{"id":10607,"date":"2017-02-27T15:00:15","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T23:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=10607"},"modified":"2022-04-06T13:08:43","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T20:08:43","slug":"member-portrait-gerry-trail-builder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/member-portrait-gerry-trail-builder","title":{"rendered":"Member Portrait: Gerry “Trail Builder”"},"content":{"rendered":"

REI Member since 1980.<\/p>\n

1. Tell us about yourself.<\/h4>\n

I\u2019m a 66-year-old woman who moved to Seattle in 1979. About 10 years ago I got involved in the Washington Trail Association (WTA), one of the best volunteer organizations around. You get stuff done and you are so much more appreciative of what it takes to put a trail together.<\/p>\n

2. Why is \u201coutside\u201d important?<\/h4>\n

It helps me feel centered and connected to the world. You never get lonely if you\u2019re outside; there are all these living things around you. When I was working as a physical therapist, I worked with people with some really awful illnesses. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do it if I hadn\u2019t been getting out and seeing beautiful things.<\/p>\n

3. What do you love about being an assistant crew leader with WTA?<\/h4>\n

The nice thing about being an assistant crew leader is you get to make sure people have a good time on the trail. I very much enjoy talking to people and letting them know that they are important.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fun to connect with younger people and see where their life is going. For kids that are 12 or 13, especially the girls, it is a difficult age. It is empowering for them to put on a hard hat and feel that they\u2019re strong.<\/p>\n

\"Gerry<\/p>\n

4. You have an impressive number of days (132) on-trail with WTA. What keeps you heading back out there?<\/h4>\n

To begin, in the world of WTA that is not an impressive number. So many people have hundreds of days more than me. But I head back out there mostly for the people. You just want to hang out with them. You never know what you\u2019re going to talk about.<\/p>\n

5. Who inspired you to get outside?<\/h4>\n

I read a book called Woodswoman<\/em> by Anne LaBastille. I don\u2019t even know why I read that book. She talked about just being in the woods and it sounded like a good thing to do. I had done some hiking in the Adirondacks and the Catskills, but when I moved out here after physical therapy school, it was so much easier to get out.<\/p>\n

6. In whom are you fostering a love for the outdoors?<\/h4>\n

I\u2019m a volunteer with walking field trips for a bunch of 8th graders from the South Shore K-8 School. I\u2019d like to think that I\u2019m exposing them to something. It\u2019s a very diverse group of students, and many are not outdoor oriented. I\u2019m old enough to be their grandmother. I like them to see a competent older woman.<\/p>\n

7. What is your favorite piece of gear and what\u2019s the story behind it?<\/h4>\n

Boots are always the most important piece of gear\u2014they\u2019re what get you where you are. I have these wonderful Asolo boots. The young man at REI easily took an hour and half to help me fit the boots. I am fond of really heavy leather boots. I feel grounded to the earth.<\/p>\n

8. What does being an REI Co-op member mean to you?<\/h4>\n

When I first moved here I joined REI my first month. On Friday nights I\u2019d walk up to REI and I\u2019d shop. It was my big excitement of the week. I respect REI. Being a member is being a part of a tribe. You\u2019re part of the \u201cin\u201d crowd.<\/p>\n

\"Gerry<\/p>\n

9. What other adventures are on your bucket list?<\/h4>\n

I am part of another group called Wilderness Volunteers. It\u2019s a great organization. I spent a week in Arches National Park removing an invasive grass. I worked in Dragonfly Canyon; it was just magical. This March I\u2019m going to Tucson to remove another invasive grass in Saguaro National Park.<\/p>\n

10. What is your advice for the younger generation?<\/h4>\n

I would say my piece of advice is to get outdoors as much as you can, wherever you can, and enjoy the feeling of connectedness with nature. Also, everyone who loves the outdoors needs to be very vigilant, because nature and the environment really need our help. Any effort you put into it will be rewarded richly by wonderful friends, feeling great mentally and physically, learning so many interesting things, and having a wonderful sense of peace.<\/p>\n

Looking for more inspiration? Read other REI Member Portraits here<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not a member? Join today! Learn more\u00a0about\u00a0REI Membership<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

REI Member since 1980. 1. Tell us about yourself. I\u2019m a 66-year-old woman who moved to Seattle in 1979. About 10 years ago I got involved in the Washington Trail Association (WTA), one of the best volunteer organizations around. You get stuff done and you are so much more appreciative of what it takes to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":11128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[570,552,369,651],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-10607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stewardship","tag-member-portraits","tag-rei-members","tag-rei-membership","tag-women"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/member-portrait-gerry-trail-builder","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Member Portrait: Gerry “Trail Builder”","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/member-portrait-gerry-trail-builder","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/member-portrait-gerry-trail-builder"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/01\/Skrobecki-110816-0201.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/01\/Skrobecki-110816-0201.jpg?fit=1500%2C998"},"articleSection":"Stewardship","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["member portraits","rei members","rei membership","women"],"dateCreated":"2017-02-27T23:00:15Z","datePublished":"2017-02-27T23:00:15Z","dateModified":"2022-04-06T20:08:43Z"},"rendered":"