The Mountaineers
Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to....
Name: Alex Bond
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Member Since: March 2015
Occupation: I work in politics and government
Favorite Activities: I like to scramble, trail run, and combine them whenever possible. I'm a terrible rock climber but I keep trying at it. I'd love to be one of those multi-sport athletes who can ice climb up a mountain, paraglide off, and land next to a river and packraft back home, but it's hard enough doing a few things, much less everything.
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
As a native Seattlite, I've been hiking and camping nearly all of my life. A couple years ago I decided I wanted to start doing more "exciting" stuff in the mountains, so I bought an ice ax, snow shoes, and Peggy Goldman's Washington's Scrambles book, and I had no idea how to safely use any of them. I had a ton of fun but after a few too many misadventures that could have gone worse, I realized I needed to get instruction and mentorship in some of the outdoor skills I needed to safely explore the places I wanted to go. A coworker had taken the scrambling course and recommended it, and the rest is history.
I'm grateful to The Mountaineers for introducing me to skills I needed to safely do things that bring me a lot of happiness and joy. Now I'm excited about giving back to the club and helping others learn the skills they need to push their own boundaries, as I have.
What motivates you to get outside with us?
I enjoy exploring the wild places in our state, and the overwhelming majority of people have met through The Mountaineers have been cool and capable people that I've really liked going out on trips with. Not everyone is interested in doing things like winter scrambling and this is a fun community where that sort of trip is sought out.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
My favorite memory could be doing Ingalls Peak on a beautiful early season day. My first alpine rock trip as a basic climbing student, it was the full meal deal. Ice and snow on the approach, a long hike in and out, fun rock climbing to the summit, and with wonderful weather and scenery around us. It was the whole package of what you want out of a day in the mountains.
Who/What inspires you?
I get a lot of inspiration out of physical exhaustion. When I do a long day out in a beautiful place and come back to the car tired, hungry, and with legs burning, it brings a warmth and joy that's incredibly rewarding. My favorite trips - and the ones that inspire me the most - are the ones that push our physical limitations and challenge us to go faster, further, or harder than before. Seeing that challenge and meeting it is why I keep doing this.
What does adventure mean to you?
Adventure is challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone and doing something that's new, difficult, and scary, where you don't know how the trip will necessarily end. When you got out on a trip where you don't know how you'll respond to the physical or technical challenge, or if you'll make the summit, or what - pushing into that personal unknown is different for everyone, but that's adventure to.
Lightning Round
What's your 11th essential? I firmly believe Coca-cola is the best drink for the mountains - hydration, calories, and caffeine in one easy package. It keeps you going like nothing else.
Whats your happy place? Going up a hill.
If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? I'd love to be a superstar rock climber.
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