BCEP Notes From the Field: Team 12
Leader: Amy
Mendenhall (co-leading with Lynne Pedersen)
(The July Mazama Bulletin was a special Education Issue. This blog is part of the extended Education content. Read the full Education Issue.)
Pre-BCEP (Basic Climbing Education Program) Team 12 Leaders
& Assistants Meeting: My living
room is standing room only, overfilled with smiling people who want to help our
team this year. It blows me away that every year we manage to find such
wonderful volunteers to give up 6 weekends of their life to help BCEP students
learn how to climb. Super grateful.
Mendenhall (co-leading with Lynne Pedersen)
(The July Mazama Bulletin was a special Education Issue. This blog is part of the extended Education content. Read the full Education Issue.)
Pre-BCEP (Basic Climbing Education Program) Team 12 Leaders
& Assistants Meeting: My living
room is standing room only, overfilled with smiling people who want to help our
team this year. It blows me away that every year we manage to find such
wonderful volunteers to give up 6 weekends of their life to help BCEP students
learn how to climb. Super grateful.
 |
| Photo: Alex Gauthier |
First Night of Class:
Get to meet our students tonight and
find out how we can help them reach their goals. This is where I’ve met a lot
of my future climbing friends. Most of
my closest climbing buddies were students & assistants I met via BCEP
classes over the years. Tonight we start
expanding that circle even wider.
Get to meet our students tonight and
find out how we can help them reach their goals. This is where I’ve met a lot
of my future climbing friends. Most of
my closest climbing buddies were students & assistants I met via BCEP
classes over the years. Tonight we start
expanding that circle even wider.
First Hike: We hiked Hamilton Mountain in the gorge.
Weather was great. I got to lead the
super sneaky snack team, which left an hour before our students and the rest of
our group. We surprised our students on the summit with a fabulous spread,
table included, with breakfast treats, coffee, juice and more. Super fun start to the conditioning hikes.
Weather was great. I got to lead the
super sneaky snack team, which left an hour before our students and the rest of
our group. We surprised our students on the summit with a fabulous spread,
table included, with breakfast treats, coffee, juice and more. Super fun start to the conditioning hikes.
 |
| Photo: Alex Gauthier |
Rock Session at the
MMC: My favorite, and most
exhausting, night every year in BCEP. We
take a group of people who still have
the price tags hanging on their brand new harnesses and carabiners and
webbing … and turn them into climbers in one night. They transform from someone
learning how to put on a harness to belayers, climbers and rappellers in only a
few hours. There’s a bit of a swagger when they leave. It’s a life-changing
moment for some of them, and they don’t even realize it yet.
MMC: My favorite, and most
exhausting, night every year in BCEP. We
take a group of people who still have
the price tags hanging on their brand new harnesses and carabiners and
webbing … and turn them into climbers in one night. They transform from someone
learning how to put on a harness to belayers, climbers and rappellers in only a
few hours. There’s a bit of a swagger when they leave. It’s a life-changing
moment for some of them, and they don’t even realize it yet.
Horsethief Butte
outdoor rock session: Everything
clicked this weekend. All of our students tackled the routes without ever using
the word “no.” When we’d ask, “Why don’t
you try this rappel?,” every answer was, “Ok.” I’m so proud. They’re working
through fear, really becoming skilled at climbing and their belay technique is
solid. I had a moment alone with a few students, all of us staring at Mt. Hood,
and they both said they “couldn’t believe they were doing this.” They never thought they’d be climbing on rock
outside. One of them said his new goal
was to summit Hood. Now I’m excited about climbing all over again.
outdoor rock session: Everything
clicked this weekend. All of our students tackled the routes without ever using
the word “no.” When we’d ask, “Why don’t
you try this rappel?,” every answer was, “Ok.” I’m so proud. They’re working
through fear, really becoming skilled at climbing and their belay technique is
solid. I had a moment alone with a few students, all of us staring at Mt. Hood,
and they both said they “couldn’t believe they were doing this.” They never thought they’d be climbing on rock
outside. One of them said his new goal
was to summit Hood. Now I’m excited about climbing all over again.
 |
| Photo: Alex Gauthier |
Snow Session: Windy and cold start to the day, and zero
complaining from our team. As the day progressed, our students learned to self
arrest, they roped up and jumped fake crevasses and belayed each other up
slopes. It’s a day of playing with sharp objects (ice axe, crampons), and
everyone was super safe. Now they know how to climb rock and snow – can’t wait
to lead them up some peaks this summer!
complaining from our team. As the day progressed, our students learned to self
arrest, they roped up and jumped fake crevasses and belayed each other up
slopes. It’s a day of playing with sharp objects (ice axe, crampons), and
everyone was super safe. Now they know how to climb rock and snow – can’t wait
to lead them up some peaks this summer!
Post-BCEP: Students on summits everywhere! Our
students, so far, have made it up Unicorn Peak, Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helens (in
dresses on Mother’s Day). I personally
got to lead two of our students to the top of Mt. Hood, which has to be one of the
best experiences in climbing that I can have. So satisfying to help expand someone’s
idea of what’s possible.
students, so far, have made it up Unicorn Peak, Mt. Hood and Mount St. Helens (in
dresses on Mother’s Day). I personally
got to lead two of our students to the top of Mt. Hood, which has to be one of the
best experiences in climbing that I can have. So satisfying to help expand someone’s
idea of what’s possible.