My STEP project was the Rocky Mountain Leaders Expedition, and it entailed climbing and hiking in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for 10 days. I learned how to climb and belay others, both of which were very new experiences for me. Many of the climbs were in preparation for Longs Peak, a half-day climb at the end of the trip that was very challenging but also rewarding.
During my STEP signature project, I became much more confident in myself and my ability to succeed with climbing. Prior to the trip, we had done preparation field days; two were in a park on an outdoor rock, one was in an indoor climbing gym and one was in the woods. The one in the woods was the closest to the actual thing, and I distinctly remember one of the helpers saying they’d never seen anyone stuck on the wall for as long as I was. That should give a good indicator of my skill level leading up to the trip, and as funny as that was at the time, it also made me doubt myself since I didn’t want to be the person to hold my team back. I even remember during the course for the trip that prior Spring, stories about previous climbers who slowed everyone down. I didn’t want that person to be me.
On the second day of the trip, we had our first climb, and it was an outdoor rock in a park similar to the one I did on the two field days, but a bit larger. We had just had a hike that morning and I had thought we might stop at the house for a little bit, but it wasn’t until we left and started hiking that I learned we were climbing right after, and I didn’t have my climbing equipment. Even worse, it wasn’t until we drove straight to the park for climbing that I realized we weren’t stopping at the house on the off-chance I could grab my gear. So, I had to borrow my fellow trip member’s equipment that day, and to top it all off, one of the routes I attempted I didn’t even get off the ground on. It reminded me of the field day in the woods, and I immediately thought, “Oh, great, I guess this will be how the whole trip will go.”
Luckily for me, though, I was wrong. While the second day had its challenges, I made sure to pay closer attention to the itinerary from then on so that I could always be prepared when leaving in the morning. Actually, I’m an Eagle Scout so I really should’ve known better on the second day considering the “Always Be Prepared” mantra of Scouting. The shoes I’d borrowed on the second day were very tight, which does provide strategic value and its not like they’re supposed to be comfortable, but I decided to go against the grain and sacrifice performance for comfort, since in opinion, the more comfortable I am, the better I perform. At least while climbing. I prefer in-person classes and work settings as opposed to online ones. Maybe that comparison isn’t one to one though since it’s not like you can climb online.
I do believe my logic payed off, as I could take my time thinking through the routes without letting my feet bother me. That is, of course, just personal preference though, and I would recommend using tighter shoes like you’re supposed to. Just because it worked for me doesn’t mean it will for you. In additional to bigger shoes, I also made sure to have in my head that I didn’t want to let my team down, which helped me push forward. I also accidentally ended up successfully sending exactly three routes in a row for the first few days, which, after I realized it, became a minimum goal for me to achieve. I did end up surpassing that too, which was satisfying. Overall, I think the biggest contributor to the improvement in my performance was simply thinking through what to do and problem solving. Watching my tripmates climb also helped give me a good perspective for how to climb the routes, and their encouragement was always welcome. The comradery did a lot to help keep a positive attitude and persevere through each climb I did. As I gained further success, I naturally gained more confidence in my ability to climb as well. I went into the trip with little climbing experience, so one of my biggest takeaways is that if I could successfully improve that much in such a short amount of time, then so can you.
Long Peak was certainly challenging, but it was also very satisfying to complete. Even when I ended up falling behind the group a little bit during Longs Peak, I put on some Beastie Boys and hiked as fast as I could, practically running, until I caught up with everyone else. I have never been one for giving up or quitting, and I always like to persevere and try as hard as I can with what I’m doing. The only exception is if I no longer find whatever I’m doing fun, but you’ll catch me dead before saying learning how to rock climb wasn’t fun. At the end of the trip, they gave out awards with rubber ducks, inspired by the rubber ducks Jeep owners give each other, which I was pleased by as a Jeep owner myself. I was even more pleased, though, at receiving the “Most Improved Climber” award, as it gave me a visual and material acknowledgement signifying my progress and how far I’d come since the beginning of the trip. I achieved my goal of not slowing my team down, and perhaps I even exceeded it while having a lot of fun in the process. Due to this, in terms of being a leader, my biggest takeaway was definitely with teamwork. I got along well with everyone, I put a lot of value into making sure I kept up my pace, I encouraged others, received encouragement and with belaying, I put my trust in others and others put their trust in me to do it safely and correctly. I believe that was a major theme for the trip, as bonding, trust and comradery are key aspects of a successful team, and there’s no doubt we had all of those.
The improvement in my confidence and ability to succeed really have to do with adaptability, as well as perseverance and teamwork. I have already gone over how the latter two helped me, but I believe adaptability was a major factor as it was what allowed me to enter into a completely new environment, situation and skill set and be able to not only manage to not fall behind, but also find a lot of success. The trip has helped me realize that I am able to adapt to situations that are new, challenging and intimidating even if I am doubtful of myself. It has also helped me realize that this can apply to anyone, too. While most might not think they’re capable of doing something like rock climbing, they should know that they are able to. My ability to succeed was always the same, it was more so my perception of my ability to succeed that changed. I know others can surpass their perceptions and expectations too, not just with climbing, but in general. I know it’s cliché to say never believe you can’t do it, but the Rocky Mountain Leaders Trip has made me realize just how true those words really are.
Adaptability, perseverance and teamwork are all important aspects of life, as they allow us to adapt to new situations and environments, work through challenges and work with others, all key contributors to both personal and group success. If someone in a group doesn’t have adaptability or perseverance, that can also hinder how well they work with their group members. Similarly, since everyone inevitably works with people very different from them, they have to adapt to their work styles in order to figure out how to achieve success by working together. Now that I am more confident in my ability to adapt to new situations, I believe I am more prepared for when I am met with these in the future, as well as adapting to changing circumstances. I am now much more confident in my ability to enter into new situations, and I know that that confidence will also help me in team settings when adjusting to the way others work. Overall, this trip has helped me develop confidence in my ability to adapt to and persevere through challenges and in working with others, which will help me achieve my academic, personal and career goals by making it easier for me to trust in my own abilities, build mutual trust with others to have shared success and setting realistic goals that make me all the more satisfied when I surpass them.
