Can going on adventures out in nature really foster leadership, perseverance, and healthy risk taking in high schoolers? We decided to ask one.

“The first time I ever went rock climbing was 2021 for the fall climbing trip,” said Wylde, a sophomore attending Chinook West. “That was so fun. We went camping for three days. Just climbing constantly.”

That fall climbing trip, to Wyoming, was TEENS, Inc.’s first multi-day climbing trip since the pandemic started. “I just couldn’t stop after that. Now I go on every climbing trip that I can.”

“My hands – at first, climbing would totally shred them. Now I have calluses on all my fingers. They don’t hurt any more. I don’t get blisters. I’m way stronger, which is awesome.”

“I used to be deathly terrified of heights. No one wants to fall. In Wyoming, I was climbing with Ian [Outdoor Leadership Program Manager] – and it wasn’t a super hard climb, but there was this one spot where there was a gap in the rocks. I lost my grip and started falling. The rope caught me at the last second.”

“Now, when I get to the top and I look down, it’s still pretty scary. I realize that I have to put all my weight into this rope to go back down. But after falling a few times, you learn to trust the rope.”

Students are also building trust with their peers: “Even if you know a classmate, you don’t really hang out at school. But then we went on these adventures and it snapped us together as a team. Now we’re pretty good friends. That’s something that I’m happy about.” 

“You’re getting closer to your teachers too. My English language arts teacher, his name’s Tom. He’s a really good climber. I feel like there’s a pretty good bond between me and Ian and Tom and everyone else who goes climbing. It’s definitely better than just going to your classes and not liking your teacher because they’re evil. Our teachers are actually really nice.”

At this point, Ian chimed in, “I keep telling Wylde, “Give it a year or two. If you stick with it, you’re going to be climbing stuff that I can’t.”

“I hope so,” Wylde fired back, “Then I can brag to you and Tom and be like, ‘I’m better at climbing than you. Get on my level!’”

“I think I’m definitely going to continue doing this for a long time – as long as I stay healthy and don’t injure myself. I think I will definitely take this into my future.”

Thank you for sharing your climbing journey, Wylde!