Leaving the trailhead and taking our first steps outside our comfort zone

** This is the second installment of a three-part feature following Onward and Upward’s eight-day summer backpacking expedition in Hatcher Pass. In part two of the journey, our team learns about challenges; the kind that wears you down; yet ultimately lifts you up. For the first part, see frontiersman.com.

The first step into the backcountry wasn’t onto a trail at all; it was straight into a pool of warm silty, mid-calf water, as we waded a few hundred yards up a creek. Our socks were immediately super soggy. Even Ben Cross, one of the guides, laughed, “I really don’t want wet socks already.” Something about this moment was perfect, we were forming our team; the Super Soggy Socks.

Warm, silty water squished in our boots during our trek as the rain began to fall, but our spirits stayed high. Every step was a lesson: in patience, in humility, and in leaning on one another when the elements pressed in. Soggy socks were inconvenient, but convenient for our first lesson inward.

“It’s time to get our socks really soggy! Shouts Allan Nashold the pacesetter as he heads for a giant mud puddle just before the place where we set up camp the first night. Allan was all in on getting his socks soggy. His enthusiasm for the adventure was infectious.

At the end of the day, something had shifted. Bailey Killingsworth turned to gaze at the trail behind us commenting wistfully; “I’ve known Connor Doneghy since third grade, but today was the first time we’ve really talked, and it was for hours. It made hiking a lot easier.” Connor Doneghy later grinned as he reflected on the first day's hike, “I really liked talking to Bailey. It made hiking fun.”

Healthy connections like this are part of our mission, reminders that in the backcountry, as in life, we are all interconnected. Through adversity we gain confidence, pride in ourselves and each other. We develop resilience, and the fortitude that we can overcome obstacles, not only backpacking but in life.

That first day was full of lessons: wildlife safety, lost-person protocol, weather protection, map reading, hydration, water disinfection, stove use, stream crossings, and even the finer points of using the bathroom in the wild. Guided by professional outdoor educators, the students step into lessons crafted to teach students expeditionary skills, but it’s the unpredictable backcountry experiences that leave the deepest marks that linger on beyond the trail.

Later after the day's hike was done, we collected water for the evening meals, and a thick fog rolled in until we could barely see each other. Every student carried a whistle and knew exactly what to do if separated. No one was ever alone, and bear spray was always within reach. Onward and Upward spend a great deal of preliminary preparation to mitigate risk.

The night fell, the rain and wind started to blow...and the tents shook but our sleeping socks were the first dry socks we felt all day. Our sleeping bags were our comfort zone, where we felt safe and at ease. Sleep came fast as our snoring echoed off the mountain walls

At dawn, the wind roared across camp, rattling guy lines and straining stakes until our tents bowed like sails. A few anchors pulled free, but every shelter held, our tent erecting lessons held fast. It's the little things that we take for granted that we should be grateful.

Some of us would be slow to rise. It would be a wet, windy, bone-chilling day. We broke camp, huddled under the kitchen tarp for hot breakfast, and stepped onto the cold, rain-slick trail. This would be our most challenging day.

Challenges aren’t a bad thing, they carve lessons deep into the backcountry of our minds. The low moments make the highs shine brighter. Late in the day, as wind cut sideways and rain soaked through layers, Connor Doneghy voiced what many were thinking: “I just want to be home.”

“Some of us were challenged physically, others emotionally, and some socially,” said trip leader Joshua. “Our goal is to get people out of their comfort zones.” Nothing does that like a bit of bad weather in the backcountry.

Callan, limping on a sore foot, found resolve and represented expeditionary grit. “Even though my foot hurts, I just gotta push through.” Everyone was digging deep. Scott Nashold, our intern instructor, came up with a trail game, Contact, for students to play as a distraction. The game went on for days, the students exercised the language center of their brains as they walked.

Each of us dealt with the discomfort in our own way, the instructors showed the students how to keep warm, the backcountry taught them how to overcome adversity.

That night on our third straight day of rain, we crouched beneath the instructor’s tarp for debrief. Morale sagged; rain fatigue had set in. Then, as if the weather itself wanted the last word, a small break opened in the clouds. The sun broke through for a single, fleeting moment before vanishing again. That fleeting burst of sunlight was gone as quickly as it came, and the drizzle returned.

It was a reminder that storms are part of every living system: forests bend, rivers swell, and wildlife shelters together. Out in the backcountry, resilience is never a solo act, we are connected to the land and each other.

In the stillness of the night, I crawled out of my tent to clear skies, the universe stretched out above me, the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star; clear skies meant good weather. I knew that the dawn of the new day would be glorious.

In next week’s edition, the expedition reaches its powerful climax: the storms finally break, the sun returns, and the journey transforms into a celebration. Students descend steep mountain walls, learn to navigate through boulder fields, and face their first solo trek. Read as they wade through uncertainty with grit, courage, and trust. In the end, they find that resilience is carved into every step of their journey into the backcountry of their mind.

Onward & Upward is an Alaska-based nonprofit that uses outdoor education and adventure to build resilience, connection, and leadership in young people. Guided by the principles of One Health, our mission is to help students recognize the interconnection between personal well-being, community health, and the natural environment. For more information on this Non-Profit visit our website: onwardandupward.org/contact or call 1-907-745-ONUP (6687).