Hannah P.
My name is Hannah Pohlman and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a First Descents camp last August in Estes Park, Colorado. I did not know what to expect before I arrived, except that we would be rock climbing, because the camp gave us little information. I appreciated that so much once I was there, because it allowed me to experience everything with no prior expectations.
To say this week long trip was life changing would be an understatement. I gained a family while I was there, and I learned so much about myself. Our camp was a rock climbing camp, which in itself was such an amazing thing to accomplish. Many of us had no prior experience with rock climbing, but that didn’t matter. The Colorado Climbing School guided us, and became part of our family as well.
My favorite part of camp was definitely the nightly bonfires. They were a surprise on the itinerary, but that is where I really got to learn so much about my fellow campers and myself. My view on life has forever been changed by the mountains, positivity, and love that I experienced for a full week with no outside life interruptions.
The advice that I would give to someone who is nervous, is to just go! I was nervous too, but feeling like you belong again, and that there are people out there who understand how you see the world is such a gift, something that I will forever be grateful for. I know now that I am not alone in my post-cancer life, and that brings me so much happiness.