Courses & Activities

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…

You don't always need to leave the city to get outside and enjoy the surroundings (while getting some exercise). Last weekend, a group of Mountaineers from the photography committee headed to Pike Place Market for a photo scavenger hunt. It was also an opportunity to check out the new section of the market shortly after it opened to the public. Read more…

A 94-year-old Northwest native, Fred Beckey is the quintessential “dirtbag” - the original in a breed of rebellious, fearless mountain climbers. Director Dave O’Leske spent 10 years shadowing Beckey throughout the world as chronicled those tales in DIRTBAG. We hope you'll join us for a special screenings September 9 or 16! Read more…

Olympia Branch members: we want your BEST - photos that is! We're hosting a photo contest and we can't wait to show off your great photography skills to our community. Follow the instructions below to submit photos in one of 8 categories to win recognition and eternal bragging rights. Read more…

Mary Metz, current title Senior Editor, is well into her thirty-first year at Mountaineers Books. She found picking only five books to be quite a challenge, so she’s glad that her predecessors already covered two of her all-time faves, Stehekin and A Field Guide to the Cascades and Olympics. And she cheats a little.* Read more…

Hometown: Seattle Washington
Member Since: 1970
Occupation: Retired Engineer
Favorite Things to Photograph: Mountain scenery Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Charlie Michel, a Sea Kayak Leader who can still hold his own with the young guns. Read more…

We end every staff meeting by sharing what we call "mission moments." These inspiring stories of when we get to witness our mission in action reflect the positive impact of our work on the outdoor community and bring us the warm fuzzies inside. As staff, we find these reminders invigorating, helping us understand the broad reach of our mission to help people get outside. Read more…

Want to get your kids out on the water this summer? Sign up for our new kayak program for kids aged 7-13. The program is designed with fun and water safety as the primary goals. 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…

Our Global Adventures Committee leads exciting trips around the world every year to help you get outside while playing and learning in a new place. Registration is now open now for a ski/walk adventure in the Italian Alps in the dramatic shadows of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Join us! Read more…

After climbing for over 20 years in the Cascades, I have lived through a few incidents and near-misses. This is the story of how I almost died glissading down Aasgard Pass in the Enchantments. 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…

As Mountaineers, many of us have spent the majority of our days roaming the hills, but haven't spent enough time on the waters of Puget Sound!

On Sunday June 11, you're invited to try sailing without any prior experience, at just $45 for our members! You can't find an experience like this anywhere else. Read more…

Join our Seattle Photography Committee on November 17 to enjoy a presentation from photography pioneer Stephen Johnson. We're partnering with Canon as part of our Speaker Series featuring expert photographers from around the US. Read more…

Name: Jon Shields
Hometown: Queens, NY
Member Since: August 1996
Occupation: Health & Environmental Investigator
Favorite Things to Photograph: Things he finds while hiking; landscapes; musicians; the occasional abstract Read more…

Are you an experienced Mountaineers activity leader who dreams of taking Mountaineers companions on multi-day adventures in far-flung places around North America and the wider world? Global Adventures leaders have taken groups skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, scrambling, backpacking, trekking, and day-walking in Alaska, the Rockies, Patagonia, Peru, the Himalayas, the British Isles, New Zealand, and more. The Global Adventures program may be the perfect place for you to live your travel dreams, and at the same time, take your trip planning and group leadership skills to a new level.   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…

Braided River is teaming up with Explore Green to host a Fall Nature Photography Workshop at Sundance Mountain Resort led by acclaimed conservation photographers Amy Gulick, Carl Johnson, and Dave Showalter. Each will bring their expertise and passion for wild country to this hands-on workshop. At the foot of Utah's towering Wasatch Range, the stunning Sundance Valley offers the ideal setting for an immersive photography experience. Read more…

This is my friend Casey. She's a rockstar, and summitted Mt. Baker via the Squak Glacier in a single day last June. We spent 13 hours on our feet to summit and get down, with 7-8 of those hours under direct sunlight. 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…

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…

Name: Karen Portzer
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Member Since: 1981
Occupation:Accounting Analyst
Favorite Things to Photograph: Mount Rainier, Safeco Field, Architecture, Nature, Travel Read more…

Nearly 33-years ago, on a balmy spring Saturday in Whitefish, Montana, my mom was 41-weeks pregnant and mowing the lawn. As I would be in life, I was stubborn in birth and had made myself quite cozy in her belly for an extra week. The doctor told my mother that being active would hurry me along and the lawn needed attention, so she was mowing when the contractions finally started on Saturday afternoon. I was born 16-hours later at 5:26 am on Sunday, May 13. It was Mother’s Day. 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…

Earth Day is this Saturday, April 22, and we have se several ways for you to show your appreciation for Mother Earth this weekend. Join us for a stewardship activity, and please help us champion our low impact skills while you’re getting outside! Read more…

Name: Heather Mack
Hometown: Des Moines, WA
Member Since: 2008
Occupation: Immunology Research Tech
Favorite Things to Photograph: small, macro, and long exposures Read more…

Want to see your photography in a Mountaineers calendar? We're hosting a photo contest to create a 2018 calendar to be sold in our Seattle Program Center Bookstore. The grand-prize cover photo winner will receive a one-year subscription to Photoshop CC and Lightroom (courtesy of Abobe), a copy of the calendar, and their information/winning photo recognition in a blog post of the Mountaineers website.  Read more…