This summer I traveled out to Montana to guide for Alpengirl, a women owned and run summer camp. I spent the month of May preparing for my adventure by taking a wilderness first responder course and building a platform for a bed in the back of my car with the intention of living in it for the time I was out. At the end of the month I headed out west. I stopped in Colorado for a week, exploring Rocky Mountain National Park and the Boulder area. From there I went to Moab for a few days. Moab was so cool, I tried mountain biking and explored the national parks in the area. After a few days in the desert I made my way to Antelope Island, Salt Lake City, and the Wasatch Mountains. On June 10th I left the area to drive to Manhattan, Montana where the Alpengirl office is located, a small town 20 minutes outside of Bozeman.
I lead a total of four trips. The first two were horse packing trips in Centennial Valley on the border of Montana and Idaho. The third trip was a mix of sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands, rock climbing at Mt. Tom, and backpacking in the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.
The last trip we did two mini backpacking trips with 11 year old girls. We spent two nights at Rialto Beach and one night in the Hoh Rain Forest. This was my first time guiding, and although challenging, I fell in love with it. It was super rewarding to watch girls with minimal experience grow and become empowered in the outdoors. I worked with the same coguide the entire summer.
By the end of it we could pretty much read each other’s minds. At the end of the season we went to Glacier National Park for a few days, backpacking in the North Fork as well as hiking the Highline Trail.
I would not have been able to adventure out west and fulfill some of my goals without the adventure scholarship. This experience was very influential. I grew, learned valuable life skills and formed meaningful connections. It has inspired me to continue guiding, going on adventures and sharing that love with others.