Blog

Mountaineers have always been fierce advocates for the natural world. Thanks to early Mountaineers, we helped to protect and establish Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Today, conservation advocacy remains central to our mission and is a key strategic priority. Read more…

As a recreationist adventuring in the Pacific Northwest, you know how the eastern slope forests, grasslands, and shrub steppe of central Washington offer special ways to experience the outdoors through recreation. Visitors and residents alike cherish the opportunity to paddle the Tieton and Yakima rivers, climb the Royal Columns near Tieton, and hike and mountain bike trails that crisscross a unique and diverse landscape.  Read more…

In Paddling the Salish Sea, professional kayaker and paddling coach Rob Casey guides paddlers to the most rewarding destinations across the region. This updated, comprehensive guide covers everything from the quiet inlets of the South Sound to an entirely new section featuring the fjords, waterfalls, and local waterways around Vancouver, B.C. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced paddlers can find beautiful, rewarding routes for their skill levels. Read more…

I took my final dose of prednisone last March after being on the corticosteroid for three years. Excited and relieved, I also felt apprehensive. Would my symptoms return? Two months later and so far, so good. My condition is in remission. 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 Park's public comment period is now closed. The Mountaineers submitted comments sharing feedback we received from our leaders on timed entry. Stay tuned for more opportunities to shape visitor use management at Mount Rainier National Park.

Visiting Mt. Rainier National Park has felt a little different this summer. For the first time in the park’s history, many visitors are required to purchase a timed entry reservation to enter during peak visitation hours. While the pilot reservation system ends Labor Day 2024, the long-term use of timed entry in the park hangs in the balance. Read more…

The Mountaineers is committed to leading innovation in outdoor education. A key component of this commitment is investing in our volunteer leaders, the heart and soul of our vibrant organization. We’re excited to announce new Leadership Development Series seminars that provide high-quality, continuing education opportunities for our current and aspiring volunteers. Read more…

The growing impact of wildfire and smoke on Washington's lands, waters, and communities increasingly affects our outdoor experiences. With the wildfire season in full force this summer, fires continue to burn and affect communities across Washington, including in the North Cascades and in the Yakima Valley.  Read more…

Scientists have only explored five percent of the ocean, estimating that 91 percent of marine species are still unidentified. Naturally, we wonder about the unknown creatures lurking in the deep. But don’t let curiosity kill the… snail. Right in our own backyard are the waters of the Pacific Northwest, homing a diverse ecosystem of marine species. Among them lives a glorious, potentially terrifying, viscous, and only slightly cannibalistic species: the moon snail. Read more…

Have you visited the new Denny Creek - Franklin Falls trailhead yet this summer? This popular, family-friendly destination near Snoqualmie Pass has long been overcrowded with unsafe parking behavior. Thanks to investments from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), this parking lot got a major upgrade. GAOA was passed in 2020, thanks in large part to the outdoor recreation community. The passage and implementation of the GAOA in Washington continues to be a shining example of what we can achieve when we advocate together on behalf of more than 75,000 human-powered recreationists across the state.
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The Olympia Branch is a vibrant, growing community with quality volunteer leaders. Behind these leaders is a dedicated Branch Council, providing structure and support for our leaders and general membership to thrive.  Read more…

The next Baker Lodge work party will be held on the weekend of October 4-6, 2024. Lodge work parties are a great opportunity to come together as a team of like-minded Mountaineers in one of the most beautiful settings in the Cascades. This year's tasks include brush-cutting, painting, cleaning, light carpentry, and more.     Read more…

The Enchantments - a treasured landscape for our community - is home to some of the most breathtaking backcountry recreation opportunities in Washington state. In the midst of all this natural beauty, though, you might stumble upon an unexpected feature: human-made dams.  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…

As we experience worsening impacts of the climate crisis on our lands, waters, and communities, we must do more to respond to this urgent threat. The future of our organization and the planet depend on bold climate action and climate-resilient public lands and waters. Climate action and the reduction of The Mountaineers carbon footprint are prioritized in our current strategic plan and our organizational net zero vision. Read more…

In May of 1959, a party of ten Mountaineers were flown one at a time from Darrington Airstrip to a 7,800-foot camp on Glacier Peak. Local photographer Ira Spring organized and led the party of six men and three women to join the expedition, one of his many enterprising invitations to bring people together through photography and adventure. The trip took these Mountaineers six unforgettable days. Read more…

Our shared lands and waters - the places where Mountaineers gather, learn, and recreate - are the traditional lands of the Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes. These peoples have been here since time immemorial, are still here, and continue to steward and maintain cultural and legally-protected connections to their ancestral lands. Read more…

I am at my limit, sick to my stomach and reduced to guttural responses to my fear and fatigue. I have never climbed a mountain before, let alone one at 14,000 feet. On this late-season climb, I’ve seen my crampons spark on the rocks of the Disappointment Cleaver and twice tiptoed across ladders straddling yawning crevasses. And yet, the mountain expects more of me. I keep pushing as the rope propels me forward. 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 Everett Branch will be included in the larger Board Elections this fall and the positions of chair-elect, treasurer, secretary, and vice chair are included on the ballot for election/re-election. Interested in running for one of these positions? Submit your self-nomination by August 20 to join our impressive slate of candidates.  Read more…

Waking up to the smell of coffee and freshly baked sweet bread… what could be better? Waking up to these after hiking along the magnificent Amalfi Coast in Italy, of course! 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…

It's safe to say Mountaineers had a good time in the high alpine this July. Read on, dear friends, for super successful summits of Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Eldorado Peak, Mount Olympus, Bonanza Peak, Sahale Peak, and more.  Read more…

I have a tumultuous relationship with canoes. When I was eleven, my first canoe trip turned into a raging disaster when a thunderstorm upstream caused a flash flood, overturning our canoe and stranding us on a quickly shrinking island. Years later, I refused to do the canoe-tipping test required to swim at summer camp. Even into my 30s, I was the only person in my group who could not get back into a canoe after swimming in Lake Union, dumping everyone and everything out in the process (RIP iPhone 3). Read more…

At Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Scotch broom is considered a noxious weed, displacing native species and altering natural habitats from open, light-filled systems to dense shrub land where nothing else will grow. The Olympia Mountaineers are actively organizing work parties to eradicate Scotch broom, maintaining the monument’s biodiversity and habitat health. 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…

Exploring the great outdoors is a transformative experience that connects us with nature in profound ways. For those eager to step onto the trails but uncertain about where to begin, the GoHike: Beginning Hiking Series course offers an inviting gateway into the world of hiking. The GoHike course launched in 2021 to introduce new hikers, or those who are eager to restart, to the joys of hiking while providing a supportive community and valuable resources to ensure a safe and enjoyable beginner experience. Read more…

Our volunteer leaders are a huge part of what makes the Olympia Branch such an inspiring, fun, and impactful community.  Each year we honor the hard work and dedication of one Olympia volunteer by presenting them with the Branch Service Award. Read more…

Represent The Mountaineers at this year's Wilderness Risk Management Conference (WRMC). Join us to foster an environment of open dialogue and enhance our organization’s understanding of risk management practices. As a WRMC attendee, you'll acquire valuable skills in risk management, connect with fellow industry experts, share field and administrative techniques, and contribute to the establishment of standards for risk management in outdoor adventure and education. Read more…

In June, Braided River launched Big River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin - a stunning photography book and engagement campaign spotlighting the Columbia River watershed. The Pacific Northwest’s largest river system - called the Big River by many Indigenous nations of the West - covers a landscape the size of France, beginning in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and ending at the ocean mouth, near Astoria, Oregon.  Read more…