Courses & Activities

I joined The Everett Mountaineers in November 2015, and shortly thereafter completed a PCT thru-hike in the summer of 2016. I’ve always been interested in alpine climbing, especially anything over 8,500’, and so in 2018 I enrolled in Everett’s Basic Climbing Course. Basic is a 6-month course to teach you what you need to know for Mountaineering expeditions in the Pacific Northwest, and I was eager to learn. Read more…

On June 24, I will be leaving home - along with a group of three other Mountaineers sea kayakers - to paddle down the west coast of Vancouver Island. Our plan is to take three weeks, starting in Winter Harbor and ending in Tofino, paddling a distance of over 200 nautical miles of exposed and remote outer coastline.  As a part of our safety plan, we've included electronic signaling devices which we can use to call for emergency help. This blog describes the various options that I considered for our trip, an overview of what we decided to bring, and how we will use these devices throughout our journey.  Read more…

I am a proud trail running newbie! I first hit the trails in my street running shoes, carrying nothing but my car key. “No big deal,” I thought. “I’ve got this.” Then I watched my pace slow way down from my road pace and started debating whether the steep hills would kill me. “But I’m a runner, this shouldn’t be this hard!" Read more…

More than four hundred Mountaineers members, friends, and family will not soon forget the evening of April 14, 2018. The 2018 Mountaineers Gala, our single most important fundraising event of the year, brought our community together in celebration of all the things that make it so very special. Read more…

Calling all qualified Mountaineers volunteers for the raddest, most fun volunteer opportunity EVER! The Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) for teens ages 14-18 takes a ten-day long climbing/hiking/backpacking/car camping trip each summer, alternating between the North Cascades and Squamish. This summer we're heading to Squamish from Friday, June 29-Sunday, July 8. We need your help for as many of those das as you're available! Read more…

Today is National Nature Photography Day. Mountaineers Books and, especially our conservation imprint, Braided River, works with a number of amazingly talented and dedicated nature photographers. These folks frequently spend long hours alone in the wild capturing images that the rest of us would never see without them. These images have a huge impact on how we come to understand and feel about nature. Often their photos are the only reference we have for faraway places, and they move us to care about those environments. Nature photographers are on the leading edge of connecting us emotionally to the world that we depend on for all of our physical needs and for which degradation in a faraway place  affects the place where we live. Read more…

Every explorer needs a few essentials to survive. Some might even say ten. But what does a person do when one of their essentials breaks? Say… their compass stops pointing north? They’re still on their journey and need it to survive. The answer: the best they can with the tools they have. This is the essence of resilience.  Read more…

My arms ache. I’m terrified of heights and am gripping too tightly again. By the end of the day my fingers will be bloodied and my legs bruised. Often, my ego is too. Read more…

Alpine Ambassadors are a group of climbers looking to push their limits together, learn from the mentorship of guides and highly accomplished climbers, and mentor others. The group is comprised of leaders from all branches with climbing programs! These climbers will head to Squamish in July to refine their skills and be better situated to give back to their branches as a result.  Read more…

There ain’t no party like an acronym party, and the PCT is chock full of them. Let’s learn! Read more…

Books can affect us deeply and in meaningful ways. Many of us have that feeling about one or more books we consider treasures. Because of that, Mountaineers Books and our authors receive fan mail on a fairly regular basis. The following is correspondence that Jim Herrington, author and photographer of The Climbers (© 2017), received recently from Mitch Solomon. We thought Mitch's letter was touching and, with his permission, that you would enjoy it, too.  Read more…

I joined The Mountaineers two years ago – I am new to the “wild” outdoors – with Basic Wilderness Skills (BWS) as my first course. Prior to that, I was having difficulty getting questions answered about what I should wear so I didn’t die of exposure. I came to Bremerton from arid desert climate, where a t-shirt and jeans are the accepted hiking attire. I needed someone to give me the low down on what the heck “hard shells and base layers” were. Susan Graham and the BWS team gave me the core tidbits I needed to do more.  Read more…

Name: Erwin Buske
Hometown: Fairwood, Washington
Member Since: 1995
Occupation: Erwin Buske Photography & Procurement Cost Analysis Consulting Read more…

We are launching a new photo presentation series to celebrate the extraordinary photography adventures our Mountaineers members have experienced around the world. We’re hosting four presentations in the next year to share photos, videos, and storytelling from the photographers among us, and we invite you to send us your stories! Read more…

Some kids love hiking; others would rather stay home and read a book (I have one of each). Once my unenthusiastic hiker is actually on the trail, his attitude usually improves, thanks to some of the tricks I’ve learned over the years: Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Jacob Wolniewicz, a volunteer leader with the Seattle Branch who currently chairs the organization's largest committee ... Seattle Climbing! Read more…

Northern California is home to the southern reaches of the California Cascades, and this rugged volcanic landscape contains some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the western United States. Here are four of my favorites that are featured in my hiking guidebooks, all linked by CA Highway 89: 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…

Ever thought about backpacking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California? Philip Kramer, author of the new book Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Northern California (Mountaineers Books, 2018) shares key information in this wide-ranging interview. Read more…

As a part of their annual review process, members from each of The Mountaineers sea kayaking committees met in Tacoma on February 10 for the 2018 Sea Kayaking Summit. During this meeting, the group discussed a wide variety of topics, including ways to make The Mountaineers sea kayaking programs more accessible and consistent.  Read more…

Name: William Francis Butler Jr.
Hometown: Seattle - Ballard
Member Since: 1999
Occupation: Retired School Administrator
Favorite Things to Photograph: Sunsets, especially when something makes them extra interesting. Objects, like backlit Joshua Trees and flowers. Read more…

One step at a time. It can be slow, and often painful, but you can always take one more step. That’s how you climb mountains, and that’s how you recover from addiction.  Read more…

Few subjects cause so much hesitation on the part of new backpackers as trail food! How much do I need? What kinds should I pack? The questions are endless, and luckily we have a few tips to help you stay happy and well fed on the trail! Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Jill Uthoff, a volunteer leader with the Tacoma Branch whose favorite piece of gear is a trucker hat ... the more ridiculous, the better! 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…

It was my lowest moment as a Mountaineer, and I’ll never forget it. Evening was approaching on the first day of my Basic Winter Overnight at the old Snoqualmie property. I had done pretty well at ice-ax arrest, but I was cold, wet, and ready to head back to camp to get warm and dry. Then I saw it - my home for the night (an improperly staked 3-season backpacking tent) had collapsed under the 5" of heavy, wet snow that had fallen since morning. My gear was soaked in the puddles of standing water in the tent, and with night falling soon, there was no chance of drying out. I was mortified. Read more…

The Olympia Branch is challenging you to dedicate one day (or more!) to stewarding our public lands.  This challenge is a great way to give back to our outdoor playgrounds and meet a vibrant community of volunteers. All Mountaineers members are welcome to join - regardless of branch affiliation. Read more…

I've lived a charmed life, insofar as I like to eat and have a spouse who loves to cook. I'll gladly wash dishes as my part of this bargain, a chore I've managed with a moderate degree of competence. That said, I was intrigued by a recipe in Dirty Gourmet: Food for Your Outdoor Adventures, a new cookbook from Mountaineers Books. Read more…