What we’re about
SOA hikes everywhere from cities to mountains to deserts. We go backpacking, biking, and climbing; ski and snowshoe, kayak, sail and swim, and in many other ways celebrate nature and the great outdoors.
While exploring the Pacific Northwest is thrilling and restorative, we care about our delicate environments and promote Leave-No-Trace principles and good trail etiquette.
To better protect ourselves from injuries and other life-threatening conditions, all members should take safety and preparedness seriously, carry the Ten Essentials, and be self reliant.
Check our calendar and join us on an upcoming adventure. We're eager to welcome new friends and hope to meet you in person soon.
Your Organizer, Michael Songbird
DISCLAIMER: All activities hosted by Seattle Outdoor Adventurers (SOA) involve risk. Becoming an SOA member and/or participating in events offered by our Meetup group, you agree to release, hold harmless, and indemnify SOA, its members, and its organizers from any and all liability. You alone are responsible for your safety, comfort, and health.
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SOA Event Attendance Disclaimer
S.O.A. is not a professional guide service. SOA meetup organizers function, as facilitators only, to enhance the collective group outdoor experience. By participating in any SOA event you agree to release, hold harmless, and indemnify SOA, its members, and its organizers from any and all liability in the event of injury or loss. Reports of trail and weather conditions are available to all (internet) and subject to change. You are responsible for your own safety and the overall safety and wellbeing of the group. We respect the environment we adventure in. We collectively know that hiking involves risks and that weather changes quickly in the mountains. We know the more prepared we individually are, the better the chance we will remain safe as a group. We leave no trace.
[signing up for any S.O.A. organized event indicates that you have read, understand, and agree to the terms of this disclaimer and hold harmless all S.O.A. Organizers and Event Hosts in the event of injury or loss].
Additional information about our group, Member responsibilities, and clarification of the role of Organizer:
Seattle Outdoor Adventurers (SOA) activities may involve certain dangers including but not limited to: hazards of travel in rugged terrain, physical stress, mental stress, inclement weather, and intended and unintended actions of other Members and Organizers.
Participating Members agree to the following statements:
- I am physically capable of safely participating in SOA events that I join.
- I am equipped with the appropriate gear and clothing for SOA events that I join. If not, I have pre-arranged required gear with the Organizer.
- I hold responsibility for my own safety while participating in SOA events which I join.
- I assume all risks while participating in SOA events that I join.
- SOA is not a guide service.
- SOA Organizers are not guides.
- Per Meetup.com's Terms of Service Agreement, SOA organizers are released from all forms of liability related to SOA events.
- I am 18-years-old or older. Note: Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Tips on preparing for a safe outing:
Before venturing into our state's amazing backcountry check the Weather Forecast. During winter, spring, and early summer, check the Avalanche Forecast.
If you're new to Washington state, be advised that Search and Rescue teams are busy year-round assisting lost, injured, and/or ill-equipped backcountry recreationists. You can increase your chances of a safe outing by equipping yourself with (and knowing how to use) the Ten Essentials. The Mountaineers offer an excellent low-cost hands-on navigation training course which teaches backcountry map and compass use.
Your feedback is important and welcomed!
If you have any questions or comments about our group you're welcome to email the main organizer or post your question or comment on our group's Message Board. It is our Members and Organizers who make this group a great one so thank you for making it one of Seattle's best!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Mt. Rainier- The Hard WaySouth Renton Park & Ride, Renton, WA
The Tahoma Glacier is a rarely climbed route on the west side of Mount Rainier. This is the route you see on our license plate, and it's the most obvious route from the South Sound. In other words, I've been looking at this route for 38 years and would like to finally climb it!
The Climb
The route starts at a mere 2,900 feet, so we have to climb 11,100 feet to get to the top. My preference would be to do it as an up-and-over, so descending down to Camp Muir/Paradise and setting up a car shuttle or hitching rides down. The climb can involve steep snow/short sections of ice near the top, so you should feel comfortable climbing steep snow/ice up to 45 degrees.Proposed itinerary:
Friday May 10: drive to Longmire, pick up permits, set up car shuttle at Paradise, hike to Camp I.
Saturday May 11: hike to Camp II, hopefully around 9,000 feet.
Sunday May 12: summit, descend via Disappointment Cleaver, drive back to Seattle.
Alternatively, we could descend the route, but that might require adding a day to the itinerary.Permits are easy to get for this area, so no need to book anything or buy climbing permits until we know the weather forecast. This will be canceled if the weather forecast is bad and/or conditions seem unfavorable.
The Team:
I'm looking for 2-3 people with significant mountaineering experience to join me.- You should have completed some sort of mountaineering course, have independently climbed a glaciated peak, and have climbed to at least 14,000 feet in altitude, preferably on an ascent of another route on Rainier.
- The Sickle is no place to realize you are particularly susceptible to altitude sickness.
- Most of this climb will involve glacier navigation. There is unlikely to be a bootpack to follow.
- You should be able to climb at least 1,200 feet per hour with a 35+ pound pack, e.g., Mailbox in at least 3.5 hours.
- You should be able to carry a 35+ pound pack up 45 degree slopes, and own or have access to the gear to get your pack weight down. I'm thinking bivy sacks, not tents.
Once we get a team together, I'd like to do at least one training hike together and a crevasse rescue practice session.
Everyone will be waitlisted at first, and I will move folks to "going" after you all answer questions.
About me:
For those of you who don't know me, I completed an AAI basic mountaineering class way back in 2002, and have climbed Mt. Rainier 4 times, including DC 2x, Emmons, and Kautz. I've climbed all the Washington volcanoes and am currently training for a Denali climb in June of 2024. I most recently climbed a few of the Mexican volcanoes and did some steep snow coulier climbing in Antarctica over the winter.Information about the route:
The Mountaineers has a basic description: https://www.mountaineers.org/activities/routes-places/mt-rainier-tahoma-glacierSome good trip reports:
https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/topic/103522-tr-mt-rainier-tahoma-glacier-07032020/ (did the route as an up-and-down, but lots of detail)
https://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/topic/97643-tr-mt-rainier-tahoma-glacier-sickle-variation/ - Waterfall Canyoneering CourseNeeds location
Come join us for our intro to waterfall canyoning course this summer. Spots are filling up fast.
This is an 8-day course plus an intro fundamentals day on either 5/11, 5/18, or5/19
Gear is included minus a wetsuitThe world-class aquatic canyons of the Pacific Northwest might be our best kept secret. This course will give you the skills to safely descend our aquatic canyons and become a part of one of the fastest growing canyoning communities in the world. It is appropriate for complete novices, as well as desert canyoneers and climbers who are new to an aquatic environment. View our Course Overview page for more information.
Scholarships available!!
Feel free to message me with any questions you may have.