Kitsap Branch Blog Posts

Kitsap Branch Blog Posts

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Action Alert! Thank Lawmakers for Prioritizing Public Lands in the 2024 State Budget

State-managed public lands like Blanchard Mountain, Mount Si, and Tieton’s Royal Columns connect us to nature through the recreational activities we enjoy in all seasons. With Mountaineers programs and activities frequently occurring on state lands, each legislative session we advocate for priority bills and funding requests that improve conservation and recreation at the state level.
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Announcing Launch of New Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault Prevention Advisory Committee

In a continued pursuit of a safe, welcoming, and inclusive culture, the Board of Directors launched a new Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault (SHSA) Prevention Advisory Committee in December 2023. This is an ad hoc advisory committee chartered to develop recommended near-term and long-term improvements to our bylaws, behavior policies, and operational procedures to address the risk of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault of our members. The committee is charged with defining and understanding the risks of sexual harassment & sexual assault within The Mountaineers, identifying ways to prevent these behaviors, and identifying ways to respond to these behaviors. Read more…

Make Conservation Part of Your Mountaineers Experience With These eLearning Courses

ELearning plays a critical role in our community's efforts to teach and learn outdoor skills and build a shared culture of conservation. Three conservation-focused offerings on our eLearning management system, Coassemble, are some of the many ways we educate Mountaineers about conservation and cultivate stewards and advocates for the places we cherish.
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Mountaineer Magazine Spring 2024

Enjoy 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…

Top 10 Trip Reports - February 2024

A collection of trip reports that gives us much more than we bargained for. Read on, dear friends, for a tale of two trips, professional pizza chomping, a handsomely warm ascent, and a skosh too little snow.   Read more…

Outside Insights | The Return of The Mountaineers Leadership Conference

As part of The Mountaineers leadership development team, I have the privilege of supporting our impressive collective of 3000+ volunteers. The dedication of our volunteers is incredible, to say the least. The list of their contributions to our community and the greater outdoors has grown significantly over our 117-year history. From planning and guiding activities, to mentoring new Mountaineers, to managing our lodges, it’s clear that our volunteers are generous with their time. While they share a common passion for the outdoors, our volunteers are driven by a range of motivations, such as paying it forward or expanding their adventure partner network. Our leadership development programs enhance these intrinsic rewards and invest back into our volunteers. Read more…

We're going to print! Last chance to get your name in “Freedom 10”

Books give power to our personal stories. Whether you want to discover a new place, learn a new skill, make a lifestyle change, or feel a sense of connection with the natural world or a fellow adventurer, Mountaineers Books are there to educate and inspire.  Read more…

Keta Legacy Foundation, The Mountaineers Reach Settlement in Ongoing Litigation

Keta Legacy Foundation and The Mountaineers are happy to share the good news that we have reached a settlement agreement to resolve a legal dispute between the two organizations, dating back to November 2019. The settlement agreement allows both organizations to move past this dispute, focus on our respective missions, and get back to working together on shared goals at our adjacent properties in Kitsap County. Read more…

Be a Part of "Freedom 10" and Support Nonprofit Publishing

For the past four years, I have held the awesome and humbling responsibility to steward one of The Mountaineers most revered treasures: Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. As the volunteer editor for the forthcoming 10th Edition, I’m excited to share with you an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and keep mission-based publishing thriving, by adding your name alongside the dedicated outdoor educators and world-renowned climbers who make this work possible. Read more…

Congratulations To Our 2023 Volunteer Award Recipients!

This past year, our volunteers remained at the core of our operations. Thank you to the nearly 3,000 members who volunteered their time during fiscal year 2023 (October 2022-September 2023), and to the many others who supported from afar! Each of you has made a difference. Read more…

Top 10 Trip Reports - January 2024

A collection of trip reports that plays with fire... Oh wait, not fire... plays with ice, considerable avy conditions, atmospheric rivers, and just about everything else that one could expect of an El Niño winter. Read on, dear friends, for a double summit, an adequate pit toilet, the Silly Stilly, and (my personal favorite) "snack ledge." Read more…

Tech Update 4.5 - Bulk Roster Updates, Practice Sessions, Site Search, and More

Since our update last spring, we’ve been working on many improvements to our website to support the work of our volunteer leaders and to make accessing information easier for everyone. This round includes improvements to rosters - including the ability to bulk update, sort by all columns, and have “sticky headers” to make navigating long rosters easier. We also upgraded our site search functionality to be smarter and more dynamic, specifically to help folks find our Mountaineers Books titles. We added the option to schedule Practice Sessions and eLearning courses, improving leader and member experience. Plus, we made many other small fixes to improve your overall website experience. Read more…

Mount Rainier National Park Announces Timed Entry Reservations for Summer 2024

Note: The Park's timed entry FAQ webpage is the best resource with the most up to date information on how to visit Mount Rainier National Park  during summer 2024.

Last week, Mount Rainier National Park announced that many visitors will need reservations to access the park through popular entrances during peak hours this summer. From May 24 through Labor Day, most visitors entering through the Nisqually and Stevens entrances between 7am and 3pm will need to make an online or phone reservation ahead of time. Reservations will also be required at the White River entrance beginning July 3 and lasting through Labor Day.  Read more…

Be a part of the 10th Edition of "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills"

Books are portals to new places. I’ve experienced this time and again as a lifelong reader. The book that is featured most prominently in my life, hands down, is a Mountaineers Books classic that propelled me on a path to a new passion and community — Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Today I’m proud to support Mountaineers Books as a donor because of the impact I can help make possible through values-based nonprofit publishing. Read more…

2023 Recap: A Year In Review

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of outdoor enthusiasts, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders dedicated to fostering connections to the outdoors. As we close the door on 2023 and look ahead to 2024, we reflect on the core of our mission: to connect people to the natural world and to each other. Take a look back on our collective achievements and how our strategic goals – Lead, Engage, and Advocate – guided us this past fiscal year (Oct 1 - Sep 30.) Read more…

New eLearning Course: Advocacy 101

The outdoor adventures made possible through The Mountaineers would cease to exist without conserved public lands and waters, climate-resilient landscapes, and sustainable recreational access. A critical component of adventuring with purpose is advocating to protect public lands, fight the climate crisis, and improve the human-powered outdoor experience. You don’t have to be a policy expert to make a difference for the lands you love. As someone who cares deeply about the outdoors, you’re well positioned to be an effective outdoor advocate - it just takes a little time and training. Read more…

Top 10 Trip Reports - December 2023

Enjoy a collection of trip reports that floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, and may ruffle the feathers of our piqued and potent powder hounds. Read on, dear friends, for a bright-yellow rump, an ode to Charles Dickens, hoar frost, the mighty useful herringbone, and (painfully) varied early season conditions. Read more…

Action Alert! Ask Congress to Improve Recreation on Federal Public Lands

Outdoor recreation is growing in popularity in Washington state and across the country, and land managers need new tools and resources to sustainably manage recreation on public lands. The Mountaineers and our partners at Outdoor Alliance have been advocating for federal legislation that improves sustainable and equitable access to outdoor recreation.  Read more…

Remembering Mountaineer Jeff Bowman

With great sadness we share the news that Jeff Bowman has passed away. Jeff was a 29-year Mountaineers member, 23-year member of our staff team, long-time volunteer with Stevens Lodge, Climb Leader, and volunteer contributor to Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Jeff passed away unexpectedly after recent health challenges. He was 57.  Read more…

Mountaineer Magazine Winter 2024

Enjoy 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…

CEO Update: 2023 Fiscal Year End Recap

One of my favorite things about my role at The Mountaineers is working with and recognizing our volunteers and supporters. This was the primary theme at the 2023 Annual Meeting, an event hosted to reflect on what we accomplished together during our fiscal year (Oct-Sep). We are celebrating a terrific year and highlighting exciting priorities in the year ahead, all made possible by the generosity, skill, and dedication of our community. Read on to meet our award recipients, check out our 2023 highlights, get a look at how we’re implementing our strategic plan, and/or watch a recording of the Annual Meeting. Read more…

Winter Access Expanded for Mount Rainier’s Paradise Area

The Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park offers an unparalleled outdoor experience and is an integral landscape for Mountaineers programs and activities. Last winter looked a little different on the mountain, as the Park restricted weekday access to Paradise through the Longmire gate. We heard from many in our community about the closure, and we shared your concerns. Over the last year, The Mountaineers and several of our partners have engaged with Park leadership around the decision to limit access for the 2022-2023 winter season. Read more…

Branch Support Donation Program Continues in FY2024

While unrestricted giving is critical to grow our mission impact across all program areas, some members seek to leverage donations to strengthen the community within their local Branch. One of our strategic goals is to deepen our culture of giving back by providing new opportunities to contribute.  Read more…

Top 10 Trip Reports - October 2023

This collection of trip reports is fruity, unexpected, and teeters (gracefully) the fine line between larches and pow. Read on, dear friends, for a Croatian truffle hunt, how to avoid a terrible whipper, the restricted zone, and a Camp Muir trip report that dangles snowy, wintery candy right in front of our faces. Sure, it's only fall after all, but there's still much to do in this dear and dynamic shoulder season.  Read more…

Gear Grab - December 11, 2023

Have a gear wish list a mile long or some extra gear you'd like to unload? Stop by our holiday Gear Sale at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center on Monday, December 11 from 6-8pm to find great gear at bargain prices. Read more…

The Mountaineers Equity & Inclusion Leader Toolkit: Fostering Belonging in the Outdoors

The outdoors has always been a source of inspiration and rejuvenation. It presents an opportunity to forge deep connections with nature, push our boundaries, and craft lasting memories. At The Mountaineers, we believe all people should have equitable access to the outdoors and the transformative benefits it provides. Through our volunteer-led programs, we strive to empower our members and foster a culture of belonging by providing outdoor skills education to individuals from all backgrounds. Read more…

Trip Report: Outdoor Alliance Washington Advocates for Public Lands and Recreation in D.C. - Oct 2023

Outdoor advocacy can take many forms: from virtual meetings and policy letters, to events with members of Congress. These individual advocacy actions build momentum over time to address challenges facing our public lands, climate, and outdoor recreation. Read more…

Protecting the Olympics: Salmon, Cedar, Rock & Rain

For tens of thousands of years, humans have thrived and strived alongside the natural world, protecting it for future generations of life. While protecting the forests, mountains, and coastlines of the Olympic Peninsula was one of The Mountaineers first conservation priorities, Native peoples have stewarded the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Olympic Peninsula since time immemorial. Today, Olympic National Park is at the center of a much larger ecosystem: a wild circle of rivers that encompasses ancient old-growth forests, pristine coastal expanses, and jagged alpine peaks, all possessed of rich biodiversity. Read more…

The Leadership Conference is Back - 2023/24

For over 100 years, The Mountaineers has enriched the outdoor community by helping thousands of people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We take pride in that legacy, and want to honor our volunteer leaders who make it all possible! Read more…

Become a Global Adventures Leader Info Session - Oct 23

The Mountaineers Global Adventures program is thriving and growing.  Many people who love to plan and go on multi-day adventures have been asking us what's involved in planning and leading a Mountaineers Global Adventure. Join us for an informational session on Monday, October 23 to learn more about our Global Adventures program and what it means to be a Global Adventures leader. Read more…