Mountaineer Tab Wilkins highlights the Ptarmigan Traverse tonight in Tacoma

Tab Wilkins will give a presentation on his eight-day trek along the Ptarmigan Traverse at tonight’s meeting of the Tacoma Mountaineers.

Wilkins made the trip last year along the famed North Cascades trek. In addition to talking about the trip, he also will discuss changes in glaciers throughout the traverse and about how people can join the North Cascades Initiative to help add protective areas around North Cascades National Park, including parts of the traverse.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. with an orientation on the programs and courses offered by the local Mountaineers branch. Among them are avalanche training, climbing and scrambling, sea kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, first aid, navigation, and social and family activities. Wilkins’ program begins at 8 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the public. The event will be held at the Tacoma Mountaineers Clubhouse, 2302 N. 30th St., Tacoma. For more information, go to www.tacomamountaineers.org.

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/09/17/1344822/exploring-the-ptarmigan-traverse.html#ixzz0zo4TISQg

Come to a Star Party!

METEORS! A Star Party at Meany Lodge
Friday, August 13
Site opens at 7 pm, guided star tours begin at 9 pm.
Meany Lodge, Stampede Pass
Free to attend viewing, $25 for overnight stay

Come watch the Perseid Meteor Shower at The Mountaineers Meany Lodge up on Stampede Pass. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower’s peak will likely occur on August 13 & 14, but some meteors are visible any time from July 23 – August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.

The Mountaineers’ Meany Lodge has plenty of dark sky which will make the viewing more spectacular. And Meany’s ski hill offers a great place to set up lawn chairs and spread out blankets for watching the show. The site opens at 7 pm, and we’ll have guided tours of the stars with local astronomers from the University of Washington and the Seattle Astronomical Society starting at 9 pm.  This is a free event and all are welcome. If you don’t feel like driving home afterwards, register to stay at the lodge for $25 per person, including breakfast the next day.

Register to stay overnight at Meany Lodge through Brown Paper Tickets

For information on Meany Lodge and driving directions, visit www.meanylodge.com.

Jon Jarvis, Director of National Parks Service, was in the House

Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Parks Service, was “in the House” last night for a listening session with area parks and nonprofit leaders (see photos below).  With REI’s Sally Jewell MCing the event, Jarvis, along with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Will Shafroth, offered insights, listened to a few individuals’ stories about best uses of the great outdoors, and took questions from the floor.  All was a part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.  Jarvis and his team are traveling to areas throughout the country, LISTENING to people’s views about the best solutions for building a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and reconnecting Americans with the outdoors.

As a leader in outdoor recreation and conservation, The Mountaineers hosted the event. 

Special thanks goes out to local-gone-bigtime Mike Gauthier for his part. 

It WAS a wonderful evening. 

Jon Jarvis with activist/longtime Mountaineer Polly Dyer

Will Shafroth with Mountaineers Executive Director Martinique Grigg

Mike Gauthier, Martinique Grigg, and Claire Deterer

Announcing Mountaineers family fun!

The summer calendar is kicking off for Mountaineers Family Fun.  Check out the list of activities at http://www.mountaineers.org/scriptcontent/default.cfm?insert=act_famkids and keep taking it outside!

Ruth Ittner, a 56-year member of The Mountaineers who dedicated most of her life to trails, dies

Trails advocate Ruth Ittner: 1918-2010

Ruth Ittner, a 56-year member of The Mountaineers who dedicated most of her life to trails, died Thursday, June 3, at the age of 92. Memorial services will be held Sunday, June 27, at 2 p.m. at Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Seattle.

Two years ago, King County declared her birthday, Jan. 12, as Ruth Ittner Day in honor of her acuity for forging partnerships with government agencies for the betterment of trails. She was known by all connected to The Mountaineers community as someone who got things done on a large scale.

Her career as a research consultant for the University of Washington benefitted her knowledge of land-management agencies. She volunteered countless hours to help state agencies draft plans and trail revisions from the ground level. Her research on creation of the state’s Sno-Park trails in the mid-1970s was emblematic of her ability to connect agencies and user groups such as The Mountaineers.

Born in England to parents who loved the outdoors, Ruth spent much of her last three decades of life developing the Iron Goat Trail, part of the Stevens Pass Historic District and a project most dear to her heart. Watch for more about Ittner’s life and contributions in the July issue of The Mountaineer.

American Alpine Club – Mountaineers BBQ

Last Friday a joint BBQ was held at the Mountaineers Program Center co-sponsored with the American Alpine Club – it featured food, libations and square dancing – over 200 people came and enjoyed the rainy bbq – Thanks All!  Here are some photos from the evening…

Girl Scouts Invade!

Over 30 Brownies from the area, their parents and grandparents, guardians, etc., arrived at The Mountaineers properly dressed and ready to climb today.   Seven volunteers diligently and precisely trained and supervised them as they put on the ropes and learned some tricks.

Mountaineers Publishing Wins Prestigious IPPY Awards

In May of this year, 2010 two of the Mountaineer published books, under the Braided River series won prestigous IPPY awards – these awards are from the Independent Publisher Association. The two books, “Planet Ice” for Most Likely To Save the Planet in the Outstanding Category and “Salmon in the Trees” which won a silver medal in Environment/Ecology/Nature. Congratulations to the Mountaineers Publishing group – excellent job!  http://www.independentpublisher.com/

50 Year Member Luncheon

On Saturday, May 22nd close to 80 people came to lunch and hear Don Goodman talk about his experience in joining the Mountaineers. The 80 people were folks that had been members of the club for 50 years or more, the oldest joining in 1944, including many famous names in the Mountaineering and Pacific Northwest Conservation world. Don Goodman talked about joining the club in 1975 and many of his teachers were in attendance, he’s gone on to climb several mountains in the Himalaya, used his mountaineering experience to participate in international exchanges and talked about some cross-country trips in the Pickets and North Cascades. Among the notable things from 1960, the Mountaineers first published “Freedom of the Hills” to rousing success, there were just under 4,000 members in the club, a Board of Trustee Seat was held for Jr. Mountaineers and we were burning tires on the Snoqualmie property to help clearcut the tree stumps.

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