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: Ana Dinca
Hometown: Bucharest, Romania
Member Since: February 2013
Occupation: Biology Research
Favorite Activities: Hiking, running, and yoga in the park
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
I stumbled across The Mountaineers website shortly after moving to Seattle, while trying to find things to do in the city.
What motivates you to get outside with us?
If nature being its gorgeous self is not enough, it's also a good way to leave stress and preoccupations behind.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
The first snow skills trip as part of the Scrambling course. I had recently moved from California and hadn't seen so much fresh snow in a long time. There was so much fresh powder we actually ended up using our ice axes to dig our legs out of the snow rather than self-arrest, but it was a really fun day!
Who/What inspires you?
I tend to find bits of inspiration everywhere I look, but I'd say the common theme is some form of perseverance. I think nature is a great teacher of resilience and perseverance.
What does adventure mean to you?
Though the word does conjure up, as it does for many people, images of perilous situations (and don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good skydive), adventure to me is doing anything that is not an everyday mundane activity. Doing something that makes me lough out loud or pushes the boundaries of my comfort zone.
It doesn't have to be an elaborate event, it can be something small. Like the one time a friend and I decided to go play hockey, which neither one of us had done before, in the middle of the night on a frozen lake surrounded by massive snowbanks and incredible silence (if we discount the avalanche happening in the distance). We didn't have a very good handle on braking while skating so the snowbanks served as buffers at first, but pretty soon the goal of the game changed from kicking around a puck to crashing into the walls of snow. It was short, but exhilarating, so I call that an adventure.
Lightning Round
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise.
Smile or game face? Smile.
We all know about the Ten Essentials. What's your 11th essential? EVEN MORE FOOD!
What's your happy place? Perched up in a tree.
If you could be a rock star at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? Skiing.
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