Month: November 2024

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Meet the Mazamas

Erin has been involved with the Mazamas for the past 11 years and has been lead climbing for 10. She has a strong sense of wanderlust and recently traveled to South Africa for her honeymoon in June and then rafted the Grand Canyon in August. She recently ran the Smith Rock Run half marathon in the beginning of November. When not adventuring, she works an occupational therapist and currently works with preschoolers. 

 Name: Erin Reaksecker 

Pronouns:  She/Her 

Year Joined Mazamas: 2015 

Present-day outdoor activities:  Rock climbing, running, biking, mountain climbing! 

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? My earliest outdoor memory is camping at Wallowa Lake with my family in elementary school! 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? When I first moved to Portland after grad school, I found a golden scroll at my aunt’s house that said “One free annual membership to the Mazamas,” so I asked my aunt about the organization and made a phone call and joined the Mazamas shortly after! 

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? My advice is do something that makes you uncomfortable, try something new and keep an open mind, because that allows you to grow and have memorable experiences. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I am inspired by ultra runners. I recently attempted a 50k and met some amazing people along the way. I realize that it takes significant mental toughness to complete an ultra and worked with a great running coach to help myself train! Dana Katz is amazing.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. I enjoy listening to the podcast “Against the Odds” and learning how people get through unexpected circumstances in the great outdoors. 

What’s on your adventure bucket list? I would like to travel to South America and climb in Patagonia. I would also like to return to Squamish and lead some multi-pitch climbs!

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Meet the Mazamas

Almost as if winning the birth location lottery, Britt grew up near Olympic National Park and grew up camping there. She joined the Mazamas after realizing she needed some solid mountaineering education and has been active in the organization ever since. This past year, she helped bring back our Eastside Rambles, leading folks from the Mazama Mountaineering Center to trails (and stairs) on Mt. Tabor. She blogs about her adventures.

Name: Britt Q. Hoover

Pronouns: she/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2016

Present-day outdoor activities: Backpacking, mountaineering, cycling. I also co-lead the new weekly Eastside Rambles! 

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? I grew up in a small town near Olympic National Park. My earliest outdoor memories are of car camping with my father and siblings around the park each summer. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? Many years ago a few friends invited me to climb Mount St. Helens with them. It was my first time on a mountain and climbing on snow. Although I summited, I was woefully unprepared for the early start, elevation gain, and physical exertion. On the way down, while glissading, I (lightly) stabbed myself in the leg with my ice axe. It was at that moment I realized I should probably sign up for the Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP)—and I did, that spring! 

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them?
We all start somewhere. It can feel intimidating for those new to the outdoors to figure out the right gear, understand weather and safety, and plan trips. I learned a lot by hiking and climbing with others, and I am so grateful to those who shared their knowledge with me. I encourage anyone just starting out to adopt a growth mindset and ask questions.

What activities, situations, or people inspire you most? I’m inspired by situations that call for quick thinking and helping others. I often read mountaineering accident reports to learn from others’ decisions and apply those lessons to prevent future incidents. My favorite Mazama experience was taking the Mountaineering First Aid course, and I’ve used these skills many times to aid others outdoors. 

What is your favorite book, movie, TV show, or social media account that you follow, and why? Pick one. One account I love following is Kimber Cross (@kimberbelle) on Instagram. Kimber is an alpinist, adaptive athlete, rock climber, and kindergarten teacher. I’ve followed her since she started her introductory course with the Mountaineers. Now, she’s regularly summiting tough peaks in the PNW, ice climbing in Montana, and is sponsored by North Face among other companies. Kimber is down-to-earth and an excellent example of how far you can go with hard work and dedication. I’m truly inspired by her.

What’s on your adventure bucket list? I just checked a trip off my bucket list in February! My spouse, Jeff, and I completed a 7-day backpacking trip across the remote Avellanos Valley in the Aysén region of Patagonia. I posted some photos from the trip on my website, Yes Mom I’m Alive (www.yesmomimalive.com). 

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Meet the Mazamas

Tiffany, a nurse practitioner, is board-certified in psychiatry and a solo practitioner. She is a therapist with the American Alpine Association’s Climbing Grief Fund and the American Avalanche Association Resilience Project. 

She divides her time between Virginia, where she helps manage care for her mother who has Alzheimer’s and Oregon, where she climbs with the Mazamas and assists with the Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP).

Name:  Tiffany McClean

Pronouns:  She/Her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2018

Present-day outdoor activities:  Rock and alpine climbing, backpacking, downhill skiing, scuba diving and horseback riding. 

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? Being on my dad’s sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay, which is akin to camping. It wasn’t a big boat, but it was big enough that we could sleep on it.  I used to sleep in the cockpit as a little girl and just look up at the stars. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? To be honest, it was a rough introduction, although that can’t be blamed on the Mazamas. I first heard about the organization when I was dating someone who thought they were skilled enough to bypass BCEP and go straight into Intermediate Climbing School (ICS), but the Mazamas disagreed. Then, one of my close friends and colleagues was dating someone who died on Mt. Hood. I had climbed Mt. Adams, South Sister and other peaks, and I really, really wanted to climb Mt. Hood, but after that, I was so afraid. I knew I needed training that would allow me to take care of myself at a minimum, so I signed up for BCEP, and I got in!

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? I think first and foremost, nature and the outdoors are for everyone. And I mean everyone, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, etc. In the Climbing Grief Fund, we celebrate turning around, and I firmly believe mountaineering is more than just summiting. People need to know their limits, must work to fill in their knowledge gaps through organizations like the Mazamas and be OK with being vulnerable. Vulnerability in the outdoors is absolutely acceptable and should be encouraged.. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I guess I’d have to say that people who are willing to speak about their own fears and share mental health issues in the mountains. People can push the envelope of fear in climbing and yet still be willing to say, “Today is not my day,” or “I know my limits. South Sister is my Mt. Hood, and I am fine with that..” Mazama Climb Leaders Tim Scott and Pushkar Dixit embody these values and definitely inspire me. 

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. I have listened to almost every single episode of Hidden Brain. It’s a great podcast. 

What’s on your adventure bucket list? I’ve had to cancel a few Glacier Peak climbs to be with family, so that looms large on my list. I’d really like to trek to Annapurna base camp. I’d also like to dive into a great white shark cage. I feel like that can be done ethically.