Blog

Starting in the summer and peaking in the fall, our local salmon embark on a lengthy and laborious journey from Puget Sound to their native rivers, streams, and lakes. These efforts, which will ultimately end in their death, is known as the salmon run. The reason for their fatal trek? Spawning time. Read more…

Meet Colin Chapman, a backpack, hike, and snowshoe leader, as well as a 2021 Super Volunteer. Colin joined The Mountaineers to participate in the Foothills Backpacking Building Blocks (B3) course and now he’s a leader for the course! 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…

It’s that time of year when our favorite places begin to change. The pinks and purples of summer are fading to fiery yellows and reds of fall. Trailheads are welcoming the blanket of autumn fog that keeps our hiking cool while obscuring summit views. Temperatures are dropping, and we’re preparing to exchange our backpacks and paddles for crampons and skis.  Read more…

As of 2022, The Mountaineers boasts a strong collective of over 3,000 volunteer leaders. From course instructors, to lodge hosts, to Board members, our volunteers’ skillsets are varied and far-reaching within our organization. By setting vision and direction, contributing to a shared vision, and creating sustainable and equitable programs, volunteers enable The Mountaineers to continue to grow and improve our programs. Often, volunteers are called the heart and soul of The Mountaineers, and this is certainly true in my experience! Read more…

Have you ever walked into a space, say a meeting room or a new bar, and known immediately that you were out of place? Read more…

As a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led organization, The Mountaineers depend on the generosity, initiative, and leadership of our volunteers to steward the future of our organization. We are humbled by the service provided by board and branch directors whose positions are confirmed by members each year. Thank you for all you do as members to elevate our mission, and for your participation in the forthcoming election process for these organization-wide leaders. Read more…

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

We are proud to share our fiscal year 2021 Impact Report, an annual publication highlighting the ways that programs, publishing, and people combine forces to impact our outdoor community and the future of outdoor recreation. Read more…

With great sadness we share the news of the passing of Pradnya Mohite, a beloved member of our Everett and Seattle climbing communities. On March 6, 2022, Pradnya was on a private climb of Mt. Hood with another Mountaineers member when they suffered a fall. The team was benighted, and Pradnya did not survive. Read more…

The Mountaineers has a long history of volunteer instructors sharing their knowledge and teaching the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists. Volunteer instructors take on a fundamental role in our organization by supporting, leading, and instructing our hundreds of monthly courses. As a volunteer-led organization, volunteer instructors are instrumental in carrying out our mission and upholding our core values. 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…

In the summer of 2021, I received a phone call from lifetime Mountaineer MaryJane Steele delivering the difficult news that Barbara Jean Allan had recently passed away. A biochemist and researcher at the University of Washington, Barbara was a passionate outdoorswoman and environmental advocate. The lifetime she spent in the mountains inspired her to give back in many ways, and for her, that included protecting the legacy of outdoor education by planning for a bequest to benefit The Mountaineers. Read more…

Together with our End of Summer Bash sponsored by REI Co-op, we’ve raised just shy of $40,000 to support The Mountaineers Conservation and Advocacy program.  Our community has a long and rich history as a regional leader advocating on behalf of the natural world, and our successes would not be possible without your dedication and commitment to protect the places we love. Read more…

Join the new Seattle Backcountry Ski Committee at the Seattle Program Center for its inaugural event, a screening of two great ski films produced by Teton Gravity Research. Meet up with friends, have a beverage, and build the stoke for the upcoming ski season. 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…

Enjoy the following excerpt from the prologue of Unraveled: A Climber's Journey Through Darkness and Back, by Katie Brown. Read more…

The Olympic National Forest draws Mountaineers from all over the region year-round to hike, camp, and experience the natural beauty of the Olympic Peninsula. Whether you’re drawn to peaks like Mount Ellinor or love to hike lush river valleys like the Skokomish, the forest’s five wilderness and twenty developed campgrounds offer something for everyone hoping to experience these iconic old growth forests. Read more…

From craggy summits to windswept beaches, Washington’s lands and waters provide inspiration, connection, and transformative experiences. For more than 115 years, The Mountaineers community has been connected through a passion for these places and a commitment to leave outdoor spaces better than we found them. However, it is important to recognize that the places where we gather, learn, and recreate are the lands of Native peoples who have lived here since time immemorial. Read more…

Our eNewsletter Routefinder, sent on the first of each month to over 30,000 individuals (including our 15,000 members), is one of our most important communications. Considered a “mini magazine,” each month we sift through dozens of blogs, events, and updates to select eight to ten of the most important items for you to read. This includes heartfelt magazine stories, key organizational updates, conservation and advocacy alerts, new courses, and more. And do you know what is often the most popular item, month after month? Read more…

It wasn’t my first hike in the North Cascades, but my second that had me forever hooked on this incredible range of craggy, glaciated mountains. A warm, sunny morning greeted me when I hit the trail to ascend Sourdough Mountain. The day would leave a deep impression on me, forever securing Sourdough as one of my absolute favorite places in the world. 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…

Each year, we host an annual meeting for our members to share a retroactive tour of our last fiscal year. Members are invited to join virtually to hear about how The Mountaineers is doing, learn more about our strategic planning process and upcoming focus sessions, have the opportunity to ask questions of our leaders. Per our bylaws, the Annual Meeting also allows Mountaineers members to make At-Large Director nominations from the floor for the 2022 election season. Here's the recording from September 13, 2022. Read more…

Recently, my partner and I helped teach the Kitsap Alpine Scrambling Course. We began class with an icebreaker question: “When did you fall in love with the outdoors? And if you’re not sure you’re in love yet, when did the outdoors start to call to you?” The responses varied, and even though we came from vastly different backgrounds, we found we had as much common ground as we had differences. This icebreaker served as an introduction to our 20-minute module on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). We continued our conversation by asking a question, in some cases considered the question, then talked about other ways we, as leaders and students, can help foster a culture of belonging for ourselves and each other. Read more…

David Carrier was an admired and respected Everett Mountaineers and Mazama member, and a highly experienced and prolific mountaineer with an impressive climbing resume. In addition to being an active instructor at both the Basic and Intermediate level, he also befriended and accompanied many Everett members on a number of private and official Mountaineers climbs over the past several years.  Read more…

We often hear about melting glaciers, burning forests, and sea level rise, leaving us feeling helpless and overwhelmed. At this year’s An Evening of Advocacy event, you’ll hear directly from a panel of climate experts who will inspire you to feel something more - hope.  Read more…

Parental foolishness knows no bounds. When our son Ben was just an infant, we took him to Bonanza in an ill-advised attempt to climb the peak. Ben was an absolute terror and completely unmanageable at high camp – in other words, a classic 11-month-old, and we had to turn around. 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…

Join us on Thursday, September 29 for an evening of good food, good company, and ample opportunities to support the next generation of climbers and outdoor explorers through our youth programs.  Read more…

Become a beach-side naturalist in our upcoming seminar designed to help you develop your shorebird identification skills. Offered by the Seattle Naturalist Committee on Sep 13 at 7pm, Introduction to Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest will open your eyes to the stunning beauty of our local shorebirds.  Read more…