Sierra Club Outings Leader Testimonials

Patrick Colgan joined the Club over 40 years ago. He’s led for Local, National and Inner City outing programs during his long and active leadership career and has had a lifetime of experiences that he says “completely changed the course of my life.” For many years Patrick and his wife (who he met on a Sierra Club backpack trip) specialized in leading backpacking trips for teens. And he has led numerous overseas Club trips – including such destinations as Ireland, England, Nepal, India, Tibet, China, Madagascar, West Africa, the former Yugoslavia and Poland. But he says “My most rewarding leadership experience with the Club has without a doubt been with Inner City Outings.” Patrick was the first ICO chair in the early 70's, when the program was in its infancy; today virtually every Sierra Club chapter has an ICO activity group, coordinated the ICO National Steering Committee and supported by a small professional staff in San Francisco

Joseph Walz leads for the Club’s Inner City Outings (ICO) program, which gives back to the community by giving inner city youths a chance to experience the outdoors. He says “I volunteer because I love being able to give our kids the chance to get to share the outdoor activities that I love to participate on, so that maybe someday they too will appreciate it as I do, and pass on that love of our great outdoors here in Minnesota. It's comments that I get from kids like ‘I will remember this day always’ that really fuel my passion for ICO.”

Rick Marshall is a Local Outings leader in the Pacific northwest. Rick says “Leading Outings is simply the most enjoyable and easiest form of environmental activism there is. You get people out on the trail and the woods and mountains and rivers do all the persuading. People have a great time and there's no need to preach or cajole. Leading outings is a great way to recharge and reconnect with what got you into the Sierra Club in the first place. I highly recommend it!”

Lehman Holder, another Local Outings leader from the northwest expresses a similar degree of enthusiasm: “Quite simply, being a Sierra Club local outing leader has been a huge part of my life. I've led hundreds of local outings (and five national outings) for Sierra Club, and I never tire of it. I feel that I get much more than I give, because seeing the joy and enthusiasm of participants enjoying the fun and adventure of an outing is a truly inspiring thing. I firmly believe that anyone who likes being outdoors with people of like mind can reap bottomless personal satisfaction by becoming an outing leader.”

Ann Daigle loves sharing her knowledge and love of the environment with others. “It's always a thrill to help people who look at these trails in Canyon de Chelly and say that there is no way they can make it up them. I feel great being able to reply with a gentle, ‘Just follow me, we'll take our time and we'll all make it together.’ The new sense of accomplishment and self-esteem that one has after completing a trip is “just wonderful.” Ann has been leading National Outings for more than 10 years and currently serves as the volunteer chair of the Northwest Subcommittee for the National Outings program.

Roger Grissette has led “Activist” Outings, which combine advocacy and exploration. On his Yellowstone trip in 2003, they focused on predator-prey relationships, studying wolves and bears in the Northern Range. “We gave the group a better understanding of the need for large protected areas, including flora/fauna corridors connecting them, to ensure biodiversity, and as sources of clean water and air. To get more members out in the field, I’ve been trying to be more inclusive by offering van-based and less difficult trips."