A weekend of new experiences!

Hi everyone! This is Spenser Robinson at Balanced Edge! I had a lot of fun this weekend in Joshua Tree with a group of students from Valley Christian High School (VCHS) in Bellflower, and their teacher, Jeff Westrup. Jeff, the founder and director of the Wilderness Challenge, offers this unique opportunity each year for his students to focus on outdoor skills and leadership.

I was invited to join the Wilderness Challenge group in Joshua Tree by Jeff and Jason Hull, co-founder of Balanced Edge and the co-architect of the Wilderness Challenge. Jeff and Jason have been friends for quite some time and have worked together for twenty years to develop the Wilderness Challenge for students to experience something new and exciting outside of the classroom. These two constantly push each other to raise the bar and create experiences for others to learn and grow. As a result, there are a lot of core purposes and values that align between Balanced Edge and the Wilderness Challenge. Being with them over the weekend was a great opportunity to experience this synergy first-hand. 

While I do not have a lot of camping experience, this was a great way to become oriented and push myself to learn more.  After pitching my tent, I joined the group, excited to experience the challenges ahead of us.  

The first group did the rock climbing challenge and some students learned how to belay climbers. The second group was a cave exploration challenge. I was with the climbing group and was delighted to be able to encourage the students to reach new heights. It was truly rewarding for me to share my knowledge of climbing and provide them ideas on how to get to the top of the climb.

There were a lot of ability levels with the climbers and it was fun to see how everyone took in the weekend with open arms. Each student accepted tasks with ready minds and pushed themselves. They often surprised themselves with their accomplishments.

Bright and early the next morning, the students split into groups again to explore the caves and climb. We also led a small group on a breathtaking hike through the high desert. 




I had an amazing time this weekend and I want to thank Jeff Westrup, Jason Hull, Nathan Board, Dan Barcroft, Bernie Drake, and the students of VCHS. I knew what it meant to push myself to the next highest level, but it was refreshing to do so once again in a completely new way.