Foothills Branch Blog Posts

Many hikers in Washington state have encountered – to their dismay – the prickly spines of devil's club, Oplopanax horridus, a shrub which grows in abundance in the Pacific Northwest as well as near Lake Superior. While the origins of the name of this bane of bushwhackers seem quite obvious given its notorious thorns, Washington state is home to many more "devils". In honor of Halloween, here is a sampling of the "Devils" in our state, from north to south. Read more…

September 28, 2019, was National Public Lands Day - a newly-minted state holiday in Washington, through the unanimously-passed House Bill 1449, which we were proud to support. This day offered outdoor  enthusiasts and members of The Mountaineers fee-free access to our federal public lands, and in the spirit of the day some spent their time giving back to the places they love.  Read more…

Alpine Ambassadors,  a group of climbers looking to push their limits together, learn from the mentorship of guides and highly accomplished climbers, and mentor others, held our second “rock” trip in the world class climbing mecca of Squamish, BC in July 2019. Spending six days (in a row) climbing in Squamish exposed us all to new techniques, rope systems, and climbing areas in a truly contagious learning environment. Together we pushed our  limits, challenged our abilities, and progressed as climbers. Read more…

As a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led organization, The Mountaineers continues to depend on the generosity, initiative, and leadership of our volunteers. We are humbled by the service provided by board and branch directors whose positions are confirmed by members each year. Thank you for all you do as members to elevate our mission, and your participation in the election process for these organization-wide leaders!  Read more…

There are 10,000 voices in each of us. One of them is fear. "Voices of Fear" depicts Kristen Ulmer's relationship with fear during her ascendancy as, by all accounts, the first female big mountain extreme skier. Join us for the film and for a special pre-show Fear Management workshop for athletes hosted by Kristen Ulmer Read more…

Established in 1979, Mountainfilm is dedicated to educating, inspiring, and motivating audiences about environments, cultures, issues, and adventures. We're excited to host these wonderful films again this year, and we hope you'll join us! Read more…

Some of the best trail running options in Washington can be found just minutes from bustling Bellevue, Redmond, and Issaquah. The Eastside is graced with a sprawling park system and extensive trail network that ranges from gentle paved rail trails to grueling single tracks up steep Cascades Foothills. Whether you’re looking for a trail for an easy jog, long run, or challenging training course, the Eastside has you covered. Here are three of my favorites for a great trail running experience. Read more…

The hard truth is that public lands legislation is complicated, victories can be slow, and our public lands are chronically underfunded. The threats to these places are becoming increasingly urgent, and our ability to respond to issues – and thus create space for you to engage – is limited by staff capacity and funding. In order to provide more opportunities for outdoor recreationists to learn about and understand the issues facing our public lands and become an even stronger voice for threaten landscapes, we need to bring on a staff position focused on public lands advocacy and engagement. To make sure we not only keep our footing on this precarious ground, but also find ways to play offense and not just defense, we need your help.  Read more…

Refuge Outdoor Festival is a 3-day camping experience geared toward people of color. Introduced in 2018, Refuge is "centered on building community through outdoor recreation, conversations (community talks, workshops), music, and art that appeal to a diverse and inclusive audience." The Mountaineers signed on as a sponsor of Refuge because we know affinity spaces are important places to build connections with each other and the outdoors, and we'd like to invite you to participate in this year's festival on behalf of The Mountaineers. Read more…

Unsurprisingly, The Mountaineers community takes an astounding number of trips all around the Pacific Northwest in the summer months, and many of those yield great write-ups and photos.  That makes aggregating reports for these Top-10 posts a lot harder. After looking through every report dated between June 1 and July 31, I pulled out the best of the best, which left me with about 50 reports - way too many to turn into a top-10 list. Therefore, I dub the reports below the "best of the best of the best." Read more…