Mountaineer Magazine

I made my first trip to Washington, D.C. for The Mountaineers about five months into my job here. As I coordinated with partner organizations to schedule meeting with legislators, I was a bit surprised — I was easily able to get meetings as a representative of The Mountaineers that other organizations couldn’t. I say only ‘a bit’ surprised because I knew I was walking in the footsteps of giants; that our organization’s reputation as a leader in outdoor education and conservation far preceded any of my work here. Indeed, The Mountaineers’ legacy of leadership is why I joined and took on the role of defining and amplifying our conservation work as we move forward. Read more…

Our first-ever Mountain Workshop was with the John Muir Elementary School fifth grade. The program had three parts: our volunteers visited the school, the kids came to the Seattle Program Center to climb, and we all met one last time at Seward Park to spend the day exploring outside and working on a stewardship project with Seattle Audubon. Read more…

As I look out over a plain of rushing water, a pleasant earthy smell permeates the air, hinting surprisingly of sulfur. Read more…

Eight years ago, Stef Schiller was clinging to the side of a rock face. She was leading a section of Saber, one of Leavenworth's classic moderate multi-pitch routes. She was terrified. Read more…

Blame the Internet. Blame social media. Blame me and other guidebook writers. Blame the Washington Trails Association (WTA). Read more…

It still doesn’t seem real that just three years ago, I was standing at the base of the indoor climbing wall at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center, trembling with fear. Read more…

Sport climbing is predictable. In sport climbing you clip into pre-drilled bolts while climbing a rock face. Before starting up a route, you know just how long the climb is going to be, and just how many bolts you will clip as you go. Read more…

John Porter is a hiker, scrambler and climber who joined The Mountaineers just a few years ago. He wanted to sharpen his technical skills and learn to climb. In the short amount of time that he’s been climbing, he’s summited more peaks than many do in a lifetime, venturing out every weekend without fail. When he can, he brings his two dogs, Cooper and Cody (a black and yellow lab). I interviewed him to discover what excites him about getting out into the mountains, and what keeps pushing him to go further.  Read more…

It was just a year ago in late December, when I accepted the position as Conservation and Responsible Recreation Manager for The Mountaineers. If someone told me then, that within my first year on the job I would be taking a lead in planning an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I might have told them they were crazy! But, thanks to event co-hosts REI and the Wilderness Society, and a creative, passionate, involved steering committee, we made, we made it happen on November 15th at Explore Washington’s Wilderness, a special event to celebrate the landmark conservation bill that created a way for Americans to protect their most pristine wildlands for future generations. Read more…

The mudslide that destroyed the small community of Steelhead Haven in Oso also blocked access to the town of Darrington. Before this disaster brought the area national attention, Darrington was known for two things: logging and access to amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. From climbing at places like Three O’Clock Rock, rafting on the Sauk River, setting out on an adventure to Glacier Peak or enjoying an afternoon with the family on the Old Sauk Trail, Darrington has been a gateway for Mountaineers as long as we have been getting folks outdoors. Read more…