GoFundMe for BPLer Kat due to California fires

[BlackHatGuy]

Our dear BPL friend and backpacking companion Kat Pierini and her husband Chris just lost their house and are currently fighting hard to save their workshop in the California fires. They were able to grab a few things before having to flee, but not a lot.

Kat is one of those hard scrabble stories we always like hearing about. She was born in Italy, moved to Switzerland as a pre-teen, then emigrated to America in her early 20s. She’s lived here ever since in California.

She has worked her butt off in her adopted country since arriving, first working farm fields with her bare hands and with her baby in a sling. It was not an easy life, but she’s not one to be defeated (probably not unusual for someone who was a top fencer, as in swords, when she was young). She took some classes and continued to work hard, getting better jobs along the way, until she became one of the groundskeepers at a major California university. She went back to school late in life, 25 years after she last took classes, to finish what she started. While still working full time, she was nearly finished with a degree in Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism when COVID hit, (she’s got a natural talent for languages and linguistics). But that’s Kat, always striving to better herself and her situation, and willing to put in the hard work and time to do so.

As a single mom, she raised her child to be much like herself, caring, fiercely independent, deeply concerned about others (both human and animal) with an eye always toward environmental stewardship. She’s always been thoughtful about the subjects of the day, eschewing the easy answers too many grasp and instead seeing the nuance and various sides of issues. She’s really a special person, as is her now-adult daughter, who, unfortunately, also lost pretty much everything in the fires.

Some of you may know Kat from her famous trail cam photos of the animals that lived and roamed just up the hill from her house (truly, she’s known not just in the US but in other countries as well). She captured photos of cougars, foxes, rabbits, and others in their native habitat and gladly shared them with others for free, including on BPL. You can see some of these amazing pictures and videos on her Instagram site at https://www.instagram.com/bergundwald/

Kat and Chris will certainly get through this, they are two of the toughest people I know. I count myself very fortunate to have met Kat and gotten to know her as a friend, and have always enjoyed our backpacking trips together.

I’d like to make it a bit easier for them to get back on their feet, hence this GoFundMe. I hope you’ll join me with whatever you can spare for some very special people. All money raised through this GoFundMe will go directly to Kat and Chris so they can find and afford a new place to live and buy essentials they lost including basic items like food/clothing/household items and the like.

If you’d like, you can donate here: https://gf.me/u/ys6sra

[Jerry Adams]

Good idea.  Nice write-up, I didn’t know all that.

[Ryan Jordan]

Doug, thank you for taking the lead on this. We’re behind you, Kat.

[Dunstan Orchard]

We’re waiting to move into a new rental home in north bay but it’s currently in one of the mandatory evacuation zones. We’ve been reloading the maps and watching the fire edge closer to it and feeling sick for those who’ve actually lost their own properties.

Heading over to the gofund me now. Let us know if we can help in any other way.

[Dunstan Orchard]

What kind of workshop was it?

[BlackHatGuy]

One pretty much built by Chris, I think.

[Dunstan Orchard]

Oh, but like a wood shop? Or a sewing shop? Or…? I’m new here and so not familiar with Kat and Chris (who sound amazing).

[Eric Lundquist]

Many of us who know Kat have probably purchased or were given one of her wonderful wool hats.  I still wear mine nearly 8 years later and all three of my children have shared one when they were toddlers.  I’m happy to have met Kat when we lived closer to California and for the wonderful memories she’s unknowingly helped us make in our own family.  Thank you Ryan for bringing attention to her situation.

[DAN-Y]

Keep them in your evening and morning prayers and also the many others that are suffering due to the fires.

https://gf.me/u/ys6sq8

[Jerry Adams]

Chris has a mechanics shop.  Lots of cool stuff.  So I’ve read.

I’m not sure if its survived.

[BlackHatGuy]

I am completely blown away by the generosity of this community. Kat and Chris truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

[Daryl and Daryl]

That was easy.

Thanks, Doug.

[Kattt]

I don’t know what to say. I will find the appropriate words. In the middle of this hell I am feeling a community around us and that is very big

[John H]

Hey sorry to hear.  Just flicked you $20 from Australia.  Good luck.

[Aaron]

I don’t come in here often but every time I do I always love what Kattt has to say or contribute. And getting your house burned so suddenly seems just terrible and stressful and sad even with insurance :'(

I live in SF and 2 of favorite hiking spots have been burning. Big Basin headquarters burned down :'( We move to Petaluma this weekend and will have to keep a close eye on fires from here on.

Threw in a few bucks.

[brian H]

So sad. And so many people suffering. Thank you Doug for doing this.

Your write-up makes it sound as if they were uninsured, or lacked fire insurance. Can you clarify this? Perhaps they can let us know what they need most…

[CFDTuc]

Katt,

 

We’ve never met.  I’ve been a site member (well, lurker) for a while, and you and the other regulars have reignited my soulful need to find solace, serenity, and spirit recharge in the back country.  For that, I can’t thank you enough.  As a retired firefighter, I’ve experienced firsthand the destructive force of lightning and fire and sympathize greatly in your loss.  I pray that you find comfort in your friends and community, and that you recover your normalcy quickly.  We’re here for you – let us help.

 

 

[BlackHatGuy]

Hi Brian,

I don’t know if they were insured or not. I can ask Kat if you like, I’m in contact with her a few times a day. They rented the house they lived in, so if they had insurance it would have been renter’s insurance, which wouldn’t help them secure new housing. I know they lost most everything, meaning most clothing (one of her first emails said they had no winter clothes now at all) and basic household stuff: sheets, towels, blankets, dishes, pots and pans, furniture, etc etc. They’ve got to find a new place to live, which they haven’t even started doing yet as they’re still trying to ensure they don’t lose the workshop, in a high-cost area. They still have their vehicles, but not much more than that. In fact their vehicles have been their home for the last two days. My goal was to get enough for them to be able to get a new place to live with security deposits and maybe a couple months rent, get new furnishings for wherever they end up, and replace the general household stuff we all need as well as restock the fridge.

Hope that helps.

[Pedestrian]

Thanks much for leading the effort to help Kat! The least we can do is offer some financial help.

 

[Mike B]

I’m in. Every little bit helps. Katt thank you for sharing all that you do. You help make this place better.

Mike

[BlackHatGuy]

I just heard from Kat. They did not have renter’s insurance. She actually hadn’t heard of it before.

[Nick Gatel]

Doug,

Thank you so much for putting this is place!

[Nick Gatel]

Kat and Chris,

Joyce and I send our best wishes. I was so looking forward to visiting you both again in your little Shangri-La. But is was the two of you who made it so special, not the place.

You’re both strong and will recover, although things may look dim at the moment. I look forward to visiting both of you soon.

[Nick Gatel]

I’ll try to answer some questions asked earlier, as Kat is probably overwhelmed at the moment. She and Chris lived in a modest cabin in a beautiful forest, just north of Santa Cruz. Kat had lived in the cabin for many, many years before she and Chris were married. I’ll post a few pictures and hope they don’t make Kat feel worse.

Kat would simply hike up behind the cabin and place her trail cams. In other words, all those beautiful wildlife pictures and videos were captured in her “backyard.”

The cabin is about a 5 mile drive down to the California coast. In just a few minutes, one goes from these wonderful woods and streams down to the ocean.

Although I had done a few backpacking trips with Kat, I had never met Chris. A couple years ago, after a trip in the Trinity Alps with Kat and our usual “gang,” Kat invited me to come visit them and meet Chris. Chris and I have a lot in common, as we are both mechanics (well I was once, but now retired).

I got to spend an afternoon with Chris at his “workshop,” which is a huge barn that houses most of his tools, equipment, and supplies. A lifetime of accumulated things to make a living.

It is also is the garage for his super—huge mobile repair truck. This is big rig truck with equipment and tools on it to repair large trucks and heavy equipment, such as bulldozers, earth movers, etc.  This is what he does for a living. He fixes big things. He is self employed, so the near future may be difficult.

The barn is on a ranch adjacent to the coast. Chris also has another area nearby where he stores some of his heavy equipment and does some large repairs. I suspect the barn is rented, so his livelihood is at great risk right now. But what is he doing? He is helping others fight the fires. But that is Chris and Kat — two wonderful people — who are always generous to others, which is why I helped on the GoFundMe page, and hopefully more people will be able to contribute. Looks like we just hit $10,000 in less than a day. BPL is awesome!

[Ivan Dominguez]

Hi, thanks a lot Doug for sharing this story, you are a very good person.
There goes my contribution
Best of luck to Kat and Chris. A strong hug
Iván

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