Aubrey Mora, The Difference
My family and I moved here a few months ago and we have made it our goal to find some place new to adventure and hike at every weekend – so far, we have been able to do just that! We have visited most of the hikes along the Columbia Gorge, as well as a few other waterfalls and mountains. We certainly look forward to exploring the rest of this beautiful part of the country!
Mandy and Zach, Johnson Bixby
In our last edition of Ripple CommUNITY, Zach and Mandy had signed up for 40 flights of stairs climb challenge with the American Lung Association. The climb challenge was on Saturday at the US Bancorp Tower. The building has 40 floors and 846 stairs. Zach and Mandy crushed it. Congratulations to both of you!
Megan Dixon. Ripple Impact Northwest, Integrated Tax Services
Portland to Coast (this is the walker’s version of Hood to Coast)
- We start in Downtown Portland around 3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. on Friday morning.
- My team: Team CUREageous
- Our team began 12 years ago with two sisters whose father was battling cancer. I joined five years ago.
- We have eight walkers instead of the standard 12 which means we do three legs of the race instead of two each. This also means we can take one giant van and everyone can stay together.
- Portland to Coast is a total adrenaline high and there is something almost spiritual about it. Perhaps it the satisfaction you get in achieving a goal, or the night walks where you can’t see other walkers/runners and the moon is lighting much of your way, or it’s the sleep deprivation from trying to stay up for two full days cheering on your team. Whatever it is, it keeps people coming back for more.
- Fun fact: I made my decision to say “yes” to Heidi and come to ITS when I was summiting a mountain at 2:00 a.m.!
- Most of the legs are 5-8 miles each, so by the end you’ve covered some serious ground.
Jonathan, Integrated Tax Services
The picture below was almost half of my team last year: at least the ones in my van. In 2021, our team name was “We’re totally corkscrewed” and my friend’s daughter made us shirts of a running wine corkscrew to go with the Hood to Coast shirts everyone gets. It was a group that after a day of hanging out in the van running and laughing, I actually had stomach pains from having laughed so hard.
My 2019 team was a different team and our name was, “Not the lottery we wanted to win.”
The 2022 team will be yet a different team altogether and is mostly a group of real estate professionals and loan officers and they needed someone else to fill a spot. We are still undecided on a team name as of yet.
High points – Camaraderie and laughs, feeling of accomplishment, seeing the beauty of Oregon up close, that first beer after you finish the race.
Low points – Sleeping in a field next to and amongst dried cow pies, the general lack of sleep overall, running legs in the heat of the day.
Shiloh, The Difference
Six years ago, my husband and I bought our forever home. We wanted a place where we could teach our children a true love for the outdoors. We began by building a bridge across the creek that runs through our property, then started excavating and clearing land for the greenhouse, an orchard and a workshop. My husband built the greenhouse, which fulfilled a dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. In there I grow annuals, Perennials, vegetables, herbs, fruits including citrus and other trees. In the orchard there are 15 fruit trees plus other fruit trees spread around the property. Next year I hope to enter the master gardening program through OSU to hone my skills even more.
Babs, The Difference
Babs enjoys staying active by riding her horse, and hiking with her daughters, Laurie and Kathy who are also clients of The Difference. This hike was at the Lime Kiln Trail in Granite Falls, Washington.
Rachel Gorretta, Ripple Companies
Karen Marshall and I are having a “no elevator” challenge in the month of June. Get your day started off right by climbing those stairs and getting a workout in!
Looking for a great outdoor summer activity? Northwest Personal Training is offering free outdoor boot camps every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Information below. I can attest this is a calorie torcher! Amelia and I joined the first one (in the rain) and I’m already looking forward to the next one.
