Blog

The Washington State Legislature just wrapped up its 2022 session on March 10. This year legislators met for a short 60-day session to pass legislation and enact supplemental budgets for our state. Each legislative session, The Mountaineers works with other organizations to advocate for bills and funding requests that improve conservation and recreation in Washington.  Read more…

Standing on the edge of the water in my camp sandals, boots and pants stowed safely inside my pack, I look longingly across the river. I wish I could teleport myself instead of wading through the bitterly-cold, swift-moving water. It’s June 2021, and the Pacific Northwest’s unseasonable heatwave is melting the snowpack, sending it rushing down the mountain river valleys in record volume. 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…

Are you ready for more time outdoors? We sure are. Just in time for spring, we're thrilled to launch our new line of Mountaineers logo merchandise, now available in our bookstore and online. Show off your love for The Mountaineers with official Mountaineers gear! Read more…

Washington has no shortage of possible adventures waiting outside your door, and author Lauren Braden has compiled the best ones in her new book (coming June 2022), 52 Ways to Nature Washington: Your Seasonal Guide to a Wilder Year. We're giving an early sneak peek at one of the many activities included in the book, just in time for spring! Below is an excerpt from the spring section: "Detour to the Desert." Enjoy! Read more…

Life was good since I retired in September of 2015 at 63 years young. In March 2015, I purchased the Mokai: a motorized kayak intended for use on rivers. The Mokai is 11’ Long 36” wide, powered by a 7hp 4-cycle Subaru engine, has an electric start, is a sit in kayak, and is rated for SK-III rapids. I bought to use in Washington rivers for fishing. Read more…

The last two years have been a challenge for us all. We have shared the emotional roller coaster of lockdowns, public land closures, and losses big and small. Yet, this crucible has also created space for self-reflection, realignment of values, and tremendous growth. 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…

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…

Join The Mountaineers for a screening of The Last Mountain, which tells the unforgettable story of climber Tom Ballard, 30, who disappeared on Nanga Parbat in 2019 – 24 years after his mother, legendary alpinist Alison Hargreaves, famously perished on K2. Read more…

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. We're grateful to all in our community who have been engaging and supportive, and we're excited to introduce you to our new  committee members. Read more…

On any given weekend, you can find hundreds of people enjoying local parks, forests, waterways, and more under the leadership of a Mountaineers volunteer. Last year, we had an average of 11 Mountaineers activities every day. 2,300 volunteers donated more than 200,000 hours of service in 2021 to connect people with safe and meaningful outdoor experiences. The Mountaineers has an administrative staff of just 25 people to support programs; this kind of impact simply would not be possible without our extensive network of volunteer leaders, instructors, lodge hosts, and committee members.  Read more…

February is a month of anticipation. Although we are still in the heart of winter, the days are beginning to get longer and we are often surprised by blooming flowers and brief opportunities for short-sleeved hikes. I was even able to ride my bike to work on a couple days this month, enjoying the aroma of jasmine lining the Burke Gilman (I will admit my hands were frozen solid by the time I arrived at the Seattle Program Center).  Read more…

At our in-person Gala, spend a night out on the town celebrating your Mountaineers community and raising funds for our shared outdoor experience. Enjoy a reception, dinner, and auction, and hear from the evening’s very special guests: Rick Ridgeway and Dianne Roberts. Guests will also take home camp-themed giveaways and enjoy a few fun surprises. We hope you’ll join us!  Read more…

Stewardship is a key component of maintaining the health and vitality of our trail systems. The Olympia Branch is known for its robust stewardship program, supporting trail work across the lower Puget Sound region and into the peninsula. However, the work isn't just completed in the sunnier months - winter is a busy time for these volunteers as well. Learn about what the Olympia Conservation Committee has been up to this season, and how you can help.  Read more…

I was the kid at camp struggling with homesickness and cowering from the spiders that visited my bunk. I had friends attend the same camp year after year, become counselors in training (CITs) during high school, and then return to those camps in college as staff. I never understood their connection to camp until I met the CITs at our Mountaineers summer camps. Over the nine weeks of day camp that ran during the summer of 2021, we had nineteen teenagers join us at our Seattle Program Center to help create camp magic. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Peter Tran, current Climbing Chair with the Foothills Branch. Peter is the 2021 Mountaineers Service Award recipient and favors the chipotle breakfast burrito from Safeway as his go-to trail snack. Read more…

On February 28, 2020, the Center for Disease Control announced the likelihood that coronavirus (COVID-19) would spread in US communities. Since then, The Mountaineers  has been carefully tracking the recommendations of public health agencies, and our hearts go out to those who have been affected. The health and safety of our community is our top priority and we will diligently implement recommended actions while doing everything we can to sustain our mission and operations. We will continue to update this blog as the situation develops. Read more…

The Mountaineers made a commitment to reduce our organization’s carbon footprint as part of Vision 2022. In the Carbon Footprint Reduction Committee’s last blog post, we introduced you to carbon offsets. In this blog, we talk about the benefits of ebikes. Read more…

Finding the right plants for your garden can be difficult. Local garden stores sell a large variety of plants, but many of them are not native to the area. This can mean a lot of money is wasted on beautiful plants that can't survive our Pacific Northwest seasons.  Read more…

Quick - make a wish! It's 2:22 on 2/22/22, and the Twosfairy is here 2 wish you a happy Twosday! (In case you can't tell, we're tutu excited about this happy coincidence.) Read more…

Podcaster Alison Young is a self-described female, middle-aged, titanium-reinforced solo hiker. Under her trail name “Blissful Hiker,” Alison hosts a podcast called Walking Distance, “a show for hikers, trekkers, trampers, and wanderers” with the premise that any place worth seeing can be reached by walking. On October 12, 2021, she released an episode titled How Not to Die in the Wild in which she spoke with Super Volunteer Steve McClure to discuss how he helped modernize and simplify The Ten Essentials for our ninth edition of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. Read more…

Since 1969, The Mountaineers has been sponsoring multi-day outdoor adventures around the world through our Global Adventures program. Our members have skied the slopes of Japan, backpacked across Chilean Patagonia, and trekked through the Alps. In the past five decades we’ve offered 233 separate trips, the hours of which tally up to a cumulative 90 years of non-stop action and adventure. Like many of our activities, the program’s beginnings are far more humble than the hustle-and-bustle we see today. Read more…

Conservation advocacy has been an enduring priority throughout The Mountaineers history. Early members recognized the importance of protecting wild places for the outdoor experience, and as a result we have been involved in nearly every major conservation campaign in our state's history. Advocacy has been, and remains, at the heart of key environmental protections.  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 Mountaineers is a unique community of hikers, climbers, paddlers, birders, and more coming together from all different walks of life to experience and enjoy the incredible landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. To celebrate this diversity and the joy that our community brings to every trip outside, we want to create a video for our annual Gala to showcase your adventures big and small. That means we’re looking for photos and videos from folks across our organization – from you! Read more…

Here in Washington, we’re fortunate to have 6.5 million acres of state-managed parks and public land. Whether it’s climbing at Frenchman’s Coulee near Vantage, paddling Deception Pass, or hiking through the Snoqualmie River Valley, our state public lands play host to many Mountaineers activities and other outdoor experiences. But, as anyone who has tried to get a summer camping reservation in a state park can attest, our state parks and trails are heavily used, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Read more…

Winter in the forest is magical. We are often captivated by the snow blanketing branches, the morning light streaming through the canopy, and the crackling of ice and wood as wind blows into the treetops. But beneath our feet, a secret underground system is constantly at work. Plants are “communicating” with each other in remarkable ways - an essential process to sustaining the health of the ecosystem in every season. Read more…

Nash Maz is an Indian American hiker and climber breaking ground with an all-women of color climbing attempt on Tahoma (Mount Rainier). She’s put together a team of 12 women, known as Women of Color Who Summit, to raise funds and awareness for the minority populations disproportionately affected by COVID and other lung diseases. As someone who overcame extreme health conditions as an infant, and as a true Washingtonian with more than 200 state hikes under her belt, Nash is uniquely positioned to inspire change through education and advocacy.  Read more…

Norm Winn, a legendary outdoor advocate and former Mountaineers President, passed away on December 31, 2021. Norm served as President from 1975-1977, during which time he lobbied Congress with Washington State Governor Dan Evans to help to create the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. He also served on our Conservation Division for 25-years, and leaves behind a long legacy of advocacy for the outdoor experience. He was 82. Read more…