Courses & Activities

Are you interested in making new friends, collecting inspiring memories, and discovering new parts of our world? Sign up for Mountaineers Global Adventures! The rewards are great, the experiences are unparalleled, and the adventure is abundant. Read more…

As a climber, I am no stranger to fear. I used to highball boulder – meaning I would climb tall boulders where the risk of falling meant serious injury – and without fail, I’d feel fear every time, whether or not I made it all the way up. One day, I was outdoor bouldering with friends fairly new to the sport. Halfway up the boulder, I reached a tricky section. Assessing the situation against my current skill levels, I realized if I went for the next move and missed, I wouldn’t just endanger myself, but my spotters, too. The move wasn’t worth the risk. I decided to descend. Read more…

Each October, the Olympia Mountaineers gather to celebrate the work we have done, the fun we had, and the friendships we made during the program year. Read more…

Ten is both large and small. Ten feet into an alpine climb is just the beginning, but for a book to endure for a tenth edition, it must have enormous staying power. Of the twenty-five million books in the Library of Congress catalog, only about 1,640 are tenth editions.  Read more…

In the outdoors, many factors are out of our control. We’re often at the whim of Mother Nature and to some extent, that’s the thrill of being outside. While a certain level of risk will always exist, there are variables within our control too, and it’s our job to identify and mitigate them. Hydration - the act of replenishing vital bodily fluids - is no exception. Read more…

In 1974, the third edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills was released and with it, a safety and packing system named The Ten Essentials. This year, we’re happily celebrating 50 years of The Ten Essentials minimizing risks outdoors. Read more…

Looking for an opportunity to provide leadership for your branch’s vision and goals? Interested in offering key support for the Seattle Branch’s most dedicated volunteers? Ready to assume a Board of Directors position and serve as a liaison for The Mountaineers largest branch? Consider serving as Chair-Elect or as Branch Board of Directors Representative. Read more…

With nearly one million copies sold, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills remains the premier guidebook for mountaineers all over the world. Join us for our two upcoming events to celebrate the release of the 10th edition of this acclaimed guidebook. Read more…

The Olympia Branch is a vibrant, growing community with quality volunteer leaders. Behind these leaders is a dedicated Branch Council, providing structure and support for our leaders and general membership to thrive.  Read more…

The next Baker Lodge work party will be held on the weekend of October 4-6, 2024. Lodge work parties are a great opportunity to come together as a team of like-minded Mountaineers in one of the most beautiful settings in the Cascades. This year's tasks include brush-cutting, painting, cleaning, light carpentry, and more.     Read more…

In May of 1959, a party of ten Mountaineers were flown one at a time from Darrington Airstrip to a 7,800-foot camp on Glacier Peak. Local photographer Ira Spring organized and led the party of six men and three women to join the expedition, one of his many enterprising invitations to bring people together through photography and adventure. The trip took these Mountaineers six unforgettable days. Read more…

I am at my limit, sick to my stomach and reduced to guttural responses to my fear and fatigue. I have never climbed a mountain before, let alone one at 14,000 feet. On this late-season climb, I’ve seen my crampons spark on the rocks of the Disappointment Cleaver and twice tiptoed across ladders straddling yawning crevasses. And yet, the mountain expects more of me. I keep pushing as the rope propels me forward. Read more…

Waking up to the smell of coffee and freshly baked sweet bread… what could be better? Waking up to these after hiking along the magnificent Amalfi Coast in Italy, of course! Read more…

A year into our strategic plan, Adventure with Purpose, we’re making significant strides to continue improving support for our mission. To better address the needs of our volunteers who run and operate our three lodges, we are expanding resources and making dedicated financial investments. Of the many improvements taking place this season, I’m excited about a new opportunity to accelerate infrastructure improvements to revitalize Baker, Meany, and Stevens Lodges. Read more…

Being outdoorsy didn’t come naturally to me. Although I’m from a small, blue-collar farming community, my parents' idea of spending time outside meant performing back-breaking work in the mid-Atlantic humidity or struggling to stay warm in Carhartt coveralls during blustery winters. In 2013, I migrated to Wyoming and met people who had different ideas of the outdoors: that it could be healing, peaceful, and most importantly, fun. Read more…

Looking for a deeper involvement in The Mountaineers? The Seattle Hiking Committee is holding biannual officer elections in September 2024 for fiscal years 2025-26. We're excited to share details about the open positions and encourage all interested members to self-nominate, joining the organization's legacy of volunteer leadership.  Read more…

The Mentored Backpack Leaders course is an exciting, new offering for the Foothills community. The main objective of the course is to provide an additional pathway for branch members pursuing the Backpack Leader badge. Read more…

We were the luckiest teenagers we knew. In the spring of 1953, my sister (16) and I (18) learned we would spend ten days that summer in the alpine world of Mt. Rainier with two other teenage climbing course graduates, as well as renowned photographer Ira Spring. How did this happen? Ira had a contract with the publisher of a new magazine, Sports Illustrated. Read more…

On a Friday night in late August, I headed north from Seattle with Iris, Phillip, and Jordan - three friends I’d made in the Everett Basic Climbing course. We were on our way to Ruth Mountain and Icy Peak to try what’s known as the Ruth and Icy Traverse - a linkup of two glaciated summits on the border of North Cascades National Park. Read more…

When I was little my parents enrolled me in summer sailing camp. My mother told me it was a necessary life skill that would be useful later on, but I was skeptical. Next thing I knew I was on a small boat with three other kids, floating into the middle of Lake Washington. We were packed in shoulder to shoulder, our red regulation life jackets up to our ears, my stomach bobbing up and down in tandem with the waves. We looked at each other with the same expression. “You guys know how to do this, right?” None of us did. Read more…

But what do you eat? This is my students’ favorite question when I tell them I’m running a 100-mile race. More than anything, they want to know what’s in store for my stomach (they care deeply about my stomach when I talk about mountaineering, too). If you’re also curious, here are my insights from years of running and mountaineering. Read more…

The sweat pours from your brow as you trudge under the spring sun, a mere half-mile from the summit. You know you’re tired, but begin to question if you’re unwell when you see not one, but a dozen people bounding toward you, clad in all kinds of hiking-inappropriate garb. One man is in a hula skirt, followed by a woman dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. You sit down for safety and watch the apparitions get closer. You’re not hallucinating. You’ve just stumbled upon the elusive Mother’s Day hikers outside of their usual haunt. Read more…

Calling all spelunkers and scramblers! This September, Global Adventures has a unique adventure planned for you: an unforgettable trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. This wonder is featured as one the “Top 10 Experiences” in Moon's USA National Park Guide – and for good reason. Read more…

In 2019, I joined a Global Adventures trip – first to Torres del Paine in Chile and then to the Fitz Roy Massif in Argentina. I was 76 and rather long in the tooth for a backpack classified as “very strenuous.” But Fitz Roy was a mountain I’d wanted to see since my late teens. This was my first chance. Jump! Read more…

Summoning my life’s longest, most formative journey, I sometimes put the maps of my arctic traverse end to end. When I do, all the wilderness I could ever want spreads across my living room floor, a smorgasbord of possibilities. “You must walk like a camel,” Thoreau counseled, “which is said to be the only beast which ruminates when walking.” And I did. Read more…

Squinting against the morning sun, I stab my pole into the steep east face of Wild Goat Peak and break loose a small snowball that quickly grows to the size of a man’s torso. Gaining speed as it travels downhill, the snowball finally topples where the mountain’s pitch shallows out. The test confirms my suspicions: this face is ripe for a wet avalanche. Read more…

Cuba’s inherent joie de vivre awaits Mountaineers in the upcoming Global Adventures Day Hiking and Naturalist trip (Nov 19 – Dec 4, 2024). The past six decades of Cuba’s political landscape has shaped a people who are generous, gracious, confident, and unreserved, and a landscape that has escaped heavy tourism impacts. Read more…

The Foothills Backpacking Committee has an amazing community of leaders whose passion is to share their love of the outdoors and build community at the same time. In an effort to answer the call for more relaxed paced trips, our committee has launched an initiative for members who are looking for just these kinds of trips. Read more…

It was day nine of an 11-day trip on the John Muir Trail when I hit a wall. I had packed too many bulky carbs and not enough calories in my bear can. At the time, this was the longest backpacking trip I had done. My spouse and I were able to make our “gorp” last until we were rescued from our plight by my sister who carried in our resupply, just in time. Enduring such slim pickings and operating on so few calories was a mentally exhausting and horribly demoralizing experience.  Read more…

It works great for many people to strap on a loaded pack and hike to get in shape for the upcoming season. However, for some – including many beginners – without a bit more structure and guidance, this approach can run the risk of injury, discouragement, and ultimately, slower progress than you had hoped for. What if you could develop a tailored strength-and-conditioning training plan aimed at reaching your trail goals safely and efficiently, with a progression of exercises and training activities? And what if you could build it with the guidance of a professional physical trainer who specializes in helping people get ready for life-list treks and backpacks? Read more…