Learn to get away from it all. Registration opens for Tri-Cities backpacking school

The Inter-Mountain Alpine School is conducting its annual Backpacking School, nine weeks of indoor and outdoor classes designed to teach you what you need to know to get started backpacking on your own.

The purpose of the backpacking school is to prepare students for comfortable and safe multi-day backpacking trips. The classes introduce people with little-to-no outdoors experience to a new and exciting hobby. No prior experience in the outdoors is required.

Topics include: the essentials, clothing, conditioning, packs, tents, sleeping systems, map and topography basics, compass and route planning, cooking nutrition, hygiene and water purification, using the Internet, GPS, cell phones, stoves, other gear, first aid, safety and rescue techniques.

The course is taught at the Richland Public Library each Monday evening from 6:30-8 p.m. between March 16 and May 4.

The classes are primarily lecture style, with some group breakouts and hands-on demonstrations both inside and outside in the field.

The school culminates in overnight backpacking trips led by an I-MAC trip leader.

For safety and to ensure a minimum level of knowledge, students are expected to attend five to eight classroom sessions and one of two field exercises to go on the graduation backpack.

Dedicated I-MAC members with years of experience teach the students everything they need to know to successfully complete a weekend backpack.

The class is free and open to the public. Registration is required. If you are interested in attending, send an email to backpacking@imacnw.org or visit www.imacnw.org.