10 Essential Questions: Archer Atkins

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to ....

Name: Archer Atkins
Hometown: Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania
Member Since: November 2017
Occupation: Naturopathic Doctor
Favorite Activities: Scrambling, Hiking, Cold Plunging in Alpine Lakes, Handstands, Photography, Writing, Cooking.

10 ESSENTIALS: QUESTIONS

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS?

I wanted to do Three Fingers after seeing it from Mount Pilchuck for the first time, on my first 'real' Washington state hike, in September 2017. That's right, I wanted to do Three Fingers with only one hike under my belt! A friend suggested that perhaps I check out The Mountaineers and take a class with them before attempting to do Three Fingers with such little experience. At the time, I was in the very early stages of closing my medical practice to take a sabbatical. Signing up for a mountaineering class seemed like the perfect thing to do for my year off. I signed up for the 2018 Alpine Scrambling Course with the Everett branch. When the class started, I had only been on four Washington state hikes.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO GET OUTSIDE WITH US?

Taking the Alpine Scrambling Class and being a part of The Mountaineers has been life changing! The people in The Mountaineers have been a huge part of that. Combine the amazing people with the wilderness, and I can't get enough. The wilderness was missing from my life for a long, long time.  

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOUNTAINEERS MEMORY?

The Snow Field Trip with the Everett Alpine Scrambling Class. I laughed so hard that weekend, I lost my voice! That weekend was one of the funnest weekends I had had in a long time, and it was so good for the soul. One of the funny things was how illiterate I was to outdoorsy culture. This may sound silly, but I brought my belongings in a hard-shell wheeled suitcase, since we were staying at the Baker Lodge. My leader, Brian Booth, kept saying, "A suitcase!?". That hard-shell suitcase worked to my advantage because it slid like a sled on the snow. I didn't have to carry it from the parking lot to the lodge like everyone else did with their duffel bags.

WHO/WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I'm inspired by all the people I met who are climbing mountains despite their fears and personal obstacles. The people who intentionally put themselves outside their comfort zone. I've also been greatly inspired by the love that goes around on Mountaineers trips. I've met some of the most generous, encouraging, and loving people in The Mountaineers!

WHAT DOES ADVENTURE MEAN TO YOU?

Experiencing something new and exciting, outside my usual digs, preferably in the wilderness with lots of physical activity. This past year in The Mountaineers has taught me that adventure is a need, not a want. 

LIGHTNING ROUND

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