Chapter launches Military Outdoors activities with Mt. Baldy hikes

A peak experience with members of the Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program. Credit: Anjin Herndon

The Sierra Club's Military Outdoors program started more than seven years ago with the Military Families Initiative (later re-named the Military Families and Veterans Initiative), which partnered with groups like Outward Bound, Operation Purple and Armed Services YMCA. Initially, the Club ran military outings under contract with an outside organization or partnered local outings leaders with other organizations to offer outdoor opportunities to the children of deployed military personnel.

Military Outdoors now aims to reach not only deployed personnel and their families, but veterans and their families too. The primary goal of Military Outdoors is to ensure that those who defended our country and their families have opportunities to enjoy the land they served.

The Club's relationship with the military goes back to 1918 when the Sierra Bulletin listed the names of all active Club members who served in the military during World War I. During Word War II, the Club's first Executive Director, mountaineer and climber David Brower, served in Italy with the U.S. Army's prestigious 10th Mountain Division.

More recently, Military Outdoors has sponsored outings for veterans that have included a climb in the Cascade Mountains with Adventure Film School. During the outing, participants were taught filmmaking skills, and each participant wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited his or her own documentary film. Other trips included an expedition in Glacier National Park with world-famous mountaineer Conrad Anker and "Chasing Ice" documentary filmmaker James Balog to study climate change and its effects on the park's glaciers; and an annual climb in honor of 9/11.

The view from the summit of Mt. San Antonio, a.k.a. Mt. Baldy. Credit: Mary Forgione

Now Military Outdoors is coming to the Angeles Chapter! The first event will be a Veterans' Day outing at Mt. Baldy on Nov. 7.  All are welcome to attend this special event which will include several hikes ranging from an easy 1.5-mile trek to San Antonio Falls to a grueling bid for the summit. For more information, check out the Schedule of Activities listing.

Plans are also under way to form a Military Outdoors Section within the Angeles Chapter. If  you are active duty military or a veteran, or a family member, friend or supporter of a service member or veteran, and you want to be involved with Military Outdoors at the local level, or you just want to learn more about upcoming local Military Outdoors activities, contact Melody Anderson at melodygrace1@gmail.com.

There are scores of military veterans among the members of the Angeles Chapter. To each and every one of you, regardless of when or where you served, thank you for your service!

Paul Wilson is a Marine Corps veteran and Sierra Club volunteer who coordinates Military Outdoors events for the Club's West Virginia Chapter. Outings leader Melody Anderson is helping launch the Angeles Chapter's Military Outdoors program.