Tag: Volunteers

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Meet the Mazamas (Families Mountaineering 101 Edition)

Richard started his journey with the Mazamas in 2016, taking part in our Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) Then he got to thinking how fun it would be to get outdoors and climb with his children. He took Families Mountaineering 101 in 2017 with two of his children, and they’ve all been volunteering for FM101 since. Richard has co-chaired that committee for the past couple of years and is stoked for the FM101 class of 2024-25. Registration for FM101 is open.

Names: Richard Hall (He/Him/They) I have three children, two of whom expressed an interest in climbing. Kaden (He/Him) and Kiran (He/Him) who participated in FM101 in 2017 

How did you hear about FM101, and what prompted you to take the course? After completing the Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) in 2016, I asked about opportunities to involve my children. I wanted to be able to climb with them and hoped they too would develop a love for the outdoors. 

How would you describe your family’s outdoor pursuits before taking FM101? We did some camping, hiking and backing. We also enjoyed snowboarding and rafting.

Have things changed since completing it? If yes, describe how?  Yes! Since completing FM101 in 2017, my children and I have assisted with the program; helping to teach the skills learned to other families interested in climbing together. I am proud of the way they have been able to assist others demonstrating patience  as they help others learn basic rock and snow skills.

My personal journey has led me to become one of the volunteer coordinators for the program last year (2023-2024). I am coordinating it again this year with my good friend.

Please share a few course highlights for us. Did you make good friends? Did you conquer a fear of heights? Did you do things you never dreamed were possible? We have become members of an amazing community. We have cultivated lifelong friendships with people we have met in the FM101 program. Most recently, my sons and I climbed Mt. Ellinor in northern Washington. In addition to summiting and enjoying the incredible views along the way, we discovered Cushman Cliffs. My sons worked together to belay me on a challenging 5.8 slab. All three of us fell in love with the area and enjoyed an incredible weekend together creating lasting memories that I will cherish.  

What advice would you give to other families who might be considering FM101 and also those who have already applied? Apply! This is an incredible program. You will learn the basic technical rock and snow skills to participate in some amazing climbs with the Mazamas. More importantly, you and your family members will challenge yourselves and step outside your comfort zones. You will meet some awesome people and create lifelong memories with your children. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? The snow weekend has been one of our family’s favorite weekends. We love spending time at the lodge with people we have met throughout the years as well as new friends we have bonded with during the course. For me it is especially rewarding to watch people overcome fears or challenges and to help instill life lessons and leadership skills that can be learned through mountaineering. 

What’s on your family adventure bucket list? I would love to climb Hood for the first time with my boys. 

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Meet the Mazamas

Julie moved to Portland from the Washington, D.C. area in 2019 and discovered the Mazamas shortly after arriving. She’s quickly plugged in and has volunteered for the Intermediate Climbing School (ICS) program for the past two years. ICS which will begin accepting applicants for the class of 2024-25 on July 10. When not climbing, Julie also enjoys biking and splitboarding.

Name:  Julie Tembunkiart

Pronouns:  she / her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2022

Present-day outdoor activities:  Hiking, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering, Biking, Splitboarding

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? In elementary school, I was at an outdoor summer camp that offered electives. I wanted to take horseback riding, but didn’t bring the right shoes. So, I was sent to the rock climbing wall instead. Although I didn’t continue to climb consistently, I was hooked instantly. Even after years of not climbing, I always found it something I’d seek to return to. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? My husband and I moved to Portland in 2019 and with the pandemic starting shortly after, I’d had trouble meeting friends and creating an outdoor community. I was looking for a way to find outdoor friends and came across the Mazamas website. 

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Ask for help and be open to learning. I’m always looking to learn more about how to engage in outdoor recreation more safely. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I’m always inspired by the successes of women in outdoor spaces. 

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. The 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice with Kiera Knightly. It’s just a classic. 

What’s on your adventure bucket list? My brother and I have pushed each other in outdoor climbing activities even climbing Hood together for both of our first times. We have a running list including rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and bouldering in Thailand.

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Meet the Mazamas

Joe, who will turn 80 in July, has been active with the Mazamas since the late 70’s. He still leads at least one or two climbs each year and is set to refresh his Mountaineering First Aid skills with the Mazamas in the fall. Below he shares his history with the organization:

Growing up in Portland, views of Mt Hood and Mount St. Helens were a constant and instilled a latent desire to climb those puppies. However, my parents were from East Texas and didn’t have much of an outdoor, much less, climbing tradition. I spent many hours on our farm in Sunnyside wandering through the forest and spent the summer after my senior year in high school on a forest fire crew, but my outdoor skill set was not very developed.

In 1977, when I ended a 10-year active-duty stint with the US Navy and moved back to Portland, I was focused on signing-up for the Mazama Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP), which I completed in 1978. That spring I climbed Mt. Hood and became a Mazama member. That summer I also climbed Mount St. Helens, and Middle and South Sister. (My second Hood climb with the Mazamas was on May 18, 1980, and we were able to observe the eruption of Mount St. Helens from the summit.)

The next 10 years were mostly filled with family responsibilities: US Navy Reserve weekends, work as a marketing manager at Tektronix, and a slow slog to complete a computer engineering degree at the University of Portland.  I was able to get in two to four climbs a year and received the Guardian Peaks Award in 1982. For a couple of years, I had a three-week teaching gig at the US Navy Intelligence School in Denver, CO and was able to hook-up with the Colorado Mountaineering Club to do some climbs with them.

In December 1988, I attended my last Navy Reserve drill weekend and finished my engineering degree in April 1989. I immediately signed up for Intermediate Climbing School (ICS). I started going on more climbs, received the Oregon Cascades Award in 1989, started helping with Basic Climbing School, was selected as a climb leader in 1991, and received the 16 NW peaks award in 1992. This was also about the time I became infected with the State Highpointing bug.

I led probably 15 BCEP sessions and was on the Climbing Committee in 1994 and 1995. I was the assistant ICS coordinator in 1994 and lead in 1995. I also wrote and distributed, by mail, the Climb Leader Newsletter and was the Climb schedule coordinator. One of my strong inputs on CC was the creation of a Climb Leader Development Program to ensure that Mazama climb leaders had a full set of verified skills to enhance climb safety. In May 1994, I and two other Mazamas made it up to 16,000 feet on Denali but had to back off due to one of the party members being unable to continue. Being my first high-altitude climb, this was a massive learning experience. In 1995, I started assisting Doug Wilson in joint climbs with the Toyama Mountaineering Club in Japan. They climbed with us several times, and we were able to go to Japan and climb with them. A very special experience!

The Mazamas were slow, even resistant to transition to the digital age—no email or webpage. In the mid-90’s, I lobbied for a FAX machine, and it was reluctantly finally approved. Now we could FAX stuff to the office and not have to drive down or mail it. I grew increasingly frustrated with how hard it was to schedule climbs, file climb reports, and generally communicate anything with the Mazama office.  I became chair of the Financial Affairs Committee in 1998 and focused on ways to be more efficient in tracking finances. We had one staff member, the Secretary, who finally got a computer running MS-DOS, and was entering all the financial information into Lotus 123.

In 1998, I was nominated and elected to the Executive Council through 2001, and served as Membership Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice-President. While many people were involved and worked hard to implement the following initiatives, I provided strong input and worked on implementation:

  • Establish the position of Executive Director, in addition to Board Secretary.
  • Hire an individual with strong computer and web development skills to fill the Board Secretary position. I interviewed John Godino and recommended he be hired.
  • Build a Mazama website and email newsletters
  • Conduct a member survey to better determine demographics and obtain input for the future direction of the organization.
  • As Treasurer, I implemented an actual budgeting process and pushed a dues increase to offset ongoing deficits.
  • Helped smooth over relations between the Lodge managers and the Lodge Committee, as well as help develop a positions and responsibilities document for the Lodge Committee.
  • Worked with Peter Green and Ian Wade to write an accident report, analyze Mazama activities, and develop risk management procedures.
  • Established that we needed to move from our leased space on NW 19th.

In 1998, I retired from Tektronix and built an outdoor adventure company, Oregon Peak Adventures. We climbed, led hikes and multiday backpacks, and taught outdoor skills classes through PCC and the metro Park & Recs and did a couple of international trips a year. I was unable to lead BCEP classes or many Mazama climbs and run my business, but still stayed involved with the organization. In 2013, I did my last company trip. In 2000, I led an outing to Kilimanjaro and in 2013 led a trip, assisted by Eugene Lewins, to China and Tibet.

I still led a few climbs each year and was awarded the #16 Leuthold Award in 2004 and the #5 Terry Becker Award in 2009. I continued to lead snowshoe, XC skiing, and hikes as well.

Over the years, I led Outings to complete the Oregon Coast Trail, backpack the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail, led climbs to summit all 31 of the Oregon peaks over 9,000 feet, and all the Oregon County Highpoints. In 2008, I summitted Mt. Marcy in New York for my 49th state highpoint. I was Chair of the Outings Committee for three years.

 I have slowed down in my dotage (I turn 80 in July), but I am still a qualified e-level climb leader (at least when I complete the MFA session in November). My current project is to climb the 100 highest peaks in Oregon (I am up to 80) and I try to lead a couple of climbs a year on the remaining peaks.

The Mazamas have been a constant focus of my life since 1978, and I have made many friends and have many memorable experiences because of my association with the organization. I look forward to maintaining my membership and engaging in further adventures.

Name:  Joe Whittington

Pronouns:  He/Him

Year Joined Mazamas: 1978

Present-day outdoor activities:  Slow – climbing, hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing.

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? Wandering around the forest on our farm and adjacent property.

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I believe I heard about the Mazamas during my senior year at Portland State in 1966 just prior to going on active duty with the Navy.

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Find joy in having a well-conditioned body and find mentors who are willing and pleased to teach you the skills you need to enjoy the activities.

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I read the book, Annapurna, by Maurice Herzog and it blew my mind. I had many Mazama members who mentored and trained me, and I have met many world-class climbers who have inspired me as well.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. I read a lot, but am a huge fan of Craig Johnson and his Longmire series.

What’s on your adventure bucket list? Climbing as many of the 100 highest peaks in Oregon while I still am able.

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Meet the Mazamas

Michele joined the Mazamas a few years ago, looking for adventure after her children finished high school. Initially, she started participating in local hikes and was excited to join Round the Mountain in 2022. Then she took the Basic Climbing Education Program (Team JJ’s Commandos) and Backcountry Alpine Ski Touring courses and continues to advance her climbing skills. She is an active member of the Trail Trips Committee, and recently became the hike leader training assistant. When not out in the wild, she runs a specialized private practice serving students with dyslexia and is a passionate literacy advocate.

Name:  Michele Scherer Barnett

Pronouns:  she/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2022

Present-day outdoor activities:  Hiking and skiing – downhill, Nordic, and backcountry

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? I grew up in the Bay Area, and I remember going to Stinson Beach and being cold and wrapped up in a blanket, and having a lot of sand in my peanut butter sandwich because it was so windy. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I was prompted to engage with Mazamas partly because my kids were finishing high school, and I started carving out some time for my own adventures. I joined the Oregon Nordic Club and started backcountry Nordic skiing, and many ONC members talked about their Mazamas experiences. So when I wanted to start doing longer hikes in new areas, I thought I would check out Mazamas. I tried a day hike and had a great day, so I kept coming back for more. I never dreamed that would lead me back to things like rock climbing again because I had thought those days were over for me, but instead one thing just keeps leading to the next.

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Learn to use at least one good GPS app on your phone and practice with it. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? All of the volunteer leaders and assistants in the Mazamas programs inspire me. It’s amazing how many people are actively spending their time doing this, how dedicated they are, and they are genuinely encouraging people.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one.  The book called, “A Fortunate Life,” by Albert Facey, an autobiography. I like memoirs and real stories better than fiction. I love his natural storytelling ability, self awareness, survival and gratitude for his wife and family. What’s on your adventure bucket list? Hiking and skiing in the Alps, Nordic skiing in Norway, Alpine Touring in Canada.

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Meet the Mazamas

Aimee grew up getting dirty in the Utah Mountains, where she says backpacking and skiing were just the way of life. A former Mazama Board Member, Aimee has helped out with many of our class offerings, from Advanced Rock to First Aid. When not adventuring, Aimee is the co-founder and director of operations for Graphic 45, an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company. 

Name:  Aimee Filimoehala

Pronouns:  she/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2017

Present-day outdoor activities:  I love being in the mountains, especially off the beaten path. My favorite activities include rock, ice, and alpine climbing, and exploring the mountains on skis.  

What’s your earliest outdoor memory?  I was fortunate to grow up in Utah at the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, where I was exposed to hiking and skiing as a child. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization?  After hiking and backpacking for years, I decided to climb Mount Adams. Early into the climb, I grasped that alpine climbing was much more demanding and consequential than your typical hike. I realized I wanted to acquire the necessary skills to be safe in the mountains, and I signed up for the Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) the next spring.

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them?  Join an organization like the Mazamas or a meet-up group. I’ve met many amazing nature-loving people who have taught me so much.  

What activities/situations/people most inspire you?   I’m inspired by the members of Portland Mountain Rescue and the time they volunteer to help with Search and Rescue (SAR) missions on Mount Hood.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one.  Alpinesavvy.com is a great resource for PNW climbing information like GPX tracks and route beta!  I’ve downloaded maps and tracks for dozens of climbs.

What’s on your adventure bucket list? I’m hoping to get down to Peru and explore some of the Cordillera Blanca soon.

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Meet the Mazamas

Flora is an elder in both the Mazamas and the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington state. She jokes that just means she’s old, but in fact, she’s been very involved for many years in both organizations. She climbed 40 mountains – never the same one – and was active in trail tending for the Mazamas. At 88, she says this winter’s ski trip to Eastern Oregon might be her last, and it’s time to hang up her skis. But she plans to continue to lead “old lady hikes,” for the Mazamas as long as she can.

When not outdoors, Flora’s had a varied career, washing dishes in hospital kitchens, driving a school bus, testing water quality, helping with cardiac research and volunteering at the Forest Center at Multnomah Falls. She is a retired RN. 

Name:  Flora Huber

Pronouns:  She/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 1954

Present-day outdoor activities:  Leading “little old lady hikes”

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? That’d have to be clam digging on the coast or bullfrog fishing on the Willamette River with my family and my father and his friends. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I had a teacher at Lincoln High School, Mrs. Obie, who was a sponsor for our square dancing club. She was a Mazama, her and her husband. We’d ride up to the Mazama Lodge in the back of their jeep with a bunch of kids. This was before seatbelt laws. We’d rent the stove at the lodge for 50 cents a day, so we could cook our breakfasts. Mrs. Obie taught me how to ski. Once I learned, I’d hitchhike up to Timberline Lodge and huff it up the Glade Trail because I didn’t have $5 for the lift ticket. 

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? Just keep going and persist. There’s going to be more and more people. Get up early and get out on the trail.

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Mazama climb leaders have always inspired me, and I had so many good ones. They’re just wonderful people who devote their time and energy to the outdoors.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. I just read a book called Letters from Yellowstone. It compiled letters from a woman who was a med student who traveled to Yellowstone to be part of a group that cataloged flowers and vegetation in Yellowstone. Of course, it was the turn of the century, and she was quite an activist and loved the outdoors. I found it so very fascinating, how she persisted in her quest despite people who thought she wasn’t capable of being a scientist because she was a woman. Apparently there’s supposed to be another follow up book.

What’s on your adventure bucket list? Nothing too exotic. I’ll be leading a hike next Tuesday, and I hope to keep doing that three or four times a month. That’s adventure enough.

A Mazama Summit Certificate from Flora’s first climb.

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Meet the Mazamas

Ann Marie graduated from high school in Japan before settling in the Pacific Northwest and calling it home. She fell in love with the outdoors while in college,  where she was introduced to climbing in 1991. She climbed a lot in the early years before moving to the Midwest and starting a family. Upon returning to the Northwest in 2004, she got back into climbing and wanted to find a group to climb with. Finding the Mazamas opened a whole new world of adventuring. Ann Marie is a provisional leader in the Leadership Development (LD) program.

Name:  Ann Marie Caplan

Pronouns:  She/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2018

Present-day outdoor activities:  Rock climbing, cycling, alpine in the summer

What’s your earliest outdoor memory?  I remember hiking with my family when we lived in Hawaii. On one hike, we had found an abandoned kitten that they let me take home and keep. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I learned about the Mazamas from a friend, Mark Milobinski.  He was a climb leader and was going to lead a couple climbs (Hood and Eldorado) and invited me to come along.  I joined so I could climb with him.  I then decided to take ICS (Intermediate Climbing School) to brush up on my skills and be more in line with “the Mazama way” of doing things. From that point on, I was all in with the organization. I was drawn in by the community of like-minded climbers who love to adventure like I do.  

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them?  Don’t worry about being the strongest or fastest. There are plenty of us who are here for the people and the journey.  

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? I am inspired by people who push themselves to do things they may feel they are not ready to do. My favorite thing about assisting on climbs is the pure joy people feel when they overcome mental or physical challenges they otherwise may not have done without the Mazamas.

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one.  This is a tough one, as I am not one to choose favorites.  I am a fan of Alpine Savvy because John Godino is cool. (@alpinesavvy on Instagram)

What’s on your adventure bucket list? I’ve always wanted to trek to Everest Base Camp.  I would love to see the Khumbu Ice fall in person.  

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Meet the Mazamas

Diane hails from the Midwestern prairie landscape now mostly converted to cornfields and pig farms, but found her way to Oregon where her love for outdoor recreation, especially snowboarding, intersects with her professional passion for environmental ethics. Having worked for a conservation non-profit, Diane went to law school to become a more effective environmental advocate. She now works as an environmental lawyer in the public sector, advising Oregon natural resources agencies, primarily the Department of Environmental Quality, on water quality issues.

After trying splitboarding a handful of times, she applied for the Backcountry Ski Touring (BCST) program as a student in 2018, looking to solidify her skills and meet like-minded people. Some of the folks from the class are still her best snowboarding buddies. And she thinks that BCST provides such a unique opportunity for people to learn important skills that are beneficial in reducing accidents, keeping access open, and getting people the experience they need to enjoy the sport. 

Diane is now chairing the BCST committee, responsible for the successful implementation of a complex curriculum that involves 7 lectures and 6 field sessions/on-snow tours. But she was initially hesitant to become a tour leader and assume increased responsibilities. At the time there was only one other woman tour leader. Diance thought about where her fear was coming from and decided to lean into it. After all, forcing yourself to teach something is the best way to really know it. 

Her motivations come from both the ownership she feels for the program, and the fact that so many of her backcountry friendships have been cultivated here. She wants others to have that opportunity too.

While Diane may think of herself as an unlikely BCST leader, moving from the volunteer coordinator role into the committee chair has felt surprisingly natural. She already has a vision for 2025 to ensure continuity and is experimenting with building out new volunteer roles and subcommittees to respond to the growing list of past students excited to pay it forward as volunteers.

Name: Diane Lloyd

Pronouns:  she/her

Year Joined Mazamas:  2014

Present-day outdoor activities:  I love splitboarding – it’s my main activity. Like many, I have an 8-5, Monday through Friday job and it’s just too expensive and crowded to enjoy the resort every weekend. I’m also a hiker, backpacker, rock climber, and a bit of a mountain biker – but all of these sports take a backseat to snowboarding!

What’s your earliest outdoor memory: Growing up in Iowa, a landscape redundant with monocrops, I went to summer camp as a kid. This was the first time I experienced hiking and campfire cookouts surrounded by tall grass and verdant trees that seemed so much bigger back then. This experience inspired my interest in the environment and excitement for outdoor recreation, so I continued to seek out “wild landscapes,” which were a formative cornerstone of my professional and personal journeys.

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? I remember exactly when I heard about Mazamas from a friend. Hearing about the Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP) made me think that it would be a good way to meet new people, get outdoor experiences, and gain new skills in a fun and organized way.

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? I think the most important thing as outdoor recreation increases, is for people to get involved with the management of public lands. Exercising the “leave no trace” ethic is fundamental, and for public lands users there is a responsibility to understand the shared use (and competing interests) involved on public lands. As recreators, we’re also stewards, and it’s on us to balance sport and conservation efforts as active participants. Instead of getting siloed in your lifestyle sport, stay open to considering other uses or conservation efforts that are overlapping.

Here’s a few ways I’d recommend getting involved:

  • Depending on your recreation type, you can seek out info on social media and websites that describe the issues, advocacy efforts, and budgets for public lands. For example, state parks are often heavily used by mountain bikers, while national forests are used by backcountry skiers and snowboarders.
  • Provide comments during open public comment periods. A successful example of this recently was for Mount Hood’s backcountry permitting process. This type of engagement directly influences decision making. 
  • Advocate for sufficient funding for public lands and natural resource management agencies. 
  • Lastly, minimize your own impact on land, wildlife, and water quality by educating yourself and others in “leave no trace” principles. Being a good steward on a micro level means taking good care of your own sh*t, literally, at times. 

What activities/situations/people most inspire you? Many of my ski partners are inspiring individuals with busy careers and other competing priorities, so time on the skin track together is really special. Splitboarding is a social activity and it allows for time to talk and share things that inspire each other. 

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why?  I’m following the podcast “Buddy Check” right now, which is about (romantic) relationships with climbing partners. It dives into traditional gender roles, heterosexual relationships, and climbing. Turns out, humans play out those traditional, heteronormative gender roles at the climbing gym, which speaks to dynamics I may have felt at times but never really deeply analyzed. 

What’s on your adventure bucket list? .So many things! I love volcano skiing in the spring, so this year I’m scoping out lines with conditions that are harder to time just right – Bailey, Diamond, Thielson and El Dorado are on my radar, but I’m also interested in some other objectives off the beaten track, like getting lines in the Steens or Strawberries. Even though international snowboarding trips are always exciting, there is so much to do around the Pacific Northwest!

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Meet the Mazamas

Cassie grew up in Utah and found the Mazamas the way many do, through an internet search for hiking. She signed up for a dog-friendly hike with the Adventurous Young Mazamas and now leads similar hikes, in part to continue exploring the Pacific Northwest and also to give back to the Mazama community.

Name:  Cassie Soucy

Pronouns:  she/her

Year Joined Mazamas: 2019

Present-day outdoor activities:  Hiking, backpacking, Zumba, and dog-walking 🙂

What’s your earliest outdoor memory? I grew up in Utah exploring my grandparents neighborhood and the high desert in general. My cousins, siblings, and I would construct grand adventures in the epic park nearby that we affectionately called, “the Pit”. When we were done adventuring, we’d retreat to my grandmother’s garden to fill up on a bounty of berries and fruit. 

How did you first hear about the Mazamas, and what prompted you to engage with the organization? When I moved up to Portland, I was searching for a community to get outdoors with and truly just Googled ‘hiking groups in Portland’. The Mazamas popped up in my search, and I found the Adventurous Young Mazamas. My first hike was one led by our current AYM chair, Heather Polonsky, and I chose it because it was dog-friendly. I didn’t have a dog at the time but got to meet several great pups (including Linus,Heather’s dog). My involvement with the Mazamas has only increased since, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to help lead hikes providing others the same opportunity for connection and community that I found. 

As more people seek to recreate outdoors, what advice would you offer them? My best piece of advice is to have fun! There is so much beauty here in the PNW – from incredibly challenging hikes that get you to remote areas to exploring our urban trail systems here in Portland. Any walk, hike, or backpack can be epic with the discovery of a new favorite flower or getting to the top of a summit. 

What is your favorite book/movie/TV show/social media account that you follow and why? Pick one. My favorite fiction book is The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, which is in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre. She is an incredible author who masterfully constructs a world impacted by climate change and seamlessly integrates commentary on racism through the characters in the novel. I highly recommend it if you want to immerse yourself in a new world while challenging yourself to think about how issues related to race, gender, and climate are reflected in our own world. 

What’s on your adventure bucket list? Climbing Mt. Hood, section hiking the PCT in Oregon, enjoying our glaciers, and seeing whales on the Oregon coast.

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Love in the Great Outdoors

This Valentine’s Day, we point our compass to tales of love, connection and shared adventures. At the Mazamas, we believe the great outdoors not only supplies stunning landscapes and heart-thumping adventures but also serves as the backdrop for some of life’s beautiful love stories.

In celebration of this international day of love, we’re delighted to share stories of couples who’ve found love amidst the rugged allure of nature and strengthened their bond through the Mazamas.

Merche & Chelsea

They met online at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and married in a small ceremony at Crater Lake the following year. How did they get to know each other? They hiked. The first trail the pair walked together was Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain. At the top, they gazed at Mt. Hood, never dreaming they would soon stand at its summit together.

Chelsea, a high school Spanish teacher and initially the more outdoorsy of the pair, applied to the Mazama Basic Climbing Education Program in 2022. Hearing Chelsea and another friend talk nonstop about BCEP on a hike, Merche applied too. “I thought, ‘what am I going to do on all the weekends you’re with the Mazamas,’” Merche, who teaches fifth grade in Hillsboro, recalled. “I can’t miss out.”

They both were accepted to the BCEP LGBTQ+ team, which they credited with enhancing their overall experience. “Representation matters,” Chelsea said. “That was the first time either of us had been part of an affinity group, and it was very welcoming. There even were others who did not speak English as their first language (members of the all-Latino BCEP team) BCEP was such a great introduction to the organization.”

But the couple wanted more, so they climbed mountains together that summer – Mt. Hood, Unicorn Peak, Mt. Washington and South Sister, to boost their applications to the Mazama Intermediate Climbing School (ICS). There were a couple of climbs where they said they were feeling a bit unwell, and if they hadn’t been together, they might have bailed. 

“But we helped and inspired each other, and it was so amazing to be on top of Mt. Hood together,” Chelsea said. “It’s so wonderful to have a hobby like climbing that we share.”

Chelsea and Merche are in the midst of ICS and have signed up to assist with the LGBTQ+ BCEP team again this year.

Kirk & Debbie

Debbie and Kirk met on the ICS committee in 2018, but it would take a few out-of-character, post-committee group pub gatherings, texts and a spare ticket to a soccer game before they truly clicked. 

“Kirk is a major introvert,” said Debbie, who also noted she’s very shy. “I learned later he never went for beers after committee meetings.”

“Yeah, there was no way I was just going to ask her out,” Kirk said, recalling the group email he sent inquiring if anyone wanted to go to a Timbers game. He wasn’t looking for just anyone though, and lucky for him, Debbie was the only taker.

But even during the soccer match, Debbie didn’t think it was a real date. That didn’t happen until they had been texting a lot, they had a free weekend from ICS, and they went to the beach and went for a hike.

“The rest, as they say, is history,” they both joked. That summer, the pair began climbing a fair bit together, and they backpacked around Mt. Adams. Then Debbie had a bad fall.

“It was really bad,” Kirk said. “She fell like 30 feet.” She suffered a concussion, broke her heel. As a result, the couple spent a lot of time indoors, getting to know each other. 

“I couldn’t do anything, and I really appreciated how supportive he was,” Debbie said. “I just wasn’t myself, and he was just wicked patient through all that.”

Fast forward to July 2019. Kirk proposed on the day off, between climbing South Early Winter Spire and Liberty Bell in the North Cascades. Their first wedding date, in 2020, was delayed due to COVID. In 2021, they opted for a small backyard ceremony at Kirk’s parents’ house in West Linn. Both had been married before and have kids ranging in age from 24 to 33.

Kirk and Debbie assisted with BCEP, with Debbie in Leadership Development and Kirk a longtime climb leader. Together, they have run the LGBTQ+ BCEP team the past few years as allies, and have been so happy to meet the demand for that affinity space. 

Jeff & Freda

Jeff and Freda, who have run and continue to help with our Nordic and Backcountry Ski programs, met in November 1999. They both attended the Mazamas Annual Banquet at the Oregon Zoo. They met in the beverage line, and later, by coincidence, they wound up seated across from each other at dinner.

A few weeks later, Jefff got Freda’s number from a friend. They had dinner once, and  shortly thereafter, Jeff took on a huge work project, and over the next year, he put in 60- to 100-hour weeks and had no time for a social life.

But he emerged that following spring, when the project was over. He helped out with a BCEP class, and in another coincidence, Freda was assisting the same class. Late on the Ruckel Ridge conditioning hike, while descending from Benson Plateau, Freda and Jeff happened to be together in the back. They chatted, and Jeff asked if she would be interested in picking up where they left off 16 months prior.  

“Maybe” she said. “I have two questions…My dad was a school teacher, and in the summer he framed houses. Any man in my life needs to be handy. Do you know which end of a hammer to hold onto?”

Jeff replied: “Yeah. What’s your second question?”

Freda: “I intend to be married by the time I’m 50, and right now I’m 48. Are you still interested?”

Three-and-a-half years later they married at an outdoor wedding with a cloudburst rainstorm interruption between their vows. And they’re still going strong, living a life of adventure and volunteerism, with the Mazamas and beyond.