Tying In

When I joined The Mountaineers ten years ago, I had no idea how it would change the trajectory of my life. Like many of you, this community has become my community. My evenings are filled with seminars and meetings, and my weekends are packed with field trips and instructing. I feel so grateful to have found this community and made it into a home.

Today, I am just three months into my role as Board President for The Mountaineers. I arrive at this position humble and ready to build on the legacy of those who came before me. Over the past few months, I have been reminded of the amazingly dedicated volunteers and staff who work towards making our mission a reality: to enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about, and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I am inspired by the incredible work going on at all levels of our organization. In April, our Equity & Inclusion Committee provided an update on the efforts to create a Mountaineers community where all people feel belonging. The Conservation and Advocacy Committee also hosted their first town hall to share how they are building a strong, unified voice for conservation and recreation in the PNW and beyond. And Mountaineers Books and Braided River continue to serve as leaders in outdoor recreation, conservation, and storytelling. I’m excited by the recent and upcoming titles, specifically Valley of Giants, which chronicles the under-told stories of women climbers in Yosemite, one of my favorite places to visit. Over the past two years, our community adapted to the virtual world to maintain relationships and continue to deliver programing. This created new barriers to relationship building, which can be hard to knock down if you are new to our community. As a mission-driven organization, our commitment as volunteers can drive us to the edge of burnout. We are seeing record interest in our courses and activities, and our public lands are feeling the impact of increased use. All of this is set in the backdrop of the climate crisis. To address these challenges, the board is working with staff and volunteers to update Vision 2022 and create a long-term vision for our community. We hope this work will help us further define the unique role we all play in outdoor recreation, education, and advocacy. In the coming months, we will look to our community to help inform the vision and update the strategic plan. If you are someone who would like to be included in the organizational leadership of The Mountaineers, I encourage you to check out our open nominations process on our website to join the Board of Directors. Applications close June 15. We will need equal parts ambition, inspiration, and achievability to successfully build and execute this plan. More importantly, it will require all of us to commit to implementation and accountability in the years to come. Like those who came before, I know that we can continue to build on our strengths to overcome barriers and continue to help people build a connection with each other and the natural world.

Gabe Aeschliman Board President

The Mountaineers is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1906 and dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and protection of natural areas.

EDITOR Hailey Oppelt CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Kristina Ciari, Issy Steckel DESIGNER Sarah Kulfan, Beans n' Rice

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Tom Vogl EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tom Helleberg DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Amber Carrigan PROOFREADER Kate Regan PUBLICIST Kate Jay

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS President Gabe Aeschliman Retiring President Vik Sahney Vice President Manisha Powar VP of Branches James Henderson VP of Outdoor Centers Matt Simerson Secretary Carry Porter Treasurer Paul Stevenson

DIRECTORS AT LARGE Serene Chen Rich Johnston Brynne Koscianski Mark Kroese Takeo Kuraishi Maya Magarati Steve McClure Roger Mellem John Ohlson Alex Pratt Anita Wilkins Siana Wong

BRANCH DIRECTORS Maura Rendes, Bellingham Matt Vadnal, Everett Vacant, Foothills Jerry Logan, Kitsap Mike Kretzler, Olympia Brad Near, Seattle Mark Kerr, Tacoma

YOUTH BOARD REPRESENTATIVES Serophina Ouyoumjian Katie Strauz-Clark

The Mountaineer (ISSN 0027-2620) is published quarterly by The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. 206-521-6000.

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Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Mountaineers.