YEP Selection Camp – Day 6
4th of December 2009 – Day 6 – Blog written by Catherine and Monde.
It’s not every day that you get to start off your morning peering down a 50 meter rock face, but that’s how day 6 of the YEP selection camp began. We were taught the essentials of abesailing and got to test out our new skills during an adventurous start to the day. As we rapelled down the rockface the breathatking panerama before us confirmed in ourselves a sense of higher possibility. We felt the exhileration that comes from pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones, and took in the beauty of the mountains that surrounded us. This experience was accompanied by an informative lecture and interactive activities regarding wilderness first aid. We learned how to protect ourselves in the tightest of situations, even learning how to craft a makeshift headboard out of backpacks.
We continued to be inspired to push ourselves to new limits as we completed the second and final day of the Mayo clinic testing in the afternoon. The most challenging of the tests was a 12 minute run, in which we had to run the furthest distance possible within the alloted time.
Several push ups, sit ups and wall sits later we were glad to get a chance to sit and catch our breath as we took part in an interactive lecture by Geberit about the significance of water management. In our discussion we were challenged to think about the ways in which water impacts our lives in some of the most unsuspecting ways.
Our day concluded with presentation by Petzel where we learned about the basics of climbing gear and were briefed about our visit to a glacier tomorrow. From repelling down rockface to endurance running, it was clear that what we took away from today was more than just sharpening our athletic skills. As we pushed ourselves we were reminded that obstacles are only limiting if we allow them to be. Instead we must see them as step ladders to even greater summits. As Mike Horn himself says, ‘’ the impossible (only) exists because we don’t try to make it possible .‘’