Most Popular Blogs

Calling all Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS) trip leaders and alumni! Join us June 21 at the Seattle Program Center to celebrate and congratulate CHS founders Kelly & Matt Cleman for their vision and dedication. Since 2005, nearly 1,000 Mountaineers have graduated CHS, earning their course badge, improving their fitness, and hiking to farther and more spectacular places than they ever thought possible. 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…

Hiking has always been my refuge from the craziness of the world. I find solace and peace of mind in the wilderness. I know that the natural world can be as unforgiving as the civilized world, but I find wilderness far easier to negotiate. Perhaps it’s my illusion that when taking off for the backcountry, I need only worry about my actions and not the actions of others. In the human world there are far too many people making decisions that will affect me—and often not in a positive way. Read more…

Growing up in Seattle, I wasn't fully aware of the human-caused impacts on our environment, nor did I understand our responsibility to give back to our shared home until an elementary school field trip taught me about the impact our stormwater systems have on local salmon populations. Picking up trash with my classmates and spray-painting stencils of salmon near storm drains around our local watershed remains imprinted in my mind, reminding me of the interconnectedness of nature and our charge to steward it. Read more…

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free access to our quarterly Mountaineer magazine, keeping you up-to-date with everything our organization and community have been up to. Hear from regular contributors on topics from training exercises to trail tips, and read features from our members sharing stories from the outdoors. We encourage you to access all of our updates, stories, tips, and more in the tree free online magazine today. Read more…

In 2014, at the age of 24, I started running. In 2018, I competed in my first marathon. In 2019, I competed in my first ultra-marathon. Since then, I have run the San Francisco (road) marathon, six trail races at the 50-kilometer distance, five trail races at a 50-mile distance, and one 100-mile race.  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…

Over the years, we’ve been on a long journey to protect ancient, old-growth trees in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Our community has answered our calls to action time and time again because it understands that protecting Roadless Areas in Alaska sets a strong precedent for protecting backcountry places in Washington State and beyond. Last week, the administration finalized protections for the Tongass, securing a much-anticipated win for conservation, climate, and Indigenous communities. 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…

Join The Mountaineers this fall for an evening of inspiring and captivating outdoor films handpicked from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado. Read more…

Today and tomorrow mark a celebration of community and generosity across the Pacific Northwest. Will you join us and GiveBIG to get more people outside? Read more…

On May 7 & 8 thousands of Washingtonians will join GiveBIG, a regional grassroots fundraising movement to support the causes and organizations that help our community flourish. Make a GiveBIG donation to The Mountaineers to support inclusive and responsible outdoor recreation in the PNW and beyond! 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…

At the heart of The Mountaineers Gear Library is a simple yet powerful mission: to make outdoor exploration accessible to everyone in the Pacific Northwest. The Gear Library doesn’t just lend gear, but creates opportunities for unforgettable adventures, especially for youth leaders, families, and community organizations. Read more…

This story begins in April, 2018 with a silly idea. I was moving away from my hometown of Seattle to Santa Barbara, and I wanted a good old fashioned Seattle sendoff before I went. I started thinking about the things I would miss when I moved, and one of those things was Dick’s, the classic Seattle burger chain. Dick’s is the mecca for late night food for teenagers, and post adventure eats for weekend warriors. It’s fast, cheap, and delicious.  Read more…

 A collection of trip reports with many opportunities for delight and few opportunities for dismay. Read on, dear friends, for an A-list peak, little feet in sticky sand, a very focused shuffle, and a sneaky October trip report (I know, I cheated) that reminds us of the dear and delicate work to be done in our forests.  Read more…

Mountain photography has been a passion of mine for over forty years, but I had little noticed (or perhaps intentionally ignored) mosses. After rejoining The Mountaineers in early 2015 to take the Introduction to the Natural World (INW) Course, I signed up for a few Naturalist activities that were oriented around mosses and lichens on wintertime hikes. I don’t recall wanting to learn about mosses and lichens - I barely knew what the latter were. I just wanted to expand my hiking repertoire. So I joined “moss hikes” on Cougar and Tiger Mountain. Read more…

The Mountaineers is committed to leading innovation in outdoor education. A key component of this commitment is investing in our volunteer leaders, the heart and soul of our vibrant organization. We’re excited to announce new Leadership Development Series seminars that provide high-quality, continuing education opportunities for our current and aspiring volunteers. Read more…

Mount Rainier National Park has over 100 climbable peaks — not counting Mount Rainier itself — either within or immediately adjacent to the Park boundary. Most are scrambles, a few are climbs, and 15 peaks are reachable as hikes.  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…

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

#GiveBIG is always an exciting time for us at The Mountaineers and this year was no exception. Thanks to your contributions, you helped us stretch beyond our match goal and together we raised $27,000 to support The Mountaineers, Mountaineers Books, and the community of volunteers who teach us to explore, connect, and advocate. 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 Mountaineers is incredibly fortunate to be located in a state with more than 12,000 miles of trails. On the first Saturday of June, communities across to country come together to celebrate National Trails Day. The Mountaineers invites you to help us celebrate our trails by joining a trail work party in some of our favorite places!  This year we have four highlighted stewardship opportunities to help you get involved, and many more all year round. Read more…

I vividly remember the first time I encountered runners on a backcountry trail. It was during the summer of 1985 and I was hiking in New Hampshire’s Pemigewasset Wilderness; New England’s largest wilderness area. I was wearing heavy boots and schlepping a pack complete with the 10 essentials-plus. The runners were carrying practically nothing — and their footwear and clothing were minimal too. My initial reactions were, those guys are crazy traveling through the backcounty with not much more than a water bottle — and how dare they breeze through this trail disrupting my wilderness experience! Read more…

The Foothills Branch Annual Social and Volunteer Recognition Banquet was a well-attended and a fun event for all. To kick things off, former branch chair Steve LeBrun shared information about branch membership, volunteerism, and programs from 2017, and our committee chairs recognized their amazing activity and course leaders. Then our new branch chair Cheryl Talbert announced our branch Volunteers of the Year. Finally, in a much anticipated presentation, ski guides and educators Trevor Kostanich and Forest McBrian shared slides and stories from their 34 day ski traverse from Snoqualmie Pass to Canada. Read more…

Few have documented the new American West as thoroughly or as beautifully as conservation photographer Dave Showalter. In a new book of photography and essays, Sage Spirit (out in August from nonprofit conservation publisher Braided River), Showalter illuminates the Sagebrush Sea which houses an abundance of unique wildlife, including the quickly receding population of Greater and Gunnison Sage-grouse. 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…

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…