Navigation

I thought I didn’t need a navigation course. As a frequent trail hiker who carried the Ten Essentials (paper map included), I was confident in my skills. I used my phone’s compass and altimeter apps to orient myself and figure out what I was looking at. When I went home, I reviewed my route on my paper maps. I had the Gaia app, and I always knew where I was and where I’d been. Read more…

It seemed important two years ago to better know Seattle’s Central District (CD). After leading more than 50 Urban Night Walks (then known as “Night Hikes”) on Seattle Stairway Walks (2013) routes, a keener feel for the CD was in order. Nothing beats walking a neighborhood and soaking in the casual interactions with people and places. Active navigation with many turns sharpens attention to landmarks and the shape of the land. Read more…

I think one of the best and worst parts of working in Seattle is that the mountains are often visible reminder that the outdoors are right outside your office front door. Cascades to the east and Olympics to the west, the mountains are always out there waiting for the next adventure. Juggling the call of life's responsibilities with the call of the mountains starts with planning out your weekends to make sure you make the best of each opportunity. 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…

It's exciting to see our courses and events opening up this year to give new members and students the experiences that we all enjoy. If you would like  to brush up on your skills and start planning your summer hikes, join Olympia Mountaineers leaders for one of our upcoming clinics or seminars. Read more…

Is there a nagging little voice in the back of your head saying that you really should learn how to read a map and use a compass on your next hike or backpack trip, but you haven't quite gotten around to it?  Are you a bit intimidated by it all but haven't wanted to admit it? Or are you ready to take the next step in your personal preparedness to plan and carry out a safe on-trail adventure? Read more…

The Mountaineers Ten Essentials™ dates back to our climbing courses of the 1930s. This widely respected safety and packing system was formalized in the third edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, released in 1974. Each of the nine editions of Freedom, as it is affectionately known, was written entirely by volunteers and reflects the collective wisdom of hundreds of outdoor skills instructors. The list has always sought to answer two basic questions: Read more…

Due to COVID-19, our Olympia Navigation course had to be postponed indefinitely. Following safety guidelines, we were able to hold the course using online tools, which led to great success. In an interview with Navigation Chair Mike Kretzler, he shared what tools and changes led to the new, successful course in September.  Read more…

During my spring seclusion, I was planning a summer escape to hike the final section of the Sierra High Route. As the weeks passed, I used CalTopo’s weekly hi-resolution satellite images to watch the winter white recede from monolithic iceberg, to mosquito wonderland, to High Sierra drought. It was like I was watching the polar ice caps of Mars—before I landed at the trailhead I knew I would not need axe or crampons this year. Read more…

First among The Mountaineers Ten Essentials is navigation, and as technology has advanced that now includes both digital and physical maps. While physical maps can be customized for type, scale, coordinate markings, and personalized tracks and waypoints, digital maps have the benefit of GPS capability – allowing you to know where you are in the backcountry. Read more…

For three Novembers in a row my husband and I have traveled to Asia, hoping to avoid the worst of the Seattle weather and a certain amount of election news hysteria, always with the goal of exploring by hiking rather than just hitting the classic tourist spots. We travel on our own, no tour group, just three nights booked ahead in a hotel and figure it out from there. We spent four weeks in Taiwan in 2016; three weeks in Hong Kong (no, it’s not just skyscrapers) in 2017; and this year three weeks in northern Thailand, starting in Chiang Mai. Read more…

We love exploring, especially the wild places that offer a serene tranquility away from it all. Sometimes, though, we get too far away. And that's when tranquility turns into bewilderment. So pack a map and take some tips from Wilderness Navigation by Mike and Robert Burns. Read more…

The Foothills Navigation Committee is proud to offer a brand new clinic not offered by any other branch: Winter Navigation! This one night evening clinic is set for Thursday, Jan 25, 2018  at 6pm. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Jerry Logan, a volunteer with the Kitsap Branch who takes pride and joy in helping new climbers achieve summits they didn't think were possible! Read more…

The Mountaineers 'Vision 2022' Strategic Plan calls for us to invest in being “innovative leaders in outdoor education.” This means we need to respond to growing needs and address new century challenges in ways that are different from traditional  outdoor education. This includes investment in our volunteers – the greatest source of innovation and a priceless resource that is uniquely Mountaineers. We call this new approach "Progressive Outdoor Education."  Read more…

The cell phone has become a popular navigation tool for the modern outdoor adventurer. In fact, these days there are so many apps available it can be hard to know where to start. But don't be deterred! Your friends on the Seattle Navigation Committee love this stuff, and we took the time to review several apps that are free or close to it. 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…

Mountaineering is an expensive sport. It's especially daunting for beginners, who often have to prioritize spending across competing items. With a fixed amount of money, do you go for Gore-Tex undies, an ice axe made of sleek unobtanium . . . or yawn, a compass? (Let's face it, a shiny new cam is way sexier than a compass.) Read more…

Climbers, scramblers, hikers, snowshoers are all keen to find good beta for the next adventure. Sometimes a simple, downloadable map customized for the trail or route is enough. Other times we want tracks to follow when traveling in questionable terrain. There is no shortage of private and public collections of maps and tracks online, but we want to make these materials more accessible to you. Read more…

The Mountaineers is now accepting students for its first online course: Wilderness Navigation. The course, offered in partnership by the Seattle and Foothills branches, is part of a pilot project to discover how the organization can serve students who prefer online learning or for those who don't live close to where an in-person workshop is offered. Read more…

We've been hearing from many hikers and backpackers who want to learn navigation and field first aid/emergency-response skills, but aren't ready to invest the time and expense for the full Wilderness First Aid or Navigation course. Others really want to get strong and in shape for the trail season but would like some professional guidance to design a tailored conditioning program. To help, our volunteers from the Foothills branch have developed clinics tailored for hikers and backpackers from all walks of life.  Read more…

Early altimeters with 19 jewels and Swiss-made movements were price-prohibitive and thus weren’t included in either The Mountaineers navigation courses or the Ten Essentials. However, with new technology emerging, the upcoming  9th edition of Freedom of the Hills  will feature map, compass, and all of the modern tools with altimeters prominent among them. Read more…

Early in 2015, The Mountaineers Board of Directors identified two big goals for the organization -- re-examining it's rich and broad array of outdoor education and piloting some of it in an online format. The online pilot is in development and will be offered by several branches in the first part of 2016. Read more…

You may have gotten a little confused lately browsing for Navigation courses on our website. The traditional "Basic Navigation" course has recently been renamed "Wilderness Navigation" by our Seattle and Tacoma branches. If you're a student or instructor trying to satisfy a Basic Navigation requirement, HAVE NO FEAR: you will still receive the same badge by taking the newly named Wilderness Navigation course. Read more…

Navigation and other committee leaders from Everett, Foothills, Seattle and Tacoma proposed development of a coherent “navigation curriculum ladder” across all branches. The 21 navigators, climbers, scramblers, hiker/backpackers, authors, and back country ski and snowshoe  instructor/leaders met June 19/20 at Meany Lodge to chart a course for 2016 and beyond. Read more…

The 2015  Seattle Alpine Scramble Course is about to kick off with two workshops. March 2nd in Seattle and March 10th in Redmond. This excellent Mountaineering Course will prepare you for pretty much everything. Read more…

It's 8pm on a rainy Monday night. The perfect time to be indoors for a Basic Navigation Workshop. A record 90 students have shown up to learn navigation skills from 34 volunteers. And overseeing it all is Peter Hendrickson, Navigation Committee Chair. Walking between tables, quietly observing and stopping to course correct a student, or provide words of encouragement, Hendrickson is in his element. Read more…