I am not one to get philosophical, but I cannot describe our trip to Selside as anything short of transformative. I have seen growth in not only myself but the scholars I have had the privilege to get to know over the last 3 days.
I have seen my friends conquer their fears of heights, their reservations about their ability to climb a mountain (whilst it poured buckets of rain!), and challenged themselves to crawl into the unknown in the dark, cramped caves of the Yorkshire Dales.
Personally, these types of trips are right up my alley, so I felt rather equipped to manage the challenges we were facing. What I did not expect was how much I would develop as a result of the company I was keeping. Being around different perceptions of ability stretched my brain to remain calm for the sake of others, and learn to interpret what others may need from me in those moments of worry.
A moment that stands out for me was climbing Penn-y Ghent in torrential rain. Being soggy is surprisingly pretty bad for morale. Being soggy, and failing to see the point of a hike in the rain is simply miserable. When we set off, it was clear to see a divide in those who felt comfortable with the challenge and those who felt at a disadvantage. This is, of course, natural and inevitable. It took us until we reached the steep finish up the peak to truly come together as a team. And as a result, we can all say we reached the top in some crazy conditions. As someone who hikes most weekends, I feel very accomplished, so I hope those who are not so used to climbing a peak realise the achievement they have made.
What our hike taught me was it is easy for humans to forget to act as a harmonious unit. We think in a single mind for most of our daily life, so it is only natural that we had to constantly remind ourselves to consider the abilities and concerns of the whole team. And that is okay. We must be patient with others, and constantly relearn how to better serve those around us.
During meal times and our evenings, I have also had some beautiful conversations. I have loved learning about everyone's lives and ambitions. I have spoken about everything from the nature of art to disability rights. From spirituality to the intersections of STEM and the humanities. I have been humbled by the intelligence of everyone around me, and learnt so much from these late night talks.
In short, we have laughed and we have cried, and I wouldn't change a thing.