The past month has included a big transition and plenty of climbing. Classic!! I left NC in the end of September, and spent 4 days driving out west to Las Vegas. The drive went great, I love driving across the country. I landed at the Red Rock Campground, and spent 10 days there climbing to prepare for my course. I took my Rock Guide Course with the AMGA over the past 8 days. It was a Women's Affinity course and it was sponsored by The North Face. This means that all participants (8) and instructors (4) were women, and in a male dominated, technical, old school industry that is a pretty wild thing!! There were tons of photos taken during the course, but unfortunately none by me. So as of the writing of this blog post, I don't have many photos to share. I will share a few from my prep time before the course, to lay the scene... Well I imagine that in the coming days/ weeks I will receive an influx of photos and be able to better share what my course actually looked like. For now, all I have is a 500 word essay that I just wrote as part of the contract that I signed for the scholarship from The North Face. If you're interested in my reflection on the course, here it is... Yesterday I completed my Rock Guide Course. It was the Women’s Affinity Course, sponsored by The North Face. This was many years in the making, and there was part of me that didn’t see myself at this level. There’s an imposter syndrome going on, which has affected me since the moment I began climbing. The Rock Guide Course was an empowering experience that taught me more than just 3 different ways to tie a munter hitch. It was perhaps a shedding of the imposter syndrome. To see myself performing well and asking high level questions was really invigorating. The community that we built and the culture that we upheld was essential to the supportive learning environment that allowed for this. I was able to fearlessly try new techniques and develop my skill set in a tangible way. I’ve found that my imposter syndrome can either be reinforced or broken down, depending on the people around me. When I feel judged, ignored, or unprepared I tend to feel that I don’t belong, I’ve just been faking it this whole time, I’m not actually a rock star. But this course felt the opposite. There was lots of positive feedback, genuine conversations about life paths, and frankly, fun. I realized that I was truly doing the thing. I am walking away from the course with my head held high knowing that I am capable of things that I did not believe possible 5 years ago. The pursuit of climbing has been life changing for me personally. I’ve been pouring my heart into the sport and the journey, and I watch myself transform in real time. I grow strong, confident, and compassionate. Sometimes, one just needs an open arms space to see themselves actualize. I felt that space and opportunity on the Women’s Rock Guide Course. Self growth is not an end in itself. It is a means through which I hope to better impact the world around me. My goal is and always has been to share this incredibly meaningful journey with others. Now that I’m an Apprentice Rock Guide I am much better suited to be doing that. Normally, at work, I am the one giving technical instruction and I rarely receive training anymore. It was really satisfying to have such an incredible training opportunity with such impressive instructors. I am certain that I will be taking what I learned back to my job as a Climbing Specialist at the North Carolina Outward Bound School. I now feel better suited to train others, especially aspiring Climbing Specialists, just like I was 3 years ago. I am extremely grateful for the privilege to have spent 8 days in the desert with 11 other women, as we seized the space to develop ourselves as climbers, guides, and humans. I am inspired to continue the push to make climbing more accessible and inclusive. I am also inspired to continue my own personal push deeper into a male dominated industry. If I learned one thing from the past week, it is that I can, in fact, do it. That is all that I have for now. I'm doing great, my body is feeling healthy and ready to continue pushing deeper into climbing season. Today I leave Las Vegas for Indian Creek, Utah for just a few days. Then I head to Yosemite! Exciting times!
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