Trail Club of Oregon hosts a backpack seminar weekend at Nesika Lodge up the Larch Mountain rd. Seems like this is an annual event to introduce people to backpack, and to recruit more members. Linda, the organizer and her crew did an excellent job, attracting younger members. When I hiked up here this spring with the club, everyone else was in their 60s or older. This time more people in my age group or younger. Even I considered joining. My deterring factor is that most outings, including this one, doesn't provide carpool arrangement.
Saturday. Foggy. Lisa picked Julie F from her home, me and Carrie at Gateway at 7:45. She drove to the lodge, because she was carrying a box of her newly self-published hike books. A group hiked up from Multnomah Lodge from 8am. I'd rather hike up, but needed a ride to the TH. Quite a few miles on gravel. 
We claimed our bunks, visited the open outhouse, then congregated in the main lodge. There're two dorm buildings. The 2nd floor of the women's dorm is coed for couples. The main lodge is quite beautiful and airy, and with 2 flushing toilets and shower. All these 3 uses wood stove. There also are a couple of shacks.
Linda gave a talk before lunch, introducing the club and its history, as well as what's to be raffled off. Each one of us was given 2 tickets, one for 2 backpacks (donated by Six Moon and Gossamer), and one for little things. Then, Lisa was given 20 minutes to pitch her book, without her prior knowledge (she sold all that she brought). Then Jeff Lawton of Trail Keeper of Oregon talked briefly the 4 loop hikes close to Portland and the logistics: Wonderland Trail around Rainier (93 miles - Jeff recommends to start at Sunrise), Loowit Trail around St Helen (30 miles, start at June Lake), Timberland Trail around Hood (41 miles, start at Timberline Lodge), Round the Mountain Trail around Adams. After a lunch of soup, sandwich, salad, apple sausage, and Costco cookies, the main program began at 13:30, and I started to doze off.
Whitney Laruffa, president of American Long Distance Hiking Association - west talked about Chinook Trail, a newly linked route along the Columbia Gorge from Silver Star in WA east to The Dalles and then west to Angel's Rest. Shane Von Kemp, speaking about the newly proposed Desert Trail in eastern Oregon. He had to cache water in 8 different spots, and at one stretch had to swim 3 times to in Owyhee canyon. After an early (5pm) dinner of pasta, more salad and sausage, Erin Saver talked for 2 hours about her last AT trip. Her photos are very well done. Afterwards, she answered question candidly, including how to relieve yourself in the tent. We even had an intermission for Costco pie and just baked brownies. The power was scheduled to turn off at 22:00. Enough time to talk with fellow hikers. Notably Mary from Ashland. Linda was consulting her about Grand Enchantment Trail in New Mexico, where she and her husband are leading a group next spring.
Sunday. I got up before 6 to use the bathroom. There were already plenty people in the kitchen. Power was turned on. Breakfast is toast, fruit salad, more sausage and some mushroom she picked the previous day. Jeff Lawton gave a 30 minute talk about backpack trails in the Portland area. Then Linda lead a short loop hike around the lodge in the rain. Julie didn't feel well and Tim led her back to the lodge soon after we started. Turns out she might have been "poisoned" by the wood stove in the dorm. Carrie and I moved to upstairs, where the stove wasn't in use.
I hesitated to walk out into the rain, but very glad I did. It was refreshing. Linda knows the area like the back of her hand. She showed us Dr. Franklin's mostly disappeared home site and various connecting trails. She also picked some oyster mushrooms, which she calls Angel Wing. I carried a grocery bag hoping for chanterelles, but found none. Maybe too high. Vine maples are quite colorful now. At noon, lunch of leftovers, and the rest was put in ziplock bag for everyone to take home.
