This collection contains Ralph Fickel's personal papers, maps, organizational brochures and newsletters, and ephemera. Included in his personal papers are his climbing journals, correspondence, employment records, and hand-drawn climbing routes and notes. The maps included in the manuscript collection are those with insufficient publication information to be cataloged or are hand-drawn maps. Other maps donated with the collection have been individually cataloged. Organizational brochures and newsletters include information on military parks and battlefields, national parks and forests, and the Sierra Club. The ephemera series primarily contains equipment catalogs, but also includes backpacking and camping guides, posters, and expedition and seminar catalogs.