Brad and Kate Christie receive Club award

Fast hikers lead trips to meet participants' needs

This year the Sierra Club has awarded the Oliver Kehrlein Award, honoring service to the Sierra Club Outings Program, to the Bay Chapter's Brad and Katy Christie.

Brad Christie is a strong, fast hiker. He likes car camping, but when he joined the Sierra Club, he wanted something more vigorous than the short, easy hikes that most car-camping trips featured.

And so in 1992 he began leading his own trips for the Bay Chapter Car Camping Section. He added a "let's go" dimension, as well as gourmet meals (Ute Dietrich calls them "lavishly" catered), to Bay Chapter car camping. His trips give an avenue into the outdoors for people who are fit but who lack backcountry experience.

Many people have started with Brad's car-camping trips, gained confidence, and moved into backpacking. For Stella Gornicki, whose busy schedule no longer gives her time for extended backpacks, Brad's car-camps enable her to get away for a satisfying weekend of long dayhikes.

An unassuming man with a dry sense of humor, Brad treats all his trip guests with great kindness. Six years ago, Brad met Katy on a hike he was leading.

"I was the only one who could keep up with him," Katy says. "So, even though he was shy, we began talking." Katy is not shy; she exudes a warm, positive enthusiasm for hiking and a Southern charm and hospitality that puts everyone at ease.

Brad and Katy found that they shared a tremendous love of the outdoors and sense of adventure. Katy, on temporary assignment as a landscape architect at San Francisco's Presidio, came from near Denver, where she was active in the Colorado Mountain Club and had climbed all 54 of the state's 14,000-foot peaks.

Together they formed a formidable team, both on and off the trail. They married, and started leading Sierra Club backpacking trips as well as car camps.

The Christies continually attract new people to the Sierra Club. Their inclusive attitude makes their trips among the most popular, and every outing is full (often six months in advance) with a waiting list.

Both Katy and Brad have tremendous efficiency and adaptability. They take care of their personal needs in record time, so that they have plenty of time for the group. Jane Collier praises how "they are very accepting of middle-range hikers such as my husband and myself, letting us start early on day hikes, or to leave earlier after rests, so that we never got left behind." (She does point out that their trips are not for weak hikers).

Katy is also one of the most flexible people I know. I remember one strenuous backpack she co-led in Mineral King, up Franklin Pass and out Sawtooth Pass after climbing the peak. One afternoon, crawling into camp and starting to search for the perfect tent location, I looked up to see Katy's tent completely pitched. She was already off on an afternoon side trip. With limited space for tents, she had taken the rockiest spot.

The Christies' entire two-car garage is devoted to car-camping and backpacking equipment. The volume of group gear they haul to each car camp (including pots and pans for 20 to 30 people, a substantial propane stove, and a big gas tank) is daunting. But somehow everything moves quickly and seamlessly in and out of the car and the roof rack container. (The current transportation system represents quite a step up from the old wooden trailer Brad inherited from a deceased car-camping leader and formerly used to haul even more gear.)

While all car-campers sign up for chores, it's still Brad who does the meal planning and cooking. (We do the chopping and prep.) After all these years, both Brad and Katy still are more doers than delegators - always willing to take care of whatever no one else wants to do, whether that's opening cans (Brad) or putting away happy hour (Katy).

They plan and lead 5 to 10 car-camping trips together each year. In addition, Katy leads or co-leads several backpacks annually. Katy also serves as trip coordinator for the Backpacking Section. She rounds up trip descriptions to make sure that the section offers a full calendar, and gently cajoles trip participants into becoming leaders. (This year, under her guidance, three strong long-time participants agreed to lead.)

The Christies especially love the Eastern Sierra, and have taken us to many areas where Bay Area people don't often go. Last year we hiked out of Bridgeport and Bishop. This year we're going to Mammoth.

They scout almost all the hikes they lead. Brad is a computer person, and he plots our routes on TOPO!^® software. He prints out route maps showing elevation profiles and distances for everyone.

Brad enjoys crosscountry and takes full advantage of his GPS to track new routes. Most trips include at least one peak, and many are off the beaten bath. Even in Yosemite, they always find new places to explore.

Their outdoor skills are above reproach. One year we did Yosemite's Ten Lakes early, and found the entire route covered by snow. No problem. We got to our destination and had a great time. Wildflowers are one of their great loves, and Katy and Brad plan many hikes to see blooms at their peak. They are eager to share with participants their extensive knowledge of flowers, along with good information about local birds and rocks.

Their day hikes are generally 12 to 16 miles, with 2,000 to 4,000 feet of elevation gain. The pace is mostly moderate, although sometimes we really move.

Recently, the Bay Chapter found itself short of day-hike leaders. So Brad and Katy started leading day hikes for the Hiking Section as well. That cheerful willingness to do whatever needs to be done pervades their life.

"I want to give something back to society, and I might as well do something I enjoy," Katy says.

Despite the rigorous pace of their hikes, and the sometimes-challenging peaks, the Christies always create a safe and warm, family-like atmosphere on their trips. They extend the family feeling to holidays as well. For the past few years, they have invited us to join them at Christmas to hike in wonderful and warm locations such as Palm Springs or Arizona's Superstition Mountains.

You can see pictures of some of the great times on the roughly 60 trips Brad and Katy have led over the last six years at www.bradchristie.com

At home, if I feel tired or sad, I call up pictures of recent trips, and remember the excitement and wonder of my Brad and Katy adventures.

Peggy Waldman