Most Popular Blogs

At 21 years old, Nathan Longhurst has accomplished what most would consider an impossible feat – climbing Washington’s 100 highest mountains in just 94 days, a group of peaks also known as the Bulger List. Now the youngest finisher (and only the 82^nd finisher since the list’s inception in 1980), Nathan undertook many of these climbs with Jason Hardrath, the recent holder of the Bulger List’s Fastest Known Time (FKT). Read more…

Meet Regina Robinson, your branch email editor for the last two years.  When she was recruited into the position, she thought, “No way, I don’t know how to do that!” She eventually agreed after some gentle persuasion and stated, “Okay, I will give it a try." She hasn’t looked back. She promises to keep doing it, "for as long as we will have her." Read more…

This year was a hard one. I hit rock bottom mid-May when I unexpectedly found myself crying alone in a tent in the middle of my living room floor. The chasm between the person I had planned to be when I set goals for 2020 and the person I actually was felt insurmountable. My carefully made plans, proudly anticipated fitness milestones, and dreams of adventure were slipping through my fingers. Read more…

While traveling solo to remote and wild places, I had been in some dicey situations. The risks were real, but I knew of no one else interested in exploring the nether regions of wilderness, nor the Himalayan front range from east to west, nor the ancient trade routes that connect Tibet to India through massive ranges, passes that cut deep, from north to south where borders often go unmarked – and so I had gone alone. Read more…

If you love exchanging stories of the trail or are interested in a mini vacation close to home, we have the perfect opportunity for you! Back by popular demand, the volunteers who run our  Stevens Pass Lodge will open the lodge to Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers this summer - but we need your help to do it! We are searching for volunteers to commit to staffing Stevens Lodge for 4 days at a time from August 20 - September 30.  Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to .... Read more…

This is a classic winter scramble up a scenic valley, past two mountain lakes, to a summit with outstanding views. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to.... 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…

This story came to our attention after one of our longtime members saw the feature by Bam Mendiola in the spring 2018 issue. Bam’s piece discussed the unique challenges of climbing Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) as a queer, non-binary person of color. After reading Bam’s work, this member (who shall remain nameless for reasons which will soon become obvious) felt compelled to share his own Mt. Rainier anecdote. Without further ado, here’s the story of Mt. Rainier, Spire Rock, and a mysterious package in the night. Read more…

It's 9:30pm. I’m on a glacier, on a private climb with my Small Instructional Group (SIG). I joined the Basic Alpine Climbing course in December, and now we are out on one of the best climbs of my life. It’s been beautiful all day, with amazing views, great company, and a feeling of comradery. We are crawling across a glacier in swirling mist and smoke.  The day’s warm weather has melted the top layer of the glacier, and the cool night air freezes it as we traverse. I am at the end of the rope, the last one to cross the glacier, and my crampons are skittering off the ice under my feet. Our climb is one misstep away from real danger. It will be a “near miss” if we make it off this steep slope, and it will be so much worse if I slip now. Read more…

Have you ever tried to snag a campground or parking spot near Diablo Lake or another destination in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area during a busy summer weekend? Visitation to this popular area of the North Cascades has doubled over the last 20 years, and Park Service staff recorded one million visits in 2019. As recreational use via the North Cascades Highway continues to grow, land managers need new strategies to manage recreation. Park staff are preparing to develop a robust plan and holistic approach to better manage frontcountry recreation opportunities along the Highway 20 corridor, and they want to hear from you! Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we aspire to offer outdoor opportunities for everyone, and are committed to building a community where all people feel belonging. Our Equity & Inclusion (E&I) Committee was founded in 2018 to work across the organization, in partnership with staff and volunteers, to bring this vision to life. Reflecting the promise of transparency to our community, our committee shares written updates twice per year and holds an annual E&I Town Hall to highlight key trail markers in our work. Today we’re excited to share the progress we’ve made since our April Town Hall, and to announce that applications are now open to join the E&I Committee in 2023.  Read more…

Mountaineers started 2025 strong. (The bout of January sunshine sure didn't hurt.) Read on, dear friends, for a spilt pee bottle, the red-breasted sapsucker, Jupiter, dramatic contrast, and more.  Read more…

Each fall we host our Annual Meeting to recognize leaders across the organization and share highlights from the previous year as well as upcoming priority areas. More than anything, our Annual Meeting is a celebration of our community and all the impact made possible by the generosity and commitment of members, volunteers, and donors. Read on for a brief recap and please check out the virtual recording.  Read more…

The Mountaineers is recruiting for the Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention (SHSAP) Implementation Team, a volunteer group working to prevent sexual harassment and assault and foster a Mountaineers community where all members feel safe and supported. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Traveling to Grand Teton National Park in June of 2023 was a deeper and more meaningful experience than the first time I was there in 2010. What made the trip so enriching for me was the similarities of the flora that are found in both the Pacific Northwest and Wyoming. The forests and meadows were full of trees and flowers that were familiar and felt like “home.” I saw Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, Arnica, Paintbrush, and Shooting Star.    Read more…

The Roadless Rule is a key conservation safeguard that protects two million acres of national forests in Washington - and more than 58 million acres nationally - from logging and development. Unfortunately, the current administration is planning to undermine Roadless protections by repealing the Roadless Rule. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

The first time I ran the Mountain Lakes 100, I DNFed (Did Not Finish) the race at 61 miles in the middle of an early winter storm.  Read more…

“Don’t get distracted by the bells and buzzers you’ll hear going off in congressional offices,” warned Cheri Bustos on our first day of in-person training for Outdoor Alliance’s Grasstops Collective. Former Representative Bustos (IL-17) was referring to the sounds and lights used in Congress to summon members to votes and quorum calls; she was just the first of three speakers to prepare us for the potential disturbance to our planned meetings with members of Congress. Read more…

The Mountaineers launched our Instagram (@mountaineersorg) in 2014 as a way to celebrate the adventurous spirit of our community, the beauty of our natural landscapes, and the myriad types of outdoor experiences we have access to in the Pacific Northwest. From star-lit campsites to sun-kissed summits to smile-filled stewardship, Mountaineers are eager to share their photo-rich trip reports and inspire others to appreciate and protect the special places that we’re lucky enough to call home. Read more…

On Monday, April 3, 2017, I received the news that Mary Anderson passed away at the age of 107. A Washington State native, co-founder of REI with her husband Lloyd, one of a handful of Mountaineers instrumental in setting up the climbing course in 1936, and a longtime teacher in the Seattle Public School District, Mary's legacy will surely surpass her long life.  Read more…

During Junior Mountaineers Summer Camp in 2014, nine-year-old Sydney Swenson confidently announced to then Youth Programs Manager Caitlin O’Brien that she was planning to climb The Tooth in celebration of her tenth birthday. In January 2015, Sydney’s dad Matt Swenson sent an email to some of his friends in The Mountaineers climbing community asking if anyone was interested in joining him and Sydney on the celebratory Tooth climb. Read more…

Two years ago, Keta Legacy Foundation (Keta) filed a lawsuit against The Mountaineers. Keta sued The Mountaineers, claiming they had superior rights in our name, which we had previously authorized Keta to use as the “Mountaineers Foundation.” In addition to wanting to continue to trade on our name to capture donations, Keta also seeks to prevent us from using our own name – The Mountaineers – to raise funds for charitable purposes. Read more…

Early in 2015, The Mountaineers Board of Directors identified two big goals for the organization -- re-examining it's rich and broad array of outdoor education and piloting some of it in an online format. The online pilot is in development and will be offered by several branches in the first part of 2016. Read more…

The following is excerpted from Urban Trails: Everett by Craig Romano, and features three great hikes on Whidbey Island: Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve, Trillium Community Forest, and Dugualla State Park. Edited for space and clarity. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Ted Miller, a volunteer leader with the Bellingham Branch who strives to provide a safe environment for students to learn from their mistakes. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to .... Read more…