{"id":20689,"date":"2017-09-22T12:13:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T19:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=20689"},"modified":"2018-10-11T12:45:47","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T19:45:47","slug":"inspiring-girls-expeditions-becoming-a-mentor-in-the-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/inspiring-girls-expeditions-becoming-a-mentor-in-the-mountains","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring Girls Expeditions: Becoming a Mentor in the Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note on October 11, 2018: In continuation of the co-op\u2019s Force of Nature effort to advance gender equity in the outdoors, this year, REI is investing $560,000 in 25 nonprofits dedicated to connecting women to the outdoors. Inspiring Girls Expeditions received a $10,000 grant from the 2018 Force of Nature Fund.<\/em><\/p>\n

Perched\u00a0on a high promontory deep in the North Cascades, I looked in awe at the immense snowy face above me of\u00a0Mount Baker, a 10,781-foot dormant volcano.\u00a0The vibrant colors of the sunset painted on wispy clouds in the valley below.\u00a0Beside me my\u00a0teammates rested on the rocky ground of\u00a0the high camp that would be our home\u00a0for the\u00a0next week. I\u00a0saw my thoughts\u00a0reflected in their faces:\u00a0excitement, nervousness, wonder,\u00a0joy\u2014and the question of what have we gotten ourselves into?<\/p>\n

It was 2010. We were a group of nine young women, many of whom had never hiked before, let alone traveled up a snowfield on one of Washington\u2019s five volcanoes\u2014and\u00a0we were completely out of our element.\u00a0Although I had backpacked before and loved to hike, I had never traveled much distance on snow and had zero mountaineering experience. For some of my teammates, this was the first time they\u00a0had ever stepped on snow or seen\u00a0a volcano.\u00a0After a long day of hiking, we were relieved to arrive at camp. The only reason we\u00a0all\u00a0made it was thanks to the efforts of volunteers and our three\u00a0instructors: a\u00a0glaciologist, a mountaineering guide and a botanist\/artist, all of whom were\u00a0unlike any teachers I had had before.\u00a0That day, each step was an opportunity to learn, and with each passing hour I had more and more questions as\u00a0the instructors\u00a0helped me observe\u00a0the landscape through their eyes.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The fist hike of the program takes the group through a high alpine meadow and a steep trail perfect for testing new gear. (Photo Credit: Claire Giordano)<\/p><\/div>\n

Girls on Ice Cascades, the program I was a participant in, is a wilderness, science, field art\u00a0and\u00a0leadership program for high school girls.\u00a0The\u00a0tuition-free experience\u00a0offers\u00a0a unique opportunity to learn, lead and\u00a0gain self-confidence in physical, intellectual and social abilities.\u202f Now in its fifteenth\u00a0year, Girls on Ice Cascades has grown into\u00a0Inspiring Girls Expeditions<\/a>,\u00a0which, in addition to Washington, hosts Girls on Ice programs\u00a0in\u00a0Alaska, Switzerland,\u00a0Canada\u00a0and soon, a new Girls on Rock program in Colorado.<\/p>\n

The expansion means more participants will get to explore different environments and new fields of science. <\/b>The first year of the program was 1999, when two instructors and five\u00a0young\u00a0women wandered into the Cascades to learn about glaciology. In 2018, Inspiring Girls Expeditions will allow 45 young women to venture into the wilderness to explore not only glaciology but also geology and ecology. One of the\u00a0new\u00a0Inspiring Girls\u00a0programs\u00a0is Girls on Rock,\u00a0which is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from\u00a0REI\u2019s 2017 Force of Nature Fund<\/a>.\u00a0Through the $500,000 fund,\u00a0REI is\u00a0supporting more than two-dozen organizations that create opportunities for women and girls in the outdoors.<\/p>\n

\"climbers

After starting to climb in the dark and watching sunrise turn the glaciers shades of pink, the group was nearly at the summit crater of Mount Baker. (Photo Credit: Claire Giordano)<\/p><\/div>\n

During the\u00a012-day\u00a0Girls on Ice\u00a0program,\u00a0we lived on the flanks of Mount Baker\u00a0and\u00a0worked together to\u00a0explore the terrain\u00a0and ourselves.\u00a0Each day brought new challenges:\u00a0walking the edges of a\u00a0crevasse with guest scientists, trying to capture\u00a0the textures of white snow in a sketch using only a black pen, learning how to cook in the wilderness, and trying to find clues to answer our questions about the\u00a0the landscape. We were empowered to lead and supported to make mistakes.\u00a0It was eye-opening to experience\u00a0the intersection of art and scientific\u00a0process\u00a0in a real-world setting, where mundane terms and processes became important and fascinating tools to learn.\u00a0This is one of the greatest lessons I carry from Girls on Ice: The world around us is full of stories, information and history that can be found through careful observation, research and insatiable curiosity.<\/p>\n

Each evening we would sit in our circle at camp and reflect on the day, connecting new ideas and hypotheses with what we observed and were taught. I remember falling asleep each night with my journal usually still in my hand. In those evening reflections, each of us got to share what we learned,\u00a0in terms of\u00a0both science and our\u00a0personal\u00a0growth.\u00a0The group was defined by a\u00a0diversity of perspectives and experiences. From creating hypotheses on melting patterns based on observations of shadows in big cities to hearing how leading her team for a day helped one girl overcome her fears, each of us brought something beautiful to the group. In addition, our unique interests drove\u00a0scientific research\u00a0projects which were the culmination of our mountain explorations. We designed and implemented our\u00a0collaborative\u00a0projects\u00a0in the field\u00a0with the help of an instructor, and investigated things such as snow-melt patterns,\u00a0plant succession in the glacier terminus and\u00a0crevasses.\u00a0At the end of the program, we presented our projects to a group of people gathered at the North Cascades\u00a0Institute.<\/p>\n

\"Girls

After five days on the mountain, the girls now moved with confidence on snow and rock as they explored the glacier\u2019s moraines. (Photo Credit: Claire Giordano)<\/p><\/div>\n

Just as I explored the glacial\u00a0geology and mountain terrain of Mount Baker, Girls on Rock will send young women to\u00a0Colorado to climb and explore the ecology and geology of the Rockies. Girls on Rock Program Co-Founder\u00a0Evelyn Cheng said that\u00a0she knew that \u201cthe expedition’s success would ultimately hinge on finding someone to help us with the costs of the program, including transportation, food, equipment, instructor training and lodging.\u201d She continued, \u201cThanks to REI, next summer we will have the resources to fly nine young women\u00a0out to Aspen, Colorado, where they will spend 12 days exploring art \u00a0<\/strong>and science together, practicing technical rock climbing skills, and learning how to thrive in the backcountry. There aren’t really words to do justice to the gratitude that\u00a0we\u00a0feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Girls\u00a0on\u00a0Ice had\u2014and still has\u2014a tremendous impact\u00a0on my life. It\u00a0gave me\u00a0a\u00a0sense of\u00a0self-confidence,\u00a0helped me\u00a0push my boundaries and\u00a0taught me\u00a0to seek out help when needed. It deepened my connection to the world around me by showing me the intersections of science and art. It made\u00a0climate change\u00a0personal, as I watched a glacier I had studied shrink year after year. It showed me the power of art to foster connections between people and place. And\u00a0most of all, it gave me three mentors\u00a0who challenge me to\u00a0follow my passion for\u00a0connecting people with nature\u00a0and creating art that communicates science by fostering emotional connections to a place.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0gave me\u00a0a\u00a0sense of\u00a0self-confidence,\u00a0helped me\u00a0push my boundaries and\u00a0taught me\u00a0to seek out help when needed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because of Girls on Ice\u2019s impact, I\u00a0return as a volunteer for the program\u00a0each summer.\u00a0Some years it\u2019s\u00a0only for a day, other years for a week.\u00a0This summer,\u00a0I had the privilege of being the visiting artist for the team.\u00a0Walking onto the mountain and leading the girls in their first art activity, I realized I had come full circle. As a participant, the instructors\u00a0gave me the confidence to call myself an artist\u00a0and to begin sharing my art publicly.\u00a0The\u00a0sketches\u00a0I made when on the program opened my eyes to the potential of art to complement science and inspire people. To now be the one teaching art filled me with joy and gratitude, as I am certain I never would have gained the confidence to share my art, let alone teach it, without participating in Girls on Ice.<\/p>\n

\"Claire's

Claire’s painting of the peaks she saw from camp. She carries a small set of watercolors on each trip. (Photo Credit: Claire Giordano)<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the course of two days this summer, I\u00a0walked the same paths I did\u00a0as a participant and observed the changes in the glaciers, and in myself. We explored how\u00a0art and science can work\u00a0together\u00a0to communicate complicated scientific concepts\u00a0or vast changes in a landscape.\u00a0We huddled under tarps while sketching glacial ice in a downpour,\u00a0laughed\u00a0at\u00a0our ridiculous sketches\u00a0and marveled at the patterns rain made in watercolor. Together,\u00a0we created a space where everyone was an artist, regardless of whether they had ever\u00a0touched a paintbrush. As a team we opened\u00a0our eyes to the patterns, colors and information ingrained in the sinuous runnels of snow and jagged edges of rock beneath our feet.<\/p>\n

Seven years later,\u00a0I have\u00a0become one of the mentors in the mountains.<\/p>\n

This is the gift that REI\u2019s grant gives:\u00a0the gift of\u00a0lifelong relationships, opportunities to learn about ourselves and science in a challenging setting, and to experience things we might not have otherwise.\u00a0Inspiring Girls\u00a0Expeditions\u00a0empowered me to follow the winding path of my passions with the confidence of a mountaineer, the creativity of a field artist and the curiosity of a scientist. I can\u2019t wait to go back next summer and see how the program inspires the next generation of young women.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn more about Inspiring Girls Expeditions, get involved or make a donation,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note on October 11, 2018: In continuation of the co-op\u2019s Force of Nature effort to advance gender equity in the outdoors, this year, REI is investing $560,000 in 25 nonprofits dedicated to connecting women to the outdoors. Inspiring Girls Expeditions received a $10,000 grant from the 2018 Force of Nature Fund. Perched\u00a0on a high […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":20704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[681,288,726,424,125],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-20689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stewardship","tag-art","tag-featured","tag-force-of-nature","tag-rei-stewardship","tag-science-of-the-outdoors"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/inspiring-girls-expeditions-becoming-a-mentor-in-the-mountains","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Inspiring Girls Expeditions: Becoming a Mentor in the Mountains","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/inspiring-girls-expeditions-becoming-a-mentor-in-the-mountains","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/inspiring-girls-expeditions-becoming-a-mentor-in-the-mountains"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/09\/4.-2014-glacier-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/09\/4.-2014-glacier-1.jpg?fit=3100%2C2067"},"articleSection":"Stewardship","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["art","featured","force of nature","philanthropy","science of the outdoors"],"dateCreated":"2017-09-22T19:13:05Z","datePublished":"2017-09-22T19:13:05Z","dateModified":"2018-10-11T19:45:47Z"},"rendered":"