youthoutside
Expanding Access to The Mountaineers Gear Library By Hannah Tennent, Associate Youth Outreach Manager
T
his past January, Satish Shanmugasundaram was thinking about what resolutions to set for 2021 and getting outside more was at the top of the list. One of the first adventures inspired by his resolution was a snowshoe trip to the banks of Lake Kachess. There, he first learned about The Mountaineers. “I was struggling with the directions and I saw a group. One of them told me that they were from The Mountaineers, and I immediately signed up. After that, almost every Saturday and Sunday, I’ve been on trips,” shared Satish. In the winter, he took the Basic Snowshoe Course and the Winter Camping Course, which both require specialized gear to stay warm and access winter environments. Through these courses and the course leaders, Satish heard about The Mountaineers Gear Library. On his first snowshoe trip with the Everett Branch, Satish’s snowshoe broke and the trip leader, Hillary Shearer, recommended the library as an avenue to explore different types of gear. Since becoming a Gear Library cardholder, Satish has borrowed gear for Mountaineers courses and activities, as well as personal outings with his two sons.
10
mountaineer | summer 2021
Gear for everyone Housed in the basement of the Seattle Program Center, The Mountaineers Gear Library aims to make outdoor activities more accessible by providing low cost gear to anyone. Living in the Pacific Northwest can be an outdoor enthusiast’s dream come true, but outdoor recreation isn’t easy for all to access. Gear can be a barrier because it can be expensive, tricky to use without the know-how, and limited by stores that don’t carry a full range of sizes. You don’t need to have the most expensive or most commonly advertised equipment to have safe outdoor trips, but functional gear is important. It’s easier to travel through deep, fresh snow with snowshoes. It’s safer to hike in the rain when you’re protected from becoming hypothermic. And it’s possible to go backpacking if you have access to a tent and a backpacking stove. For those in our community who experience barriers to outdoor recreation – from a lack of representational mentors to a history of outdoor trauma – our hope is that the Gear Library makes it easier to get outside.
