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Hike
the Mountain, Touch the Sky, Imagine the Possibilities
"It's almost like we
could touch the Milky Way at night," said veteran hiker, Justin
(Chet) Breding, 18, of his fifth trek up Lonesome Mountain near Red
Lodge, Montana. The feeling of almost being able to touch the
stars is a lasting impression experienced by Breding and his fellow
hikers during the annual Wilton Mentor Program backpacking trip held
Aug 3-8. The first hiking trip was held 11 years ago.
Ten chaperones, eight mentors and two mentors-in-training led the 16
young people on two separate courses. The beginner and
intermediate group hiked four and a half miles to Becker Lake, and
the advanced group hiked six miles to Albino Lake. Each hiker
carried a 35 pound backpack holding all he or she would need for the
four day hike.
Depending on the age and experience level, each of the young people
has an outstanding memory of the trip. For the younger seventh
and eight graders, the memories focus more the on the lack of
comforts.
Thirteen-year-old Lisa Tschosik can easily rattle off her memory of
falling into a stream. The cold water wasn't easy to forget,
and neither were the cold nights in the tent.
"The nights got really, really cold," she explained. "I had on
all kinds of layers, Under Armor, leggings, jeans, wool socks, hat
and mittens." And there was also sleeping on a hillside and
trying to stay on her inflatable air pad, not an easy task.
And the freeze-dried meals? Nasty!
For Breding, the trip wasn't the first and was the experience of a
lifetime. He states, unequivocally, that the positive
influences that the Mentor Program instills have made a difference
in his life. He has participated in the program since the
summer after he completed the seventh grade.
"I didn't know what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do," he
explained. "It inspired me to figure out what I wanted.
It gave me courage and willpower and leadership skills. It
inspired me to go into landscaping and forestry when I graduate."
For 19-year-old mentor-in-training, Emma Schauer, the experience is
very similar to Breding's. She has been able to look back over
the last six years and see how she has changed. This year she
especially appreciated how the relationships between participants
and between the mentors and the young people changed and grew.
Schauer could have been looking through a mirror as she mentored the
beginner group. She said, "The seventh grade girls were
exactly how I was back when I was their age. Climbing wasn't
my favorite thing either. They learned to handle it and get
over that fear."
As a mentor-in-training, Schauer could see how the mentoring process
evolves. She said, "I like being a mentor more than going as a
kid. I got to see the relationships building, and see the
girls overcoming obstacles."
The point of the mentor program is to develop and strengthen
relationships between youth and youth and youth and adults in the
community according to mentor, Paul Schauer. The Wilton Mentor
Program was started in 1996 when a group of adults saw a need for
such a program.
Paul Schauer explained that the hiking trip is the main leadership
event. He said, "It teaches group building, problem solving,
and responsibility. This is an all-wilderness backpack trail.
We do what is called no-trace backpacking, meaning what we carry in,
we carry out, including our food supplies and our garbage."
The young people have a responsibility to themselves, to each other,
and to the natural setting around them.
Breding said it best, "It was really beautiful up Lonesome Mountain.
It really makes you appreciate life, especially when you climb all
the way to the top to see everything." Of course he also
enjoyed the wildlife - squirrels, chipmunks, mountain goats and
trout. Environmental awareness is another aspect of this trip.
Schauer said, "We operate within the parameters of the Forest
Service. Group size is limited to 15 persons. people go
up to wilderness areas to feel like they are the only ones there.
It is our job to make sure the next hiker or group of hikers have
the same chance to feel like they are the first to be there."
It all comes back to building relationships, even with the
environment. At the end of the trip, the young people fill out
a questionnaire and their responses include words to describe the
personal experience, words like "determination, courage, endurance,
perseverance, patience, fortitude, responsibility, leadership, and
strength."
The program is a non-profit organization that is registered with the
State of North Dakota, has a Board of Directors that includes adults
and young people, and is funded through United Way and community
programs like the Lions, Women of Wilton, matching grants, and
interested individuals.
Thought the mentor program has no church affiliation, it does have
some connections to Sunne Lutheran because of Schauer's involvement.
Sunne also provides insurance coverage, storage space and office
usage for the program, as well as pastor Paul Schauer's time.
But the hike is just one of the leadership events sponsored by the
Wilton Mentor Program. The group also holds a Spring Lock-In
for fourth and fifth graders. On the first Saturday in May,
the group participates in the Join Hands Day doing community
clean-up. During the year, each of the young people is
responsible for completing five hours community service.
It all comes down to caring. Breding said, "It brings
community together and keeps kids out of trouble, kids like me and
my younger brother." And that is what it is all about -
building community spirit for Wilton, for the world, for life.
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