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: Barret Hudson
Hometown: Austin, TX
Member Since: October, 2019
Occupation: Game Designer
Favorite Activities: Rock climbing, sailing, hiking, snowshoeing
10 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS?
My wife and I moved to the Seattle area in July of 2019, in part to be closer to mountains. We had been living in a very flat part of Sweden for two and a half years before that and I wanted to get back to a place with ample opportunity for outdoor adventure. So, getting involved with the outdoor community in Seattle was a big priority for me when I moved back. Naturally when I searched for outdoor groups in the Seattle area, The Mountaineers popped up, so we decided to attend a "Meet the Mountaineers" event and joined shortly thereafter.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO GET OUTSIDE WITH US?
- I like getting outside with other people
- I enjoy helping others experience the outdoors, so I enjoy being able to lead hikes for The Mountaineers and hope to lead other activities in the future
- I go to places that I might not have found if I were just planning trips for myself
- I get to learn new skills
- I could go on...
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOUNTAINEERS MEMORY?
Probably our first time snowshoeing at Paradise, Mt. Rainier. My wife and I had just wrapped up our Basic Snowshoeing Course earlier that spring and this was going to be our first time out since the course. We got up early to make the drive down from Bellevue and the trip wound up being wonderful. We had blue skies all day with great views, and it was just us, the leader who was doing one of her mentored leads, and her mentor. Overall, it was just a really relaxed, fun day out in the snow and my wife and I have returned to do some variation of the same trip several times now with friends.
AS A DONOR AND VOLUNTEER-SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION, THE MOUNTAINEERS IS BASED ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT. HOW HAVE YOU PAID IT FORWARD, OR HOW HAVE YOU BENEFITED FROM SOMEONE ELSE PAYING IT FORWARD?
Volunteering with The Mountaineers was a big part of why I joined. In high school I was part of an awesome and active outdoor group through my school. That is where I learned to rock climb and cave and it was a big part of my high school experience. I definitely benefited from the time the adult leaders took out of their normal jobs to facilitate that for us. Since joining The Mountaineers I've been trying to pay this experience forward by volunteering with the MAC youth group to help lead trips and chaperone so other high school kids can find their place in the outdoors like I did.
I also started leading hikes, in part because I found it hard to find hikes with open spots to go on. Now I try to lead hikes once a month with a focus on "less intense" hiking because I felt like a lot of the hikes being posted were a lot of mileage and elevation gain, and some people just aren't ready for that.
WHAT DOES ADVENTURE MEAN TO YOU?
To me, adventure means accepting the unknown. If you know exactly what's going to happen on a trip and what you'll find along the way, it's not really an adventure. Luckily with the outdoors, you can never be completely sure of things like the weather, so it is always a bit of adventure when you go outside.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset
Smile or game face? Smile
What's your 11th Essential? A pair of flip flops (and maybe a dry shirt) for the car. Getting out of sweaty boots and socks and letting your toes dry out in some flip flops on the drive home is way better than letting them stew.
What’s your happy place? The outdoors in general, but if I had to get more specific, I'd say in or on the water somewhere.
Post-adventure meal of choice? Just this minute, a burger and fries sound pretty great. But on a particularly warm day a Mexican beer and some chips and salsa are hard to beat.
If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? Surfing
Have you had a memorable experience with The Mountaineers you'd like to share, or know someone who should share their story? Submit your info for a chance to be featured!
