Why We Still Work for Aspiro...

By Jodi Escalante, Assistant Program Director

I never would have guessed that my husband, Michael and I would still be working at Aspiro. When we first heard about Aspiro, we had only been married about 6 months. We were both attending college and thought this would be a fun summer job, where we would get to work together. We had both worked in traditional wilderness programs before, but never together.

And just to sound cliché, we started an adventure that we’ve yet to end.

That first summer was truly amazing: canoeing on beautiful Lake Powell, exploring the majestic slot canyons of Central and Southern Utah, exploring caves and rappelling, rock climbing all across the state, and hiking through the most beautiful areas that I never knew existed.

In the fall, we returned to school to finish our undergraduate studies, but every weekend we traveled out to our groups and trained the newer guides.

When Michael and I graduated (April 2007), we returned to Aspiro full time because we were hooked.

As noted earlier, we had both worked for primitive model wilderness programs. However, after working at Aspiro neither of us could imagine working at a wilderness program without the ADVENTURE. We pushed our students harder, faster, and farther than either of us had previously experienced.

Since that first summer at Aspiro I have embarked on so many beautiful and amazing adventures and have built some unforgettable relationships with students.

I guess that’s my other favorite thing about Aspiro we emphasize stronger relationships than the norm.

Given the high impact adventures, we have an amazing opportunity to help someone through a physically or emotionally challenging experience, to push them beyond their comfort zone to higher ground. And when the dust settles and the high fives and hugs are done, and they’ve overcome their seemingly impassible struggles, we learn from the metaphors; teacher and student alike.