10 Essential Questions: Jeremy Fuerst

Meet Jeremy Fuerst, a pastor from Nebraska who considers a sufferfest on Glacier Peak to be among one of his favorite Mountaineers memories.
The Mountaineers The Mountaineers
September 06, 2019
10 Essential Questions: Jeremy Fuerst

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to...

Name: Jeremy Fuerst
Hometown: The mountaineering mecca of Nebraska 
Member Since: October 2017
Occupation: Pastor
Favorite Activities: Mountaineering, climbing, hiking 

10 Essentials: Questions

How did you get involved with The Mountaineers?

I had several attempts on Mt. Rainier with a guide agency before I realized that the prohibitive cost meant I was not going to climb many mountains unless I developed my own set of skills and met other like-minded people. My personal trainer, Leigh Ann Wolfe, is a Mountaineer who strongly encouraged me to enroll in the Basic Alpine class. I have been grateful to her ever since.

What motivates you to get outside with us?

Well for one thing, my wife never worries when I am on a Mountaineers climb! She knows I am with responsible teammates who have the necessary skills, etc. to be safe. On every single scramble or climb I have met people I would love to climb with again. I love sharing the deep sense of wonder and awe that only the wilderness can provide. And not to get all melancholy, but I want to see as much of these glaciers as I can before they are gone.

What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?

Last year I was on a team that summited Glacier Peak in freezing rain. After a long day of route-finding in low visibility while soaked to the bone, my tentmate and I returned to camp to find our sleeping pads and sleeping bags floating in a pool of water. My teammates mustered up what dry layers had been left behind in the tents, as well as an emergency blanket and a bivy bag. I spent the night shivering in the tent, eating a large chocolate bar I had brought to share with the rest of the team in order to take in calories. The next morning I awoke to a beautiful sunrise and the realization that my tentmate Nikola had spent the entire night outside. He is tougher than nails!

Who/What inspires you?

Every single trip report and set of pics that I see from another Mountaineer keeps me going! It is as if for every summit I cross off my list, two or three more sprout up in its place. While I may never approach the level of greatness displayed by my heroes in The Mountaineers, they have each shown me that I am capable of pursuing my own set of summit dreams.

What does adventure mean to you?

Adventure means pursuing challenges outside a risk-free environment while relying on one's own skill set as well as the cohesion and collective skills of a team. Adventure means taking on the vulnerability and responsibility of acknowledging one's own mortality in a context far bigger and more ancient than one's own isolated self.

Lightning Round
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
Smile or game face? What if my smile is my game face?
What's your 11th Essential? Shuffle with podcasts and a number of songs to give me a little kickstart. If I throw in the earbuds while on an approach with you, do not be offended! It just means I need to put my head down and silence some of those internal voices for a bit. 
What's your happy place? Atop a prominent peak on a clear day overlooking crevassed glaciers with a fantastic group of teammates. 

If you could be a rockstar at any outdoor activity overnight, what would it be? Ice climbing or climbing anything 5.10 or higher. 
 

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    Jim Smith
    Jim Smith says:
    Sep 15, 2021 02:36 PM

    RIP - https://www.heraldnet.com/news/everett-pastor-dies-while-mountain-climbing-in-colorado/