Our History

Steens Mountain Running Camp has been around for more than fifty years, but the Yriarte family's ties to the mountain go back much further. Long before there was a camp, there were sheep, sagebrush, and a Basque shepherd spending his summers up high.

1919

Basque roots. The Yriarte family began arriving in Oregon's high desert from Basque Country in Spain. Harland Yriarte's great-grandfather was a Basque shepherd who summered his flocks on Steens Mountain, and his grandparents ranched in the high desert. Harland grew up on the family ranch near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, with the mountain on the horizon.

Louis Yriarte as a boy, standing between two riders on horseback in the sagebrush — Grandpa Louis Yriarte, the boy standing in the middle

Louis Yriarte years later, standing in tall grass in front of the ranch house — Louis Yriarte (left), years later at the ranch

1975

Twelve runners and a challenge. Harland was coaching track at Brookings Harbor High School on the Oregon coast in his first coaching job. That year he told his twelve runners that if they wanted to make the team, they would spend part of the summer with him on Steens Mountain. They went.

The first trip ended in tragedy. The team's bus driver, Art Crook, was killed by lightning near Wildhorse Lake. The runners came down off the mountain and dedicated their season to him.

A camp talk under a snag in the early years — A talk under the old snag in the early years

Opened to everyone

From one team to every team. Harland's runners kept showing up strong at the state meets, and the Oregon School Activities Association took notice. It asked about the summer trips and said a camp like that should be open to all high school teams. The Steens Mountain High Altitude Running Camp was born. As Harland told the Eugene Register-Guard, "Everyone becomes a team up here."

An early camp group in front of an army tent — One of the early camp groups, lined up in front of the army tent

1990

The Basque banquet. Kepa "Pete" Runnels and his wife Cheryl started cooking the camp's Basque dinner, along with the Iturriaga and Runnels families of Burns. More than thirty years later they're still at it: lamb stew, garbanzo bean soup, chorizo on French bread, and pears in cinnamon and wine, opened with a Chicken Dance and a bota bag demonstration.

Kepa and Cheryl Runnels in aprons, serving food at the camp kitchen window — Kepa and Cheryl serving at the kitchen window

Cheryl Runnels in a striped shirt and apron, cooking in the camp kitchen — Cheryl in the camp kitchen

Kepa Runnels relaxing in a lawn chair with a newspaper — Kepa taking a break

Cheryl and Kepa Runnels with a young camper in front of the army tents — Cheryl and Kepa in front of the tents

Three generations of the Yriarte family and the camp cooks in aprons, smiling at camp in the evening sun — Thirty years later: three generations of the Yriarte family with the camp cooks

2024

Fifty years. Camp celebrated its 50th anniversary with generations of campers, staff, and Yriartes on the mountain.

2025

Passing the torch. Harland's son Jenner, who had run day-to-day operations for years, took over as chief camp coordinator. Jenner met his wife Heather at camp, and their kids Asher, Ella, and Sylvia are part of it too, making three generations of Yriartes on the mountain.

Jenner Yriarte crouched by a boulder, giving a camper a hand up the trail — Jenner giving a camper a hand up the trail

Jenner, Harland, and Asher Yriarte in front of an old cabin among fall aspens — Three generations: Jenner, Harland, and Harland’s grandson Asher among the fall aspens

From the early years

Scanned from the camp's old photo albums. Know who's in them, or have photos of your own? Email hello@steens.camp.

Campers listening to a talk above a glacial gorge — A talk above the gorge

Campers sitting on a rocky slope listening to a coach — Listening up high

A line of campers hiking down toward a high lake — Single file, down to the lake

A coach in a Steens Running Camp hat — The original Steens Running Camp hat

A smiling camper above a lake and snowfields — All smiles above the snowfields

A man in a cowboy hat walking through the sagebrush — Out in the sagebrush

Camp today

Camp runs on a three-week permit from the Bureau of Land Management: two six-night sessions each summer, about 180 high school runners in each. Campers have come from as far away as Chicago, England, Spain, and even Dubai.

There's no electricity, no showers, and no cell service. Campers sleep twenty to a tent in army surplus MASH tents, each run by a tent assistant, a former camper now running in college. Everyone pitches in with dishes, kitchen duty, and keeping the outhouses and wash stations clean. A crew of about fifty (cooks, drivers, medical staff, coaches, and site managers) makes the week happen, and guest coaches have included Max King, Melody Fairchild, Sam Lewis, and Piet Voskes.

The week itself has barely changed: arrive Sunday, acclimate Monday, take on the Big Day on Tuesday, then Cross Canyon, the Basque banquet, and Olympic Day before heading home Saturday. Nights end around the campfire. In Harland's words, "Campfire conversations require no Wi-Fi."

Jenner puts it simply: Steens is "more of a life camp than a running camp."

Be the mountain

Every New Year, Harland sends campers and staff a card. One showed Wildhorse Lake, just below the summit, and described the mountain as "ruggedly strong, delicately beautiful." His message to campers has always been the same: take on the character of the mountain, make it your own, and carry it back down with you to flatland America.

Your challenge is to absorb the strength and the wisdom of the mountain, take it with you down to Flatland America, and infect your team and family with it.

Harland Yriarte Camp founder

Harland's lessons

Be accountable.
Do your best, every day.
Don't do stupid.
Hand a struggling teammate flowers, not rocks.
Be honest with yourself and others, even when you're tired.
Do one or two things well, and the rest well enough.
Choose between the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
Tired within? Just keep taking steps. Never give up, never give in.

Words from Harland A week on the mountain

Adapted from “Be the Mountain” by Ellen Waterston, Oregon Desert Land Trust, November 2025.