Crag Days with the Greenway Leadership Corps

The Greenway Leadership Corps (GLC) got to try two days of indoor and outdoor rock climbing last week with the help of Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) and their Youth Education Program (YEP). On Wednesday, we travelled to the CMC headquarters (located within the American Mountaineering Association building), where we learned the basics of tying in, safety commands, belaying, and climbing! Everyone got a few chances to try out belaying each other and also climbing on the natural rock wall indoors. Though nearly everyone was new to the technique of belaying, they all picked it up quickly and confidently. We couldn’t wait to see them try out these new skills on real rock!

On Saturday, we met up with our CMC guides and drove up to North Table Mountain near Golden, CO. There was a steep, 30-minute hike up the mountain to our climbing spot, but the views were well worth it! Our guides–Evan and Nancy–set up three ropes for us, and the group was very eager to try them all. In between climbs, our guides told us about the certifications they needed to become rock climbing guides in Colorado, and about other opportunities for high schoolers offered through CMC. We learned new climbing lingo, met some dogs at the “crag” and pushed out of our comfort zones, all while enjoying the beautiful weather and amazing views of Denver! ​

It was another successful GLC event for the books, and we hope we have the opportunity to work with Colorado Mountain Club again sometime soon. Thanks to everyone who came out and tried rock climbing with us!