Blog

Serving as executive director of the Mountaineers for nearly six years has been the high point of my professional career.  I’m pleased we have achieved so much: financial sustainability, significant programmatic advancement, and growth in every part of the organization. Read more…

After many years of phenomenal service by those on the Baker Lodge Committee, some members are planning to transition out of their current duties. If operations at Baker Lodge are to continue as they have since the 1950s, we must find new volunteers. Otherwise alternative business models will have to be pursued in order for the Lodge to maintain financial and operational viability. It is “gut check” time for the Mountaineers membership as to whether or not this long-time resource for outdoor enthusiasts will remain a volunteer-led and operated entity or will migrate to some other management model, possibly without local control by members. Read more…

For our member profile this week we talked to Lisa Johnson, a paddle leader who finds adventure in knowing that for now, in this moment, time stands still and nothing else matters. Read more…

Purchasing a new stove can be a confusing process. There is a wide range of information on the web, and most manufacturers include a lot of different test numbers. It isn’t always clear what these numbers mean or how they’ll impact real-world performance. In this article I explain which numbers you need to know and which you don’t. Read more…

A bi-partisan energy bill released by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Murkowski (R-AK) includes PERMANENT reauthorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Read more…

Hello! My name is Adry and I'm the Summer Camp Coordinator. I am so excited to be creating our Summer Camp blog this summer. From July 6-10, the theme here at the Mountaineers will revolve around Survival! I'll be posting daily updates so check back for general information, photos, field trip updates, and daily camp reflections. Click here any time to see pictures of our adventures!  Read more…

"OUCH!" screamed my instructor at the rock field trip last month. A golf ball-sized piece of Mt. Erie had just bounced off the top of her helmet and she asked her students why no one had been screaming the "rock, rock, rock!" warning. In this case, however, no climbers were above her and as best as we could figure out, an empty rope had knocked it loose earlier in a climb and it finally fell after the climber was off rappel. "Thank you" to Instructor Sherrie Trecker for that perfect demonstration why you always wear your helmet at the crag - even if you're not belaying or on a rope. Because of that, one modest "ouch" was all Sherrie had to say to convey her level of surprise: no injury was caused.  Read more…

Mount Rainier National Park has over 100 climbable peaks — not counting Mount Rainier itself — either within or immediately adjacent to the Park boundary. Most are scrambles, a few are climbs, and 15 peaks are reachable as hikes.  Read more…

Few have documented the new American West as thoroughly or as beautifully as conservation photographer Dave Showalter. In a new book of photography and essays, Sage Spirit (out in August from nonprofit conservation publisher Braided River), Showalter illuminates the Sagebrush Sea which houses an abundance of unique wildlife, including the quickly receding population of Greater and Gunnison Sage-grouse. Read more…