10 Essential Questions: Jeremy Perry

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our special Veteran's Day member profile this week we talked to Navy Veteran Jeremy Perry....

Name: Jeremy Perry
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Member Since: December 2016
Occupation: Software Developer
Favorite Activities: Skiing, backcountry skiing, hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and hunting - I'm hoping to expand to more climbing and mountaineering once I complete the scrambling course

10 Essentials: Questions

How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?

Before joining the Navy, I was quite honestly a bit of a teenage slacker who was frustrated about not having a lot of money to pay for college. I have a lot of positive feelings about the people I served with, the places I visited, and the fact that I was able to have the ways and means of paying for an education that would have been very tough at best to do otherwise.

I  got involved with The Mountaineers because the kinds of activities the organization does are right up my alley. A good friend of mine who I met through skiing, Joe Osowski, has been involved with the group since he moved to the area and kept persuading me to join since he'd thought I would do well in it. He was spot on. I joined in December 2016. I'm about to complete the scrambling course, and I'm looking forward to going on to do the basic alpine course. 

I feel the outdoor journey has just begun, even though I've more or less been doing it my whole life.  While on the Lincoln, our ports of call included San Diego (our second homeport), San Francisco, Pearl Harbor, Sasebo Japan, Hong Kong, Pattaya Thailand, Singapore, Perth Australia, and Bahrain. I got to go a lot of places and see many things. Being in the military made me appreciate the outdoors so much more since much of my time was spent out at sea in a relatively small shipboard environment. My time in the Navy showed me the power of a can-do attitude, good teamwork, and learning how to meet objectives with a sense of safety in mind. It also taught me that accomplishing outdoor mountaineering objectives are completely possible so long as you're willing to learn how to strengthen your body, mind, and know-how accordingly.

What motivates you to get outside with us?

I like pushing my boundaries, but I always strive to do it with the proper knowledge, gear, etc. Prior to joining, I was at the upper end of my ability to take on challenging wilderness adventures. I wanted to advance to doing things like being able to summit Mt. Rainier and the other volcanic peaks in the Cascades, but there was no way would I do that unless I was fully prepared for it. Joining The Mountaineers and learning the needed skills, piece by piece, has helped me feel safe and competent in the mountains. So far, I've met really great people and I personally like how diverse and inclusive The Mountaineers is as a whole. So community + learning + a go get 'em attitude = a great time so far. 

What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?

My scrambling experience field trip to Judis Peak. I got placed in an overflow group that got to choose our own path. We ended up doing a really good scramble route that not many have done before. This particular route did not go to the summit, and included steep climbing and challenging rock sections that required us to really think about the routes we were taking. It also had a snowfield that put our downclimb and ice ax arrest skills to work. I, of course, was one of the group members that was hoping for a challenge. It kind of followed the old addage of "Be careful of what you wish for, because you just may get it."

Who/What inspires you?

People who break the mold of who you'd stereotypically expect to excel in a certain field. I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who had some form of motion sickness that she's dealt with most of her adult life while I was hiking Mailbox Peak one day, not far from where the new trail merged with the old trail for the final part of the ascent. I was impressed with her grit and determination despite having to fight her body every step of the way, as she wanted to prove to others with her condition that anything was possible. 

What does adventure mean to you?

It means being able to get out there, push yourself, learn, grow, and of course enjoy nature along the way.

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