Blog

Sometimes when we take a close look at a particular page in history, we find that the most commonly believed story is not necessarily the most accurate. Omitted facts, hidden characters, and forgotten conversations linger in an archival twilight zone, waiting to be unearthed to reshape the past. Their discovery can be thrilling. Read more…

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free access to our quarterly Mountaineer magazine, keeping you up-to-date with everything our organization and community have been up to. Hear from regular contributors on topics from training exercises to trail tips, and read features from our members sharing stories from the outdoors. We encourage you to access all of our updates, stories, tips, and more in the tree free online magazine today. Read more…

No one ever thinks they’re going to get old. As Kenny Chesney reminds us - “don’t blink, because life goes by faster than you think.” And fast it goes. Read more…

Are you a Tacoma Mountaineer interested in supporting renewable energy in our region, or eco-friendly renovations for the Tacoma Program Center?  Read more…

Each year, we host an annual meeting for our members to share a retroactive tour of our last fiscal year. Learn about our state of affairs from our board members and staff, hear about Governance Committee and Board nominations for At-Large Directors, and have the opportunity to ask questions of our leaders. Per our bylaws, the Annual Meeting also allows members of The Mountaineers to make At-Large Director nominations from the floor for the 2021 election season. We held the session virtually on September 14, 2021, and you can watch the recording here. Read more…

Steve Swenson and Scott Johnston, both 67, have a combined 103 years of climbing between them. Steve is still making first ascents in the Karakoram, and Scott is an active climber and co-founder of Uphill Athlete, a service that offers educational resources, training plans, and coaching to amateur and professional mountain sports athletes. Read more…

Have you ever wanted to explore the world with a group of active, capable outdoorspeople? Or are you a trip-planning master hoping to share your skills and knowledge with a group of excited participants? Join us for our upcoming Global Adventures Info Session on November 1 to learn all about our program!  Read more…

While the Washington coast is beautiful year-round, late summer is a particularly great time to escape to the coast or islands. Cool breezes and clean air make for a perfect getaway during these hot and smoky months. Check out these great resources for exploring Washington's waters, and learn about the creatures found there.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Molly Kirk, a volunteer leader with the Everett Branch who strives to create a safe environment for all her Climbing and Nordic Skiing programs. She also serves on Everett's Alpine Scrambling Committee and Equity & Inclusion Working Group for The Mountaineers.  Read more…

The following is excerpted from Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home by Lynda Mapes, a new book from Mountaineers Books conservation imprint Braided River. Through interviews with scientists and Northwest Native tribal members, Mapes lays out the human causes behind the orcas' precarious situation, revealing that the health of the southern residents is deeply entwined not only with Chinook salmon, but with the entire natural world of the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

Mountaineers activities are led by volunteers giving their time to get other people into the outdoors safely. Due to the potentially hazardous nature of our activities, some of our leaders choose to require their permission - Leader’s Permission - to register. The process to obtain leader’s permission is not prescribed, and is up to the leader to manage on a trip-by-trip basis. Leader's Permission can be a critical tool for ensuring a successful trip, but good communication is key to avoiding frustration. We hope the guidance below will help set expectations and illustrate best practices for both leaders and participants. Read more…

Jason Hardrath is an Oregon schoolteacher and an enthusiastic Fastest Known Time (FKT) participant. His passion for fitness began in middle school, where he set the audacious goal of achieving a sub-6 minute mile, and carried him into his mid-twenties as a runner, triathlete, and climber. Then a horrific car accident changed his life in an instant. He fought for years to recover, using the mountains as a place for motivation and healing. Read more…

The Mountaineers is an organization that lives and breathes through the hard work and dedication of our talented volunteers. For 115 years, our programs have taught the next generation of hikers, climbers, paddlers, and more, and these students have chosen to contribute back to the programs they came from, sustaining our community. Yet, as demand for our programs continues to grow, recruiting a sufficient number of leaders to run programs is a constant challenge for volunteers within the organization. Read more…

We say it all the time: funding public lands is a core part of protecting the places we love. Years of underfunding and budget cuts have left agencies without the staff or resources they need to steward our public lands and waters. Without adequate funding, trails don’t get maintained, facilities like restrooms and campgrounds are closed, and the natural environment is degraded. Fortunately, there are several opportunities right now to take action to support public lands funding.  Read more…

On September 19, 1996, REI opened the doors to its first flagship store in downtown Seattle to serve as a hub for its co-op members. Twenty-five years later, you’ll still find the store bustling with outdoor enthusiasts searching for top quality gear, seeking expert advice, and receiving service from a pro technician. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the REI Seattle flagship store is inviting you to eat, drink, and socialize to support conservation work at The Mountaineers. Read more…

The last brilliant fuchsia tones faded away from the slopes of Cerro Tronador as we looked across the deep chasm of the Rio Alerce. We were perched on the porch of the Otto Meiling Hut, and the 3,470m mountain (translated to “The Thunderer”) was the seventh stop on our nine-day trek. Read more…

Mount Rainier is a favorite destination for Mountaineers members for activities like wildflower hikes, snow skills practice at Paradise, or a Basic alpine climb in the Tatoosh Range. But park entrances and roads can get quite congested, especially on sunny summer weekends. Hours-long waits at the Nisqually entrance near Ashford are common, and finding parking can be the crux of the trip.  Read more…

The Upper Palisades Lake trail begins at Mount Rainier’s northeast corner off Sunrise Point located on Sunrise Road. The trail is considered strenuous, as it undulates across White River Park, up and over small ridges, before reaching the Upper Palisades Lake. Read more…

Interested in learning how to snowshoe, kayak, or navigate in the backcountry? Want to meet new adventure buddies? Have a gear wishlist a mile long, or some extra gear you'd like to unload? Come to The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center from 6-8pm on Monday, August 23 for our upcoming Gear Grab.  Read more…

Thanks to the advocacy and engagement of our outdoor community, conservation and outdoor recreation received strong support from our State Legislature this budget cycle. Earlier this year we shared the great news that outdoor programs in Washington State received record levels of funding, including $4.5 million dedicated to the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grant program. Read more…

We're excited about our two new, fully illustrated books to help you enjoy your outdoor activities. Check them out! Read more…

The car is locked, and the keys are inside. Having already endured a 3am start, many miles of skinning in tough conditions, and a sporty ski and hike back to the car, the disappointment at not reaching Shukan’s summit is now dwarfed by the locked car doors. Facing the prospect of hiking another 10+ miles out in ski boots, we get creative. Read more…

Wildfires are burning across our region and smoke is causing extremely poor air quality in some counties. Our hearts are heavy with concern for those affected by fires in Washington State and beyond. We ask our community to practice good decision-making skills and respect public land closures when getting outside this summer. Read more…

Dee Molenaar and Patti Polinsky were each beloved members of The Mountaineers community who passed away shortly before or during the pandemic. Due to safety concerns, we were not able to host public memorials as we normally would to bring our community together for healing. Now that it's safe to do so, we are honored to be able to host two Celebration of Life memorials for these incredible individuals. Read more…

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…