Day Campers Learn Ropes of Mountain Climbing

Youngsters from Valley Trails Day Camp couldn’t go to the mountains Wednesday so, as English essayist Francis Bacon might have put it, . . . the mountains came to them.

No matter that the 24-foot peak they scaled was constructed of fiberglass and ceramic clay, complete with handholds and four steel anchors for belaying ropes.

By the end of the day, most of the 150 campers, from kindergartners to ninth-graders, had groped their way to the top and descended, with bodies and egos intact, to the shouts of encouragement and congratulations from comrades below.

“I’m scared,” confessed 7-year-old Bryan Miziolek of Sherman Oaks as he started up. Five minutes later, Bryan, who will be a second-grader at St. Cyril Catholic School this fall, had returned safely and was asking for another chance to climb.

“It helps them conquer their fears,” explained camp director Mike Stillson of Porter Ranch. “This is something most youngsters would never imagine themselves doing.

“It also fosters teamwork and helps build group spirit.”

Valley Trails Camp is home of the private K-sixth grade Woodcrest Elementary School. Woodcrest also operates area preschool programs in Sherman Oaks, Agoura Hills and Newbury Park.

The synthetic mountain, rented complete with harnesses and rope from Quantum Rock Enterprises in Palos Verdes, arrived flat on a trailer (with “Rolling Stone” inscribed on each fender). It was winched into a vertical position, braced, and immediately surrounded by youngsters and counselors.

This is the first year the camp has offered rock-climbing, said Stillson. By next summer he hopes to have a permanent 35-foot-high climbing facade built on campus.

Asked whether rock-climbing was an extreme sport for kids this young, Stillson said “This is extremely safe, extremely fun and extremely exciting.” He then confided, “If you want to experience something really dangerous, try spending an afternoon on a miniature golf course with these kids.”