I’m not really an outdoorsy person. In fact, I typically try to do everything possible to get out of doing outdoor activities.

There are a lot of reasons for this. I don’t like to be messy or to get out of my comfort zone. I was also diagnosed with a ligament condition – ligament laxity – last year, which makes it hard for me to do some strenuous outdoor activities.

So, when I signed up for Outdoor Ed, I was a bit scared. Outdoor Ed is a gym class for juniors and seniors where you learn a variety of skills including rock climbing, biking, archery, kayaking and cooking.

I signed up because a lot of my friends were taking the class, and I had heard from graduates that it was a great experience. But, I can assure you I didn’t sign up because I loved the outdoors.

The first unit of the year, and the base for the long-awaited day trip, was rock climbing.

This is where my issue began. My ligament condition had formed a tear in my shoulder and thigh, making it difficult for me to climb. Instead of struggling through climbing, or not doing anything at all, I found an alternative.

I figured out a way to still participate, but modified it. I learned to belay, which is protecting the climber from falling using a rope system, and I learned to teach others to tie their knots. Never once did I feel excluded.

However, my ability to modify the unit did not help my neglect of the outdoors; I was still wary of outside activities. But, I didn’t want that to stop me from going on the trip.

The trip was the main pull of the class: an all-day trip to Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, involving hiking, climbing and bonding.

At first, I was nervous to hike and climb, being forced to try new things. Yet, the great thing about Outdoor Ed is that it facilitates an environment where you cannot fail. Even if you don’t accomplish what you set out to do, you never fail. With the support from Mr. Werner throughout the entire semester, the chaperones on the trip and the other students in the class, failure isn’t feared, but welcomed.

Still, I wanted to accomplish something I would’ve never done before.

I decided to repel 90 feet down a mountain.

Repelling is where you self-belay down the side of a cliff and, as soon as I got the courage, I knew I wanted to complete it. And, as it turns out, it didn’t feel impossible. Outdoor Ed seems to have that effect. 

In fact, Outdoor Ed has that effect in almost every way. Even when I’ve been scared or overwhelmed at any point in class, it never bothers me for too long. Outdoor Ed fosters a space where being afraid isn’t a bad thing.

There’s something magical about having a safe space to try new things. Outdoor Ed is a place where I can climb every obstacle, or mountain, thrown my way.