What we’re about
Solar Outdoors is a Southeast Michigan based club with more than 400 members. Founded in 1975, Solar Outdoors remains dedicated to helping its members enjoy nature and outdoor activities.
Membership in the club is required to participate in our activities and workshops posted on our Meetup site. Annual dues are $15 for individuals. Please read further if you are interested in becoming a club member. Questions about membership can be directed to [solarmembership@solaroutdoors.org](mailto:solarmembership@solaroutdoors.org). Or select this link to become a member https://form.jotform.com/251014794107149
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Solar Outdoors members themselves organize workshops and events in which other members can participate. Whether you are a beginner or experienced wilderness enthusiast, you will find workshops, activities, and trips for all skill levels and many different interests including--but certainly not limited to!--backpacking, day hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, paddling, orienteering, wildflower and tree identification, whitewater rafting, and geocaching. Solar Outdoors members can also borrow gear from our store of packs, sleeping bags and pads, stoves, and other outdoor equipment for an annual member fee of $35.
To learn more about Solar Outdoors and its activities we encourage you to visit our website, www.solaroutdoors.org. There you will find a calendar of upcoming workshops and events. These sources give more information about who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We also welcome anyone interested in the club to attend our monthly meetings, held at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 27475 Five Mile Road, just west of Inkster Road, in Livonia on the last Tuesday of every month (except December) at 7 pm. SOLAR is not affiliated with St. Paul's or any other religious institution. Directions are available here: [http://solaroutdoors.com/solarmeetings.html](http://solaroutdoors.org/About/Meetings.aspx). The business meeting is followed by a program on a topic of general interest to our members.
Solar Outdoors uses Meetup as a tool of convenience for our members to quickly get information about upcoming classes and activities and to sign up and pay for these events online. That's why our Meetup group is restricted to paid members of the club and non-members have very limited access.
Once you have checked us out online and, we hope, in person by attending one of our monthly meetings, you can decide if becoming a member is right for you. If so, you can join the club by downloading the membership form (http://solaroutdoors.com/downloads/S.O.L.A....), filling it out, and either submitting it with a check for the dues payment at one of the meetings or mailing both to the address listed on the bottom of the membership form. Once you are a club member you will have access to this Meetup group.
Thank you for your interest in Solar Outdoors. We hope to meet you soon.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- South Manitou Island Backpacking/Day HikingSouth Manitou Island in upper Lake Michigan, Leland, MI$25.00
Payment required to reserve your spot! $25 -pay directly to Laura using cash, check or zelle. You will need to contact Laura Miller (lauramiller2481@gmail.com) directly to save your spot and arrange payment.
Additional Fees/Items you will take care of yourself:
Ferry from Leland of $45 (fees may change in the spring)
You need to make your own reservation for the day you want to go and return at Manitou Island Transit at 231-256-9061 or online at https://manitoutransit.com/National Park Pass is needed for each car or you pay a fee at the ferry check-in
Parking fees per car while on island
I have reserved Group site #1 at Bay Group Campground.
You must be a Solar member to attend.
- Basic Land Navigation workshopSt Paul's Presbyterian Church, Livonia, MI$85.00
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: THIS IS A MULTI-DAY EVENT
ALL the dates listed are required to complete the workshop.Thursdays, September 18, September 25, and October 2 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 27475 Five Mile Rd, Livonia, MI 48154.
AND
Saturday, October 11 (9 AM - 6 PM) - Sunday, October 12 (9 AM - 3 PM) Burns Cabin #1, Waterloo State Recreation Area, Chelsea, MI
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND ALL THE DATES LISTED. This is an extensive, hands-on map & compass workshop.Basic Land Navigation provides a thorough introduction to map & compass navigation. You will learn:
- Map reading
- Terrain visualization
- How compasses work & how to use them
- Taking & plotting compass bearings
- Finding your location using triangulation
- The "three norths"
- Declination & how to account for it in order to navigate accurately
- Navigation strategies
- Route planning basics
The best thing about this workshop: the volunteers. You will get individual attention from an outstanding team of 4-6 experienced workshop leaders. They can do more than navigate, these people can teach. Jeff McWilliams and Tim Davis have been leading this workshop since 2010. Participant size is limited to 12 in order to ensure a maximum student: volunteer leader ratio of 4:1.
The other best thing about this workshop: practice, practice and more practice. To help participants master and retain the material, we spread the workshop out over several days and build in extensive and varied practice exercises, both indoors and in the field. Highlights include a 1.5-hour hike focusing on topographic map/terrain recognition skills and a 3-hour team orienteering-type exercise.
GPS navigation is NOT covered.
Cost: $80 for Solar Outdoors members when paying directly via Cash, Check (payable to Solar Outdoors, or Venmo (@jjmcwill2003), or $85 when paying via Meetup. This pays for a book, room rental, binder with additional map, handout materials and exercises, and the use of the Burns Cabin as a center of operations and a place to sleep if desired.
The workshop fee does not include your state parks motor vehicle permit or meals.
Prerequisites: None, other than decent physical condition. In this workshop you will gain hands-on experience navigating in a wilderness environment, culminating with a ~3-hour cross-country route-finding exercise; consider your physical condition before signing up.
Due to the cumulative nature of the material covered, no "excused absences" are possible.
Questions: Jeff McWilliams, email (preferred): jeff.mcwilliams@gmail.com or (248) 321-1987.
Club membership is required to participate in our activities and workshops posted on our Meetup site. Annual dues are $15 for individuals. Select this link to become a member https://square.link/u/YpuCsZIT
