Lori Heath
Meet Liz McNett Crowl, a Foothills backpack, hike, and urban walk leader. Liz is also one of the founders and leaders of the Foothills GoHike Course, founder and Chair of the Foothills Urban Walks Committee, and currently represents the Foothills Branch on The Mountaineers Board of Directors. Liz has been recognized for her leadership and contributions to the Foothills Branch with Super Volunteer badges in 2021 and 2022, and a Key Instructor badge in 2022.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND WHEN DID YOU COME?
I was born in Seattle but have called Skagit Valley home since the mid-1960s.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE MOUNTAINEERS?
For several years, a friend and I had a mentor who shared his love of hiking and backcountry snowshoeing with us. After he moved to Colorado, we looked around and discovered the Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS). We had hiked pretty extensively in Skagit and Whatcom counties and we thought the Conditioning Hiking Series would help us discover new places to hike. After a year, I became a hike leader and led hikes with CHS for a few years.
I decided to try backpacking and then became a mentor and leader for the Backpacking Building Blocks (B3) program. That’s where I met Christina Buckman and we discovered a mutual interest in helping beginners get out on the trails and into nature. We put our heads together and, with the support of Cheryl Talbert, created the GoHike: Beginning Hiking Course, now in its third year.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR FAVORITE VOLUNTEER MEMORIES WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS?
I have really enjoyed the people I’ve met through The Mountaineers. Leaders like Steve Payne, Andy Zavada, Cheryl Talbert, Patty Polinski, and Peter Hendrickson stand out in my mind as being inspirational.
I also love being with participants and seeing something click for them, where I know that they just had a moment. I led a GoHike trip in late March and several participants shared that they wanted to test themselves with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. When we returned to the trailhead, I asked them how they did and could see and hear their excitement as they evaluated their experience, how they felt, and what they could do to improve their endurance for elevation gains moving forward.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITIES AND PLACES IN THE PNW BACKCOUNTRY?
Walking and hiking are my favorite activities and something that I do several times, every week, no matter where I am. I am geeking out on my quest to become a Naturalist Leader. I am awestruck every time I look through my loupe at the wonder of moss, lichen, and liverworts. I find joy in studying trees, plants, and birds, and sharing what I’ve learned. I think it brings a new level of awareness, contemplation, and appreciation to my time in nature.
Now retired from a career in fitness and public health, I am a mixed-media collage artist. I enjoy taking art and naturalist classes, leading urban walks and hikes, adventure traveling, spending time in nature, and being with my family.
