A week simply wasn't long enough to have fun in Oregon's wild country.

So Oregon Wild is sponsoring three months of free backwoods adventures this summer to introduce Oregonians to some of the state's most beautiful areas.

"In the past, we've always done a Wilderness Week," said Erik Fernandez, wilderness coordinator for Oregon Wild. "This year we decided to spread it out over the whole summer, so this weekend kind of starts the kickoff week to a Wilderness Summer. We have a lot of different hikes in the coming week — it's the heart of our activities — but we'll do additional hikes through early fall."

Each of the 37 activities is free, except a season-ending three-day campout at Waldo Lake that will cost $50 per person, or $40 for Oregon Wild members. Admission for youths ages 6-16 is $10. The fee will cover a campsite for two nights, a meal, a year membership in Oregon Wild, and activities ranging from boating and swimming to guided hikes. Boats will be provided.

Oregon Wild began 34 years ago as the Oregon Natural Resources Council and traditionally has sponsored a week of summer hikes to areas that are proposed for wilderness protection.

"Over the last couple years, there have been a number of proposals to protect areas around Mount Hood as wilderness — the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness proposal — and this week and this summer we're leading a number of hikes into that area," Fernandez said. "That proposal actually extends down into the backyard of Salem to the Bull of the Woods Wilderness, near Mount Jefferson."

No hikes are scheduled into the Bull of the Woods Wilderness, which is adjacent to the Opal Creek Wilderness, 40 miles east of Salem.

"That's primarily because that area is completely under snow right now," Fernandez said. "But the proposal is for about 11,000 acres — some on the north side and some on the east side — to be added to the Bull of the Woods Wilderness."

Only one of the 37 events is likely to be changed because of lingering snow.

"We ended up getting lucky, and only one — a family hike to Lost Lake — will have to be reworked," Fernandez said. "Lost Lake (on Mount Hood) is under four feet of snow right now, but every other hike is expected to be a go. We'll do another family hike on that date, maybe to Wahclella Falls in the Columbia Gorge."

U.S. House members from Oregon Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Darlene Hooley and David Wu held a press briefing Wednesday to announce sponsorship of what they're calling their "Oregon Treasures Legislation" to add 132,000 acres of wilderness in Mount Hood National Forest, 80 miles of new wild and scenic river protection and 34,550 additional acres of national recreation areas.

"We're at least a couple months from anything being finalized on any of those," Fernandez said. "There are various places around the state that are in various stages of possibly being adopted in Congress. Wilderness Week is a great way to get people out into an area to see places they may not have hiked to before, to get them out seeing some wildlife, some wildflowers, some old-growth forest, and to have a good hike."

Activities include two fishing outings and, in addition to the season-ending blowout at Waldo Lake, a camping trip near Iron Mountain, in the Cascades east of Sweet Home.

Outings range from easy to strenuous, and the emphasis ranges from tree identification to old-growth admiration, from wildflower identification to wildfire ecology lessons.

Hikes closest to Salem will be Aug. 16 and 17, both 6.2-mile ventures into the Opal Creek Wilderness to see 500-year-old old growths and to appreciate the pristine waters of the creek.

Fishing trips include flyfishing Aug. 23 on the Roaring River, a tributary of the Clackamas, near Estacada, and flyfishing July 19 on the Salmon River near Zig Zag. Both are in the proposed Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness.

Wilderness Week will open Saturday with a salvo of hikes. One, the "Babyfoot Lake Hike and Swim," will include the option of taking a dip in a glacial cirque in an area that is proposed to be added to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southern Oregon.

Fernandez will be leading a tree-identification hike on 15-Mile Creek, about 10 miles east of Mount Hood.

"15-Mile Creek may be about the most boring name you've ever heard, but it's one of the most interesting places on our entire list of activities," he said. "It's on the east slope of the Cascades, just over the crest, so you end up with quite a mix of habitat. You have a Central Oregon forest like ponderosa pine, then you walk 100 yards down by the creek and you'd think you were in a west-side forest of Douglas fir and western red cedar.

"It's amazingly diverse. In a two-mile stretch there's basically every kind of tree you can find in the entire Mount Hood area, and we'll be showing people how to identify the trees they'll find around Oregon."

Every outing will be led by an expert naturalist. Registration is required. Participants age 17 and younger are welcome, though the parent or guardian must check with hike coordinator Margaret De Bona to be sure the difficulty of the outing suits the age and physical abilities of the child.

"We invite families, fishermen, newcomers, old friends and avid hikers, and all will find something to enjoy," said Regna Merritt, executive director of Oregon Wild. "We hope Oregon Wild Summer provides Oregonians with the opportunity to discover what makes Oregon a special place to live, work and raise a family."