10 Essential Questions: Reese & Harper Pelland

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

For this 10-Essential Questions Feature, we wanted to do something a little different. We interviewed two energetic sisters who joined our Tacoma Branch last year after their mom, Christy Pelland, helped arrange the first ever Wild Skills event. You heard from Christy in our last issue where she talked about the impact of Wild Skills. A partnership between SheJumps and The Mountaineers, this free day camp for girls was inspired by Christy’s love for her daughters and her passion for creating meaningful outdoor experiences for them. We thought it was only fitting that you get to meet the wild inspiration: 10 year-old Reese, and 6-and-a-half year-old Harper.

If you’ve ever hung out with two kids under 10, you know it can be hard to get them to sit down for an “interview.” The girls were good sports about it, and played along as we asked them our 10 Essential questions. Their answers are brief, but impactful, and show the importance of teaching love for wild places early to protect the future of outdoor recreation. 

Name: Reese (10) and Harper (6) Pelland
Hometown: Graham, WA
Member Since: December 2015
Occupation: Mastering elementary school
Favorite Activities: Climbing, running in the yard, jumping on the trampoline, playing with their dogs, and playing dress up with their mom (she has lots of costumes)

10 Essentials: Questions

How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?

[Harper]: I got involved because my mom does it and she tells me all about it and she really likes it.

[Reese]: Same here! (Reese shouted from the other side of the room, distracted temporarily by a candy bowl).

What motivates you to get outside with us?

[Both]: Rock climbing!

What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?

[Reese]: Mine was meeting Sasha! (Reese proudly displayed an autographed poster of Sasha Digiulian, who presented in 2015 as part of The Mountaineers BeWild Speaker Series).

[Harper]: My favorite memory was rock climbing for the very first time!

[Reese]: Oh, and summer camp! Guys, I still have my certificate too. Look! I climbed outside. (Reese once again reached to her beloved shelf of Mountaineers stuff and grabbed a photo certificate marking her completion of summer camp). 

Who/What inspires you?

Harper]: My momma!

[Reese]: These two people – my mom and dad. (Reese said, as she grabbed a family photo from the shelf).

What does adventure mean to you?

[Harper]: My whole life!

[Reese]: Adventure means a lot to me.

[Harper]: I said that – it’s my whole life!

[Reese]: It’s anything that’s wild and crazy.

Lightning Round

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