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: Heidi Walker
Hometown: Born in Seattle, raised in Cow-Town (Monroe)
Member Since: January 2003
Occupation: Desk jockey for a public lands non-profit
Favorite Activities: Hiking, backpacking, car camping, bicycling, kayaking, light scrambling, photography, smelling the flowers, and wading in the ocean
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
I heard that The Mountaineers had a photography group and their meetings consisted of food and looking at pictures without judgement. I was easily intimidated back then so thought I could see what it was all about - sit in back and leave early. The chair at the time, Sunny Walter, would have nothing to do with that and introduced me around and made me sit at her table. It was all a downhill slide into leadership from there.
What motivates you to get outside with us?
Friends. I have met some of the most remarkable people through The Mountaineers. People who somehow overlook my oddities and we call each other friend. We share a purpose when we're out on the trail as well as stories, laughter, fears, challenges, successes, and time.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
This is actually hard. Was it helping a nervous hiker across a steep talus slope, her first, and watching her beam with pride on the other side? Or maybe it was the time, leading a group of hikers up Eagle Creek in Oregon, turning a corner and hearing the collective gasp behind me as they saw for the first time the 160-foot drop of Tunnel Falls. Or it's sitting at twilight on the beach watching the light fade and the stars twinkling, knowing my bed is only a few feet away and I don't have to go home.
Who/What inspires you?
My fellow Mountaineers who decide to take on a challenge and become better - a better hiker, a better climber, a better photographer. I meet seemingly confident folks on the trail all the time who tell me that they never thought they could do a task or sport but they took a class, or they tried a new trail and they succeeded. They inspire me to keep going, to swallow my fear and sometime swallow my pride to try a new skill until I get comfortable with it.
What does adventure mean to you?
To me, adventure means breaking away from your ordinary into something not ordinary. A walk in the park looking at moss could be an adventure if you rarely go to the park. Or if you do go to the park and decide to see where another trail goes, one that you've only passed before, then you are on an adventure. Adventure is finding a new experience and being enthralled by it.
Lightning Round
What's your 11th Essential? A camera
What's your happy place? A high alpine meadow that is concealed in fog
If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? White water rafting
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Heidi,it's been a delight knowing you and having you a part of the Photography Committee. And, I love that we are not starting to do some things together outside the Mountaineers and that I can call you my friend!
