You see a peak towering over the horizon, clouds blanketing it's base and sun bathing the crags above the tree line... "That's where I want to be," you whisper dramatically to yourself. Ahead of you is a long, strenuous, but rewarding ascent. You don't quite know how to get there yet, but you feel it in your bones... that's where you belong. Now look at the picture below- that's you standing there... cool picture right? It's from one of our trips. I know, you probably thought it was a royalty-free shutter-stock photo. It's not I promise. Anyway, back to the story.

There are a few things you need before you get started; you need to find a trail toward the summit, you need to pack your bag for that trail, and you need some pals to support your climb. This is the vision of Rocky Mountain Ascent. Our goal is to get you where you want to go. To help you make your ascent.
Breaking Down the Metaphor
Cute metaphor, right? Want me to explain it a bit more? Okay here you go.
1) Find your trail.
When climbing a mountain, you can hike all you want but you're not going to make much progress without a trail to follow, or a compass to help you bushwhack. It's tough finding a path in this life. There are so many twists and turns, people telling you different things about which route is best, lots of trees and rocks obstructing your view. One of our goals is to help you start thinking about which paths you feel called to. What interests you? What kinds of things are you good at? Our Life Skills Camp is designed to spark interest, introduce you to some different options for paths, and work with you to map out a trail that excites you.
2) Pack your pack.
Throughout our lives we collect a lot of unnecessary baggage. Tools that served to keep us safe in the moment, but that now just weigh us down. Back in the day it might have been helpful to lug around a set of full-body chainmail armor in your pack for protection, but now it's making your back hurt... chainmail is really heavy. While the hope of our Adventure Camp and Backpacking Camp is of course to have fun and connect with great people, it is also to release some of that old heavy baggage. When we push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, we prove to ourselves that we are capable of much more than we were originally telling ourselves. You, that shining soul, is in control of your life; not the primal part of your brain that fights so hard to get your attention. We can help you distinguish what thought patterns are helpful to bring forward with you, and which ones can be left at the trailhead.
3) Support the climb.
A couple amazing weeks over the summer can have a huge impact on someone's life; take it from all of us (we were once kids at summer camp too). With that being said, we recognize the value of continued support beyond summer camp. We are passionate about easing the transition into adulthood for our graduated campers with internship opportunities and check-ins throughout the years to come. The mountains out here are big... it can be overwhelming. It's important to have someone who's got your back, and can carry some of the weight. We strive to be a consistent, reliable resource for those who want someone to take a load off their shoulders every once in a while.
What is an Outdoor Guide?
The purpose of utilizing an outdoor guide to lead you up a mountain is to receive guidance from someone who's walked the trail before. While everyone's path is different, all the staff here at RMA were teenagers not too long ago. We know some of the shortcuts, some of the cliffs to avoid, some sweet alpine lakes to swim in :) We want to be guides, both physically and metaphorically... but only if you're down to join us!
We look forward to seeing you soon. Let's crush these mountains!
Much love,
Tanner and the RMA team.
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