Adventure West Virginia changed my life. My abilities as a person are now unlimited, and life’s possibilities have become endless. I finally found out who I truly am, what I can become, and who I aspire to be. This trip gave me memories I plan to share my entire life and introduced me to friends that I will have forever. This trip made me a Mountaineer. This trip made me, me.
This trip was full of experiences that I was in no condition to take on fully. But, being me, I wanted to branch out and try new things before I dove into the crazy world that is college so I signed up for the Adventure West Virginia Odyssey trip. It seemed like the one that was perfect for me. An eight-day trip filled with rock climbing, hiking, a ropes course, and whitewater rafting? Definitely my kinda thing. I was excited all summer, right up until the moment I arrived on campus and realized: I’m the new girl again. In just eighteen short years I’ve moved four times, twice during my high school years. The feeling of being the newbie or the outcast was back and it was more heightened than ever, but as I looked around everyone had the same look on their face: the look of fear.
As our parents left us, I relived the day my mom left me in my new high school in West Virginia during the middle of my junior year, fresh from a very different experience in Pennsylvania. I was consumed by nervousness. Then I remembered the words I had heard during a presentation I heard about Adventure: “This trip changed my life and gave me lifelong friends.” As I stood there in a circle among 21 other freshman just like myself, I looked around and thought these are my first college friends.
Once that thought ran through my head, I knew that I was okay, that I was home. In that next hour I’d meet kids from New Jersey, Colorado, New York, and Illinois, and come to know that they were all just like me, scared but ready for an adventure. In that time period I found my tent mates and ultimately met my best friend, Kate. It’s insane to think that in such a short period of time you can become so close with so many different individuals. I was quickly reminded not to judge a book by it’s cover, whether that be people or any type of experience.
In the beginning, I didn’t think I would make it through the week in the tiny tent that was going to house my bed and three others, but as the week progressed I learned that I could make it just fine. As the days began to pass our friendships became stronger and the tasks got harder, but most importantly everyone’s fears became smaller. The fear of being alone, having no one, doing it on my own, they all vanished due to the fact that I had this group of people standing behind me on whatever it was that I decided to do. It’s an incredible feeling just to know that even though you’re starting school in a week you already have a support system with you. That’s something that I’m always going to cherish, the amazing people who made my last week of summer one to remember
The first night we were there we played West Virginia Facts Jeopardy. It was amazing to see that kids coming from New Jersey knew who sang "Country Roads" and knew all the words, while I struggled with a couple of verses. We followed this up by discussing traditions and which ones we were excited to be a part of. The tradition I stated as being most excited to be a part of was being a Mountaineer. Everyone here is so proud of who they are and where they come from. As I've never been in a place with this type of atmosphere of love and appreciation for your school, that’s the tradition that really gets me.
Continuing the trip, we went rock climbing. When I read about rock climbing for this trip I imagined a fake rock wall or maybe a natural structure that wasn’t so high up, but instead they brought us to Coopers Rock to experience every fear we’d ever had just thinking about rock climbing. I kept saying to myself, “This is your new life, so live it.” So I harnessed up and climbed all the way to the top and kissed my belay clip. That was one of the most life changing experiences I had on this trip. I didn’t think I was going to make it to the top but I did, with encouragement the whole way up from my friends and help from my belay team. That was definitely an experience I will never forget. It taught me that if I push through it and keep trying, I will make it to the top.
Our second day we spent traveling all over wild and wonderful West Virginia, exploring places I hadn’t even heard of. It’s crazy to think that I live in West Virginia but it’s a whole different kind of West Virginia, and that I’ve been missing out on such beautiful nature. We visited the smallest church in the world, giant windmills, and hiked all the way up to Bald Knob. Bald Knob was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life. Once you’re finally up to the top you realize the hell to get up there was completely worth it, you just needed to commit.
Following the hike we were given our solo time. That solo changed my outlook on my life. I took that time to think about my priorities, the way I'd been living my life, the way I wanted to live my life, the way I looked at life; it just gave me time to think and reevaluate what I wanted for myself. This time gave me the chance to realize that I just need to be still and quiet sometimes, something I rarely do. When we were pulled from our solos, they told us that we had been in the forest alone for an hour. It certainly didn’t feel anything like an hour. It was an absolutely amazing feeling to just have peaceful, quiet time to myself.
Following this up we had class on diversity, another lesson in not judging a book by its cover. During this class we took a moment to write short poems called "if you really knew me." Mine covered the fact that I love jeeps, my family, the small things, and space, but what really changed everything right then and there for me was Ryan’s poem. He spoke about how he felt awkward all the time and that he wasn’t sure what to say because he’s always felt like an outcast.
Now, how can I feel sorry for myself about my weight or the way I struggle in math or that my grandmother is sick with cancer, when someone else is struggling just as hard but in different situations? It gave me the ability to feel thankful and appreciative of what I have and who I have in my life. We finished the day off by a waterfall that was incredibly beautiful, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. That day was a really good day.
The next day consisted of team building in the pouring rain. It really tested everyone’s strengths because we were all soaked, freezing, and needed to get through it together. Our ability to communicate was definitely our strong point and I think it’s something that truly helped us to prepare for this year. Afterwards, we had class on SMART goals and what they actually meant to you. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time inclusive goals. We wrote goal letters to ourselves about what we wanted to achieve this school year. My letter was long, but I know that when I finally open it, I’ll be happy I care so much about my future and what I want for myself.
Then came the day I really faced my fears. We all conquered the giant swing and the alpine tower; it was absolutely terrifying yet completely satisfying at the same time. The giant swing is basically a rope that you’re hooked onto in a harness and the rest of your friends pull back on the rope and you go up. When you get up there you are the one in charge of releasing yourself. You pull a string and the clip releases you into the mid air that is the giant swing. The parts you swing over are all filled with trees and beautiful plants. It’s incredible. I realized that this is a metaphor for my life. I need to just release and allow myself to fly, fly freely through life without any complications. After this, we followed up with the Alpine Tower, my ultimate fear. As we split up into groups, my group decided we all should make a SMART goal for this tower. Mine was to get halfway up and I did it; I achieved one baby goal and planned to achieve more as the week went on.
That night we had class on resources and everything West Virginia University has to offer, the amazing the amount of clubs you can be a part of, there really is something for everyone. I think the best thing about this class for us was the genuine thoughts on WVU from our leaders who are experienced in what goes on. I realized then and there I wanted to be a part of everything and that I was going to be involved in school instead of falling back and not experiencing what Morgantown has to offer me. We then learned about the challenges that we will face while on campus and what we could do to assess these problems. I couldn’t believe how many opportunities I had for greatness. It taught me that I could never fail (and: even if I do) that I could and would make it by growing and making the most of every opportunity.
As the week progressed, we finally got down to the days I had been looking forward to most: Odyssey Course day and whitewater rafting day. I knew that the obstacle course would be a huge challenge but it was something that I truly was excited for. We were split up into teams to get through the course. Starting on the bottom half, it was super crazy and fun. Then we moved to the top making it extremely terrifying, yet extremely exciting. You’re so high up but there’s no way you can fall. I’m a little bit afraid of heights and so was half of my team, but with reassurance and talking it out we all made it to the zip line at the end. After the course we got to have dinner with President Gordon Gee and the Board of Governors. It was amazing to be able to tell them what all we’ve experienced throughout the week and why we chose West Virginia University. On our final day, we went whitewater rafting and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. Regardless of the fact that it was freezing cold we just did it all; we jumped from a rock fifteen feet up into thirty foot deep water, while rafting throughout the Ohio Pyle. It’s amazing to look back on all of the opportunities we were given that week and be able to tell everyone “yeah, I did all those things the week before school."
More than anything, this trip taught me who I truly am. I’ve learned that I want adventure and new things instead of just sticking to the status quo, that I can overcome adversity, think on my feet, and fly. It’s taught me that I love meeting new people and I’m incredibly outgoing. It’s taught me how to be a Mountaineer. This trip gave me not only the opportunity to walk into college knowing that I’m ready, but the ability to do it all with confidence and the support of those who were on the trip with me. The amount of trust I have in my group and my leaders is unreal considering we’ve known each other for just a little over a week. I’m so incredibly blessed to say that I was a part of Adventure West Virginia. I am eternally grateful for the experiences and skills, but especially for the people it brought into my life.
