Blog

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Alan Kearney, a volunteer leader with the Bellingham Branch who has been leading climbs for decades. He attributes Mountaineers climbs and family climbing trips, his mother and father were Mazamas members, in shaping who he is today  and influencing his life greatly. Read more…

When our volunteers designed our donor-funded Seattle Program Center (SPC), which opened in 2009, the goal was to create a top-notch instructional center to teach outdoor skills. As we've grown, we continue to add new features and spaces for experiential learning. In total, the Seattle Program Center has nearly 400 bolts around the building, and we've been able to decrease our trips into the mountains by 40%, decreasing our carbon footprint on our wild places. Read more…

In 1953, George Rogers stood atop the stunning Mount Olympus with a group of fellow climbers from The Mountaineers. At the time George knew his family history was deeply intertwined with the club, but he had no idea just how much until, 67 years later, he saw a Retro Rewind piece in Mountaineer magazine entitled “An Olympic Summer, 100 Years Ago.” A sentence caught his eye – “The most summits by a single member was eight, completed by Phillip Rogers, Jr.” His first thought was, “Could that be my dad?” Read more…

You’re six weeks out from your big multi-day summer adventure. You want to be in peak condition before you go, and you have an opportunity to simulate your outing once or twice to check your preparedness and adjust your training program. Read more…

“The show must go on” has always been the motto of The Mountaineers Players who have been performing at the Kitsap Forest Theater since 1923. We produce shows to enrich the community by bringing stories to life in a magical outdoor setting that all ages can enjoy. We perform through all types of challenges (rain, record heat, cold, a closed Kitsap Cabin), and are thrilled to present Little Women on most weekends this summer. Come take a hike to visit our magical space and experience the wonder of outdoor theater for yourself!  Read more…

Over the past few years, we’ve asked you to take action against a proposal to exempt the Tongass National Forest in Alaska from the Roadless Rule. The Roadless Rule is an important conservation tool that protects many of our most valued backcountry landscapes, including many in Washington, from logging, road building, and other development. The previous administration removed protections from the Tongass rainforest to open it up to development, despite overwhelming opposition. Read more…

As the Pacific Northwest faces an early and intense wildfire season, an unprecedented heat wave, and severe drought, we’ve been thinking a lot about how The Mountaineers can help advance climate solutions. The climate crisis is an urgent threat to our communities and the Pacific Northwest landscapes we love. Our community experiences the effects of climate change on our outdoor adventures, as wildfires cancel hikes and glacier travel becomes more perilous. It also impacts our health and communities, especially our most vulnerable. Read more…

Wildfires. It seems that every summer, they’re in the news. Whole towns have burned to the ground in recent years. Thick smoke blanketed the entire west coast in the summer of 2020, forcing us to stay indoors. Anticipating and preparing for fire season has become the norm in some areas of the world, but what if I told you that our forests have been preparing for imminent fires far longer than we have? Read more…

Few have directly witnessed the insidious change that our warming climate has wrought on the Pacific Northwest. Those who have seen the impacts are often outdoorspeople who have been intimately connected with the land for decades, watching as it slowly morphs under the pressure of a changing climate. Pat O’Brien is one of those people. Read more…

This past January, Satish Shanmugasundaram was thinking about what resolutions to set for 2021 and getting outside more was at the top of the list. One of the first adventures inspired by his resolution was a snowshoe trip to the banks of Lake Kachess. There, he first learned about The Mountaineers. “I was struggling with the directions and I saw a group. One of them told me that they were from The Mountaineers, and I immediately signed up. Read more…

If you’ve ever visited the Sunrise Lodge at Mount Rainier, you have likely stared directly at one of Mt. Rainier's proudest features: Steamboat Prow. This 2,950m tall, glaciated, andesite protrusion splits the Emmons and Winthrop glaciers like the prow of an icebreaker. Fifty vertical meters below sleeps Camp Schurman, which serves as the northeast high camp on the mountain and the launch point for hopeful summiteers on the Emmons glacier route. Read more…

You’ve been day hiking and are ready to have your first overnight in the wilderness, but you’re not sure where to start. Below are a few steps to take before you go to maximize your chances of having a fun, successful trip:   Read more…

Olympia Mountaineers have been busy this year! We're back in full force now that COVID-19 restrictions have loosened, and our hard work has already made a big impact. Read about two recent projects branch members undertook, and get inspired for your own stewardship day this season. Read more…

For our third installment of the Oregon Winter Adventure series, we take a look at Cape Perpetua and the geological marvels that it holds. Learn about this gorgeous spot along the Oregon Coast, and how to maximize your visit if you choose to head south for some seaside adventures.  Read more…

How do industry trends affect, shape, and impact our programs at The Mountaineers? If this is a question that you've ever considered, and a conversation that you're interested in being a part of, we invite you to join The Mountaineers at this year's Wilderness Risk Management Conference online. Read more…

The Banff Film Festival has been part of the fabric of the Olympia Branch for over 20 years. Is not only a significant source of revenue for the Olympia Branch, but it provides the Olympia Mountaineers with a venue for promoting our classes, programs, and activities. We will soon meet again on those cold December evenings, but until then please enjoy the Banff Mountain Film Festival Virtual World Tour Playlists and the Monthly Award Winners Series. Read more…

Do you hike, climb, bike, hunt, picnic, or otherwise spend time outdoors in Washington? We need your help! Our partners are working to help the US Forest Service improve their data collection related to visitor use in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Information about outdoor recreation is critical for maintaining and advocating for recreational opportunities on public lands. Read more…

Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is a Japanese nature therapy practice to help individuals develop strong connections with nature and reap the physical and emotional benefits that this connection provides. Although its roots are far older, the modern understanding of this practice began in 1982 when the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries instituted a national forest bathing program. Now gaining traction internationally, forest bathing is a tool that many are beginning to explore. Read on to learn about one member’s experiences, and steps you can take to begin your own forest bathing journey. Read more…

I’ve been hiking and backpacking for more than 40 years now. Along the way I’ve learned a few things from research, the guidance of others, the trials of my own errors, and random luck. It’s not only helped make me a successful guidebook author, but a confident hiker, backpacker, and trail runner. Below are a few of my hard-earned, trail-tested tips on how to have a pretty darn good hiking adventure. Read more…

Over my last four years working for The Mountaineers, it has been a great honor to observe and learn from three amazing Board Presidents, each with their own unique abilities and unwavering commitment to the health of our organization. I may be biased in my admiration of strong women in leadership, but one president stands out as particularly inspiring to me. This spring we honored retiring Board President Lorna Corrigan, an accomplished attorney and 30-year member of the Everett Branch who recently completed her third and final year of presidential leadership. 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…

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the game for many organizations, including ours. In this technology update, we improved a few of our processes, added a few small features, and made changes to build in safety measures for COVID-19. 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…

Cindy Ross is the author of nine books, including her first, A Woman’s Journey on the Appalachian Trail, which has been in print for nearly 40 years and has become a hiking classic. A former contributing editor for Backpacker Magazine, her column “Everyday Wisdom” was one of the publication’s most popular features. In April 2021, Mountaineers Books published her 9th book, Walking Toward Peace: Veterans Healing on America’s Trails, featuring stories of veterans who have struggled with PTSD and their journeys toward healing. This article includes excerpts from her most recent book in italics. Read more…

With great sadness we share the news of the passing of Patti Polinsky, a 56-year member of The Mountaineers, long-time volunteer with Meany Lodge and the Foothills Branch, ski instructor, and Global Adventures Leader. Patti passed away after a long battle with cancer on June 15, 2021. She was comfortable and surrounded by loved ones, including her husband of 45 years, Dave Claar. Read more…

It's officially summer in Washington and we're so lucky to live in a state full of a never-ending bucket list of things to do. We put together this list of just a few ways to explore the area and get the most out of your summer!  Read more…

The Mountaineers made a commitment to reduce our organization’s carbon footprint as part of Vision 2022. Since 2018, we have made significant progress in reducing the carbon footprint of Mountaineers buildings, including installing a solar panel system at our Seattle Program Center and replacing over 500 lightbulbs in four buildings with LED retrofits. Now, The Mountaineers Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee is excited to announce the Tacoma Program Center Net-Zero Energy Project.  Read more…

The word “legend” often evokes tall tales, stories whose veracity is less relevant than our collective belief in the incredible. Amidst the giant lumberjacks, sea monsters, and ‘there be dragons’ marks on the map, however, there do exist flesh-and-blood legends. Their footsteps are a little smaller and their voices a little softer, but they are there, crafting history. 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…

We were incredibly honored to bring The Mountaineers mission and priorities to a national stage last week. Conservation and Advocacy Director Betsy Robblee was invited to testify before a House Natural Resources Subcommittee on increasing access to the outdoors by improving the federal recreational permitting process. We’ve been working for years on legislation to improve the current inefficient, unpredictable recreational permitting system, and were grateful for the opportunity to share our ideas with Congress.  Read more…