HTMC New Member Introductions
We would like to welcome our new members to the club with a warm aloha! In an effort to get to know our new members a little better, the board introduced an initiative for new members have the opportunity to share a bit about themselves and be featured in a newsletter article. Aidan (an HTMC membership officer) welcomes our new members with a request to fill out a questionnaire. Mahalo to the following four new members for their contributions, read more about them below.
Peggy Gwi-Seok Hong
Do you have a hiking nickname?
Most folks at HTMC know me as Peggy, but most folks in the Iyengar Yoga community know me as Gwi-Seok. Peggy or Gwi-Seok (rhymes with Lisa) are fine
Tell us something about your background.
Poet, dancer, musician, social justice activist, iyengar yoga teacher, mother, grandmother, born in korea, raised in HI and NY, moved back to HI in 2021.
What made you want to join HTMC?
Aloha `Aina–seeking intimacy with the land where i grew up and left. practicing healing justice and social justice with each footfall, supporting Hawaiian sovereignty. I call it “medicine walks” more so than hiking. Literally walking the talk. I try to listen to the stones and the trees more than engage in human conversation. I love that htmc exposes me to parts of the island I might not have known about nor had access to, and provides community for exploration and support.
What month/year did you join HTMC?
December 2024
How did you hear about the club?
HTMC Member Dominique Meyer-Gere
What’s an interesting fact about you?
I served as Poet Laureate of the City of Milwaukee 2006-2008 (lived there from 1986-2013)
What’s been your favorite hike you’ve ever been on (either with the club or on your own!)?
Seeing the whales at Ka`ena Point
What are you most excited about since joining HTMC?
I’m deeply honored to be the next resident caretaker of the clubhouse! and doing more hikes/medicine walks of course.
Is there anything additional that you would like to add?
I’m wondering about ways HTMC can connect more deeply with the kanaka community, and how to incorporate more indigenous protocols into our hikes.
Carla Vivarttas
Tell us something about your background.
Avid hiker, starting hiking as a teenager. I enjoy being outside exploring the world, wherever I find myself.
What made you want to join HTMC?
Member hikes and hiking with people that enjoy being outside
What month/year did you join HTMC?
December 2024. I had been a member previously, in 2009 until about 2016. When I left Hawaii my members lapsed.
How did you hear about the club?
Non-member hikes
What’s been your favorite hike you’ve ever been on (either with the club or on your own!)?
I have been fortunate to experience so many beautiful places – the Rocky Mountains, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, El Dorado Canyon (near Boulder, CO), Waipio Valley, Stairway to Heaven, Havasu Falls.
What are you most excited about since joining HTMC?
Member hikes
William Akamine
Tell us something about your background.
I’m a banker. Starting in 2024, I developed an interest in hiking and running.
What made you want to join HTMC?
I was looking for a hiking club, and I know Betsy Weatherford.
What month/year did you join HTMC?
January 2025
How did you hear about the club?
Via Google search.
What’s been your favorite hike you’ve ever been on (either with the club or on your own!)?
Manoa Falls. From Dec 2023 to maybe summer 2024, I hiked up Manoa Falls almost daily.
What are you most excited about since joining HTMC?
Being able to see the members’ only hikes.
Samantha Duffy
Tell us something about your background.
Started hiking with the west coast trail. Grand canyon. Kilimanjaro, Annapurna circuit, several Sierra hikes – north bound.
What made you want to join HTMC?
Prefer seasoned hikers, meet new people
What month/year did you join HTMC?
January 2025
What’s an interesting fact about you?
Traveled to over 100 countries
What’s been your favorite hike you’ve ever been on (either with the club or on your own!)?
3 peaks
What are you most excited about since joining HTMC?
New hikes