointers Club member Jack Frank will present his multi-media program on climbing to the highest point in each of the 49 states.  Mazama members Rick Craycroft, Ardel Frick, and Charlie Feris are Highpointers and will assist in the presentation.

This Show May Make You Quit Your Job
Wednesday, March 21
A slideshow by Will Gadd:

30 Trips in 60 minutes, a fast-paced photo and video run through the mountain world. Insane Ice, wild rivers, big mountains, caves with attack bats, crazy celebs and lots of bad decision making. Lessons in staying alive when it’s all going bad, along with strategies for recreating more and working less. Rated R for some nudity, occasional stressed-out profanity, and because this show may make you quit your job.

Backpacking Washington
Wednesday, March 28
Come backpack Washington with award winning Washington state guidebook author, Craig Romano. Drawing from his new release, Backpacking Washington (The Mountaineers Books), Craig will be spotlighting spectacular backpacking destinations from the wild Olympic Coast to the sun kissed canyons of the Blue Mountains. Backpacking Washington includes 70 trips from throughout the state ranging from 14 to 46 miles—making them perfect for weekend and weeklong adventures. Craig spent two years and hiked over 1,500 miles enduring snow, heat, forest fires, and floods researching this, his 8th book.

Hiking the Mountains of Texas’s Big Bend National Park
Wednesday, April 4
Celebrate the end of winter with this sun-charged, early spring hiking getaway with John and Amy Osaki to the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, Texas! Big Bend National Park is one of our “mainline” national parks, and at over eight hundred thousand acres is larger than better-known Yosemite and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. Big Bend National Park encompasses a series of compact mountain ranges surrounded by the expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert. The park’s highlands are crowned by the peaks of the Chisos Mountains which author Edward Abbey once described as “an emerald isle in a red sea.” March is when the spring bloom begins in the Big Bend country. It’s a special moment in the park when cacti and other desert plants display their floral finery. Beautifully constructed trails lead into the cool, mountain landscapes of the high Chisos; in March the summer’s heat is only distant promise. John just returned from Texas and will share new images of the Chisos Mountains with the Mazamas tonight. Please visit http://www.mountainhikingholidays.com or call 503 788 9017 for more information on Big Bend and other destinations in Europe, Asia, South America and North America. John and Amy Osaki celebrate fifteen years of leading mountain hiking trips with their company Mountain Hiking Holidays. Come share the joy of hiking a mountain trail!

TBD
Wednesday, April 11

New Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades
Wednesday, April 18
Author and hiking guru William L. Sullivan takes us on a dozen new trails he discovered in the area between Salem and Bend while researching the newly released fourth edition of his guidebook, “100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades.” Included are paths to a warm springs near Oakridge, a lake with a reflection of South Sister, and a wildflower meadow at Mt. Jefferson. Along the way, expect anecdotes about local history, wildflowers, and outdoor lore.  Sullivan is the author of three novels and a dozen books about Oregon, including the popular “100 Hikes” series, “Oregon Trips & Trails,” “Hiking Oregon’s History,” and “Oregon Favorites.” His journal of a 1000-mile hike he took across Oregon, “Listening for Coyote,” was chosen by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission as one of Oregon’s “100 Books,” the 100 most significant books in the state’s history.