The crew was extremely lucky to get to go to Dr. Aden’s house to do climbing merit badge and some of the climbing elective for Ranger. We went over the basic climbing skills that we learned on Super Trip, including knots, climbing commands, how to repel, and more! Dr. Aden set up a 20 foot tall climbing board in his backyard, and we each got to practice climbing, belaying, and repelling. Some of us even got to try using a different repel device (the rescue 8) which allowed us to anchor ourselves into the rope, freeing up our hands in the middle of a rappel to potentially help others. After the climbing, we had a lunch of hot dogs and talked through the other requirements of the merit badge. Right before we left, we got to try some bouldering and climb without a belay. Overall, it was a super fun experience, and I can’t wait to do more climbing in the future!
By Jared