Reflecting on PNAN climbing club service

There is a climbing book that starts with the sentence “The mountain had been there a long time.” If I were to parody a story starter for the tale of Terry Lee, rock climbing club president, it could begin with: Terry had been there a long time.

In a way, Terry is like that mountain, a presence in the climbing community. A naturally talented athlete, he is predisposed to the reachy, powerful contrivances of climbing, the mental puzzles and contortions. After he quickly mastered the challenges of our KIS climbing wall, it was natural for Terry to want to stretch his imagination and skills and take his climbing to the next level, this time including his climbing club friends and refugees he met through pNan.

I put Terry in touch with Eddie Park, a rock climbing guide. Terry scouted the rock climbing site, preparing to lead the excursion for his peers. Eddie and I also scouted the climbing location beforehand to assess risk, ensure safety and guarantee an appropriate experience for beginner climbers.

Terry and I trained the younger members of climbing club to belay and give instruction to others. Because I know that the best way to learn something is to try to teach it yourself, I was confident that this experience would be a true service and learning opportunity for our students. As the day neared, our excitement grew.

The alarm blares. Early. Much earlier than your average high school student is used to waking up on a Saturday. I hope they show up, I thought to myself. I drove out to our appointed meeting spot and there they all were, five KIS high school students, all ready to go. I sent them up the hill to the rocks to get started with Eddie, and waited for the refugees to arrive on the subway a bit later. When they arrived, we shared introductions and walked up the hill.

“You got this! C’mon, push it!” Encouragement wafted past the falling leaves as a light breeze shifted around the slanting daylight of the canyon. Our KIS students happily led and belayed new climbers, checking harnesses, providing safety and encouragement in the manner in which they had been trained. I was impressed to see the maturity and skill with which they handled their newfound leadership roles. They puzzled over the moves and worked out the sequences of complicated climbing puzzles.

At the end of the day, everyone had a hard time saying goodbye to one another, and I got the sense that the memory was likely to linger for some time to come. The students and refugees experienced the camaraderie of the rock and the feeling first expressed by Everest pioneer George Leigh Mallory, that “What we get from climbing is just sheer joy.”