Blog

The North Sound Leadership Conference is just one month away! Read more…

A stunning mosaic of purples, magentas, yellows, and whites filled the green meadow, subtly contrasted by the darker firs behind. In the light breeze, the flowers resembled a spinning kaleidoscope. On this July day, the subalpine meadow before me was at its flowering peak. All I could do was stare across Berkeley Park and breathe in the deep, sweet aroma of life regenerating itself. Read more…

I watch the little frog at my feet, barely bigger than a thumbnail, and scoop it gently into my small hands. My sister, nearly two years younger than I am, tries to imitate me. I worry she’ll squash the baby frog she’s trying to catch. Read more…

Please join us for an in-person book club on December 9 or January 9 (or both!).  At the book club, we'll discuss what we've read and enjoy a potluck dessert.   Read more…

The Mountaineers Seattle year-round programs offer enriching, community and family-based outdoor adventures for youth of all experience levels. Whether your family is at the trailhead every weekend or just starting to explore the outdoors, there's a club for you! The season is officially underway, running through September 2026, and it's not too late to join the adventure! Read more…

As the Seattle Youth Clubs manager, it’s not often that I have a free window of time to jump in and help our other youth programs. I am usually in the thick of planning and leading trips, coordinating with campground hosts, and supporting our team of instructors and volunteers. But when I was asked by my colleague Lauren (who oversees Partner Programs) to help belay a small class of students at the Seattle Program Center, I thought, Why not? My morning was open, and being outside beats sitting in front of a computer! Read more…

The annual gold rush has come and gone... and I'm happy to report that our Mountaineers didn't miss a single second of it. Read on, dear friends, for photogenic clouds, berry snackfests, knee-deep pow, salmon-egg slime molds, yummy yellows, and a whole host of shoulder-season sagas. Read more…

Woodpeckers hopped into my life in an unexpected place. As a young boy of eight or nine, I peered impatiently through the kitchen window into the backyard, waiting for the drizzle to stop so I might escape my tame suburban home to a wilder place where I could watch more than American Robins. Read more…

The Mountaineers just wrapped up another fiscal year, and we’re excited to share about the impact we achieved together through the Mountaineers Access Program (MAP) scholarship fund. 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…

Fog filled the valley near the Snohomish River on this mid-October day, as if someone had draped the waterway with a white quilt. The cool air, in the high 40s, was sweet and moist on the hill above Bob Heirman Wildlife Preserve. The maples and alders were beginning to color, and a few chickadees flitted and chattered in the trees.  Read more…

It’s really hard to forget the sound of a bone breaking — those of you who have had it happen know what I mean. Finding ways to move past that moment can be challenging. Read more…

Join us on November 5 to hear Mike Kretzler describe his trip to Wales, where he led a crew of nine Mountaineers on a 186-mile trail. Mike will show pictures of the route, share information about the charming and comfortable lodgings along the way, and talk about how you can plan for and accomplish a trip on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Trail. Read more…

Each year, The Mountaineers and our Outdoor Alliance Washington (OA WA) partners visit Washington, D.C. to unite leaders in the human-powered outdoor community to advocate together with lawmakers and land managers for shared conservation and recreation priorities.  Read more…

The Everett Branch is seeking an interim Branch Chair to finish the last 2 years of the current 3-year leadership cycle. This is a meaningful and rewarding volunteer opportunity for someone who’s excited about supporting our broader Mountaineers community, strengthening volunteer connections, and helping the branch continue to grow and thrive. Read more…

Two days after The Mountaineers asked me to write a column on injury recovery, I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot. Although it was the most ironic injury of my life, it wasn’t the first. My medical history reads like a book: back surgery, nerve damage, chainsaw lacerations, a total hip replacement, frostbite, chronic knee effusion, and more. As a coach, I’ve guided athletes back from broken bones, tendon and ligament tears, high-altitude pulmonary edema, severe Covid, and countless niggling aches and pains. Read more…

Excerpt from "Ski Snacks: Easy, Tasty Recipes for Powder Days and Mountain Adventures" by Lily Krass Ritter and Max Ritter: Read more…

With so many emerging threats to public lands, recreation, and the climate this year, how Congress and the administration’s actions are impacting Washington’s lands and waters is constantly changing. We’re dedicated to cutting through the noise and elevating the best ways you can make an impact. Read more…

Winter darkness lies thickly outside my bedroom window as the world rests in a deep and quiet stillness. My body nestles deeper into the flannel comforter, creating a barrier against the air’s chill, when a rude chirp sounds from my cell phone alarm. I reach out one arm to hit snooze, then slip back into a dream. My phone chirps a second time. By the third, I know I have to toss aside my warm cocoon of blankets and step onto the cold, wood floor. Read more…

At The Mountaineers, we believe a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love. This belief is reflected in our core values and is the driving vision to foster outdoor experiences where all people feel belonging. One way we strive to do that is through affinity group activities.  Read more…

For years, the Mount Pilchuck Road - which provides access to the Heather Lake Trailhead and Mount Pilchuck - was notoriously known for its many potholes and extremely rough road. Thanks to funding from the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF), visitors to the area have enjoyed a significantly repaired road since 2024, making the popular Heather Lake and Mount Pilchuck hikes accessible to more outdoor enthusiasts. This project is just one of the many ways the LRF has created a more safe and sustainable future for Washington’s public lands and the recreation experiences they provide. 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…

For over a century, the Fairfax Bridge has carried hikers, climbers, and campers into Mount Rainier National Park’s northwest corner. Now, the bridge is permanently closed, cutting off access to some of the most popular destinations in the park. Read more…

Finding comfort in the outdoors can be tricky. Not every activity is amenable to going solo and, even so, there are many reasons someone may not want to go alone. This is why finding a group where you feel belonging is important. Read more…

Each October, the Olympia Mountaineers gather to recognize graduates of all our courses and present awards to leaders who have shown exemplary service in climbing, conservation, youth outreach, scrambling, and hiking. Achievement pins and patches are presented and one Olympia Mountaineer is awarded the Branch Service Award, which recognizes their outstanding service over a multi-year period. 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…

For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has protected the natural resources and backcountry recreational opportunities provided by the National Forest System from road construction, logging, and other development. With this foundational conservation measure now under threat, the mantra “defend the Roadless Rule” is rallying Mountaineers and stakeholders across Washington’s outdoor community to take action in high numbers to protect old-growth forests and backcountry experiences.  Read more…

Four fire lookout cabins stand today near the four corners of Mount Rainier National Park: Shriner Peak, Gobblers Knob, Mount Fremont, and Tolmie Peak. Four other fire lookouts served the park for decades before being removed. When I started researching for my second book about fire lookout hikes and histories in the Mount Rainier region, I repeatedly read two different stories about the construction of the Park’s fire lookouts. Curious about which story was true, I investigated how some writers might have been misled. Read more…

Six months after my son was born, I was diagnosed with cancer. I was 30 years old. That first year of motherhood was one of the hardest – he was colicky, I was exhausted... It was one of the most challenging years of my life. Read more…

The August air was cool and the sky partly cloudy as my friend, Tom Martin, and I started up the Owyhigh Trail from Sunrise Road. Was I ready for this hike? It would be longer than any I’d done this summer, and with more elevation gain. We’d left one car at the Deer Creek Trailhead and planned to cross the saddle and down into the Ohanapecosh Valley. This trail was new to both of us. Read more…