The Mountaineers
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.
"Although factual by nature, trip reports offer a condensed look at everything we love most about going outside. It gives you a small taste of what it’s like to stand on a ridgeline, deciding your next move while the brisk September air rushes past you. Or spending your mornings with no Wi-Fi, no cell service, and only the sounds of birds around you while you drink your coffee. Or the wild-eyed glee that a perfect day on a short mountain can bring."
–Hailey Oppelt, Editor
Our theme this edition is “trip reports,” the beta-heavy reading that informs and inspires so many of our trips. In “Falling,” 18-year member and backpacking leader Heidi Walker shares a terrifying moment on a backpacking trip from the North Fork Quinault River Trailhead over Low Divide. “Bonanza and Ben” is a heartwarming story from Bill Chapman, recounting his several failed attempts at Mt. Bonanza - a mountain even Fred Becky acknowledged as a bear to climb - before a successful summit with his son. “The Scariest Day of My Life,” by 11-year member and climb leader Liana Robertshaw, brings us to the moment every climber hopes to avoid – a nearly deadly rockfall, and the emotions that follow.
“Yoga for the Outdoors” is a lighter read from 6-year member and yoga instructor Lori Heath about her journey to yoga, how the practice can help outdoorspeople manage their unique needs, and three poses to try before and after your next excursion. In “How to Create a Top Trip Report” we give readers a look into what makes a truly excellent report, and provide a sample report from a dreamy autumn backpacking trip last October from Cheryl Talbert. To round out our features we have “The Nature of Belonging” from CEO Tom Vogl, where he shares a few thoughts on our work to help everyone feel at home at The Mountaineers and in the outdoors.
Our regular columns offer plenty of trip report-themed stories as well. In “Trail Talk,” Mountaineers Books Guidebook author Craig Romano tells the story of the mountain that helped him fall in love with the Cascades, and his many pilgrimages back. In “Peak Performance,” personal trainer and 30-year member Courtenay Schurman shares a few tips for newer outdoorspeople to avoid becoming a trip report statistic. “Bookmarks” shares a hair-raising excerpt from Jeff Smoot’s new release All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing, and “Retro Rewind” gives readers a few laughs as we revisit the colorful 1963 Annual Summer Outing trip report, including a very 60s pre-LNT water crossing, a few poetic ramblings on local flora, and even a little yodeling.
All of this - along with our regular features, tips, and tricks to enjoying a life outdoors - is available now.
SPECIAL THANKS
This edition, we would like to extend our thanks to Bill Chapman, Emily Fletcher, Lori Heath, Liana Robertshaw, Craig Romano, Courtenay Schurman, Cheryl Talbert, Heidi Walker, and Ida Vincent.
