Youth & Family

Youth & Family

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Mountaineers Youth Clubs - New Member Meetings & Registration

It’s fall, the air is crisp, the leaves are turning golden brown, and The Mountaineers Youth Clubs are launching new seasons to transform our young Mountaineers into lifelong outdoor enthusiasts! Join our youth clubs this fall as we welcome new members and plan for a year of learning new skills and adventuring. Read more…

Where Are They Now? Following Up With Former MAC Leaders, Katy And Isabel

In August of 2017, our sixth class of Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) reached graduation. MAC is a year-round outdoor club for teenagers in The Mountaineers. With about 30 participants a year, many join in 8th grade or as freshmen, and grow into outdoor leaders through their senior year in High School. Some of our MAC kids come up through Explorers, our middle-school outdoor club. Looking ahead to our seventh year, we now have 26 alumni who are in college, or have graduated from college, who still come back to visit and volunteer. They are using their Mountaineers outdoor and leadership skills to do amazing things. We asked two of our past MAC presidents to tell us about what they’re doing now. Here’s what they had to say: Read more…

Backpacking with Kids Course: May-Sept 2018

Many current Mountaineers had their start as kids when their parents got them out into the backcountry and taught them the skills and resilience to enjoy the outdoor world. Be a part of continuing this legacy with your own kids, by taking the Backpacking with Kids Course. Read more…

Adventure Club: Spotlight on Youth Leadership

Both Stephanie Houston and Logan Urrutia served on the Mountaineers Adventure Club Leadership Team. The Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) is a Youth Leadership program run by teen members of The Mountaineers. With staff and volunteer support, the stated aim is to help the youth of the Puget Sound discover and explore the public lands and waterways of the Pacific Northwest, to help them grow as individuals, and to foster greater connections to our public lands to help steward and conserve them for future generations. These youth represent not only the future of The Mountaineers, but the future of responsible, sustainable outdoor recreation. But I'll let them speak for themselves… Read more…

Family Hike and Bike Weekend at Meany Lodge - August 4-6, 2017

Meany Lodge will be adventure central the first weekend of August with exciting outdoor activities for all ages. Swim in a mountain lake, take a berry hike through acres of salmon berries, huckleberries, and wild strawberries, pedal alongside the reservoir, or wander the lodge property. Read more…

Trail Tales: Stevens Pass to Stehekin

Editors note: During the summer of 2016, six current and former Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) members hiked the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This blog is Part 4 of a 4 part recap series. To find out what already read Part 3 by Miriel McFarland. And learn what had in his pack to keep his base weight under 12 lbs through his detailed gear guide. Read more…

Trail Tales: Catching up at White Pass

Editors note: During the summer of 2016, six current and former Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) members hiked the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This blog is Part 3 of a 4 part recap series. To find out what happened next, read Part 4 by Michael Telstad, or to see what happened before with Part 2  by Miriel McFarland. And learn what Michael had in his pack to keep his base weight under 12 lbs through his detailed gear guide. Read more…

Trail Tales: Trout Lake to White Pass

Editors note: During the summer of 2016, six current and former Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) members hiked the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This blog is Part 2 of a 4 part recap series. To find out what happened next, read Part 3 b y Stephanie Houston, or to see what happened before with Part 1 by Logan Urrutia. And learn what self proclaimed "gram-weenie" Michael Telstad had in his pack to keep his base weight under 12 lbs through his detailed gear guide. Read more…

Trail Tales: Stories from the Washington section of the PCT

Editors note: During the summer of 2016, six current and former Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) members hiked the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This blog is Part 1 of a 4 part recap series. To find out what happened next, read Part 2 by Miriel McFarland. And learn what self proclaimed "gram-weenie" Michael Telstad had in his pack to keep his base weight under 12 lbs through his detailed gear guide. Read more…

How To: Pack for the PCT

Editors note: During the summer of 2016, six current and former Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) members hiked the Washington section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This blog outlines how to prep for a trip. To find out what happened on the actual trip, read Part 1 by Logan Urrutia. Read more…

Inspiring Future Leaders

The first ever Northwest Youth Leadership Summit was held Saturday, October 22, 2016 at our Seattle Program Center. Working with more than 30 partner organizations, we brought together 120 youth from around the PNW for a day of leadership and learning, plus we enjoyed a surprise visit from Sally Jewell! Read more…

Calling all youth - Join us for the NW Youth Leadership Summit

Calling all students ages 14-22 involved in youth stewardship, outdoor leadership, or environmental education programs in the PNW. You're invited to a FREE, fun, and inspiring event: The Northwest Youth Leadership Summit! Read more…

Meet Our Parks | Your Adventure's Caitlin O'Brien

Meet Our Parks | Your Adventure's Caitlin O'Brien. Together with her brother Colin O'Brien, she will climb the Grand in Grand Teton National Park in under 24 hours, all in support of The Mountaineers Youth Programs.  Read more…

Meet Our Parks | Your Adventure's Emily Guyer

Meet Our Parks | Your Adventure's newest Adventurer, Emily Guyer. A Mountaineers member since 2014 and hike leader extraordinaire, Emily has big challenge goals ahead to raise funds for The Mountaineers Youth Programs.  Read more…

Learning to Love the Planet

In our suburban household in northern California, when the kids were little, we didn’t talk about conservation. But we did talk about love, care and respect — for our home, our selves, others — for our surroundings. When we went up to Lake Tahoe, we talked about how fragile an environment it was and how easily ruined. When we drove across the country to see grandparents, we talked about the landscape and the animals we saw, and how our behavior affects them. How many there are and how many there used to be.  Read more…

The North Face Explore Fund Helps Get Youth Into Our National Parks - You Can Too

We are thrilled to announce The Mountaineers is a recipient of a 2016 Explore Fund grant from The North Face. The North Face selected a total of 45 nonprofits - out of hundreds of applications - that engage their participants in opportunities to inspire a lifelong love of the outdoors. Read more…

Our Parks | Your Adventure

In celebration of the National Parks Centennial, we’re launching Our Parks | Your Adventure, a fundraising opportunity we hope will inspire you  to choose a challenge in our National Parks. We hope to raise $40,000 between July 1 and September 5, 2016!  Read more…

Forest Service Announces Plans to Streamline Special Use Permitting Processes

Today, the U.S. Forest Service announced new guidance that will change the operation of the agency’s outfitter-guide permitting system. This new guidance will streamline the process for issuing permits to outdoor leaders and recreation businesses that take people outdoors. These improvements will provide more access to federal lands and waters for a wide range of facilitated use.  Read more…

Tech Update 2.5 - Seminars & Clinics, Search, Youth

Our minions were busy late last year into the early days of 2016 to give us mountaineers.org 2.5, including improvements for seminars & clinics and site-wide search, and new features for our youth programs. Read more…

Empowering Connections

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…

Greenspaces and happy faces

 We took a sharp turn onto Alaska Place and parked at a dead end in front of a house with a green awning covering the front porch. “Green Seattle Partnership” lined the edge of the tent, shovels were laid out in a perfect pattern, and a huge -pile of mulch sat next to the front door. Read more…

The Mountaineers Gets People Moving!

Mountaineers members are active people, and we have the numbers to show it! Simply by looking at the trips our leaders have posted online, our membership has done some serious human-powered travel so far in 2015 - over 72k miles and 22 MILLION feet of elevation gain (and we've got plenty of time for more)!  Read more…

10 Essential Questions: Isabel Suhr

For our member profile this month we spoke with Isabel Suhr, a graduate of our MAC (Mountaineers Adventure Club), about who inspires her and why she volunteers.  Read more…

Operation: Lost & Found in Olympic National Park

Have you lost something lately? We all know the feeling, and it's the worst. Post about lost items in your Trip Reports on our Routes & Places so the next people heading to the area will know to keep an eye out. If you're heading to the Olympics soon, please consider this request from an outdoor adventurer in the Midwest.  Read more…

Family Climb Night - August 27

After months of fundraising, the outdoor climbing wall has been installed at the Tacoma program center. Be one of the first ones to try it out at our family climbing night on August 27th at 6pm. We'll provide all the equipment necessary for both adults and youth. No prior experience necessary!

Sign up to be an Explorer!

The Mountaineers year round program Explorers is for youth 10-13. Join us to learn how to rock climb, kayak, hike, explore, and other essential outdoor skills!  Read more…

THANK YOU for giving BIG to support The Mountaineers!

The summer that I was three years old, my family went backpacking for three days, hiking three miles a day. At four years old, it was four days, four miles. You get the idea. This was part of my parents’ system for introducing us to the outdoors. Read more…