People

The Mountaineers has hundreds of volunteers who make our programs possible, and thanks to super volunteers like Chris Chapin and Deling Ren, who both work for Microsoft, their volunteerism is going even further in the form of  cash donations to The Mountaineers from Microsoft's matching gift program. Read more…

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…

I was 13 when I climbed Boulder Peak in the Olympic Mountains by myself—and I guess you can say that I never stopped climbing after that. Read more…

Anyone walking by the Seattle Program Center on a sunny day would be hard-pressed to miss climbers ascending the trio of rock columns in the courtyard, one of which is aptly named Ohlson Peak, in recognition of a major donor to the basalt columns fundraising effort, John Ohlson. Read more…

Volunteers often spend 1-2 days a week training course participants in skills to ensure safe and responsible enjoyment of our natural world. Others also help coordinate and administer course offerings. This is the core of what defines us - The Mountaineers - as a community.  Read more…

It's 8pm on a rainy Monday night. The perfect time to be indoors for a Basic Navigation Workshop. A record 90 students have shown up to learn navigation skills from 34 volunteers. And overseeing it all is Peter Hendrickson, Navigation Committee Chair. Walking between tables, quietly observing and stopping to course correct a student, or provide words of encouragement, Hendrickson is in his element. Read more…

Attendees of our Leader Seminar will learn what it means to lead a Mountaineers hike or backpack, how to prepare and lead your participants in a safe and enjoyable outing, and how to handle some common on-trail leadership challenges, as well as how to post a hike or backpack and a post-trip activity report. This course will get you started towards becoming a trip leader for the Seattle and Foothills Branches. Read more…

At the end of 2013, we invited our members to participate in a membership survey. We wanted to find out about members’ impressions of our courses and activities, and their overall experiences with our organization. We compared these responses with survey data from 2011 to understand both how we’ve grown and changed, and where we still have opportunities to improve.  Read more…

During college I had the privilege to work as a Park Ranger in the North Cascades in the village of Stehekin. I had many adventures during my two seasons there, but the most memorable was a solo trek on the Company Creek/Devore Creek Loop. Read more…

Like your typical Mountaineers member, Bill Hecker counts alpine climbing, skiing and rock climbing among his favorite outdoor activities. But thanks to his exposure to the natural world, he also includes gardening and bird watching. Read more…