NCI celebrates its 25th year
If you need a little help hitting the trail or expressing your sense of wonder at nature's majesty, outdoor stewards NCI and REI are here to help.



The programs offered by the North Cascades Institute (NCI) aren’t just about learning how to pick gear or read a map. Literary and visual arts are as prominent on the schedule as backcountry expeditions.

“That’s actually something we’ve long prided ourselves on,” said NCI’s Communications Coordinator Christian Martin.

“There are a lot of different ways to appreciate and interpret a physical landscape, but every landscape also has its artistic levels to it.”

This year, the institute marks its 25th anniversary, and a day-long birthday party is set for September 24. On the schedule are naturalist-led activities on Diablo Lake and local trails, tours of the facility and a picnic and barbecue ($5 suggested donation for food).

Martin suggests coming for the picnic and staying for one of the institute’s most popular offerings, the Sourdough Speaker Series.

The first presentation of the fall takes place September 24-25 and features local chef and author Debra Daniels-Zeller.

Installments in the series include dinner, an after-dinner presentation and overnight lodging, followed by breakfast and a number of guided hikes or canoe trips the next day. A full schedule of this fall’s speakers is available at www.ncascades.org/speakerseries.

One other sure-to-be popular class on the schedule is October 29’s day program on Northwest mushrooms.

“That time of year, the forests are the stars of the show,” Martin said. The workshop is always a popular one, and tends to fill up early. “There’s so much variety to explore.”

For more information on NCI, visit www.ncascades.org.