Endorphin Drip Hiking Club

👋🏼 Welcome to the Endorphin Drip Hiking Club!

Not to be confused with adrenaline, while we don’t mind a little “crazy” now and then, we are really mostly after the feel good hormones (endorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin) that can be produced during MANY activities (not just the crazy ones)!

🌈Our Philosophy🌟
We believe in soaking up every ounce of beauty this world has to offer, together. From quiet moments in the forest to joyful group celebrations, EDHC is about creating memories with a community that feels like family. We’re all in this together. At the end of the day, it all about having as much fun as possible with whatever time we are gifted on this wonderfully enchanting planet. Why not try to soak it all in alongside some great friends and extended family! 🫂

🦄 What Makes Us Unique?
🧘 Presence: We appreciate taking our time to enjoy the “in between” moments. It’s not about the accolades here, we are here to enjoy living and each other.
🫂Unselfishness: Everyone in this group decides to show up and share their time and energy for each event! We are here to do this together, as a team!
✊🏽Respect: For ourselves, each other and the environment. We leave it better than it was.
🫶🏼Accepting: We are tolerant of many peoples and things. We accept and encourage the company of many viewpoints.
🛼Variability: We don’t JUST hike, we do anything and everything we can fit into the schedule. If it feels good, we’ll try it!
🧐Inquisitive: We are a curious bunch! We Love learning and sharing our experiences!
🫱🏽‍🫲🏾Dedicated: We are here for EACH OTHER. We can’t have fun without that being first.
⛵️Adventurous: From quick dips in alpine lakes to 420 friendly outings, we’re here to enjoy life!

🧬 Fun Fact 1: Endorphins are endogenous opioid neuropeptides and peptide hormones produced and stored in the pituitary gland. 🧠 These incredible molecules are classified based on their activity, not a specific chemical structure. Endorphins are released during exercise, joy, pain, and even orgasm, though we can only promise the first three!

💊 Fun Fact 2: Endorphins mimic opiates in their ability to relieve pain and promote well-being. Often referred to as a “runner’s high,” this euphoric state can occur during any strenuous activity, not just running. But you can also get a boost by eating chocolate, petting a dog, or watching a leaf drift to the ground on a crisp autumn morning. 🍁 Come join us as we explore the Pacific Northwest and discover the infinite ways to feel good and have fun, together!

🥾 Why Another Hiking Club?
When asked, “Does Portland really need another hiking club?” our founder, Severt Lawyer, aptly responded, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I go on a lot of hikes alone because there’s often nothing available that fits my schedule, fitness level, or idea of fun. So, I’m scheduling events that appeal to me and tossing them into the Meetup world to see if anyone else wants to join.” 🐐

🎭And that’s the essence of our group: light-hearted, inclusive, diverse, and built around enjoying the natural wonders of the PNW together.
Our events range from peaceful forest walks and heart-pounding mountain climbs to local pub outings, city park explorations, and everything in between. Whether we’re forest bathing one day or scaling Mount St. Helens the next, our mission is to celebrate nature, community, and life itself. 🍻

📥What to Expect
Our event hosts design outings that fit their schedules, interests, and comfort levels. As a participant, you may expect:

• A variety of paces, placed, distances, and focuses tailored to different abilities and interests.
• A safe, inclusive, and supportive environment.
• Events as unique as our members - no two are the same!

If you’re looking for connection, adventure, and the beauty of the PNW, we hope you’ll find a home here. And if not, we understand there’s a group for everyone, go find yours, life’s too short to do something you don’t love. 🫶🏼

📸Many of us are avid photographers who love capturing group shots, landscapes, flowers, and fungi along the way. Quite a few of us have some pretty crazy adventures/stories under our belt already, as well! What truly sets us apart, though, is our radical empathy. We enjoy looking out for one another, leaning on each other’s strengths, and creating an environment where mental and social health is prioritized as much as the destinations!

🫡Interested in Hosting?
If you have ideas for events or want to lead your own, we’d love to hear from you! New hosts are interviewed to ensure safety and compatibility with our group’s culture. Contact the organizer for details.

☝🏽_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._
Quick Guide
Golden Rule: No One Gets Left Behind!
We stick together during events unless otherwise agreed upon.
Safety First!
Bring the 10 essentials and any personal medical items (e.g., epipens, inhalers).
Read event descriptions carefully and know your limits.
Respect Event Hosts
Hosts volunteer their time to create meaningful experiences. Be punctual, prepared, and appreciative.
Trail Etiquette
Practice Leave No Trace principles and stay mindful of others on and off the trail. Please be mindful and respectful of others.
No-Shows & Late Cancellations
Repeated no-shows or last-minute cancellations may affect your ability to join future events.
Pets
Follow local leash laws and confirm with the host before bringing furry friends.
Zero Tolerance for Bullying/Harassment
We’re here to foster joy and connection. Any inappropriate behavior will result in removal from the group.

CLUB RULES AND REGULATIONS FULL LENGTH
📯Our Golden Rule in Endorphin Drip is, “No One Gets Left Behind.”
* 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 or altered by an event host in real time to address unexpected change, we are doing all these events together. Participants are not forced to attend these events, everyone signs up on their own. 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 of 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 events. 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.

🧐 Metrics Expectations: Elevation gains & other burdens found naturally (heavy rain, snow, rock scrambles/edges, high heat, AQI, etc) on events are not to be taken lightly. Please consider carefully if you are physically (and safely!) able to accomplish the projected goal of individual events being posted. 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.

⚖️ 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, flexibility and a smidge of grace.🙏🏼

⏳ Time required to finish hikes and events vary greatly depending on the nature 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. We try our best to host enjoyable events, but sometimes life gets in the way of even the best laid plans. If you have a second engagement arranged for another part of your day, do not impose your urgency upon others, please plan accordingly and be responsible for yourself.

🚑 Safety/First Aid Along with the 10 essentials, members are responsible for providing any medical equipment they may require individually. This may include but is not limited to items like pain medications, epipens, inhalers, etc.. Please be responsible, do not sign up for an event if you are experiencing any symptoms of illness or injury. Do yourself and everyone else in the group a solid, ***Stay at home if you are sick or hurt!***🤒🤕

👣 Considerations 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. Gerneally speaking, those traveling UPHILL have Right of Way. We encourage all to practice the Leave No Trace principles. Participants are expected to follow suit. For more info.
We all deserve to enjoy the area and what it has to offer and we’re all adults…. what is appropriate in one place is not always so elsewhere, please exercise good judgement and responsibly enjoy yourselves.

🐶Canines/Pets Many of the locations we enjoy have laws dictating that animals 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. Please always ensure to check with an event host first before unleashing your pet during events we are a part of. Your cooperation is appreciated.

⚠️No Shows Rule/Last Minute Cancellations (No Shows - RSVP’ing for an event and not showing up without giving the event host an heads up)
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. Give 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.
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.

🚫Bullying/Harassment 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.