There is a stark contrast flying into Las Vegas. The rugged, jagged contours of the surrounding mountains and scorched earth of the encroaching desert seem so alien compared with the steel and concrete and activity that bombards one in Sin City. This was how my visit with Redcliff Ascent programs started.

Day 1 – Las Vegas

I grabbed my suitcase from the conveyor belt and made our way to the car. Steve Schultz, my guide for the week and program expert, wove his way through the hustle of the Las Vegas strip, searching for someplace to grab a bite to eat and prep me for the upcoming program visits. We stopped at New York, New York and had a satisfying meal which evolved into a fantastic conversation about our families and backgrounds. The day was getting away from us and we needed to head North to position us for the start of the many tours and events they had lined up for me.

Day 2 – Redcliff Ascent

We pulled up to a desolot, wind-swept stretch of Utah valley in Enterprise, UT and pulled into the non-descript parking lot flanked by the Redcliff Ascent offices and gear shed. Within minutes we were deep in another engaging conversation about program philosophy, professional backgrounds and personal views on wilderness work. Nice furniture, nice office, super nice people. I could see this being a comfortable place for parents to meet the professionals responsible for helping their kids change.

We hurried across the icy, stone lot and secured the heavy metal door behind us. Those of you with wilderness and outdoor experience would appreciate the attention to detail Milton, Warehouse Manager, has chosen the safest, most durable gear. The shelves are lined with your typical boxes and containers, but the contents is so different than many other programs. Milton clearly has a passion for organization. Each shelf and box is well labeled and the quality of the gear is outstanding. He is certainly not cutting corners with cheap boots, socks or anything else I dug through. They also have an amazing system of self-review with an internal committee that reviews all incidents and makes recommendations for change.

For example, this cup was the industry standard they used for years until through their own research, they found the microscopic cracks harbored bacteria even after cleaning. They ditched it for a more expensive but safer and reliable stainless steel solution.

After a thorough tour of the gear and offices, we loaded up and hit the road in the crisp air. At the end of the long, straight road flanked by fields and scrub brush, we took a sharp left turn over railroad tracks and headed for the mountains. Within an hour we were in low-tree, scrubby wilderness high up a pass. We quickly met up with some amazing kids from across the world clearly being pushed to regain respect for adults and themselves. We happened to catch the nurse doing her rounds checking each group. Once again, nothing but sincere quality and well-thought support.

With the sun dipping down, we took the long mushy road out of the pass, back to the valley for our final good-byes at base camp.

Check back soon for the second installment of the visit to Redcliff and their sister programs throughout Utah.