Most Popular Blogs

In each issue of Mountaineer magazine, we feature two lovebirds who met through The Mountaineers and share a passion of the outdoors. This fall, we talked to Damien Scott and Dandelion Dilluvio-Scott.  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…

Self-assessment is  an approach instructors can use to maximize student learning and place students in the driver's seat for their own learning by using a checklist or scorecard.Metaphorically, a self-assessment tool can serve as a topo map for students to see where they are, where they're going, and how much further they have to go to achieve their learning goals.  Most importantly, it can stimulate extremely useful dialogue between instructors and students, especially when their assessments differ. Read more…

When is a group in the outdoors too big? Too small? The answer, of course, is subjective, and also depends on the place and the activity. The Mountaineers Outdoor Ethics Policy encourages leaders to choose a maximum party size based on seven important factors. Read more…

Last week we asked you to save the date for our special gala event on April 11. We even hinted that you should 'Expect the Unexpected'.  Read more…

Mastering your personal layering comfort is one of the most difficult aspects of backcountry travel. Too many clothes and you're soaking yourself from the inside out. Too few and you're freezing your little tootsie off. No bueno either way. Read more…

We were attempting a winter scramble of Quartz Mt via the east gully. The approach was pleasant and without incident. The forecast was for moderate avalanche danger below tree line and considerable above. While the route was below tree line, due to the nature of the gully on our route, we thought the conditions were considerable, and we were on the look out for any surface activity. Read more…

On March 23, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a stay home, stay healthy order for Washington state. The goal of this order is to help slow the spread of COVID-19 to “flatten the curve.”

We are being asked/ordered to stay at home with the exception of essential activities. These activities include going out for groceries, medical care, and approved work in an essential business. We are also being asked to observe strict social distancing protocol and hygiene measures when we do leave the house. Read more…

Nuts, trail mix, energy bars? They do the trick. But it doesn’t take long for regular snacks like those to become boring and bland. So I went on the search for something full of flavor, but healthy and compact. And something that would sustain me too.  Read more…

The U.S. Army has proposed several helicopter landing sites in the North Cascades for pilots to practice flyovers and high altitude landings. Some of the proposed landing zones have raised concerns because of their proximity to popular recreation areas and trails. Read more…

Everything about this climb was perfect, until it wasn’t. Read more…

Scraps, Peels and Stems: Recipes and Tips for Rethinking Food Waste at Home, by Jill Lightner, is a new book about how to waste less food. As a nation, Americans waste "between 35 and 40 percent of our food supply," according to Jill's research. And, "Nobody likes it," she adds. But while we might not be able to change everyone else, we each can work on minimizing our own food waste. Scraps, Peels and Stems offers scores of tips and more than 70 recipes.  Read more…

The Mountaineers annual Leadership Conference is dedicated to the ongoing development of our volunteer leaders. Discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been incorporated since its inception in 2014, and we’ve strived to include a wide array of presenters and sessions centered on inclusive and equitable programs. At the 2018 conference, we chose to introduce a full track focused on DEI, an exciting first for this event. Read more…

The Mountaineers rely on the generosity of its donors to fulfill our mission. While revenues such as book sales, course fees, and membership dues contribute greatly to our success, philanthropic donations support about 15% of our annual budget. Individuals, foundations, and companies give to The Mountaineers because they’re inspired by our deep commitment to connecting people to the transformative power of wild places. You can make the most of your donations by understanding the ins and outs of tax rules for donations to nonprofits. Read more…

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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 Mountaineers have been sponsoring the Banff Film Festival for more than 20 years. We usually host our community screenings in December, but have moved the 2021 world tour to September due to COVID-19 concerns.  Read more…

For eight years, we've hosted the BeWild Speaker Series to bring  you stories of passion and adventure. On February 11, we're excited to host Elsye "Chardonnay" Walker, who in 2018 became the first African American woman to complete the "Triple Crown of Hiking" - trekking 7,900 miles along the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails. Read more…

Dense fog concealed the subalpine meadow in an eerie white veil. Water dripped from the firs and cedars, and our pant legs were soaked from touching the grass, lupines, and mountain hemlocks. Only a hundred feet in front of me, my friend, Laurie, began to disappear into the white. Waves of heavier mist drifted across the field and lasted for just a few minutes before passing. Every snap of a stick in the surrounding forest would cause us to stop and look. Spray Park is well known for its black bears, and we didn’t want to meet one in a cloud. Read more…

After any amount of time in the woods, on the water, or in the mountains,  it seems like we always re-enter society craving one thing: food. Maybe a shower or soft bed too, but for many, hunger is the first thing to be satisfied. Read more…

For the second weekend in August, the photography and naturalists committees teamed up for a weekend of events at Baker Lodge. We used the great opportunity to share our love of the outdoors together and develop an enhanced sense of connection. And to take in the Perseid Meteor showers - or so we hoped! Read more…

I grew up in the city. A fairly large city at that. No more than ten minutes from downtown high-rises. Nature to me was a line of oak trees on a hillside of evenly cut grass. Read more…

Two years ago REI made headlines with their decision to close stores on Black Friday and pay their employees to #OptOutside instead. At The Mountaineers, we couldn't love this decision more. Like REI, we believe going outside is not just good for your health - but good for your soul.  Read more…

UPDATE 10/15/20 - CLIMBING HOLDS HAVE SOLD OUT. 

Over the past year, Mountaineers volunteers and staff have chipped in to help clean, update, and repair our various climbing structures at the Seattle Program Center. The goal of the ongoing project is to improve the safety of the climbing structures with safe, clear color coded routes. Additionally, we hope the improvements will facilitate better teaching with more anchor stations, cleaner climbing lines, and offer more technical routes.  Read more…

Last summer, we shared the US Army’s proposal for several helicopter landing sites in the North Cascades for pilots to practice flyovers and high altitude landings. Some of the proposed landing zones have raised concerns because of their proximity to popular recreation lands, trails, and designated Wilderness areas. Read more…

On September 7, 2014, just after 5pm, Ross Halverson and his climbing partner were preparing to rappel from the summit of Garfield Mountain. Ross had just finished climbing Infinite Bliss, a twenty-three pitch bolted route ascending the south side of Garfield Mountain. As the late summer sun sunk toward the horizon, it became apparent that both climbers would need to move quickly and efficiently to descend before dark.  Read more…

I found out about The Mountaineers Basic Photography Course from a photographer and instructor from Vashon Island. I had never heard of The Mountaineers prior to taking his composition class. I had a good eye for what makes a photo interesting, but didn’t really know anything about the settings on my camera. I just shot in automatic and hoped for the best. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Gretchen Ta, the Chair Elect for the Kitsap Branch Council, and Kitsap First Aid and Conservation & Stewardship Committee Chair. Gretchen also serves as a Volunteer Leader for the Kitsap Branch Climbing Program!  Read more…

There’s nothing like sharing the great outdoors with your best friend. However, it’s important to keep trail etiquette and safety in mind when you explore with a dog in tow. Below are excerpts from the Mountaineers Books title Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington by Dan A. Nelson. Learn what to do (and not to do!) when you and Fido hit the trail. 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…