Four Bridges Outfitters, on Market Street, hosts workshop series to help hikers gear up for spring

Four Bridges Outfitters, 315 N. Market St., will present a series of workshops on "Gearing Up for Spring" over the next three Thursdays. Classes start at 6:30 p.m. and will last about two hours. Sessions cost $10 each or $25 for all three with advance registration.

A take-home item is complimentary at each class. To register, call 531-0990.

* Today: "Sizing and Packing Your Pack." Jim Pfitzer, an experienced adventurer, will lead this class for new and curious backpackers. He will begin with tips for properly sizing a pack to ensure maximum comfort on the trail and follow with how to pack gear to ensure proper distribution of weight.

For firsthand instruction, participants may bring the following gear: backpack, sleeping pad and sleeping bag, tent/hammock/tarp/shelter, supplies for cooking, eating and purifying water, clothing for two to three days plus raingear and anything else you tend to take with you.

* April 18: "First Aid for You and Your Gear in the Backcountry." John Gonzales, a survival and first-aid instructor, will give hikers basic tips for backcountry emergencies, including the essentials to have every time they go one mile or further into the backcountry.

Pfitzer will offer useful tips for gear repair on the go, from torn tent flies to broken boot laces. He will provide attendees with a list of essential items for repair and clever ways to keep them lightweight and slim in a daypack or backpack.

* April 25: "Basic Knots and Techniques for Hanging Bear Bags." Beckett Honicker, a certified instructor with American Mountain Guides, will show basic knots that are useful in everyday life as well as applicable to hanging a proper bear bag. He will include the perimeters on what a proper bear bag is and give practice time outside.

Attendees will leave with a book of basic knots and practice rope.

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