A place people take steps they never thought they could

I had never heard of “outdoor learning” or Camp Ihduhapi when I saw the advertisement 25 years ago. The Y was looking for challenge course facilitators, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant I liked the idea of working outside with groups of all ages.

I was invited to tag along with a group for an afternoon, and that day I learned that the job was giving groups the opportunity to challenge themselves both as a team and as individuals in a safe, supportive environment.

I was hooked.

I had been facilitating for a couple years when the high school group came to camp for a program in May. The school called them “alternative learners:” kids who weren’t succeeding in the mainstream classrooms for a variety of reasons. Our morning was spent doing low-to-the-ground group challenges, and the group excelled. They were excited to try the high-ropes. After a few steps I knew I wasn’t afraid of heights.

When we reached the climbing challenge that day in May most of the participants were thrilled: they couldn’t wait to put on harnesses and start up the ladder. James walked away. I asked if he wanted to climb, and he shook his head. He knew our philosophy is “Challenge by Choice” and it was fine to choose not to. Then I asked if he wanted to put on a harness and belay. He hesitated, then shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.”

On many of the climbing challenges at Ihduhapi the participant’s safety is in the hands of the members of their group, who hold the belay rope that keeps the climber safe as they ascend the challenge. James joined one of the belay teams, and the first climber stepped to the ladder.

The first few participants attacked the challenge and climbed with great focus and energy as their teammates kept them safe and cheered them on. Some made it to the top of the challenge, others not as high, but all were celebrated by the team. As the next climber readied to go up, James walked over to me. “I want to climb now.”

I looked to the next climber, who smiled and stepped away so James could go.

I connected his harness to the ropes and ran through the safety checks with the group so he would know they were ready to support him. They pulled the ropes tight so he could feel their support through his harness. Following protocol he hesitantly called out, “Climbing.” His team roared back, “Climb on!”

James walked to the ladder. He grabbed the side rails and took one step, his team keeping the ropes tight as he went up. He stood on that first step, breathed deeply for a few seconds, and then stepped back to the ground. “Off belay,” he said quietly. “Belay off!” shouted his team, and they put the ropes down and ran over to congratulate him. They knew that this one step for James had been his Everest. I glanced over at their teacher, who had a smile that let me know how important this moment was.

It’s hard for me to easily describe the impact on my own life of working on the challenge course at Ihduhapi. I’ve been able to offer many hundreds of people and groups the opportunity to challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zones to see what they could achieve both together and as individuals in a physically and emotionally safe and secure environment. Those experiences have changed me in countless ways.

And I’ve been lucky enough to witness and help people take steps they never thought they could. People like James.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jim Levi joined the Ihduhapi staff as a facilitator in 1999, then took a break to get a full-time job and start a family in 2010. His children, now 13 and 11, have attended camp at Ihduhapi, and Jim rejoined the staff in 2023. Jim’s career is as a film and television writer.