About Me

 

I grew up in the non-mountainous state of Wisconsin and, a couple years after finishing college with a degree in Mathematics, moved to Washington in 1986. It didn't take long for me to start exploring the great outdoors of the Great Northwest. In 1988, I joined the Everett Mountaineers, a local outdoors club, took some courses in wilderness travel and mountain climbing, and eventually progressed to becoming a volunteer instructor and trip leader with them.  My passion for being in nature, and sharing that passion with others, has been a focus of my life ever since.

 

In 1992, I began my first work as a guide, working for the Whidbey Island Naval Station's Outdoor Rec Program. I led many climbs to places like Mount Baker and Mount Rainier, and also continued as a very active leader in the Everett Mountaineers. 

 

I started leading outings for Everett Parks and Recreation in 1995 as a part-time guide, and then as a (more or less) full time job since 1999. I led hikes, walks, snowshoe trips, cross-country ski trips, bike trips, tours, and various overnight adventures for them until Covid shut things down in March 2020.  After a couple years of "semi-retirement," I launched my own guide service, simply known as Andy Boos Outdoor Leader. To date, I've guided approximately 3,000 outings.

 

When I'm not doing trips as a job, I still love getting out in the mountains on my own or with friends. I'm particularly fond of climbing mountains, and I've now "bagged" nearly 2,000 summits, mostly in Washington, but also including much of the Western U.S., Canada, and New Zealand.

 

In 2013, I completed a years-long quest of climbing every one of the 100 highest peaks in Washington, the so-called Bulger List, joining a select group of only a few dozen mountaineers to accomplish this very challenging feat.  Many of the most difficult climbs in the northwest are among that list.

 

One of my current climbing goals is to summit each of the 200 most prominent peaks in the US lower 48. As of November 2023, I had done 180 of them, ranking in the top 10 of climbers nationwide. But before you start to think I'm some elite athlete who runs ultra-marathons, let me mention that I'm more of a tortoise than a hare. I like to take the time to enjoy the places I visit!

 

To those who might be interested, I am happy to share the photos from many of my personal outings, which are cataloged on Flickr.com and my complete climbing record which is logged on a site called Peakbagger.com.