Bree Loewen sees things pretty clearly, and acts accordingly. When she and her husband, Russell Anschell, found themselves in the mountains every weekend, they decided to move to North Bend. Since they are “heavy back-country users,” she said it only made sense for them to volunteer with Seattle Mountain Rescue. Because they have a 5-year-old daughter, she is a stay-at-home mom, and they avoid working on the same missions, to minimize their risks.
It all sounds logical enough, but that’s not all there is to Loewen’s commitment.
“It really comes down to ‘this is our community,’” she says. “We’ve been doing this for such a long time and I think people have really come to rely on us.”