Blog

Nearly five years ago, The Mountaineers announced our new equity and inclusion programs, including our Equity & Inclusion committee. This work stems from our core belief that a diverse and inclusive outdoors inspires unity, respect, and passion for the places we love, and our vision to create an outdoor community where all people feel belonging. Read more…

In The Mountaineers, we pride ourselves on a high standard of safety while exploring the lands and waters of Washington. To maintain this standard we regularly review our safety standards and any incidents that occur so that we might learn from them. Read more…

Mountaineers Books newest title, Crossing Paths: A Pacific Crest Trailside Reader, shares a diverse variety of stories from one of our nation's best-known trails. In it we hear from contributors like Cheryl Strayed, Carrot Quinn, Barney "Scout" Mann, Aspen Matis, Nicholas Kristof, Heather Anderson, Will "Akuna" Robinson, and many more. 
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Join the Olympia Branch on May 4 to learn about the new Sustainable Recreation Study being conducted by the Olympic National Forest (ONF). Ranger Jai Lust, ONF Wilderness and Trails Coordinator, will be presenting on the study, designed to engage the public in the care of trails and gather feedback on individual trail management. 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…

Last year, we announced that The Mountaineers is leading Outdoor Alliance Washington, a group of organizations representing the human-powered outdoor recreation community in Washington State. Outdoor Alliance Washington meets with elected officials to advocate for funding to improve outdoor recreation opportunities and conserve our public lands. While we often meet through Zoom or in an office, it’s much more fun - and effective - to meet in officials’  districts in parks and public lands. Read more…

 For years, Mountaineers Super Volunteer Richard Babunovic loaded up his Subaru Outback and headed to Mt. Pilchuck - his favorite mountain. Read more…

It's been a busy six months for our Leadership Development Series! We hosted over 35 high-quality, continuing education remote seminars for over 500 volunteer leaders from October 2021 through April 2022, and it's not done yet. We're excited to highlight five more upcoming sessions as we wrap up our 2021-2022 Leadership Development Series. Read more…

We're excited to kick off our spring fundraiser by participating in GiveBIG! 

GiveBIG is a statewide movement of generosity, where donors like you come together to invest in our region. You can use the Washington Gives platform to easily find all the causes you already help fund, share about the organizations that mean the most to you, and to find new ones to support. Donations to The Mountaineers during GiveBIG will help unlock even more funding through a unique matching opportunity. Read more…

Streaks of glue are glistening in our hair and work overalls from another late night working on the bouldering gym’s construction. My life partner Daniel is putting up wall paneling while I assist, a wet rag in my hands to wipe away residue from the installation. We’re exhausted and elated at the same time. It seems surreal to be putting the finishing touches on a project that has absorbed the last five years of our lives. In building Half Moon Bouldering, our family start-up and the first bouldering gym in Greenwood, we feel like we’ve been aiming for the moon, and now it seems we’re actually close to landing. Read more…

Olympia Mountaineers have been sponsoring the Banff Film Festival for many years, and this spring, The Olympia Branch  and the Olympia Film Society are thrilled to bring live shows back to Olympia! 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…

Meet Brian Talbert, a Foothills backpacking leader and a mentor for the Foothills Backpacking Building Blocks course. As an active member of the Foothills Hiking and Backpacking Committee, Brian manages leadership development and certification for the committee. Read more…

The Mountaineers adventure with purpose. We seek out places that are bigger than ourselves to uncover joy and feel the transformative power of nature. We’re advocates, raising our voices together for this and future generations, all while adventuring in places big and small. We’re a community, teaching responsible recreation for all people to find belonging in the outdoors. And we flourish thanks to a culture of giving. Our volunteers give back and pay it forward, empowering others to confidently explore in their own backyards and beyond.  Read more…

A sloping lot in the crook of a mountain pass at 4,200 feet caught the eye of Mountaineers volunteers 75 years ago. A lease from the U.S. Forest Service was signed, and construction began on a rustic ski in/ski out cabin. As the June 1946 Mountaineer bulletin stated, “All sites will be developed as cheaply as possible, with maximum accommodations for minimum cost.” Read more…

Public lands are central to The Mountaineers experience. Playing host to our programs and activities, these parks, trails, waterways, and other open spaces connect us to nature and provide many public health benefits. North Cascades National Park, Deception Pass State Park, and Tiger Mountain State Forest are just a few of Washington’s popular public lands. Public lands are managed for different conservation objectives and recreational uses, but public access for recreation remains a common thread that defines these places. Read more…

You are cobalt blue mixed with just a little bit of rose. And you are my yellow straight out of the palette, no mixing required! What is your name, little friend? Ohhh, and you are scarlet and ultramarine blue with a hint of white. Read more…

Dog lovers rejoice! On certain winter weekends in 2023, a dogsled team from Northwest Dogsled Adventures will replace the Sno-Cat to provide transportation to and from Meany Lodge. Read more…

We’re thrilled to entertain you as a virtual guest for The Mountaineers 2022 Gala: Adventure with Purpose. This will be a celebration you won’t want to miss! Read more…

Spring has arrived. Days are getting longer, temperatures are warming up, and flowers are blooming. The iconic UW cherry blossoms usually reach peak bloom during the third week of March, and this year they were perfectly in sync with the official start of spring. Read more…

Since our update last summer, we've been working on many small improvements to our website, including a re-organization of our youth web pages, improvements to the process for pre-ordering and backordering books, and many small upgrades for our members and volunteers. We also have an update on our technology partnership with the CMC (Colorado Mountain Club). Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to SuJ'n Chon a volunteer leader with the Seattle Branch who has volunteered with the Equity & Inclusion Committee and overcame her fear of heights through the Basic Alpine Scrambling Course.  Read more…

As a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led organization, we depend on the generosity and leadership of our volunteers to foster a community based around education, conservation, adventure, and belonging. We are humbled by the service of our board of directors who are responsible for determining the future direction of our organization, controlling finances, making rules, and determining policy for property and programs, among other things. In March 2022, we welcomed a new slate of officers to our Board of Directors, and I’m excited to introduce you to them today. Read more…

Helping youth explore the outdoors is one of the key ways we foster a love of nature, a conservation mindset, and outdoor independence in future generations. Over the last decade, The Mountaineers has developed partnerships with school groups and youth-serving organizations across the greater Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia areas to provide quality outdoor programs known as Mountain Workshops. With the goal of decreasing barriers to the outdoors, Mountain Workshops provide the expertise and gear needed to get kids outside. 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…

The day has finally come - it’s time to start bidding! The Mountaineers 2022 Gala: Adventure with Purpose will take place on April 2 but bidding in the online auction starts TODAY. You have eight days to bid high and bid often for once-in-a-lifetime experiences! Read more…

It's been over five years, and we are THRILLED to bring back Bad Movie Night, the premier event you didn't know you needed in your life. We hope you'll come by on April 6 to experience the magic of heckling a bad adventure movie with your new outdoor friends. Read more…

Reflecting back on the last two years, it’s fair to say that it’s been one of the most challenging times in The Mountaineers history. I suspect that most of us will never forget those very early days when we were just starting to learn about Coronavirus and we were emphasizing the importance of hand-washing, without knowing how profoundly the pandemic would impact us. Almost exactly 2 years ago, The Mountaineers halted the majority of our operations as the world around us shut down, and we headed into an unknown and unstable landscape. Yet even in those early days, our community came together with an immediate and aggressive response to set us up for success in the future. Read more…

In January 2022, we invited our members and volunteers to participate in our bi-annual community survey. We do this every two years to understand how perceptions and experiences change over time, and to identify areas of need and allocate resources accordingly.  Read more…

The Mountaineers has a long history of protecting our natural landscapes. Time and time again, small individual actions have led to big victories for Washington’s outdoors, from the formation of Olympic National Park to the recent expansion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Today, we continue our proud legacy by educating our members on how to be thoughtful stewards, advocating for the places we explore, and inspiring the outdoor community to take action for threatened landscapes.  Read more…