This past Saturday, program participants in our Climbing Out program and volunteers from Recovery Beyond went on the first conditioning hike of the season. It was a rainy morning – very rainy. Not a surprise for the Seattle area, but it felt wetter than usual. As a matter of fact, it ended up being the wettest hike in Recovery Beyond memory. Just about everyone was soaked toward the end. Despite the rain, spirits were impressively high. Everyone in the group chose to have a positive attitude and to enjoy the journey and experience with one another. It was incredible to be able to connect with each other while strategically sidestepping puddles on the trail…or just walking right through them.
- The group at the trailhead. Photo credit: Scott Brown
Love of family, forgiveness, reconciliation, how we’ve ended up where we are, making changes to support a healthy lifestyle, Frozen, and favorite colors were all topics of conversation. Spending time with supportive people who listen and understand, do not pass judgment, and want to get to know you is a beautiful thing. It was uplifting to be around a group of individuals all driven by the same goal: to build healthy lifestyles for lasting recovery.
Group 3: Hiking up. Photo credit: Katie Zeitler
Group 2, Hiking down. Photo credit: Katie Zeitler
Almost back to the trailhead. Photo credit: Katie Zeitler
Recovery Beyond program participants are residents of addiction recovery programming at Tacoma Rescue Mission and Seattle Union Gospel Mission. Recovery Beyond offers our signature “Climbing Out” program, an outdoor therapeutic program, to these individuals free of charge. Conditioning hikes and other meetups are requirements to be on the climbing team or backpacking team. This year, the climbing team is training to climb Mount Baker, and Little Si was the first of many conditioning hikes.
Little Si will be a hike to remember. Thank you to our program participants for showing up and kicking butt, our partners TRM and SUGM, and our amazing team of volunteers.
The group at the summit. Photo credit: Scott Brown
Next hike: Poo Poo Point.
We love our volunteers and couldn’t do what we do without you. To volunteer, sign-up here
To support our programming and make a difference in someone’s life, make a gift here
To learn more about our climbing team and view our schedule, click here
