WILLEM: Those of you who've done some climbing are familiar with the phrase on belay.

It means, I'm holding the other end of your rope, I'm secure, and I'm here to do anything I can for you, maybe even catch you.

We're going to see today what on belay means to a bunch of kids who are here in the White Mountains.

♪ Welcome to Windows to the Wild.

I'm Willem Lange.

I'm at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Highland Center Lodge in Crawford Notch, just a little bit west of Mount Washington.

Now, oftentimes when I describe getting away from it all, I mean getting away from the city or work or the stresses of everyday life.

But today, we're going to meet some kids who are getting away from something much larger and far more important cancer.

♪ LIZ: We are about to get on the trail.

Does anybody know which direction we're going from here?

WILEM: These are the kids of On Belay.

SHANE: And plus it says Mount Willard Trail.

LIZ: It does say Mount Willard Trail.

WILLEM: And these are their instructors.

LIZ: I noticed that some of us are taller than others and some of us are not as tall as others.

How do you think that's going to translate to us hiking?

I love these kids.

My first experience with On Belay was as a facilitator at one of their day programs.

And at that point, I had been facilitating for, you know, 8 or 9 years and just had worked with thousands and thousands of kids.

And at a certain point, they do kind of all blend together.

You don't necessarily remember specific trips or specific kids.

And there was something about that day and something about those kids and that group stood out in my mind, and I just never forgot it.

And from that day on, Liz Weld has been working to get kids outdoors.

SHANE: Hey, guys.

Everyone ready?

WILLEM: On Belay is a New Hampshire-based nonprofit that takes young people away from the stress of cancer to a place where they can relax.

[singing] LIZ: Walk right through.

On belay in the climbing world means, I've got you, or I'm holding on to you.

And it's the signal that you use for when you're ready to climb.

So, you say, On belay, and somebody says, Belay on, which means, Have you got me?

Like, Yes, I've got you.

So, that's what it says, On belay.

Belay on, on the back of our shirts.

And so, because everyone here has been affected by cancer, with someone in their family, the metaphor is sort of that this community and this group from On Belay is here for you, and we're here to support you, and we've got you on belay while you're doing it.

WILLEM: To give you what you need?

LIZ: Exactly.

WILLEM: Tension, slack, I’ll catch you.

AIDAN: My mom had stage three, I believe, breast cancer.

WILLEM: Yeah.

AIDAN: It was tough seeing my mom sick like how she was.

But... we were able to get through it.

She went through all of her appointments.

She went through all of her surgeries, her chemotherapy, and she went through it and it went well.

I mean, some are more severe than others.

But when you get down to the basics of it, it’s the same scenario someone in their family got sick and they're doing their best to get through it.

LIZ: Poles are super helpful for river crossings if you have them.

ADDISON: I think it was about 3 or 4 years ago, my mom had breast cancer.

She was just- by talking to people from around the cancer center at the hospital, she learned about On Belay and thought and since me and my one of my other brothers were about the right age to do it she thought, Why not have them try it?

RANDY: Can you try this on?

WILLEM: Before their day on the mountain begins, there's a meeting... LIZ: The stuff that you aren’t going to be taking can go back into your duffel bags.

WILLEM: to get the kids organized and their equipment in order.

[chatter] BOY: Anyone have any more smaller ones?

LIZ: We operate our normal day programs in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.

So, we have kids that come from all over, from all three of those states.

We've had folks from Vermont.

We've had folks from, you know, other states that have come up, but we generally program in that Seacoast New Hampshire, North Shore Massachusetts, and Southern Maine area.

WILLEM: Liz and Randy Weld lead the group.

Their plan is to hike with the kids to the summit of Mount Willard and return to camp before the sun drops behind the western ridge.

On Belay is free for the kids who attend.

They can attend single-day events, or, as in this one, camp out for several days.

LIZ: So, generally, we work with ages 8 to 18.

But this program specifically is for our teen population.

We have a lot of kids who are 13 and older.

♪ WILLEM: On Belay was created in 2004 when Durham, New Hampshire, resident, Crescentia Healy-True, learned she had breast cancer.

LIZ: And she immediately real- ized that her kids were the ones who were going to need support and need resources.

And so she started looking for different resources for her kids and really just didn't find anything that she felt like fit.

And so she started On Belay.

AIDAN: On belay!

Oh, wait.

Where’s Shane?

There he is.

We ready to go?

WILLEM: Besides providing time away, On Belay brings kids together.

They get to know one another and offer mutual support.

LIZ: A lot of these kids, depending on where they're coming from, they might not know anybody else in their community that, you know, has a family member who's sick.

Or they may be experiencing a loss of a parent and none of their friends in their home town can relate to them.

So, it gives them a chance to find other kids that really understand what it is that they're going through.

Yeah, it's our mascot.

HIKER: That would be the second reason.

SHANE: Oh, it's the mascot?

SOPHIE: I think it has to do with, like, if you're constantly going to the hospital or you have to worry about that family member, it kind of just takes you away from all of that, and you kind of just get to have fun and be yourself around a bunch of people that support you, and you get to do a lot of fun things, and you know that you are fine in that time being.

So, it kind of just takes your mind away from all of the stress and, like, negative, anxious thoughts that you have in your brain.

ADDISON: I was very unsure about coming on it my first time, and after the first day with having the big pack for the first time, it didn't seem that great.

But just give it a try because you never know.

Because I ended up actually really enjoying it and this is my second time.

So, I think that goes to show that even if you think something's outside of what you'd normally feel comfortable doing, you should still give it a try because you might end up really liking it.

LIZ: I don't know.

Sophie!

Somebody fill us in.

Where are we at with the game?

SOPHIE: It’s more like a powerline right now.

LIZ: It’s more like a powerline?

WILLEM: If it seems as though Randy and Liz work well together, It might be because they're married to each other.

He works as an outdoor educator in Peabody, Massachusetts.

The Appalachian Mountain Club trained Randy in outdoor leadership through something called YOP the Youth Opportunities Program.

Now, he volunteers for On Belay.

RANDY: Is it a designated campsite like up at the top?

SHANE: No.

RANDY: So, you just kind of like made camp?

SHANE: Yeah.

RANDY: That's cool.

Key was that YOP has enabled On Belay to now do trips like this extended overnight trips because, you know, these kids don't own the gear that they need.

A nonprofit like On Belay can't pay full rates to stay at the Highland Center or the AMC huts, but with YOP’s support, we're able to make that happen.

Does this guy have a name yet?

LIZ: We don’t have a name for him yet.

ADDISON: I can't think of what his name is.

I want to say like, Rory.

JAMIE: I love that we're able to provide the support to groups and then to be able to tag along today and see how much fun the kids are having.

WILLEM: Jamie Aspenson works for the Appalachian Mountain Club as a training coordinator.

AMC provides all the equipment the kids need to hike, camp, and have fun.

JAMIE: All the backpacks, the hiking boots, the clothes, the water bottles.

We also do sleeping bags and tents, and in the winter, we have snowshoes and cross-country skis that groups can use.

[crunching underfoot] [excited chatter] WILLEM: Earlier in the summer, we stopped at the Browne Center in Durham, New Hampshire, for a one-day On Belay event.

ANDREA: Go!

WILLEM: It's where we met Ahna McCusker.

AHNA: My first program, I absolutely loved it.

I mean, honestly, I know that I've grown a lot since I've come here because my first program I was like so afraid of everything.

WILLEM: She's here with her cousin, Garrett.

AHNA: Wooh!

Oh my God!

INSTRUCTOR: Hands out so you don’t hit that pole.

WILLEM: His mother died of cancer a couple of years ago.

AHNA: Christina.

So, I wear her bracelet every day.

She had brain cancer.

And we had found out that she had brain cancer at my brother's birthday party at my youngest brother’s birthday party.

She had had a seizure.

And, I don't know, it's kind of hard for me to talk about it because I had to watch.

I watched it happen, so.

ANDREA: Oh my gosh, my sister was her second mom.

AHNA: You look up and it's just the leaves in the sky.

It's so peaceful because it's quiet.

WILLEM: Before activities got unnderway, I talked with Ahna and her mother.

ANDREA: I knew it was definitely taking a toll on her.

She... hated that my sister had to go through what she had to go through.

We were, like, really closely tied, so it was really hard to lose her.

ANDREA: She would come to the program, and as soon as she would, you know, show up here at the Browne Center or, you know, at a rock climbing event, I could see her whole demeanor just calm down.

She would become happy and just at ease.

And I know from talking to her that she just felt such a connection, but in a way that no one ever talked about.

You know, they just knew that they had each other and that they had that understanding of what each were going through.

So, she would come home and just be a more peaceful person.

AHNA: After she died, my first couple programs, it was just really hard being at home because everyone was just really sad all the time.

And when you came here, it was like really happy and no one really talked about it.

But everyone kind of knew, like, what you were going through because we were all kind of going through the same thing, whether someone had died or if they had it or if they were in remission.

And so all the kids, like, sometimes we talk about it, it's like, Oh, well, why are you here?

And like, you kind of talk about it and we help each other out.

Ahhh!

INSTRUCTOR: Hands out.

[laughter] AHNA: I don’t like it at all!

LIZ: All right.

Clap once if you can hear me.

Clap twice if you can hear me.

WILLEM: Liz was at the Browne Center the day Ahna and Garrett first arrived at On Belay.

LIZ: The first time I saw them, they were absolutely terrified.

I mean, they really didn't know what they were walking into.

You know, you could tell that the hurt for them was really, really recent.

And so watching them progress from the beginning of the day to the end of that day, just laughing and smiling and having a great time and feeling really good about themselves, you know, was a really, really wonderful achievement.

Since then, they've both grown into incredible leaders and the support that they're able to offer other kids who are going through what they have been through is remarkable.

AHNA: My best friend comes here also, and her dad just died from pancreatic cancer.

And so, I have been helping her out.

Like, we're the ones that got them started coming here.

We said, like, You need to come because this is definitely like a really good program to do.

ANDREA: We just got back from a cross country camp last night.

Ahna is going to be a freshman in her high school.

Every year, they go to Acadia to do a cross country camp.

And the last day is always a special day because, you know, we run up a mountain and she gets to write out goals for herself for the year.

And this year was kind of cool because each camper was given a puzzle piece and they were allowed to write something special on it.

Sorry.

So Ahna wrote Auntie on her puzzle piece.

She showed me and, you know, we just hugged each other on top of that mountain.

So, there are some days she sees me and, you know, she's like, Mom, I'm having a sad day.

You know, I just hold her, and she tells me what she's feeling, you know?

Hey, I just miss Auntie today.

I wish she was here to, you know, come swimming with us at Bow Lake.

You know, the little things.

So, there are those days where she is able to tell me, you know, I am really sad.

But I know that there are also those days that she gets a little angry... and doesn't want to talk.

And that's when I love On Belay, because she's able to deal with those feelings... in a way that she just feels so comfortable with.

♪ RANDY: On belay!

HIKER: Belay on.

RANDY: I couldn't hear you in the back there, Dylan!

On belay?

ALL: Belay on!

WILLEM: I've hiked Mount Willard several times over the years.

The view from the summit is difficult to forget.

I'm interested to see how the kids react.

AIDAN: Whoa!

What a view!

[whistles] LIZ: So, I believe that’s Eisenhower right there.

That hump.

WILLEM: So much of what I enjoy comes from being outdoors.

I'm curious why the folks at On Belay also think it's important.

LIZ: The outdoors just offers a different opportunity for folks to connect than other spaces.

And the adventure component is a really intentional piece to the program.

And we could go bowling and have a great time or we could go, you know, out and get ice cream and have a great time, but having folks do something that's a little bit challenging, that's outside of what we call your comfort zone, something that you're used to doing on an everyday basis, puts them in an environment where the opportunity for growth is exponential.

GIRL: One, two, three.

[microphone rumbling] [microphone rumbling] Ahhh!

[microphone rumbling] Oh my gosh!

JAMIE: So, they're building relationships with other people.

They're building the relationships and the connections with the outdoors so they feel connected to where they are.

The majority of these kids are from New Hampshire, so to have this experience in their own state and to see a place that they don't normally get to go to, they start to care about it and they continue to care later in life.

I think that they'll take away that they can use the outdoors as a coping tool.

So, to deal with the challenges that life presents, you know, that they can get into the outdoors and have that accomplishment of climbing a mountain or surviving in a rainstorm or being comfortable out of their element, and know that they can get through that and that they can use the outdoors to be happier in their lives.

RANDY: And it's really awesome to kind of see these kids out in this environment.

This is our second year doing the backpacking trip.

And last year was just because in the moment kids are having fun, and it's feeling like a good trip, and there's challenging moments.

But then when you hear them reflect on the experience afterwards, there's this like deep wisdom that's like, Whoa, holy cow!

WILLEM: So, you expect when you get all done here, you'll be a changed person?

AIDAN: Yes.

WILLEM: Really?

AIDAN: I mean, I've always enjoyed working with others, and just doing this gives me the chance to.

And it just helps me realize how lucky we are that the cancer is gone and how these people still went through the same thing we did, so we're able to relate with them.

SOPHIE: I try to bring constant positivity and just like support and kind of make everybody feel comfortable and kind of just give them somebody to talk to if they need someone to talk to.

Or just if they need someone to support them in any sort of way, I'm kind of just there for them to make them smile or make them laugh just to make them feel better because that's kind of what On Belay is.

RANDY: Thermometer!

Give me where you're at on feelings about the day, about where you are in life.

Thumbs down is sad face; Let's turn back to the Highland Center.

Thumbs up: Yes!

Hiking is awesome!

You know, you got the middle range.

ADDISON: I think it's been nice to just have, like, a place where, you know, everyone's been through sort of the same thing that you have, so you can all relate to each other on that sort of level.

And it's just nice with On Belay how it really means, like, I've got you.

I'm holding on to you.

It's nice because it does feel like that.

It's like a sense of community that you can just be open.

RANDY: That's it.

Like most people, if you turn them loose like I take groups of kids out and if you set them on the trail, they're like, WOOSHHH!

They’re just like flying for ten minutes and then they're: [panting intensely] So, you know, these guys are all happy go lucky right now.

But, you know, we're heading into some pouring rain tomorrow and we're going to be struggling together, but I think the idea is that through that struggle, they'll all learn a little bit about each other and kind of be ready to go for it and continue to support each other.

WILLEM: You're going to be in Mizpah tomorrow night?

RANDY: Yep!

Got to get there tomorrow night.

That's where our reservation is.

The last time I went to Mizpah it poured all the way up.

RANDY: Great.

So, that’s WILLEM: No, it wasn’t great.

RANDY: Maybe that’s the [laughing] tradition.

WILLEM: When I got there, everybody was drying clothes.

and it was wetter inside than outside!

Geez!

You couldn't see how the windows... [laughing] Turns out Randy's weather forecast is correct.

I checked, and yep, there's 100% chance of rain and strong wind tomorrow.

That's when we rise early and hike to AMC's Mizpah Hut.

But we'll finish this day first.

[chatter] Who was the slowest person today?

[chuckling] LUKE: Me.

WILLEM: But everybody stayed with you, right?

LUKE: Yeah.

I mean, like, on the hike up, I was pretty fast.

But on the hike down, I got slow.

I never like the hike downs.

WILLEM: No, I don't either.

It's awful on your knees.

But the group stayed together.

I thought it was very impressive.

Yeah, that's kind of the way they are.

The group relaxed and then had supper in the dining room.

The food was good.

And after supper, I asked Liz about Curtis, whose name I'd heard mentioned during today's hike.

We have several kids who sort of come back to On Belay for several different programs throughout the year.

And this one person in particular was on our first overnight last year.

And his father had passed away in April, so it was a very recent thing for him to be going on a trip like this.

His dad was an avid hiker and hiked quite a bit in the White Mountains.

And so, for him, he really felt like he was on this journey to reconnect with his dad, you know, as we were hiking the trails.

And he had some of his dad's shoes.

And so, we got to hike some of the trails in his dad’s shoes.

WILLEM: His father’s shoes fit him?

LIZ: Mhm, mhm.

WILLEM: That's great.

LIZ: And he got different moments where he would sort of check in, you know, with his dad while he was on that trip, you know, over the course of four days.

So, it was really neat.

[driving wind and rain] WILLEM: Morning brought the weather Randy warned us about.

[driving wind and rain] Perhaps the kids saw it as an adventure being out in this weather because I didn't hear a single complaint all morning.

BOY: It’s fun.

VIDEOGRAPHER: What's fun about it?

BOY: You never get too hot.

Rain cools you off.

GIRL: I don’t know.

I know it's fun so far.

AIDAN: Love it, love it.

[rain falling] LIZ: You know, I’ve had parents and families that I've met, you know, that I've also lost, and I’ve been to their funerals and had to say goodbye, as well, to folks that feel like a part of my community.

And it's hard to hear what's going on in everyone's life, you know, and hear about the struggles and hear about those challenges.

But in the end, we have something to offer them, and people feel safe and feel like they have a place where they can go and check back in with when they need it.

And I feel like my role is to hold that space for folks and take that sadness off of them, you know, for that period of time.

[water falling] All right.

One word to describe On Belay what On Belay means to you in one word.

Community.

SHANE: Amazing.

ADDISON: Bonding.

BOY: Support.

LUKE: Fantabulastic.

AIDAN: Stupendous.

GIRL: Fun.

GIRL: Exciting.

BOY: Enthusiasm.

RANDY: Giving-receiving.

[chuckling] ADDISON: I’d just like to say that I think that On Belay is just a great program.

And so for anyone who has been affected by cancer via someone in their family and you live in the area, I think you should definitely check it out.

And even if you haven't and you would like to donate, that would be great because they do all these programs for free for all of the kids, and they need people who are great like you to just donate so they can keep doing all the awesome stuff they do for all of us.

♪ WILLEM: Well, it's one of those beautiful New Hampshire [laughing] summer days.

Probably the worst one they've had this summer.

And we’ve come about half a mile up the Mizpah Trail, and the crew and I are going to have an attack of prudence and return to the parking lot.

Well, these guys are going to soldier on up to Mizpah Hut, which is another, oh, mile and a half little over a mile and a half yet?

AIDAN: Two miles.

WILLEM: Two miles.

Okay.

They'll be fine.

This has been a great experience with these guys, and saying goodbye is going to be such sweet sorrow.

[laughing] It would be worse if it were sunny.

But just terrific.

I know everybody now.

I know Addison, Shane, Dylan, Ben... yeah!

Sophie, and the other Sophie!

You made it easy.

And my buddy, Aidan, whose going to win the cross country race this year.

[laughter] AIDAN: No.

WILLEM: I’m going to folow you on Facebook!

And my buddy, Luke, who walks about the same speed I do.

[laughter] I needed you today and yesterday.

Thank you.

Okay.

It’s that part of the show I like least when we have to say goodbye.

But I shall.

I’m Willem Lange.

I hope to see you again on Windows to the Wild.

Now, over to you, Liz.

LIZ: On belay!

ALL: Belay on!

LIZ AND RANDY: On belay!

ALL: Belay on!

LIZ: On belay!

ALL: Belay on!

LIZ: All right, let's roll out!

WILLEM: Vamos!

[laughter] WILLEM: Thank you, guys.

ALL: Thank you.

♪