WWW.MOUNTAINEERS.ORG Winter 2019 • VOLUME 113 • NO. 1 MountaineerEXPLORE • LEARN • CONSERVE in this issue: Top 10 Mountaineers of Instagram A Hidden Winter Gem Footprints: Hiking vs. Carbon tableofcontents tyingin Features 6 More Than A Summit: As President of The Mountaineers, I The Mountaineers is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1906 Winter 2019 » Volume 113 » Number 1 Mountain-Queers Celebrate Their First Scramble Trip have the opportunity to reflect on the and dedicated to the responsible The Mountaineers enriches lives and communities by impact of our mission in an ever-chang- enjoyment and protection of helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy 22 A Hidden Winter Gem: ing environment. Over my years of ser- natural areas. the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Going Hut-to-Hut in Western Washington vice, I’ve watched our organization con- EDITOR tinue to further its core mission, while Peter Dunau 26 Top 10 Mountaineers of Instagram Inspiration for 2019 at the same time incorporating innova- CONTRIBUTING EDITOR tive ways to lead the greater communi- Kristina Ciari 32 Footprints: ty in the enjoyment and stewardship of DESIGNER Hiking vs. Carbon our great outdoors. Sarah Kulfan, Beans n' Rice The board and membership have be- PROOFREADERS Trevor Dickie, Elaine Kelly, Hailey Oppelt Columns come a more diverse body. This evo- 5 READER FEEDBACK lution has brought wider perspectives CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Tom Vogl about how to support our members – in partnership with our community – in accomplish- 8 PEAK PERFORMANCE ing our strategic plan: Vision 2022. The Board has embraced the opportunities that ben- EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Helen Cherullo Sleep for optimal performance efit volunteers and members through our 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization. 9 MEMBER HIGHLIGHT For example, The Mountaineers sponsored a week of celebrations honoring the 40th DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Amber Carrigan Scott Shafer Anniversary of the American summit of K2. The events brought significant unrestricted 22 gifts from the board, our membership, and the community at large. SENIOR PUBLICIST 10 BOOKMARKS Julie Briselden Caribou Rainforest As a nonprofit organization, The Mountaineers uses donations to make strategic in- BOARD OF DIRECTORS vestments. Recently, your support has helped grow leadership development for our 12 VOICES HEARD OFFICERS There’s no “right” way to be outside volunteers, connect more young people with the outdoors, and support advocacy for President Lorna Corrigan 14 NATURE’S WAY wild places. Vice President Vik Sahney VP of Branches Eric Linxweiler Antarctic fossils & pigeon guillemots As part of the Progressive Climbing Education initiative, we created the Alpine Am- VP of Outdoor Centers Carry Porter 16 YOUTH OUTSIDE bassadors program. Alpine Ambassadors enables climb leaders to push their limits Secretary Manisha Powar Dive into our youth programs together and bring those skills back to our programs to mentor others in turn. Recent- Treasurer Don Heck Retiring President Geoff Lawrence 18 OUTSIDE INSIGHT ly, climb leaders traveled to Canmore and Squamish, where they were mentored by guides and highly accomplished climbers. Our whole community, including students, DIRECTORS AT LARGE Alpine Ambassadors Brynne Koscianski volunteers, and members, is benefitting from the enthusiasm and new knowledge 20 IMPACT GIVING Martina Kozar these leaders bring back. Building a culture of philanthropy Mark Kroese Steve McClure Branch leaders and volunteers are constantly innovating and improving with each 36 CONSERVATION CURRENTS Roger Mellem 26 What does the future of conservation look like? course. We have new options in course formats, like Compressed Scrambling and Intense John Ohlson Basic. Volunteers also create new opportunities within courses. They’ve put up climbing Jim Purdy 38 RETRO REWIND routes and built a one-of-a-kind friction slab teaching structure. These advances provide Kara Stone Summiting Rainier… in winter Steve Swenson greater flexibility in learning opportunities for students and new teaching places for 40 TRAIL TALK our instructors, decreasing the likelihood of volunteer burnout and lowering our carbon BRANCH DIRECTORS Reflections at Walden Pond Vacant, Bellingham impact, while improving safety for everyone. All of these efforts make our courses ac- Matt Vadnal, Everett 42 SAFETY STORIES cessible to a broader audience. Dick Lambe, Foothills A typical avalanche victim Sue Labrie, Kitsap Changes in how we conserve the places where we play have also been afoot. Most re- Greg Lovelady, Olympia 44 GLOBAL ADVENTURES cently we looked for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. A few months ago the board Patrick Mullaney, Seattle Trekking Tasmania met the challenge to match a generous charitable gift from Charlie & Caron Michel, Richard Levenson, Tacoma 46 GO GUIDE & BRANCHING OUT thereby allowing us to install solar panels on the roof of the Seattle Program Center. At YOUTH BOARD REPRESENTATIVE Find courses & activities near you the same time, our outreach on the conservation of public lands is ongoing and tena- Keely Carolan 54 DID YOU KNOW? cious, and engages thousands of members in the process of public lands advocacy. UW BOARD FELLOWS Ken Voeller A mysterious package in the night I am truly excited about the expanding culture of philanthropy at The Mountaineers. Isabel Williams Your giving enables us to better serve our members and greater community. I look for- 32 The Mountaineer (ISSN 0027-2620) is published ward to having fun and reaching new heights with you in the coming year. quarterly by The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Discover The Mountaineers Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. 206-521-6000. If you are thinking of joining, or have joined and aren’t sure where Postmaster: Send address changes to to start, why not set a date to Meet The Mountaineers? Check the Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Mountaineer uses: Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. Branching Out section of the magazine for times and locations of Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA. CLEAR informational meetings at each of our seven branches. Lorna Corrigan Opinions expressed in articles are those On the cover: Sarina Clark, one of our featured Mountaineers of Mountaineers Board President of the authors and do not necessarily Instagram, snowshoes near Source Lake. represent the views of The Mountaineers. AREA 2 mountaineer » winter 2019 www.mountaineers.org 3 editorsnote readerfeedback In “Looking Beyond Stoke: It’s Time to Educates the “Your article was just amazing. Beautifully written and Masses” [fall 2018] guidebook author Craig Romano eye-opening. Was so happy to see the magazine in my mail- called for better education to create good stewards box today!” – Seattle, WA and strong advocates for the future of our wild places. “Thank you for sharing your story and for bringing light Readers responded with a resounding ‘hear hear’! to what it means to be ‘outdoorsy’ while also being brown, queer, and... fabulous.” – Los Angeles, CA Thanks for a great article trailtalk Looking Beyond Stoke: Craig. I too have seen these It’s Time To Educate The Masses by Craig Romano, Mountaineers Guidebook Author changes on the trail. It has In “Overcoming Impostor Syndrome: Climbing been truly painful to see The universal word for the weightless feeling you get dropping into fresh powder can’t be Through The Status Quo” [summer 2018] Mountaineer favorite places turned into found in a dictionary. But on the right day, you can hear it ring clear throughout the ski Sam Ortiz shared her story of breaking down barriers trash cans. Investments in slopes. It goes something like this: “Woooo!!!” Scramblers head out for a trip in the Central Cascades. Photo by David Bradley. teaching must be made or as a self-described “curvy woman of color.” Her piece t’s no surprise to any of us who have been hiking and Those of us who care so deeply about adventuring in our wild places since the days of heavy lugged- sole boots, knee high cotton socks, and external frames that our wild places have a mission — and in the words of conservationist Rick McGuire of the North a big one." we risk losing the places we was also met with a wave of enthusiastic feedback: I felt this word down to my core on my first backcountry ski trip last March. A recent ICascades Conservation Council and Alpine Lakes Protection Society: we are currently facing a human tsunami on our trails. You see, I’m concerned about all the new, uneducated masses And if we’re to stay true to this metaphor, a tsunami inundating heading outdoors. It’s bad enough that our federal government our wild places isn’t going to leave them in good shape. is neglecting our wild places by seriously underfunding and Unless you’ve been doing all your hiking in the far reaches of threatening them with developments and fewer environmental love. – Carmela Collins, 13- graduate from our Mountaineers AIARE 1 course, I was skiing in Mazama Ridge in the Northern Canada or the wide empty expanses of the Great protections. Add thousands upon thousands of clueless hikers Basin you surely must be noticing some disturbing trends. On and outdoor users — many feeling entitled to do what they your next hike, look around. How many bags of dog excrement please — and you’re looking at a recipe for disaster for our trails WWW.MOUNTAINEERS.ORG SUMMER 2018 • VOLUME 112 • NO. 3 do you see lining the way? How much human waste do you see and wild places. And if you dare point out how they’re violating “I’m so excited about that lying on the forest floor surrounded by fetid blossoms of toilet wilderness ethics, etiquette, and in many cases downright year member paper? How many discarded plastic bottles, crumpled tissues, common sense and courtesy, in their words you’re just a hater. shadow of Mount Rainier on a bluebird day. Snowcapped peaks gleamed in every direction.