The Daily Outside: Climbing Skills, FeederWatch … 1.13.26
Tuesday’s Daily Outside is about learning how things work — on the wall, at the feeder, and along the trails you thought you already knew.
Climbing Skills & Building Competence
The Mountaineers — Intermediate Climbing (Tacoma Branch)
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 5–9 p.m.
Tacoma Program Center, North Tacoma
This is where climbing stops being instinct and starts becoming understanding. The Mountaineers’ Intermediate Climbing program offers an evening of lectures and hands-on practice for climbers ready to deepen their grasp of systems, movement, and decision-making. The session moves between classroom learning and time on both indoor and outdoor climbing walls, connecting theory to muscle memory through instruction, discussion, and practical problem-solving. It’s the kind of learning that accumulates slowly and sticks because it’s earned. Part of the Mountaineers’ Tacoma Branch climbing curriculum, the program is typically open to members and reflects the organization’s emphasis on shared standards, safety, and long-term skill development. It’s a good fit for climbers who want to move with more confidence and intention, whether their ambitions stay local or point toward bigger terrain.
More info, membership & registration: The Mountaineers — Tacoma Branch
Birds & Backyard Skills
Tahoma Bird Alliance — FeederWatch at the Tahoma Bird Alliance Office
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2–3 p.m.
University Place
This is a warm, indoor way to sharpen your outdoor awareness. Join volunteers at Tahoma Bird Alliance to practice backyard bird identification, trade observations with other birders, and contribute real data to Project FeederWatch. No RSVP, no pressure — just learning who’s showing up at feeders and birdbaths this time of year, and why those small sightings matter. It’s equal parts social hour, skill-building, and quiet citizen science. ADA accessible. Reachable via Pierce Transit routes 2 and 53. Limited on-site parking, with additional parking across the street.
More info: Tahoma Bird Alliance
Local Trails & Quiet Wandering
Point Defiance Park — Trails Across the Park
Open daily from just before sunrise until shortly after sunset
Tacoma’s big backyard offers paths for nearly every mood. Take the Outer Loop for miles of old-growth forest and cliffside Puget Sound views, wander connector trails beneath cedar and moss, or stretch your legs near the Rhododendron Garden and Fort Nisqually. Five Mile Drive threads it all together, while smaller spurs offer pauses by water, roots, and weather. Whether you have thirty minutes or an open afternoon, Point Defiance lets you be properly outside without leaving town.
More info and maps: Parks Tacoma Point Defiance Park trail map
Afterward, meet up at Peaks & Pints
We suggest celebrating your good attention with our house pours — Lumberbeard Cut-Off Flannel IPA and Finnriver Buckhorn Dry Cider — because noticing the place you live is better when you can talk it through with people who noticed it too.
LINK: The Daily Outside explained
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
