youthoutside
Taking the Reins Tacoma MAC prepare for a future of outdoor adventure By Sarah Holt, Tacoma Program Manager, and Michelle Song, Associate Volunteer Development Manager
MAC participants on the summit of Mt. Adams, led by Shelby Turner.
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ountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) is a year-round club for teens, giving them access to education and skills rivaling many adult programs. Imagine an at-your-own-pace Basic and Intermediate Alpine Climbing course, taken over a period of four years with sport climbing, skiing, hiking, and backpacking thrown in. As a young member, you learn from upperclassmen, and as you gain more experience, you begin passing down that knowledge to others. Most importantly, you learn to take care of yourself and others in the mountains.
The Tacoma MAC Leadership Series By the time they’re high school seniors, most MAC members have spent years crafting technical mountain skills. Realizing they needed a chance to hone their trip planning, route finding, and group management skills, Sarah Holt and a group of MAC students created the Tacoma MAC Leadership Series in the fall of 2021. Through the series, participants receive resources to develop their own trips, ultimately leading their MAC peers on a climb they’ve planned with adult mentorship. We met with three recent MAC graduates - Carbon Marshall, Shelby Turner, and Tashi Quinn – to learn more about the program and what it’s like to be a Tacoma MAC member under the tutelage of Mountaineers staff member Sarah Holt and volunteer Kevin DeFields.
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mountaineer | summer 2022
What was your planning process for the trips you designed and led? Carbon: Everybody was supportive of helping me figure out different stuff. It was nice to be able to reach out and receive help where I needed. At the same time, I was able to do my own stuff wherever I wanted and felt comfortable doing it. Shelby: I wanted the opportunity to prove myself as a leader. I wanted to make my styles, expectations, and goals clear for my trip. I wanted everyone to read my trip plan and bring the right stuff. I find if people know what to expect, they do better on the trip. Tashi: Sarah showed me how to map on my phone with navigation apps. I didn't know how to download someone else's track onto your phone before that. Even though Mt. St. Helens is a pretty straightforward route, it was still useful. You received robust training on technical and leadership skills prior to your trip. Was there a skill that you found to be especially valuable? Carbon: It helped to be able to realize everyone’s different capabilities, what they've already learned, and understanding the support they would need on the trip. That was especially useful since I was dividing everybody into groups, putting a more experienced person with someone who's still learning skills.