Mountaineer Magazine

The project measures a variety of glaciers across the North Cascades — from the south end of the range on Mount Daniel to the north end on Mount Shuksan; and from the West side on Kulshan (Mount Baker) to the dry East side on the Ice Worm Glacier (aka Hyas Creek Glacier). The glaciers are a critical resource in the region, providing water for farm and crop irrigation, hydropower, salmon and other wildlife, along with municipal supply. Read more…

Every morning I wake to the heaviness of dread and scattered anxiety. Big life-shaking questions bombard me the minute I realize I’ve stopped dreaming. Every effort to create mental order in my overturned life is like opening closet doors only to have the contents of my life spill into a giant mess at my feet. Would I have to move away? Quit my job that I love? Leave the house that I built on eleven acres and leave behind my community and deep relationships in a giant dust-cloud of failure?  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…

When setting up a routine, sometimes you just don’t know where to start. Below are some great principles to follow when creating an exercise regime for yourself. Read more…

On March 22, 2014, a natural disaster hit the state of Washington in the form of a massive mudslide. Read more…

It’s a climber’s nightmare. Last February both members of a 2-party climbing team fell and slid 800’ descending Mt. Stuart, sustaining serious injuries, including head and neck injuries and a broken leg. Yet, within less than four hours they are rescued by helicopter. How did they notify the rescue agency? A satellite notification device.  Read more…

When I joined the Mountaineers, my daughter was two. Since she was born, I’ve been tailoring my adventures to accommodate a baby carrier.  Read more…

Imagine that you’ve just hiked all day over steep and challenging terrain to a beautiful little alpine lake far from the weekend crowds. It’s hot. You’re alone. Off come the clothes. You make a splash and then you hear the whining buzz of an unmanned aircraft — a drone. Read more…

We all know about the therapeutic value of spending time in nature - but nobody practices it better than Mountaineers. Read more…

As he stood at the mouth of Pure Imagination, a newly discovered ice cave on Mt. Hood’s Sandy Glacier, Tyler Jursain felt apprehension. “I don’t even know if we’re welcome here,” he thought, glancing to his partners Dave Perez and Erik Chelstad. They had been planning this trip for months, and now he stood feet from the final destination. Read more…

Of all the Wilderness areas in Washington State, Mount Rainier is by far the most iconic. It was the fifth national park established in the United States — back in 1899. Millions flock there every year to hike, ski, snowshoe, climb or simply take photos. Those who love the outdoors love any excuse to spend more time in this beautiful park.  Read more…

Winter is "in-season" for snow enthusiasts, but "off-season" for everyone else. It's the perfect time to self-assess where you are with your training, set priorities for the next six months, schedule adjustments in your current program, and strengthen your perceived weaknesses — what you can remember as the "Four S's": self-assess, set priorities, schedule, and strengthen.  Read more…

The Mountaineers is deeply saddened by the loss of one our longest standing and most distinguished members: Wolf Bauer - pioneer, first-ascensionist, champion skier, sea kayak course and boat innovator, founder of Seattle Mountain Rescue Council, and esteemed conservationist. Wolf passed away on January 23rd, nearly one month shy of his 104^th birthday. Read more…

We’ve all read stories in the news or Accidents in North American Mountaineering or our annual safety reports of bad things happening to good, smart people, often with years of experience. Read more…

During the past two years, we've worked to connect our community to more digital tools, allowing volunteers to easily manage activity and course information online and enabling members to quickly locate and sign up for activities and courses. Traffic to our website has doubled and we've seen a 115% increase in our members' use of social media. Read more…

Last April, I took Earth Day off to spend the day outdoors with my family. We huffed it up Mt. Si, my longest hike since the birth of our son three months prior. We started hiking when he was about two weeks old, but it was on this hike that he started to really look around and take things in. Mt. Si is such a resource for so many of us in the greater Seattle area: a resource that I appreciated previously as an escape from city living, and appreciate even more as we raise a kid in the city. Access to nature is so critical to all of us. The Land and Water Conservation Fund protected Mt. Si for our use — setting the area aside for conservation and recreation. Read more…

When I turned 6, my parents gave me my first pair of cross country skis. Read more…

Once, a long time ago, when I was just an 18-year-old boy, I ran down the side of a mountain — into the universe. 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…

On behalf of The Mountaineers, I’d like to wish a very Happy Birthday to our longest standing member: Mary Anderson – 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. Read more…

I remember the first mountain I climbed. Well, climbed is an overstatement — trudged is better. Dragged myself up is even more accurate. Read more…

My parents met in Steamboat, CO, where my dad was a ski instructor. They moved to Whitefish, MT, where I was born. A Montanan with a ski-instructor father, I like to joke I basically came out of the womb with ski boots on my feet. Read more…

It’s pushing 95 degrees in Portland, and I’m biking home in the uncharacteristic and unforgiving sunshine, squinting even behind my sunglasses. It’s been over 90 all week. Read more…

“I want your job!” 

A sentiment I’ve heard more than the sound of mosquitoes buzzing in my ears in my decade of writing guidebooks. I usually chuckle upon hearing it. But in my mind I’m thinking, “Sure you want my job — and I’d like your six figure salary, plush retirement plan, and Cadillac healthcare plan!”  Read more…

Walking down the steep switchbacks to the creek, I was startled by the sound of a herd of third graders yelling, “I see them! There they are!” I was being particularly careful to focus on the trail and keep a hold not only of my footing but my camera as well. I thought to myself what everyone else was thinking, “Boy, I didn’t bring the right shoes for this trip.” The ground was wet and everyone was excited to keep moving, which made navigating the exposed roots difficult and our trip down to Wildcat Creek slow going. I could feel the anxiousness rising when one boy stopped to tie his shoe. The whole line stopped. I took a breath and looked around at the dewy forest canopy covered in rich green moss. I was on a Salmon Safari.  Read more…

As Mountaineers, we have accessed and experienced some of the most remote areas of this region. Close your eyes and think about where you were on you favorite or most recent trip outdoors. Chances are this trip brought you to some sort of protected land, quite possibly to a federally designated “Wilderness” area, such as the Olympic Wilderness, the San Juan Wilderness, Mount Rainier National Park, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Boulder River Wilderness and more.  Read more…

We have come a long way from the early 1900’s when The Mountaineers advised women to “carry heavy veils to shield their faces from sunburn when on snow” and men used greasepaint to protect their skin. Today, we all wear the same clothes and use the same gear, but you are still more likely to see a man climbing a mountain than a woman. However, the gender gap is decreasing, and the accomplishments of female climbers are now celebrated as proudly as those of their male counterparts. Read more…

Like my first love, I’ll never forget my first grizzly bear encounter. It was highly emotional and intense. Short-lived too, but forever etched into my mind. But unlike my first love, I wish to continue my relationship with grizzly bears into the future. Read more…

Alex Honnold was on an academic and expected track – at least for the type of lifestyle he grew up in. Before his international climbing career, he was at the top of his class in a prestigious high school in Sacramento, California. Berkeley was his next step, with engineering as his major. Read more…