Global Adventures

It's that time of year when the mercury plummets, the rains arrive, and we want to wrap ourselves in a warm blanket and cozy up with a book. But that doesn't mean we're going to stop exploring! How does traveling Italy by bike, venturing into the Alaskan wilderness to photograph wildlife, or joining the thru-hiking community on the Appalachian Trail sound? How about making a ground-breaking ascent of Mount Everest via the West Ridge, becoming the first North American woman to do so? All this and more is available for your reading pleasure, so settle in, pour yourself a hot beverage, and enjoy our armchair adventure recommendations. Read more…

Keow-kowee keow k’loo keow k’loo keeloo came from right over our heads, making us stop abruptly. Jeffrey, my hiking companion, whispered, "Quetzal, courtship." My head was already crunched all the way back so I could stare directly into the canopy of this tropical forest. Resplendent Quetzals were in courtship. The male flew from one branch to another, his long tail waving behind him; the female also was moving back and forth, twigs swaying with her activity. My parabolic reflector pointed right at them, I was capturing their courtship on my sound recorder. Read more…

Are you looking for active adventure travel in exciting new places around the world? You now have a chance to experience adventure in the Alps with other fun and capable Mountaineers, led by an experienced volunteer leader. Read more…

The following excerpt is from the new book, The Road to San Donato: Fathers, Sons, and Cycling Across Italy by Robert Cocuzzo.  Read more…

I rose shivering in the pre-dawn dark and poked my head out of the tent. Frost coated every surface and glittered in a thick layer on the tent fly. Outside a faint glow was building over the ridge opposite our tents, and the donkey drivers on our support crew were hooting and hollering on the hillsides, bringing our donkeys down from their overnight grazing spot above camp. Another glorious day in Peru was about to start, and we were looking forward to greeting the sun at the top of  a  15,416-foot pass. Read more…

Did you know that The Mountaineers offers outdoor adventures not only across North America, but in far flung spots all over the globe? Our hardy team of Global Adventures leaders love outdoor adventure travel, and love to take fun and compatible groups of Mountaineers with them! If you're passionate about expanding your outdoor horizons and would love to share those experiences with fellow Mountaineers, you'll want to check out our trips that have recently opened for registration. Don't wait - trips can fill up months to a year in advance! Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of multi-day adventures in far-flung places? Global Adventures leaders have taken groups skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, scrambling, backpacking, trekking, and day-walking in Alaska, the Rockies, the Alps, Patagonia, Peru, the Himalayas, the British Isles, New Zealand, Japan, and more. The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams with capable Mountaineers Groups, and, at the same time, take your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level. Read more…

A few years ago, I took a group of Nordic skiers to the Dolomites in Italy. One couple in my group was looking forward to celebrating a significant anniversary in Florence and Rome following our ski adventures. We had been in the Dolomiti for about 10 days and, on this day, had enjoyed a rigorous mountain ski. After lunch and a ski back to a side valley where our path crossed a road, the anniversary couple decided to take the rest of the day off and bus back to the hotel. Read more…

Discover Austria! Join us on a Global Adventure where we will be hiking in a little-known area of the Austrian Alps. Hike the European way: combine stunning scenery with uncrowded trails, comfortable lodging, tasty cuisine, and high mountain huts. We’ll wander through alpine meadows and across rock slopes, have lunch at scenic huts, reach high tarns and passes, and see breathtaking views. Learn how trek the mountains traveling hut-to-hut! Read more…

It’s no secret that exploring on foot has become not just my favorite thing to do but also my favorite thing to talk about. So I was thrilled when family, friends, and friends of friends started asking for my advice on how to do it. I loved helping them prepare for their trips and hearing their stories once they were back. But the most exciting thing to me was that people who started exploring on foot didn’t want to stop—just like me! Even before they finished their first trail, they were already thinking about the next.  Read more…

The following is excerpted from Walking to the End of the World:  A Thousand Miles on the Camino De Santiago, Beth Jusino.

I climbed the narrow stairs to the upper level of the train, my backpack strapped over my shoulders, a bag of sandwiches clutched in my hand, and my husband a few steps behind me. The car was empty as I settled into a forward-facing seat, feeling smug. Everything was going exactly as planned. Read more…

Perhaps it was the splash of the shy platypus as it swam away after a close encounter with us on the trail, or the snarl of Tasmanian devils feeding on carcasses and biting each other at a sanctuary near the start of our trek. Or maybe it was the zzzzzzzzip of a big, black currawong bird unzipping a backpack and helping itself to the snacks in our backpacks, or the THUMP of the Bennett’s wallaby jumping away with a joey in her pouch as we watched from our hut. One thing was certain: we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Read more…

We asked our staff for their recommendations from this season's new books. It was hard to play favorites, but here's what we're really excited about!  Read more…

Forget the long lines and expensive tickets of traditional European tourist sites. There’s a better way to explore Europe—on foot. Here are 5 reasons to pack your backpack, lace up your boots, and hit the trail across the pond. Read more…

The following is excerpted from Paul Souders' new book, Arctic Solitaire: A Boat, A Bay, and the Quest for the Perfect Bear. This is from Chapter Five: A Hole in the Water. Read more…

Our Global Adventures program is excited to announce another wonderful adventure coming up in February of 2019: join us for an adventure to the Hokkaido region of Japan! This trip is a great chance for powder hounds to get their fill when the Washington snow just won’t cut it. The trip includes visits to several ski areas as well as a visit to one of the famous ice festivals of the region. Read more…

Many Mountaineers have visited and climbed in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, developing a love for the stunning landscapes and the warm hospitality of the Nepali people. What you might not know is that we have a vibrant Nepali immigrant community right here in the Pacific Northwest! Read more…

In the grey of very early morning I was awakened by fluttering, scuttling, and pecking on the metal roof. The tiny, three-bed Ball Hut is perched on the moraine of the Tasman Glacier in Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park. On New Zealand's South Island, the hut is just a stone's throw away from the sheer 6000-foot Caroline Face of Mount Cook.  Read more…

Extreme Fishing: though it’s not likely to be a new Mountaineers activity program anytime soon, it was part of the spring 2017 Rota Vicentina Global Adventure on Portugal’s wild southwest coast. The hardy Mountaineers trekkers on the trip were treated to multiple displays of Extreme Fishing prowess – not to mention feasting on the fruits of the fishermen’s labors! Read more…

On February 27, 2018, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, President of Tompkins Conservation, signed a decree with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to create two new parks in Chilean Patagonia. It was the largest donation of land from a private entity to a country in history - three times larger than Yosemite and Yellowstone combined!  Read more…

Morning light was just beginning to illuminate the tops of the white granite cliffs surrounding our green valley when Señora Anita arrived to make breakfast. She stoked the wood stove in our tiny refugio and with impressive grace and speed, whipped up fresh rolls, an egg casserole, hot coffee, and tea — all without the benefit of heat controls other than adding and re-arranging wood and coals. Our group sat on a bench, sharing warmth of the stove, sipping coffee, and marveling at the culinary performance in the morning light. Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers companions on multi-day adventures in far-flung places? Global Adventures leaders have taken groups skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, scrambling, backpacking, trekking, and day-walking in Alaska, the Rockies, Patagonia, Peru, the Himalayas, the British Isles, New Zealand, and more. The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams, and at the same time, take your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   Read more…

Have you been dreaming of active adventure travel in exciting new places around the world? We have two upcoming chances  to experience active adventures in stunning places with other fun and capable Mountaineers, led by experienced volunteer leaders. Read more…

Did you know that The Mountaineers club didn’t have a paid employee until 1984? Tired of all of the paperwork, the growing organization hired a part-time administrator to help with waivers and dues so that volunteers could focus on the fun stuff: developing courses, providing instruction, leading trips, and running committees. Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers on multi-day adventures in far-flung places around North America and the wider world? The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams while taking your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   Read more…

Occasionally, Mountaineers leaders are interested in leading a multi-day trip outside the Pacific Northwest. If you want to lead a backpacking trip to Hawaii, a volcano climb in Canada, a sea kayak trip in Mexico, or, perhaps even farther afield like a sailing trip in Greece, a climb in Peru, or a trek in the Dolomites, we have different ways to get involved. Read more…

A few years ago, I took a group of Nordic skiers to the Dolomites in Italy. One couple in my group was looking forward to celebrating a significant anniversary in Florence and Rome following our ski adventures. We had been in the Dolomiti for about 10 days and, on this day, had enjoyed a rigorous mountain ski. After lunch and a ski back to a side valley where our path crossed a road, the anniversary couple decided to take the rest of the day off and bus back to the hotel.  Read more…

Our Global Adventures Committee leads exciting trips around the world every year to help you get outside while playing and learning in a new place. Registration is now open now for a ski/walk adventure in the Italian Alps in the dramatic shadows of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Join us! Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers companions on multi-day adventures in far-flung places around North America and the wider world? Global Adventures leaders have taken groups skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, scrambling, backpacking, trekking, and day-walking in Alaska, the Rockies, Patagonia, Peru, the Himalayas, the British Isles, New Zealand, and more. The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams, and at the same time, take your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   Read more…

Braided River is teaming up with Explore Green to host a Fall Nature Photography Workshop at Sundance Mountain Resort led by acclaimed conservation photographers Amy Gulick, Carl Johnson, and Dave Showalter. Each will bring their expertise and passion for wild country to this hands-on workshop. At the foot of Utah's towering Wasatch Range, the stunning Sundance Valley offers the ideal setting for an immersive photography experience. Read more…