Warm, Dry and Well Fed

I like to tell our instructors that the expedition can be a magical experience. Students tell us that they come to see things in themselves and their friends that they weren't expecting, that they posess an inner strength they didn't know about.

All of this amazing learning can only happen, I tell our instructor teams, when our students are relatively warm, dry and well fed. It's critical for our students to be eating, drinking, staying warm and resting in addition to taking on all of the great challenges they will overcome together.

It's true they probably won't be as warm, dry and well fed as they might be on, say, the couch at home. In truth we don't want them to be that comfortable! Learning can only happen when we're just the right amount of uncomfortable. Too comfortable and we check out, too uncomfortable and we're stressed out. That happy medium is where the magic happens.

A big part of this is the work the instructor teams do. Teaching backcountry skills, setting up challenges within the grasp of the group at a particular moment, guiding them, facilitating their experience.

Another critical component of this 'magic uncomfortable' is having the right gear so groups can handle whatever the mountains in spring can throw our way. That's where I come in by providing all the group gear and camping equipment our crews will need.

I remember the first year of the expedition we didn't even have camping pads for our students - thank goodness it was relatively warm! Since then we've been agressively adding to our group gear so that this year I can proudly say we've got some of the best in the business!

This year we will pack out tents, sleeping bags, backpacks and stoves that are top of the line. This gear, brand new or just a year old, will directly contribute to a warm, dry and well fed crew of sophomores.

And that's where the magic happens.