Outdoor Leadership

I often head to the backcountry to escape the madness of civilization. In nature, I see order, purpose, and reason. In cities, I often see chaos, confusion, and conflict. There’s nothing like a walk in the woods to rejuvenate a tired, tormented and tried soul. There’s nothing too like an invigorating hike to help validate my existence and place in the world. And while I need the natural world for my sanity and sanctity; the natural world very much needs me and other like-minded folks to help keep it from being compromised, abused, and lost forever. Read more…

Funny songs and unlimited jokes. That’s what Andre brings to the mountains according to his friends — along with his gregarious nature and enthusiasm for people. He moved from New Orleans to Seattle with his mom and sister after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, staying for college and beyond.  Read more…

Join the Seattle Branch as we recognize the outstanding achievements of all of our Mountaineers volunteers. The event is open to volunteers across the entire organization and tickets are available on a first come first serve basis. Read more…

Over the years, members of The Mountaineers community have worked on a number of inclusion initiatives to encourage more involvement from diverse communities. To date, limited resources have been put toward a mindful effort to create a more inclusive environment at The Mountaineers. Read more…

I was at a pretty big Thanksgiving gathering at an old YMCA camp on the Oregon Coast. In the industrial sized kitchen, a volunteer crew was preparing to feed a group of 50. Preparing to chop, the young man in charge of the meal that night dumped a bag of onions on the counter. I was nearby, chatting with a friend. I wasn’t part of the crew but I offered to help.  Read more…

Our branch wants to give a big shout out to Chris Ensor and Gerry Haugen! Your hard work is huge asset to the Foothills community. Thank You! Read more…

Our branch wants to give a big shout out to Barbara Folmer and Monty Pratt! Your hard work is a huge asset to the Foothills community. Thank You! Read more…

Congratulations to Doris Hatton, recipient of the Larry Ingalls Distinguished Service Award for 2016! Read more…

In mid-July, at the direction of the board, CEO Tom Vogl signed a contract with Outdoor Safety Institute (OSI) to conduct a risk management review of Mountaineers programs. The next step for our volunteer leaders is to participate in a risk management survey. Read more…

We've made lots of improvements to our website support for leaders over the past few years. Whether you’re a new or seasoned leader, we want to make your life easier by making sure you know what resources are out there for you. Staff will be on tour hosting informational seminars with exciting and useful information to make it easier for you to lead trips and courses. Join us! Read more…

We're thrilled to offer our third annual Fostering Leadership Conference on December 3, 2016. Each year, we create a special day reserved for current and aspiring leaders to foster new ideas and skills to support what The Mountaineers have been best at for more than 100 years: Leadership Development. Read more…

We appreciate every one of our leaders, but this month we highlight one of our most dedicated: Deborah Fisher. Read more…

The first ever Northwest Youth Leadership Summit was held Saturday, October 22, 2016 at our Seattle Program Center. Working with more than 30 partner organizations, we brought together 120 youth from around the PNW for a day of leadership and learning, plus we enjoyed a surprise visit from Sally Jewell! Read more…

We are pleased to announce David Geeraerts as the Olympia Branch Alpine Scramble Leader of the Year.  David was also selected in 2015.  This year he has lead over 15 trips, and more importantly people enjoy his trips.  Read more…

We wanted to make sure that our Native American neighbors know we respect and care about potential concerns  with our members' outdoor activities on culturally-important locations. We reached out every tribe in our state and learned of no such conflicts.  Read more…

In 2016, we've had 42 Foothills hike and backpack leaders take members on 162 hikes and backpacks, for a total of 1819 miles and 364,595 feet of elevation gain. We appreciate every one of our leaders, but here are three of our finest and most dedicated: Read more…

Leading hikes and backpacks offers unique rewards, but also unique challenges. Unlike other more technically demanding Mountaineers activities, hikes and backpacks have no course pre-requisites. We often lead people who are new to the outdoors and/or have widely varying capabilities. This seminar focuses on leadership skills to help you thrive and deliver safe, enjoyable trips. Read more…

Beginning in late 2012, our volunteer climb leaders started dreaming about new, easier ways to teach friction climbing. From their imaginations came the idea to build our very own friction slab climbing center. The plans are drawn, the money is raised, and now we need a project manager to help make this dream a reality. Read more…

There have been lots of great improvements in leader support over the past few years, so whether you’re a new or seasoned leader, we want to make your life easier by making sure you know what resources are out there for you. Staff will be on tour hosting informational seminars that are certain to be exciting and useful, and make it easier for you to lead trips and courses. Read more…

In mid-July, at the direction of the board, CEO Tom Vogl signed a contract with Outdoor Safety Institute (OSI) to conduct a risk management review of Mountaineers programs. This affirms our ongoing commitment to safety and ensures our programs and trips are conducted in the most professional manner possible.  Read more…

Each year, Mountaineers kayakers come together to attend the advanced clinics sponsored by the Seattle Kayaking Committee at Deception Pass. Staying at the Environmental Learning Center at Cornet Bay, Mountaineers paddlers attend two full days of clinics that teach skills such as advanced paddle strokes, incident management, on-the-water navigation, introduction to moving and dynamic waters, and more! Being so close to the waters of Deception Pass for an entire weekend allows time for paddlers to spend more time learning skills and to connect with each other.  Read more…

Most Mountaineers are not members because they love meetings (apologies to those of you who do!). But since meetings are necessary to run the programs we offer, let's focus on making them more effective, efficient, and enjoyable! Volunteering should be FUN.  Read more…

As Leaders in the outdoor industry, we must always remember the importance of being open to new information, re-evaluating our plans in light of new conditions, and avoiding overconfidence that can lead to mistakes. Read more…

Creating an inviting and diverse membership is an important goal for all of us. It's a challenge because building an inviting, diverse, inclusive environment for learning and adventure will take many steps and The Mountaineers, with a predominantly white membership, could do more to make progress on this journey.  Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we've believe venturing into the outdoors is an essential piece of the human experience. We go outside to wander and explore the adventurous spirit within ourselves. It's important to implement low-impact recreation skills to keep our wild places as sanctuaries for the human spirit; so our grandchildren can experience the sensation of discovering an untouched place. Read more…

The Foothills Branch has been growing at a rapid pace the past two years, and our success calls for more support to coordinate our many activities sponsored by branch volunteers. Please consider supporting our volunteers, who have provided trips for 600 activity participants so far this year (already 250 more than last fiscal year)! Read more…

I arrived early on my first day at Junior Mountaineers Summer Camp, excited to meet all the kids and ready to learn how this camp worked and what to do. After meeting the other counselors, my co-counselor Christoph and I read through the forms for each of our campers. Read more…

We've been busy making lots of little improvements and a couple big ones to our website. Here's what's new this spring! Read more…

Each year The Mountaineers hosts a Leadership Conference, a day for current and aspiring leaders to foster new ideas and skills. Esteemed outdoor community speakers and interactive sessions punctuate a program designed to enhance your leadership and personal growth. If you have a presentation that would benefit our members, we want to hear about it! Our Leadership Conference Committee will review all proposals to help design the most interesting and useful conference possible.  Read more…

We've got four great work parties scheduled for National Trails Day this year. Whether you are on the Peninsula, in the greater Seattle area or near the North Cascades, you can get outside and get your hands dirty!  Read more…