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: Dick Hayek
Hometown: Portland, OR
Member Since: September 1971
Occupation: Retired
Favorite Activities: Hiking, backpacking, and car camping
10 Essentials: Questions
How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?
People I met on climbs while at the University of Washington recommended to me that I join. I joined after I had completed college and needed a new set of companions for outdoor activities. My first 13 years as a Mountaineers member I hiked mostly with the Seattle Singles Committee, which was formed about the time I joined The Mountaineers. A group of friends I met through that Committee still meets twice a year for social gatherings.
The Mountaineers, over the years, has become an important part of my life, so that at times when my work schedule did not permit me time to hike, I maintained my Mountaineers membership. I'm looking forward to attending the dinner for 50 year members four years from now.
What motivates you to get outside with us?
Most of all I enjoy exploring the wilderness with friends. Also, hiking is my exercise program that helps keep me healthy in my retirement.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
I have most enjoyed backpacking to Shi Shi Beach, which I have been to most summers since 1972. I have enjoyed beaches since I visited Seaside, Oregon as a child with my family for a week each summer.
Who/What inspires you?
I have been most inspired by my grandfather and my dad, both of whom worked extremely hard under challenging conditions to create a better life for their children. My grandfather had only an eighth grade education, but worked through the depression as a house painter and builder to make a college education available for all his three children. In later life he took over all household chores and was sole caretaker at home for his wife, my grandmother, through her last years when she experienced alzheimer's disease. He continued doing that until a few months before my grandmother died at home when she was 87 and he was 86.
My dad worked to help support his parents and older brothers starting in his preteen years when he began operating a paper route. At age 23 he continued supporting the family by managing a family bakery through the depression that became one of the largest bakeries in Portland. He and my grandfather paid all the college expenses for my sister and me.
What does adventure mean to you?
For me adventure is experiencing the outdoors in new and exciting ways.
Lightning Round
What's your happy place? The beach.
Know someone who should be featured?
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!
