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: Mary Metz
Hometown: Childhood in New England, followed by Eastern Washington, then Seattle>Bellingham>Seattle
Member Since: December 1986
Occupation: Senior Editor and Acquisition Editor for Legends and Lore at Mountaineers Books
Favorite Activities: I'm a dabbler but I hike, I canoe, I bike, I bird, I garden.
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
I was hired by Donna DeShazo at Mountaineers Books.
What motivates you to get outside with us?
Sunshine is nice, but I am also inspired to get outside and try new activities by our many Mountaineers publications.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
So many! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the challenge courses at Camp Long during a staff retreat; publisher Helen Cherullo and I encouraged each other to overcome our fears then. I also remember fondly handing the package containing the printer files for Freedom 8 to the UPS guy. The year that Paul Pritchard's Deep Play won the Boardman Tasker award was pretty damned sweet too.
Who/What inspires you?
The Mountaineers' authors inspire me. Tom Hornbein (Everest: The West Ridge) is such a genuinely good person that I aspire to be like him. Charlie Houston, the subject of Bernadette McDonald's Brotherhood of the Rope inspired me to make major changes in my own life at a difficult time. ("Are you a man or a mouse," he asked himself. I'm neither, but I took his point.) Bree Loewen, author of Pickets and Dead Men and Found is amazing; if she can get through her average day, then I can surely get through mine. Maria Mudd Ruth’s A Sideways Look at Clouds encourages me to recognize the wonder of the truly quotidian, like Seattle’s clouds. The Skipstone authors (Jennie Grant, Madi Carlson, Dave Hunter, Jill Lightner, et al) inspire me to be more sustainable in my day-to-day practices. Craig Romano, Tami Asars, and many other guidebook authors inspire me to get out on the trails while Rob Casey got me onto a stand-up paddleboard. Oh, and good writers like Leif Whittaker and Simon McCartney encourage me to curl up with a good book.
What does adventure mean to you?
Obviously, I'm not really adventurous in the way that many Mountaineers members and authors are, but I think that's okay. I've learned that adventure doesn't have to be getting to the top of a mountain; it can be just trying something you're a little uncertain about and finding out that it's actually a lot of fun. And then sharing that newfound knowledge with someone else. Adventure is what you make it and Mountaineers has something to offer to everyone. (And our publications are the best!)
Lightning Round
What's your happy place? Beach.
What's your post-adventure meal of choice? Pizza at Rico's in Gold Bar.
If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? Stand-up paddling.
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