Georgetown Students Reach New Heights at Carderock

On Saturday, November 16th, a group of 31 students gathered outside the doors of Georgetown University’s main dining hall, colloquially known as Leo’s, waiting for their guides, Lauren and Jessie. After sorting out some van shenanigans, the 31 participants, Jessie, Lauren, and Georgetown OE guide Jordan (who had volunteered to help drive) were off to Carderock Recreation Area for a day of climbing!

The air was crisp as the participants unloaded from vans (and a few Ubers) to gather gear and circle up for a safety talk with East Outdoors, the local climbing company that the NPT Ambassadors had partnered with for the day. Eunni and Tim, founders of East Outdoors, explained the day’s climbing options, how to properly fit gear, and best practices when climbing outdoors. Afterward, the group split in two to head to the rocks.

The large group of over 30 students was split into two different sites which each had 4 climbing ropes set up, so 4 students could be climbing at a time with others helping to belay. While they waited, Jessie led her group in games of Wavelength and Contact, while Lauren facilitated some games of Grass or Toast.

While some of the participants had climbed before, for many of the participants, outdoor climbing in particular was a new experience that they got to explore at Carderock! In addition to 8 climbs of varying difficulty, East Outdoors also set up a repelling station that many participants (including Lauren and Jessie) took advantage of.

After climbing in the morning, everyone broke at 12:30 pm for a delicious lunch of tortillas with cheese, summer sausage, and hummus accompanied by clementines and Cheez-Its. Some participants even showed off their juggling skills for a chance to win a Hydroflask water bottle! After our brief lunch, it was back to climbing and rappelling, with participants getting a chance to try out new routes and even belay!

After all of that climbing, participants loaded back into the vans to head back to Georgetown with new and old friends and day full of climbing under their belts!