LEARNING TO CLIMB!

Mazama Families Mountaineering 101 testimonial

by Arshi Purohit

My name is Arshi Purohit and I joined the Mazamas when I did the Families Mountaineering 101 course. When we started, we didn’t know if we had the appropriate gear, so we brought all of our indoor climbing gear to FM101 “gear night” at the Mountain Shop in August. The people there were very kind and supportive. We learned how outdoor harnesses are different from indoor ones and about climbing shoes.

In September, our first lecture was fun and the volunteers teaching were thoughtful and helpful when we didn't understand something. I learned how to tie climbing knots. I had trouble with my prusiks because it was really hard to get my equal signs and Xs next to each other. Eventually, I got the hang of it.

Our first field session was in October at Horsethief Butte in Washington. It was a long drive but we arrived just in time and were ready to hike. There were small steps made of stone, so going uphill was easier. I found it harder to climb outdoors than indoors; there weren’t many easy handholds and some rocks were hard to get past but I still got to the top. I belayed my partner who was similar to me in weight. It's harder to belay someone heavier than you so you need an anchor. The camp we stayed at was really cozy and we shared a great potluck meal with the entire class.

My favorite was the rappelling class. Rappelling down the wall was exciting and terrifying at the same time. A Mazama volunteer helped me through the stepoff and stayed at the top once I was done rappelling down. I also learned to use my prusiks to climb up a rope! Just going up two feet was really exhausting, but the rope kept me safe.

I got to learn about using the compass in the navigation class and learned that in the late 19th century the magnetic north pole was farther than it is now. We don’t use compasses as frequently now. Our field session at Mt. Tabor was cold and beautiful with amazing green grounds in November. We paired up with another group and it was exciting to use the map!

Next was first aid. What is the key to surviving when you have a wound? Along with others in my age group, I learned to make a splint on a broken leg. We also got to brainstorm ideas on how one can get injured or die in the wilderness.

In January, we had lectures about avalanche safety and snow climbing. I loved asking questions and learning more details. After a few weeks, I felt prepared for our snow field session in February. We practiced in the snow a short climb from the Timberline overflow parking area. That Saturday at Timberline was the most tiring day of all. It was hard to tie knots with or without mittens in the snow. The easy part was going up the path to the Mazama Lodge. Once I got there, a quick tour amazed me. There were tall bunk beds in the rooms! On Sunday we learned to travel as a team on a rope in the snow. I was the person at the end picking up the pickets but had to wait for everyone to get clipped past the pickets ahead of me. I learned that using carabiners wasn’t as safe as passing our knots through the picket. Our teacher made us work hard to help us learn. When one of the adult teams went over a bump really slowly, my team of kids threw snowballs at them for amusement.

I’m really glad I got into FM101. I made new friends and we had a lot of fun. All the instructors and assistants were willing to help me so I could learn about mountaineering. Through all of the hard work—especially with my father and I together—I was able to learn something amazing that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

Thank you, Mazamas!