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: Randy Furnas
Hometown: Navy brat, grew up all over the world
Member Since: March 2010
Occupation: Happily retired!
Favorite Activities: Scrambling, backpacking, hiking, kayaking, cycling, gardening, and golf.
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
Rediscovered hiking through Everett Parks & Recreation and a former co-worker, Evy Dudey (Everett Branch), suggested I check out The Mountaineers to take the scrambling course. Thankfully, I did!
What motivates you to get outside with us?
The wonderfully generous trip leaders and the ability to get to personally experience the beautiful peaks, wilderness areas, and remote islands that I would otherwise only get to see in pictures. So many "Mountaineers activities and so little time". I wish I had joined years ago!!!
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
I have made so many great memories on Mountaineers trips, but last's years Global Adventure trip (2018) to the Jungfrau Region with Cheryl Talbert stands out. We were immersed in the high Swiss Alps hiking hut-to-hut for 10 days. It was a fun and interesting group of Mountaineers and the hut locations were phenomenal. This was a totally new experience for me to be in the mountains for that length of time and to get to experience hut-to-hut hiking - I'm hooked!!!
Who/What inspires you?
My Dad inspired me most. He came from humble beginnings in Pennsylvania and had a very successful Navy career and thankfully chose to retire in the Puget Sound area.
He loved and explored the outdoors, was an avid gardener, and a very generous person who happily shared his salmon/crab catch and vegetables/flowers from his garden. He would give you the shirt off his back. He loved life and was open to trying new things. He had an adventurous spirit.
"What" inspires me is the beauty and tranquility of the outdoors. Sometimes I get a bit anxious that I won't get to see and experience as much of it as I would like, but I am thankful for each day I spend in the outdoors.
What does adventure mean to you?
I've been so fortunate to experience a lot in my life. So adventure to me is discovering something new or unknown to me. Or, an experience that gets my adrenaline going, butterflies in the stomach, or a bit of cotton mouth. I like to push myself.
I'm fortunate to have a husband that tolerates my time away from home so I can play outside for days or weeks at a time. I'm also blessed to have friends that love the outdoors and will patiently help me push through my fears to snag a summit, peak, or other "scary to me" thing.
Lightning Round
What's your 11th Essential? Candy!
What's your happy place? Being outside.
If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? Surprisingly golf!
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