Blog

February is a month of anticipation. Although we are still in the heart of winter, the days are beginning to get longer and we are often surprised by blooming flowers and brief opportunities for short-sleeved hikes. I was even able to ride my bike to work on a couple days this month, enjoying the aroma of jasmine lining the Burke Gilman (I will admit my hands were frozen solid by the time I arrived at the Seattle Program Center).  Read more…

At our in-person Gala, spend a night out on the town celebrating your Mountaineers community and raising funds for our shared outdoor experience. Enjoy a reception, dinner, and auction, and hear from the evening’s very special guests: Rick Ridgeway and Dianne Roberts. Guests will also take home camp-themed giveaways and enjoy a few fun surprises. We hope you’ll join us!  Read more…

Stewardship is a key component of maintaining the health and vitality of our trail systems. The Olympia Branch is known for its robust stewardship program, supporting trail work across the lower Puget Sound region and into the peninsula. However, the work isn't just completed in the sunnier months - winter is a busy time for these volunteers as well. Learn about what the Olympia Conservation Committee has been up to this season, and how you can help.  Read more…

I was the kid at camp struggling with homesickness and cowering from the spiders that visited my bunk. I had friends attend the same camp year after year, become counselors in training (CITs) during high school, and then return to those camps in college as staff. I never understood their connection to camp until I met the CITs at our Mountaineers summer camps. Over the nine weeks of day camp that ran during the summer of 2021, we had nineteen teenagers join us at our Seattle Program Center to help create camp magic. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Peter Tran, current Climbing Chair with the Foothills Branch. Peter is the 2021 Mountaineers Service Award recipient and favors the chipotle breakfast burrito from Safeway as his go-to trail snack. Read more…

On February 28, 2020, the Center for Disease Control announced the likelihood that coronavirus (COVID-19) would spread in US communities. Since then, The Mountaineers  has been carefully tracking the recommendations of public health agencies, and our hearts go out to those who have been affected. The health and safety of our community is our top priority and we will diligently implement recommended actions while doing everything we can to sustain our mission and operations. We will continue to update this blog as the situation develops. Read more…

The Mountaineers made a commitment to reduce our organization’s carbon footprint as part of Vision 2022. In the Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee’s last blog post, we introduced you to carbon offsets. In this blog, we talk about the benefits of ebikes. Read more…

Finding the right plants for your garden can be difficult. Local garden stores sell a large variety of plants, but many of them are not native to the area. This can mean a lot of money is wasted on beautiful plants that can't survive our Pacific Northwest seasons.  Read more…

Quick - make a wish! It's 2:22 on 2/22/22, and the Twosfairy is here 2 wish you a happy Twosday! (In case you can't tell, we're tutu excited about this happy coincidence.) Read more…

Podcaster Alison Young is a self-described female, middle-aged, titanium-reinforced solo hiker. Under her trail name “Blissful Hiker,” Alison hosts a podcast called Walking Distance, “a show for hikers, trekkers, trampers, and wanderers” with the premise that any place worth seeing can be reached by walking. On October 12, 2021, she released an episode titled How Not to Die in the Wild in which she spoke with Super Volunteer Steve McClure to discuss how he helped modernize and simplify The Ten Essentials for our ninth edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Read more…

Since 1969, The Mountaineers has been sponsoring multi-day outdoor adventures around the world through our Global Adventures program. Our members have skied the slopes of Japan, backpacked across Chilean Patagonia, and trekked through the Alps. In the past five decades we’ve offered 233 separate trips, the hours of which tally up to a cumulative 90 years of non-stop action and adventure. Like many of our activities, the program’s beginnings are far more humble than the hustle-and-bustle we see today. Read more…

Conservation advocacy has been an enduring priority throughout The Mountaineers history. Early members recognized the importance of protecting wild places for the outdoor experience, and as a result we have been involved in nearly every major conservation campaign in our state's history. Advocacy has been, and remains, at the heart of key environmental protections.  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…

The Mountaineers is a unique community of hikers, climbers, paddlers, birders, and more coming together from all different walks of life to experience and enjoy the incredible landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. To celebrate this diversity and the joy that our community brings to every trip outside, we want to create a video for our annual Gala to showcase your adventures big and small. That means we’re looking for photos and videos from folks across our organization – from you! Read more…

Here in Washington, we’re fortunate to have 6.5 million acres of state-managed parks and public land. Whether it’s climbing at Frenchman’s Coulee near Vantage, paddling Deception Pass, or hiking through the Snoqualmie River Valley, our state public lands play host to many Mountaineers activities and other outdoor experiences. But, as anyone who has tried to get a summer camping reservation in a state park can attest, our state parks and trails are heavily used, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Read more…

Winter in the forest is magical. We are often captivated by the snow blanketing branches, the morning light streaming through the canopy, and the crackling of ice and wood as wind blows into the treetops. But beneath our feet, a secret underground system is constantly at work. Plants are “communicating” with each other in remarkable ways - an essential process to sustaining the health of the ecosystem in every season. Read more…

Nash Maz is an Indian American hiker and climber breaking ground with an all-women of color climbing attempt on Tahoma (Mount Rainier). She’s put together a team of 12 women, known as Women of Color Who Summit, to raise funds and awareness for the minority populations disproportionately affected by COVID and other lung diseases. As someone who overcame extreme health conditions as an infant, and as a true Washingtonian with more than 200 state hikes under her belt, Nash is uniquely positioned to inspire change through education and advocacy.  Read more…

Norm Winn, a legendary outdoor advocate and former Mountaineers President, passed away on December 31, 2021. Norm served as President from 1975-1977, during which time he lobbied Congress with Washington State Governor Dan Evans to help to create the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. He also served on our Conservation Division for 25-years, and leaves behind a long legacy of advocacy for the outdoor experience. He was 82. Read more…

Join the Olympia branch for our upcoming Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS) course, offering participants the chance to improve their fitness level and hike with many of the same people throughout the course.  Read more…

We get a lot of questions about compasses - and rightfully so! They're important. Follow these tips to select the compass that’s best for your needs. We suggest that you have this page handy for reference when you go the store to purchase a compass. Read more…

Two years ago, Keta Legacy Foundation (Keta) filed a lawsuit against The Mountaineers. Keta sued The Mountaineers, claiming they had superior rights in our name, which we had previously authorized Keta to use as the “Mountaineers Foundation.” In addition to wanting to continue to trade on our name to capture donations, Keta also seeks to prevent us from using our own name – The Mountaineers – to raise funds for charitable purposes. Read more…

For many of us, someone else introduced us to the outdoors for the first time. Perhaps your family took an annual camping trip to the Hoh Rain Forest, a friend convinced you to join a hike up Mt. Si, or a coworker inspired you to get out on the water. Read more…

With great sadness we share the news of the passing of Daniel "Eric" Enges, a climb leader and Super Volunteer with our Kitsap Branch. Eric passed away after being put on a ventilator from COVID on January 15, leaving behind his beloved wife of 26-years and their three daughters. He was 56. Read more…

Are you looking for something adventurous and inspiring to watch during these cold winter months?  Dive into the best outdoor films of the year with virtual access to the  2021/22 Banff Mountain Film Festival Virtual World Tour! Banff is offering a specially-curated online-only playlist this year, so that you can stream films from the warmth and comfort of your home.  Read more…

A great way to stay on track with your fitness goals during the off-season is to enlist help from accountability partners. They can provide much-needed support, encouragement, and motivation when you’re feeling stuck or unsure of how to move forward. While a workout partner might meet you at the gym or trailhead, an accountability partner helps keep you on track by discussing how you’re doing, where you’re struggling, and what you want to accomplish. If you've been pursuing a goal and feel your enthusiasm waning, partner up! Read more…

The Pacific Northwest’s lands and waters provide so many recreational opportunities, from traversing glaciers to camping in lush evergreen forests. But as Mountaineers know well, the future of our recreational pursuits depends on protecting the places we love, now more than ever, as the climate and biodiversity crises reshape outdoor landscapes. Conserving our lands and waters is urgent, and land managers and policymakers must adapt and find new tools to meet these complex challenges. 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…

Next time you shed your jacket or turn on the tap at the Tacoma Program Center (TPC), take a moment to bask in our all-electric heat and hot water. We are proud to report that Phase II of our Net-Zero Energy Project is complete - a milestone in our quest to go 100 percent carbon-neutral at the TPC! Read more…

Over 116 years, The Mountaineers has undergone many changes. In 2011, we made the transformational decision to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, thereby allowing tax-deductible contributions in support of our mission. This strategic shift better aligned us with the founding spirit of The Mountaineers and cast a broader vision for our role in the community. Today, we field questions from old friends and new members alike: Isn’t The Mountaineers just a club for outdoor enthusiasts? Why does it need donations? Members pay membership dues, course fees, buy books, or volunteer… isn’t that enough?  Read more…

Getting outside during the winter poses a special set of challenges, and checking road and trail conditions becomes even more important as snow and ice cover many of our destinations. Conditions in early January were especially dicey, with record-setting snowfall closing all four nearby mountain passes, high avalanche risk predicted in the Cascades and Olympics, and flood warnings in place across much of Western Washington. Read more…