Katie is a recent East Coast transplant who is excited to explore the Pacific Northwest. She joined the Mazamas last year and just completed our Nordic Ski School. She is helping to bring back the Mazama evening programs and is eager to help advance the Mazama mission to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains.
Name: Katie Grinnell
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Year Joined Mazamas: Oct 2022
Present-day outdoor activities: hiking, camping, rock climbing, running, kayaking, SUPing, water skiing, downhill skiing, Nordic skiing
Earliest outdoor memory: My earliest outdoor memory might be playing on the playground! I loved the monkey bars and would show off my skills to anyone, or try to beat anyone… I’ve always been competitive.Â
How did you hear about Mazamas and what prompted you to engage with the organization? When I moved to Portland from the East Coast I was looking for an org to help me learn to recreate in these mountains safely and to maybe even summit Hood someday! I have lots of experience recreating outside but the peaks of the PNW are different from my lovely Appalachians and safety is of utmost importance! I think I used Google and the Mazamas popped up so I did my research and thought it would be great to be part of such a storied history and also have the ability to take classes to keep learning new skills and meeting people!
Advice for people recreating outside: Go with friends, invest in a good pair of waterproof hiking boots, and practice LNT always!
What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I’m inspired by the people I interact with everyday; as a social worker I often interact with people when life isn’t particularly easy and their joy and determination and intelligence inspire me to keep fighting to make the world a better place for everyone and everything.Â
What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that I follow and why: I could never pick a favorite book as I am always reading and find new books to love but a great read that every outdoors person should have on their shelf is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.Â
What is on your adventure bucket list? There are many places I want to go and experiences I want to have but as a new resident to the PNW I would love to go backpacking in the Three Sisters Wilderness this summer!Â