Endorphin Drip Hiking Club

Welcome to the Endorphin Drip Hiking Club!

Fact 1: Endorphins are endogenous opioid neuropeptides and peptide hormones in humans and other animals. They are produced and stored in the pituitary gland. The classification of molecules as endorphins is based on their pharmacological activity, as opposed to a specific chemical formulation. Endorphins are produced during exercise, pain, joy and orgasm. We can only guarantee the first three.

Fact 2: Endorphins resemble opiates in their ability to produce pain relief and feelings of well-being and the effect has often been referred to as a “runner's” high but the effect can occur anytime that people engage in any strenuous exercise or activity, not just running.

When asked, Does Portland need another hiking club? The answer was so aptly put, “I don't know the answer to that but what I do know is that I go on a lot of hikes by myself because there is often nothing else available that fits my schedule, my fitness level, or my idea of a good time, so what I'm going to do is schedule events that appeal to me and then toss them out into this meetup world to see if anybody else wants to join in.” ~ Severt Lawyer (Endorphin Drip’s Founder)

That is the essence of our group here on MeetUp and Facebook.
Endorphin Drip does its best to host little to no cost outings for anyone in the area that wants to share the PNW’s Beautiful natural areas and various attractions with other like minded individuals. Our event hosts are encouraged to post outings that fit within their realm of fun and safety. They schedule events that work with their unique lives and schedules.

The events we lead will vary widely in pace, place, distance and elevation depending entirely on what individual event hosts are comfortable with.
You can expect Beautiful hikes on many of the local mountains, exploring pubs, eateries and local events within the city’s multitude of parks and attractions, and most anywhere in between. We may just be spending a couple hours enjoying a quiet Forest Bathing hike one day, and a cold brew after a heart thumping hike up Mount Saint Helens the next! There are a never ending amount of wonders to experience in the area, come experience it with future friends and soon to be extended family.

It is not uncommon for some of our hikes to burst out in bouts of marijuana friendliness, take a quick dip in a lake or river, or even have an impromptu tailgate at the trailhead. Many of our event hosts and members take photos (group photos, flowers, mushrooms, etc,) during hikes. If you are not comfortable with any of this, please refrain from attending our events. There are many other groups out there, join them, we don’t need any drama. There is so much to see and experience in the PNW, it’d be a shame to not try as much as possible in a safe and fun way with people who won’t judge you, because life is just too short to worry about the little stuff. There is a group out there for everyone, and while we can’t promise a perfect anything, we do hope this one is yours!

If you have ideas for some events you would like to do, let us know and we will do our best to schedule them in if possible. If you don’t see events you’d like to attend and you would like to lead some hikes or events of your own, within the group, then that may also be arranged. There will be a short vetting period for anyone serious about leading events. We are always on the look-out for new potential event hosts that we can trust with leading a group. The more the merrier! Please contact the club Organizer for more information.

By RSVP’ing for any of our events you are agreeing to abide by all the posted Rules & Regulations (see below) for this group and specifically for the event hosts leading events.

Our Golden Rule in Endorphin Drip is, “No One Gets Left Behind.”

Group Rules & Regulations:

* Our events are group outings so everybody is expected to participate together.. On hikes this may be between any designated pace setter(s) and the sweep(s) and not ahead or behind groups. Unless it’s specifically noted, we are doing all these events together. If you want to go ahead by yourself, or stay behind, then go alone and don’t sign up for a group event. You signed up for a group event voluntarily, no one is forced to attend these events. We start together, we break together, we finish together. By signing up for these events you have implied your agreement to follow this rule.

Event Hosts reserve the right to having the last word when it comes to allowing attendees onto their events. Some event hosts may require profiles with members’ faces clearly shown and/or actual names and not nicknames, this is not in an attempt to make things difficult or invasive, but for safety and accountability reasons. Everyone has had different experiences and we all deserve to be and feel safe and enjoy our times together. If for any reason an event hosts believes you have broken your agreement to following this groups’ rules and/or expectations or their own, they have the absolute authority to remove you from an event they are hosting, along with temporarily or permanently banning you from their events or the group entirely depending on the severity of infraction.

* We are not professional hiking guides, wilderness outfitters, or medical personnel so we must insist that all participants be completely responsible for their own safety and well-being along with bringing along all the necessary gear/equipment and water/food stuffs they will require to be comfortable and safe. Event hosts will always try their best to accurately describe the difficulty level of each outing in hopes that people will choose experiences that best suit their abilities and desires. If for any reason an event hosts deems you unfit for breaking this expectation you may be removed from events they are hosting at their discretion.
Please remember that we are simply volunteers inviting others to join in on a hike, we are not professional guides nor do we receive compensation for leading these hikes. Everyone participating in our events accept full responsibility for their own well being and completely absolve Event Hosts of any responsibility of injury, harm or death that may occur during our events. This includes accepting all liability and responsibility for any medical/rescue costs you may accrue in an emergency that occurs during any one of our events.

* Distances are estimates only, actual mileages may vary. Unless you have an authagraph, all maps and apps slightly vary in distances. We try our best, but we are only human, and the apps are only as good as we’ve designed them. Please practice patience.

* Time required to finish hikes and events depend greatly on the strength of groups and conditions of the trails. Life is full of surprises and unforeseen hiccups that may change the course of some events. C’est la vie! Be respectful to event hosts that take a considerable amount of time and effort to organize these outings. If you have a second engagement arranged for another part of your day, do not impose your urgency upon others. Event hosts may remove you from attending their outings temporarily or permanently if you are found to frequently double book yourself, are frequently late to event start times or frequently cancel last minute for any number of excuses. Everyone’s time is important and life does happen and change plans, but please show respect to fellow members by following this rule and leading by example.

_Safety/First Aid:_
Along with the 10 essentials, members are held responsible for providing any medical support equipment they may require individually. This may include but is not limited to items like pain medications, epipens, inhalers, etc. Members are expected to cancel RSVPing for events if they feel unfit to do so or are ill. Please be respectful and responsible, do not sign up for an event if you are experiencing ANY symptoms related to or caused by Covid-19 or any other communicable disease. Do yourself and everyone else in the group a solid, Stay at home if you are sick!

* Elevations & other burdens found naturally (heavy rain, snow, rock scrambles/edges, etc) on many events are not to be taken lightly. Please consider carefully if you are physically able to accomplish the projected goal of individual events being hosted. Five miles may be nothing on a flat track, but if there is considerable elevation five miles can be potentially health hazardous, add in snow or ice or extreme heat and things can be life threatening quickly if you are not adequately prepared. Please read event descriptions critically and know your limits. If you are unsure , try a step lower than you believe you’re at and work up from there if you desire something more intense.

* When hiking, please take care to practice proper trail etiquette; Large groups especially need to be conscious of others on the trails. Do your best to keep to the right of the trails while hiking to allow comfortable passage for others we encounter. We all deserve to enjoy the area and what it has to offer. This includes enjoying cannabis or alcohol at trailheads, en route or during rest stops and any other event/function organized by our group. What is appropriate in one place is not always so elsewhere, please exercise good judgement and responsibly enjoy yourselves.

Canines:
* Many of the locations we enjoy have laws dictating that dogs must be leashed at all times while on public property and in parks (except in designated off-leash areas). These laws exist for the health and safety of dogs, people and the preservation of natural habitats. If you decide to bring your furry family members they will be required to be on leash at all times. We will do our best to follow all local leash laws that we are hiking in.

No Shows/Last Minute Cancellations*:* By signing up for events you agree to the NO SHOW RULE; If you drop from the RSVP ‘Going’ list within 24hrs of an event you may be counted as a No Show. Multiple No Shows will cause you to lose favor on future events. Event hosts may remove you from their events temporarily or permanently for multiple no shows at their own discretion. This rule exists to respect event hosts and the effort that goes into organizing outings. This also respects the time that members on the waitlist are tentatively setting aside in hopes of attending an event. Giving waitlisted members the most time to plan their schedules. It is just the respectful and considerate thing to do, please don’t be flaky! It kills the vibe.

Bullying/Harassment:
Not only are we just a Meetup group, we are a close knit community of individuals who value the true meanings of peace, joy, and Love. That means we are here to encourage and support each other. We believe here that it truly does take a village to raise a strong and healthy global community. We have a strict zero tolerance for any bullying, harassment or inappropriate behavior on/during our events. You will be promptly removed and permanently banned from all Endorphin Drip Hiking Club events for breaking this rule. .

We may only be a volunteers but it is not without time and effort to create/organize and lead these events. Help keep Endorphin Drip free by following this link and donating whatever you can.  https://venmo.com/code?user_id=2405363315900416279&created=1636346191.433302&printed=1 .

1. All donations go to helping pay the MeetUp subscription fee, and towards future events. Whatever you are able to contribute is appreciated.