Mara Jeffress, Ph.D.
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   Personal Interests

Mara Jeffress has several personal interests including hiking, backpacking, skiing, rock climbing, mountaineering, yoga, wine collecting, sewing/costuming, theater, photography and dance.


Backpacking is Mara's first passion and she was fortunate enought to trek solo for 2 straight months in the summer of 2005 as a fundraiser for international medical aid. She hiked 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. For more info on this trail, visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

She has hiked from the time she could walk and backpacked since high school. Her longest solo hikes were her recent 2 month 1,000 mile hike from Canada to California and the 215 mile (high point 17,700 feet) Annapurna circuit in Nepal (...and no she did not hire a Nepali porter...that's cheating!). Other long hikes include a trans-Olympic National Park hike (approximately 60 miles in 3 days), in 2000, with Jeanna Wheeler and a 45 mile hike, in 2007, through the Grand Canyon of the Toulumne in Yosemite National Park with Jennifer Yang.

In winter, the hiking is scarce, unless you bring snow shoes, but the skiing is great, in both the Pacific Northwest and Lake Tahoe which she visits when she can.

A member of the climbing gym, Ironworks, she is trying to get back into climbing by practicing indoors and taking yoga classes twice a week.

Wherever Mara travels, hikes or climbs she brings her camera. She is a formally trained photographer and holds a 2-year certificate in film and video from Diablo Valley College. Links to photos coming soon....

Other passions include costume and fashion design, theater and dance. Mara owned a costuming business, Creative Clothiers, specializing in historical costuming for theater groups. As an alternative to being a homeless teen, she used this business to support herself in high school and college. As time permits, she is occassionally designing the odd evening gown for trips to the ballet or opera.

For the third year in a row (2006-2008) she is serving as a "young ambassador" helping to market to theater patrons under 30 for the California Shakespeare Theater and she consistantly wins awards for being the top seller for the company year after year.

A nationally ranked U.S. gymnast from age 4-8, Mara also studied ballet from age 4-11, tap and jazz dance from age 8-10, hula from age 11-12, kathak (Indian dance) from age 13-14 and Egyptian dance from age 17-26. After many years with no time for dance lessons, she is hoping to start again. She still loves the ballet and is a San Francisco Ballet 2007 and 2008 season subscriber.

A consumate foodie and wine collector, Mara has had the pleasure dining in some amazing restaurants, inlcuding: The French Laundry, The Herb Farm, Chez Panisse, Kaupe (in Ushuaia, Argentina), and is a wine club member at both Ridge Winery and The Lucas Winery in CA.

    Links

Gear links

Pacific Crest Trail Association

Touchstone Climbing

California Shakespeare Theater

 

Photo links coming soon:
I promise....


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