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Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to .... Read more…

Our blog series Gnar Face documents the funny, painful, and unfortunate things we’ve done to ourselves in the outdoors. In this edition, we hear from Membership and Communications Director Kristina Ciari Tursi about an ill-fated bike ride. Take a look at the last edition of Gnar Face for more tails of woe and misery. Read more…

I am an active hike leader with The Mountaineers, and I occasionally hear from participants who are disappointed that a trip didn’t meet their expectations. Sometimes that stems from the way the trip was listed and sometimes it comes from a participant who isn’t familiar with the culture of the club. Either way, it usually results from a misalignment in goals and expectations between the trip leader and participant(s). Read more…

We're pleased to present you with the outcome of the 2020 Board & Branch elections, and we're grateful to everyone who participated by voting and accepting a nomination. Your participation shows a deep commitment to the organization, and this year, we saw a +24% increase in member voting with 1,871 votes.   Read more…

I live with two realities that are mostly hereditary: aging-related hypertension and type II diabetes. My paternal grandfather died from diabetes complications in 1958 (he was 6'4" and thin as a rail). My dad has diabetes (he's 5'3" and only 107 lbs.). So, while I'm fatter than I'd like, my weight was not the determining factor in my diabetes. Read more…

It took a lot of practice, but I finally learned how to poop directly into a dog bag. I’d been getting outside for years – crag climbing and backcountry skiing mostly – and I wasn’t a fan of carrying a trowel and digging a six-inch cat hole. Instead, I’d find a private space, answer the call of nature directly onto the ground/snow, then pick it up (double bag!) and pack it out (toilet paper too!). Read more…

We hear about it all the time. National Parks visitation is becoming less diverse as our nation is becoming more diverse. The lack of diversity on our trails, at our crags, and on our rivers is profound, and it’s a problem. If you’ve spent enough time in the Outdoor Industry, you’ve likely sat at a table with well-intended, mostly white, predominately middle-aged male educators talking about a shared passion for changing this demographic imbalance in the outdoors. Last week, there was a new kind of conversation. 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…

Created on June 9, 1923, Twanoh State Park is one of the oldest Washington State Parks. It covers 182 acres and includes 3,100 feet of shoreline. This park offers quite a bit - including boating, fishing, hiking, and camping. We combined our hike on the Twanoh River Trail with a walk around the Mary E. Theler Wetlands.   Read more…

If you love exchanging stories of the trail or are interested in a mini vacation close to home, we have the perfect opportunity for you. The volunteers who run our  Mountaineers Lodge at Stevens Pass are hoping to open the lodge to Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers, and we need a few volunteers to commit to staffing Stevens Lodge for a week apiece from August 20 - September 30.  Read more…

Mountaineers have been enjoying the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond for 110 years, and it's our long-term aspiration to be thriving for another 110 years. As we look toward Vision 2022 - our next strategic plan - we felt it was time to put our core values on paper. Read more…

If you’ve ever visited the Sunrise Lodge at Mount Rainier, you have likely stared directly at one of Mt. Rainier's proudest features: Steamboat Prow. This 2,950m tall, glaciated, andesite protrusion splits the Emmons and Winthrop glaciers like the prow of an icebreaker. Fifty vertical meters below sleeps Camp Schurman, which serves as the northeast high camp on the mountain and the launch point for hopeful summiteers on the Emmons glacier route. Read more…

One of our Core Values is Community. We provide opportunities for all because we believe a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love. To be true to this value, our commitment to treating one another respectfully must be iron-clad. When we do this consistently, day in and day out, we build the kind of culture where all people feel safe and can enjoy outdoor experiences to their fullest. Read more…

Baker Lodge is open and welcoming vaccinated guests this winter! Access world-class terrain for skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing just outside the front door. Read more…

For our member profile this week we talked to ... 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…

As a Mountaineers member, you receive free access to our quarterly Mountaineer magazine, keeping you up-to-date with everything our organization and community have been up to. Hear from regular contributors on topics from training exercises to trail tips, and read features from our members sharing stories from the outdoors. We encourage you to access all of our updates, stories, tips, and more in the tree free online magazine today. Read more…

Every year, thousands of members generously share their time, expertise, and financial resources to give back to our outdoor community and to Adventure with Purpose. They care deeply about creating an inclusive community around outdoor education and conservation. And this week, we threw a Block Party to express our appreciation, celebrate our mission impact, and have a bit of fun, too!  Read more…

Outdoor recreation is growing in popularity in Washington state and across the country, and land managers need new tools and resources to sustainably manage recreation on public lands. The Mountaineers and our partners at Outdoor Alliance have been advocating for federal legislation that improves sustainable and equitable access to outdoor recreation.  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…

Mountaineers staff and volunteers have been aware of gaps in our member and leadership training related to emotional safety for a number of years. Between 2020 and 2024, staff-sponsored Leadership Development Series hosted a number of evening seminars that touched on this topic. In 2023, staff in partnership with the Equity & Inclusion Committee introduced the Emotional Safety in the Outdoors eLearning course that connects the core values of The Mountaineers to these five themes:  Read more…

Each year, we host an annual meeting for our members to learn more about the organization's state of affairs from staff and board members. Join us to celebrate 2024 fiscal year highlights, preview 2025, learn more about our strategic priorities, and have the opportunity to ask questions of our leaders. 

This year's annual meeting will take place virtually on Tuesday, October 29 from 6-7:30pm.  Read more…

The Pacific Northwest is defined by its U.S. Forest Service lands. The agency manages nearly 25 million acres of public lands in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, from the dizzying heights of Mt. Baker to the awe-inspiring Multnomah Falls. Much of the important on-the-ground management work - maintaining trails, cleaning bathrooms, and fighting wildfires - falls on the shoulders of seasonal or temporary employees.  Read more…

In the summer of 2023, hikes, urban walks, and family celebrations had me digging out the first aid kit nearly weekly. My wife Nancy and I keep our Wilderness First Aid badges current, and the seven kids and eleven grandkids provide abundant practice around our Redmond farm with stinging nettle, bites, stings, sprains, breaks, bruises, gashes, cuts, and the occasional bump on the head. Read more…

Do you find yourself scouring our website, waiting for new courses and activities to be posted? Save yourself some time by signing up for Alerts & Notifications! This website feature sends you customized email alerts whenever your favorite Mountaineers programs are added to the website so that you never have to miss an opportunity to get outside with us.  Read more…

Last week we shared the disappointing news that the Keta Legacy Foundation (Keta) took steps to restrict our access to the Kitsap Forest Theater by installing locks on the access road and a parking area, threatening the opening of our production of The Sound of Music and potentially our entire 100th anniversary season. The Mountaineers filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order to regain access to the theater. This morning our motion was granted. The court  ruled in our favor, barring Keta from interfering with our historical access to the theater during the production season. A copy of the court’s order can be found here. The show will go on!  Read more…

The Foothills Backpacking Committee has an amazing community of leaders whose passion is to share their love of the outdoors and build community at the same time. In an effort to answer the call for more relaxed paced trips, our committee has launched an initiative for members who are looking for just these kinds of trips. Read more…

Earlier this summer we hosted a lively summer kick-off party at Mountaineering Club for 200 of our members and supporters. We’d now like to invite you back up to the rooftop for another party – this time in support of The Mountaineers critical conservation and advocacy work. Read more…

In July we announced a partnership with Ghostfish Brewing to introduce Kick Step IPA, a bold and distinctly Northwest India Pale Ale by Ghostfish Brewing, benefiting The Mountaineers. Our community has been on a search to buy it ever since, and we're happy to report that a new partnership with Trader Joe's will make it much easier to find! Read more…

This award is quite an honor. There are so many great volunteers, thousands in The Mountaineers. How could anyone pick one? It didn’t seem possible that I was selected for the Service Award with so much competition. Read more…