A forest canopy towers over the Appalachian Trail in Grayson Highlands State Park on October 27, 2022. The range of colors is like the range in adventure. Some people experience adventure through touching a snake for the first time, for others it is an economic gold mine turned to dust, and for others still it is a learning tool. This photo essay explores these aspects of adventure in an attempt to broaden the meaning of the word.
A young participant holds Chambers’ hand through an especially difficult part of the “challenge by choice” high ropes course during Campish.
Tiffany Johnson began Dino Buddies after being let go from the Cincinnati Zoo at the peak of COVID-19. With her personal collection of reptiles and an abundance of free time, Johnson made Dino Buddies as a way to introduce urban populations to the world of herpetology. It is a way for her to continue educating while reaching new populations who might not be able to go to a zoo or who may not live close to a natural area where snakes, lizards and turtles hide, she said.
Chambers invited Johnson to present at Campish in 2022 to give participants the chance to experience a unique challenge that the camp usually cannot offer during the summer.
Kids feel a ball python for the first time through Dino Buddies.
A woman struggles to find the balance between comfort and safety as she chooses which helmet to fit over her braids before getting on an elaborate high ropes course at YMCA Camp Ernst. Helmets are crucial for safety on high ropes courses that are a major attraction touted by many residential camps, yet most helmets are not made for hairstyles needed to keep Black hair healthy, according to Chambers. It is yet another roadblock people of color experience in adventure recreation he says.
Jon Tobin uses free time in an empty store to engineer a breathing apparatus for SCUBA Divers, even though he could not personally dive for more than six weeks due to brain surgery.
Jon Tobin teaches a rope rescue course at Hocking College.
The Via Ferrata in Seneca, West Virginia offered students the chance to climb a face that had more than 300 feet of exposure on one side. Much like a high ropes course, this excursion had a great amount of perceived risk and gave more experienced level three students interested in rock climbing the chance to push their skills and mental ability further than possible in a traditional school setting.
The Via Ferrata, meaning “way of iron” in Italian, gives access to areas that would not be otherwise accessible to those without years of climbing experience, according to the guide who led the group of kids through the climb.
Dalton Bear of YBEC crouches on the edge of the ladder, below, during a water break. Bear pledged to only wear his flimsy Vans the entire trip, through the Via Ferrata as well as free climbing the next day.
Faith Dieztler focuses on making an oragami star during art class at YBEC’s school building. Dietzler is a junior and second generation student at YBEC after her brother. Her mother, Cindy Smales, and step father, Craig Smales, noticed how well he responded to the adventure schooling and enrolled Faith as well.
Dietzler, right, puts on layers of clothes during an activity in Adventure class. Along with presentations and worksheets, the adventure teacher, Megan Barrick, left, includes demonstrations that involve moving around the classroom and learning in less traditional styles.
Adventure classes allow Dieztler to develop social confidence as well as other skills like rock climbing, according to Ashley Menga, the girls program coordinator at YBEC.
Dietzler, left, puts unwanted salt on Menga’s cinnamon roles, right, at dinner during the late lay.
Although Faith knows she is behind others her age in math and reading, she does not find that troublesome. Her goals of becoming an auto mechanic do not depend on her ability to read the “Catcher and the Rye” or solve calculus problems on a whim. Instead, Faith is looking toward her future with ambition and is on track to go to VoTech- a trade school where she will be able to pursue mechanical work, culinary work and nursing.
Dieztler, right, belays a less experienced student new to YBEC at Movement Climbing Gym in Maryland.
Faith’s two years at YBEC have given her confidence in being a leader, especially in adventure environments. During a trip to Momentum Climbing Gym in Maryland, Faith was the only student who knew how to belay, and used the opportunity to teach and encourage her less experienced peers.
Students reconvene at the YBEC building after the weekly scheduled Late Day. Faith’s group went to Movement Climbing Gym in Maryland and soon after are taken home by volunteer drivers who pick up and drop off the students every day outside the traditional high school schedules in the area.