A more adventurous 5.9+ climb on the East side of Washington Pass
Cool summer day scrambling up Tinkham Peak.
Our group of 12 Mountaineers found mountain scenery that exceeded even our high expectations, and the warmth and wonder of welcoming nomadic families at their yurt camps and guest houses all over the country including high in remote mountain valleys. We really enjoyed cultural experiences such as a folk music performance by a family by Issyk-Kul, a yurt-building demonstration, an eagle-hunting demonstration (you get to hold the eagle and wear a cool hat!), a felt-making class and a bread-making class - be sure you arrange as many of these experiences as you can! Trails were mostly in good shape though some very steep scree descents. Our outfitter Visit Alay set up our visit very well (with a few difficulties I'll mention below) and our guides were AMAZING! This extended time with our outstanding young Kyrgyz guide Akbar gave us deep insights into what it's like to be a central Asian country trying to maintain its nomadic culture while making its way between aggressive behemoths like Russia and China! The main downside was that it was nearly impossible to avoid severe gastric upsets on our trek between yurt camps and almost everyone had severe symptoms at some point. Some suggestions are given to reduce the risk and impact, though I'm not sure that it can be avoided entirely.
Leisurely paddle to the light house on a calm conditions and partly sunny day.
A great day in the mountains, made more pleasant by cool temperatures for all the hard work. With a cloud ceiling near Pyramid’s summit (~7000’) we had to be content with territorial views. This counter clockwise traverse (~18 miles, ~6000’ gain) started at Longmire, then visited Iron, Copper, and Pyramid before returning to Kautz Creek.
Abundance of berries along the PCT and to the summit. Picked a perfect weather window just in time before the T-storm hits the whole Cascade in the evening.
Paddle from Sea Farers Memorial Park in Anacortes around Hat and Dot Island to Saddlebag.
A successful 12 day hut-to-hut trek in the heart of the Swiss Alps – the Jungfrau Region. Challenging terrain, gorgeous views, and meaningful Mountaineers camaraderie added up to an amazing, bucket-list trip.
Leisurely trip into Glacier Basin with lots of marmots and an early taste of fall weather.
ZigZag trail to join FS 9021. Then, follow FS 9021 to reach ~4000’ and “Truck Summit” where an abandoned logging truck is located.
An excellent paddle with a really nice crew on a beautiful—and highly variable--summer day!
Great location, isolated, didn't see anyone else all day until the very end.
A fun scramble with a strong group of both seasoned and newer scramblers.
Canceled/turned around at the start of the hike in
A good Basic climb that will exercise the full alpine quiver of skills. One high quality rock pitch and one not so much.
Paddled from Boston Harbor, around Cooper Point and into the cove by Edgewater Beach, then headed toward Gull Harbor. Due to time constraints, we turned around just prior to reaching Gull Harbor, then went back to Boston Harbor.
A delightful hike in the woods plus a bear sighting.
This trip was for students who were proficient in top roping on rock and interested in learning to lead single-pitch sport routes and set up TR anchors.