What Happens Next Is Up To Me - Aubyranna’s Reflections from Mount Baker
By Aubryanna Jarchow, Summit Scholarship Class of 2024
Last year, I joined an all-woman team of three guides and three other young women on Mount Baker for my first-ever mountaineering experience. This all stemmed from receiving a scholarship from the Summit Scholarship Foundation. To be completely honest, I applied to the Summit Scholarship on a whim. Climbing mountains wasn’t some lifelong goal of mine. It wasn’t a dream I had ever dreamt in the realm of reality. The mountains were far from where I lived, and mountaineering? Out of the question.
Aubryanna and her team starting their nighttime summit push on Mount Baker.
“Climbing mountains wasn’t some lifelong goal of mine. It wasn’t a dream I had ever dreamt in the realm of reality. The mountains were far from where I lived, and mountaineering? Out of the question.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to explore; it was that mountaineering had never felt like a real possibility for someone like me. I’d like to say that I’ve always idolized woman mountaineers and explorers, but the truth is, I previously couldn’t have named a single one. I’ve always been up for any adventure, like hiking and rock climbing—just specifically in a gym, close to home, with equipment that was never mine. I had assumed that if you weren't born with access to mountaineering, it was impossible to ever begin.
“I had assumed that if you weren’t born with access to mountaineering, it was impossible to ever begin.”
Motivated by the foundation’s encouraging mission, I applied because the opportunity seemed to align with my passions and experiences. An opportunity I deemed incredibly unlikely to be given to me (so much so that I didn’t even tell my parents I had applied). But fast forward a few months, and I’m full speed ahead, getting ready to spend 5 days in Washington state for Glacier School 1 on Mount Baker. I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into and was simply trying to be as calm and prepared as possible.
After less than a week in the mountains, I arrived home to my mom continuously saying that something inside of me had changed. She insisted that this trip had genuinely altered my approach to life. At first, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her dramatization. I had fun, but we hadn’t summited, so truly all I wanted was another shot at mountaineering. My brain replayed every moment and lesson from the trip, initially viewing it only as a past experience. I didn’t yet realize the lessons were still unfolding. I now realize that I had just spent five days catalyzing my future in the direction it was always meant to go.
“I now realize that I had just spent five days catalyzing my future in the direction it was always meant to go.”
Aubryanna (second from right) with her AWExpeditions team and guides on Mount Baker
I can confidently say that being on a glacier, wearing crampons, and using ice axes would have 100% been my dream as a kid… if I had known that these things even existed. Stumbling upon the Summit Scholarship Foundation has opened up an entire world that I know I’m meant to be a part of. But without it, I wouldn’t have even tried to join.
Through the support I received, I was given the foundation for my future adventures. All it took was the initiative to apply for the scholarship. Thanks to the Summit Scholarship Foundation and AWExpeditions, I now know that the community of women mountaineers is strong, inspiring, and welcoming. What happened next was up to me.
What I needed now was to figure out how to make the most of the extraordinary opportunity I had been given. With gear sitting in my basement and conversations with my guides floating in my head, what was the next step?
Though another mountaineering trip will forever be the ultimate adventure, that wasn’t possible this year. So instead of postponing the intention of using my new skills, I reflected on the inspiration that my guides and fellow team members had given me.
Thinking about their past adventuring stories, I made my own this year. With the help of a friend, a week-long camping/canoeing trip was born. From cooking to wilderness survival, my mountaineering experience gave me skills to rely on that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Without the Summit Scholarship, I wouldn’t have even had the idea for this trip, let alone the confidence to pull it off. Looking back, my mom was right. I have changed. I now see a world of endless possibilities waiting for me to decide to jump in.
Thanks to Sunny, Kat, Dani, my team on Mount Baker, and everyone at The Summit Scholarship Foundation and AWExpeditions, I’ve not only been given the means to follow my dreams, but also the inspiration and freedom to have dreams in the first place.
The climb may be over; the memories and learnings will stay.
Aubryanna’s Summit Scholarship was made possible by the generous financial support of Fjällräven NA, Nite Ize, LOWA Boots and The Cairn Project.
Curious to hear even more about Aubryanna’s experience on Mount Baker? Listen to her and fellow Summit Scholarship recipient Cheri Heng recount the experience of their scholarship expedition on the See Her Outside podcast.
