Mountaineers Books Blog

Seth Kantner is a commercial fisherman, writer, and wildlife photographer. His newest book, A Thousand Trails Home: Living with Caribou (Mountaineers Books; September 2021), is a stunning firsthand account of a life spent hunting, studying, and living alongside caribou. He lives in the Northwest Arctic. Read more…

Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books, tells visual stories that inspire a wide audience to protect our communities, lands, and wildlife. By taking book projects and turning them into events, regional and national media coverage, and museum exhibits, they create a diverse toolset to raise awareness for conservation causes and threats to wild places. Given the interconnected threats of the climate and biodiversity crises, Braided River’s work of inspiring action on conservation issues near and far is more important than ever. Read more…

The following is excerpted from Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams, new from Mountaineers Books. Read more…

Many books have been written about mountain adventurers of the male persuasion. The accomplishments of women? Not so much. As a mission-focused, nonprofit publisher, Mountaineers Books is committed to broadly sharing the transformative power of the outdoors from unique perspectives. Read more…

Women have always been at the center of Yosemite, climbing on the walls, crafting their own equipment, establishing new routes, and showing us all what it means to dance with rock. Lynn Hill freed the Nose, Beth Rodden established the hardest single pitch climb in the Valley, and Sylvia Vidal raised the bar for hard aid solos. More recently, Libby Sauter, Josie McKee, and Quinn Brett completed mind-blowing speed ascents and link-ups, and Chelsea Griffie became the first African American woman to climb El Cap. Read more…

No one ever thinks they’re going to get old. As Kenny Chesney reminds us - “don’t blink, because life goes by faster than you think.” And fast it goes. Read more…

While the Washington coast is beautiful year-round, late summer is a particularly great time to escape to the coast or islands. Cool breezes and clean air make for a perfect getaway during these hot and smoky months. Check out these great resources for exploring Washington's waters, and learn about the creatures found there.  Read more…

The following is excerpted from Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home by Lynda Mapes, a new book from Mountaineers Books conservation imprint Braided River. Through interviews with scientists and Northwest Native tribal members, Mapes lays out the human causes behind the orcas' precarious situation, revealing that the health of the southern residents is deeply entwined not only with Chinook salmon, but with the entire natural world of the Pacific Northwest. Read more…

We're excited about our two new, fully illustrated books to help you enjoy your outdoor activities. Check them out! Read more…

I’ve been hiking and backpacking for more than 40 years now. Along the way I’ve learned a few things from research, the guidance of others, the trials of my own errors, and random luck. It’s not only helped make me a successful guidebook author, but a confident hiker, backpacker, and trail runner. Below are a few of my hard-earned, trail-tested tips on how to have a pretty darn good hiking adventure. Read more…

It's officially summer in Washington and we're so lucky to live in a state full of a never-ending bucket list of things to do. We put together this list of just a few ways to explore the area and get the most out of your summer!  Read more…

There's a lot to be excited about in June. It's orca month, the weather is warming up, and people are getting outside again. Get the most out of June - dive into Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home to learn all about the southern resident group of orca whales, head into the wild with Backpacking Washington, 2nd Edition, and explore Portland, Oregon with Discovering Portland Parks.   Read more…

Braided River author Lynda V. Mapes has traveled across the West Coast to give voice to the region’s orca whales, iconic to the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful—but ecologically imperiled—marine ecosystem. In this excerpt, she travels to OrcaLab in British Columbia, where passionate and determined volunteers are led by founder Paul Spong. Located on Cracroft Point, above Johnstone Strait in British Columbia, they have been documenting the daily lives of the more robust northern resident orca pods since 1970. Read more…

I went to the Pacific Crest Trail to find my limit. I’d imagined my fastest known time attempt ending with me on hands and knees — dry heaving — at my utmost breaking point. Yet that never happened. I started the hike with my little plastic trowel, intent on digging deep as I’d learned to do over many ultramarathons, but the PCT laughed at that, and within a few days had handed me a full-size shovel instead. Read more…

From Chapter 2: Clothing and Equipment of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 9th Edition. Read more…

Utah, Colorado, Maine. Three different states all offering unique natural wonders worthy of exploration. Our new guidebooks, Mountain Bike Park City, Hike the Parks: Acadia National Park, and Hike the Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park include everything you need to get the most out of your time in these beautiful places. Read more…

Just in time for Earth Day, a new photo exhibit from Braided River is launching in celebration of the stunning Salish Sea. Read more…

Reading the journals of many naturalists, outdoorspeople, and adventurers, you immediately feel their strong love for the land. You can sense how this love touched their souls and tantalized their emotions. But what about romantic, familial, or platonic love? Did they experience that too while out and about in the backcountry? Read more…

April brings seven exciting new releases to your shelves!

Explore the outdoors with Washington Wildflower Hikes, Pacific Northwest Wildflower pocket guide, and two Pacific Northwest Birds  pocket guides. Walk (many) miles in another's shoes with Kit DesLauriers's memoir Higher Love and Cindy Ross's Walking Toward Peace. Or tell your own stories with the help of Campfire Stories Deck, cards to help ignite conversation around the fire. Read more…

Join us to hear stories from Mountaineers Book Author, Triple Crown hiker, and a man who National Geographic dubbed “the dean of America’s long-distance trails," Barney Scout Mann.  Read more…

“Friluftsliv” is the Scandinavian word for the joys of open-air living, and few capture the heart of this spirit better than longtime Mountaineer and local alpine ski historian Lowell Skoog.  Read more…

It's new release day for two very different trail-centered titles. Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail by Heather "Anish" Anderson is a memoir about her deeply internal yet highly physical journey on the 2,180 miles of Appalachian Trail. Urban Trails: Sacramento is a handy trail guidebook for hikers of all types wanting to explore the Sacramento, California area.  Read more…

A passionate skier since he was a child, Anders Morley dreamed of going on a significant adventure, something bold and of his own design. And so one year in his early thirties, he decided to strap on cross-country skis to travel across Canada in the winter alone. Read more…

For eight years, we've hosted the BeWild Speaker Series to bring  you stories of passion and adventure. On February 11, we're excited to host Elsye "Chardonnay" Walker, who in 2018 became the first African American woman to complete the "Triple Crown of Hiking" - trekking 7,900 miles along the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails. Read more…

The Mountaineers is an incredible community of adventurers, students, instructors, advocates, and leaders. As we close the door on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, we reflect on our core values and how they’ve guided us through the past nine months of this pandemic.  Read more…

For eight years, we've hosted the BeWild Speaker Series to bring  you stories of passion and adventure. We're excited to kick the 2021 season off with historian, founder of the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture, and author of the new Mountaineers Books title Winter 8000, Bernadette McDonald.  Read more…

The emptiness of Northeastern Washington’s Salmo-Priest Wilderness has never felt more comforting. I stand alone on a ridge gazing out over waves of emerald ridges, shadowed by processions of white puffy clouds. Soft, warm breezes whistle through silver snags, prompting boughs of bear grass to delicately sway. I haven’t encountered another human all day; out in all of that wildness before me, some of Washington’s last grizzlies still roam. I finally feel safe and relieved from the ravages of the pandemic sweeping the world outside my wilderness. Read more…

This past year has been filled with challenges, but it hasn't been without its silver linings. During 2020 thirteen of our titles were recognized by various book award competitions, and we couldn't be more proud.  Read more…

Marge Mueller, author, co-author, book designer, mapmaker, illustrator, and lifetime member of The Mountaineers, passed away in September at the age of 84.

Many think of Mountaineers Books as synonymous with outdoor legends like Fred Beckey, Harvey Manning, Ira Spring, and others whose guidebooks were published to much acclaim and who inspired a new generation of writers and photographers. There is, however, one woman—an established Pacific Northwest author in her own right—who helped make so much of the success of their work possible. Read more…

This December marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and  for nearly 20 years, our conservation imprint Braided River has been publishing stunning books about this special place. These books serve as the visual foundation for advocacy campaigns to protect the Arctic from oil and gas development, climate change, and other threats. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is under imminent threat of oil and gas leasing as soon as January 2021 by the federal administration (learn more at Protect the Arctic and make your voice heard).  Read more…