Dustin Kahler's Adventure

Adventure Location
North Cascade Mountains near Mazama, Washington

Adventure Activities
Trekking, climbing, rapelling, goat admiring + 2 summits

Adventure Duration
14 days

Number of Adventure Participants
8 participants, 2 guides

What made you apply for the scholarship?
"Gee let me think...because it was exactly the kind of thing that I've always wanted to do.  What is better than choosing your very own adventure on the expense of some very generous people?"

What was your favorite activity on the trip?
"Summiting Silver Star Mountain (elev 8,900 ft) and climbing The Finger, rapelling 150 ft off of the grandstand."

Describe your best day on the trip.
"Tough to choose. Probably day 12.....our 'finals.'  I was the leader of my rope team on the summit of Silver Star Mountain....I was the first person to the top other than the guides.  We ate lunch on the 8,900 ft peak with the most stunning views imaginable.  On the way back to camp, two people in my team slipped down the mountain, and I caught them by going into "self arrest" with my ice ax in the snow....that was pretty cool.  After we got back to camp, I went up with our guide, Mark, and a few other guys to go glacading (boot skiing with my ice ax)  down the bowl of Silver Star Mountain.  I was responsibly for dinner that night, and it was kind of late because of our glacading expedition, but it was well worth it."

Would you do it again? Why or why not?
"Of course I would!  in a heartbeat....I think you'd have to be crazy not to want to do it again.  It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I plan on doing a lot more climbing in my future."

How has your adventure changed your outlook?
"It has just let me peek into all of the adventure that lies out there in the world waiting for me.  I've found that when you live a little closer to the edge and face new challenges, you open yourself up to a whole new world and you appreciate everything so much more.  You really can't describe it to someone who has never done something like that....It is such an exhilarating feeling."

Advice for potential Adventure Scholarship applicants:
"DO IT. Get ready for one of the greatest experiences of your life.  You will come back a changed person, always yearning to get the most adventure out of life."

"Don't ever let life pass you by"
-Incubus