Hiking & Backpacking

My own Mountaineers leadership story started with a search for trail companions. I was seeking a compatible group on the types of hikes and backpacks that interested me. Then, one day, I took a new arrival from China on his first hike, and I saw the joy and wonder blossom on his face when Mount Rainier emerged in all her glory behind a ridge covered with meadow wildflowers. That was it, I was hooked. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Bill Borom, a 5-year leader whose involvement in a wide variety of club activities has continued to spark his sense of adventure and expand his pool of friends to adventure with! Read more…

Did you know that The Mountaineers club didn’t have a paid employee until 1984? Tired of all of the paperwork, the growing organization hired a part-time administrator to help with waivers and dues so that volunteers could focus on the fun stuff: developing courses, providing instruction, leading trips, and running committees. Read more…

Are you new to the Pacific Northwest and to giving hiking/backpacking a try for the first time? If you're not sure where to go, how to find compatible people to go with, what gear you need, or how to do it safely, join us on Monday, October 16 for a free seminar. Read more…

The Mountaineers Walking the Wild Series celebrates extraordinary trekking and backpacking adventures by Mountaineers members with stories, photography, and information for other members to add those same experiences to their life list! Read more…

It was one of the rare late winter weeknights with a full moon and a clear sky, but I missed a turn. Our Seattle Stairway Walks hiking group was passing several back doors (or were they front doors?) going up many unintended Magnolia steps. This was not the Gaia route I had planned and followed the prior week. Nor was it the highlighted route on the map tucked in my trouser pocket, or the same Gaia route on my iPhone.  Read more…

My name is Lucy Grim and I am a Girl Scout finishing out my last cadette year. I have been working towards earning my Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout cadette can earn, for the last few months. For my project, I made a video on how to stay safe and have a successful hiking trip for groups hiking with kids. Read more…

Has it happened to you? I was camping at 11,500 ft at Guitar Lake along the John Muir Trail on the last day of a 2013 backpacking trip with my 3 sons. The low overnight temperature was 32 degrees, and while I should have been comfortable in my 30 degree rated sleeping bag, even with all my clothes on, I was barely warm.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Donna Kreuger, a Hike Leader who wants people to understand that they don't have to be a big, bad mountain climber to rock the outdoors! Read more…

On March 8, 2017, Seattle Hike Leaders Kathy Biever and Julie Miller set out on the first of seven urban hikes to complete a circuit around Lake Washington. Their fun summer journey will be complete on September 6. Read more…

People join The Mountaineers from all walks of life, at all levels of experience. For those looking to kickstart their outdoor experience or take their fitness up a notch, check out these training ideas from Alison Hudson at PartSelect. Hudson is a field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School and a freelance writer and who has contributed to The Clymb and Outdoor Nation. In this piece, she shares how to train in the city, train for the downhills, and get  mentally tough. Read more…

Fjallraven, a new outdoor clothing and gear brand in the Northwest, and Canoe Ridge Vineyard, a Seattle-based winery, are anxious to meet Mountaineers, show you what they offer, and give you a big discount - all while you learn about Seattle parks that you've probably never heard of. Read more…

The West Coast’s winter was wet and soggy. The forecast for the spring and summer is lingering snowpack, muddy trails … and bugs. Lots of bugs! Read more…

Ahhh, there’s nothing like heading out on your favorite trail to take in the fragrant smells of spring... only to catch the putrid stench of crap. Dog and human alike — it seems lately there’s been a proliferation of poo plopped along our trails and streams of toilet paper flowers soiling our backcountry. And this abundance of trailside turds isn’t just an affront on our visionary and olfactory senses, it’s a major affront to our health and the health of our wild places. Read more…

Mountaineers and friends are invited to join a free webinar, Tuesday, June 20, 7pm. Get tips for starting what for many is a bucket list item: hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) across your state. The presenter for this online event is Eli Boschetto, author of the new book, Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon. Eli will talk about how to plan to section hike the Oregon length of the PCT, but his tips will be relevant to anyone planning  to hike the Washington PCT, too. Read more…

Are you looking to beat the crowds, and to get out on the trail when it’s a bit less busy? Do you have a flexible schedule mid-week? If so, you should consider a Mid-Week Hike! Read more…

Attendees of our Leader Seminar will learn what it means to lead a Mountaineers hike or backpack. We'll cover 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 seminar  will get you started toward becoming a certified trip leader for the Seattle or Foothills Branches. (this seminar can count toward certification for the other branches as well!) Read more…

This installment of Our Secret Rainier is technically a scramble as it has a portion that is off-trail. But it is a very easy scramble and most experienced hikers would be very comfortable on this route (so long as they had good route finding skills). The route goes by a lovely hidden lake and goes to the top of the Palisades where there are great views of The Big One. Along the way, one finds the mysterious Skull of Marcus.  Read more…

Mountaineers Books has about 700 titles in print, and many of them are wonderful. This month Art Freeman, the publisher’s Chief Financial Officer, recommends five of his all-time favorite titles. Art is an avid skier, hiker, sailor, and climber, who has completed the Washington Bulger List of 100 highest mountains in the state. When he’s not playing outside, he has a book in his hands. Read more…

Backpacker Magazine, one of the pre-eminent adventure publications in the US, recently began to recognize hiking clubs across the country for excellence. In the May 2017 issue, The Mountaineers joined the ranks of their "best." Read more…

June 6, 2013: As the plane swooped over brown hillsides and stucco homes with tile roofs, I realized how very far from Washington State I was. I stared east, where clouds and ridges loomed faint and low on the horizon. I remembered the last time I was here, eight years younger and vastly inexperienced. I had faced the same distance, but this time I knew the extent of the land that sprawled between me and Washington, which had become my home. I already felt the pull of the mountains I knew like friends, and the people I loved.  Read more…

For the past ten years, I haven't been able to hike. My knees were severely arthritic and the pain was so great that it got to where I couldn't even stand for more than 15 minutes without crying. I tried to not let it stop me. I was in my late 50s, felt 20 years older, obese from not being able to exercise, losing muscle tone, depressed, and not wanting to leave the house. It was time for a change. Read more…

Glen: We met the day after Thanksgiving on a Seattle Mountaineers hike to Green Lake on the northwest side of Mount Rainier. There were 10 hikers on the trip and I struck up a conversation with the Polish American blond woman with a charming accent and dynamic smile. Tatiana was the bright spot in the crowd of hard-core hikers. We discovered that we had common interests besides hiking – other outdoor activities, travel, cultural events, dancing, serving others, and our faith. We also had similar degrees in geosciences. At the end of the hike, we exchanged cards and shortly after, scheduled our first date at Starbucks in December, 2013. If we both had not gone on this hike organized by the Mountaineers, we likely would have never met. Read more…

The Mountaineers are offering a variety of backpacking courses designed to kick start your spring and summer adventures. In addition to general courses, we have special-focus seminars as well as leadership opportunities. Classes are offered at a variety of locations and you’re welcome at any branch. Read more…

We go outside to find inspiration, and the experience is even richer when we can capture beautiful images of the places where we play. If you're looking to get outside and while taking your photography skills to the next level, check out these upcoming courses from our Photography Committee. Read more…

You’re done with the “hard part” of the trip. It’s all downhill now. On a trail. You’re tired. So is the rest of the team. Suddenly someone lets out a surprising loud “ouch!” He heard a pop. And now, your car seems so far away. Read more…

As longtime hikers and explorers who think a lot about trails in the Cascades, the article “Trails Loved to Death?” by Craig Romano in the November/December 2015 edition of Mountaineer magazine really got our attention.  Read more…

Did you know Seattle is home to more than 560 publicly accessible staircases wander throughout Seattle's gardens, district neighborhoods, and urban nooks and crannies? That's over 10,0000 hidden steps! The Mountaineers are hitting the streets to explore these steps with urban adventures this winter.  Read more…

This installment of Our Secret Rainier guides you to a monument and some amazing basalt columns in the national park. With extra effort, one can continue on to two scrambles in a remote part of the park.  Read more…

Co-sponsored by the Foothills and Seattle Hiking and Backpacking Committees, this presentation series is about the unique and special places our members have explored on two feet with a pack on their back. These are places worthy of a life-list for other wild-walkers, places that are off the normal tourist track but still in-reach of any fit and hardy Mountaineer with the urge to go far afield. Read more…