Tag Archive for: Hiking

Finding Confidence after a Brain Injury

May 12, 2021/in Uncategorized

This week is Brain Injury Awareness week and we’ve been thinking a lot about Cindi and the progress she’s made at Waypoint. Cindi has both an Acquired Brain Injury and a Traumatic Brain Injury – Acquired was from what doctors believe to have been a mosquito bite and contracting Triple E in 2010, and Traumatic was from falling due to residual balance issues.

In Cindi’s life before her injury, she had been a barber at a Veterans Hospital doing cuts and shaves for over 350 patients, had gone to school to get her private detective license, was a part-time travel agent, had her commercial driver’s license and drove 18-wheelers for 5 years, and volunteered for her town as an EMT and Firefighter for 10 years! All while raising 4 children!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMviI7BPL9A

After her Encephalitis from what doctors believe to have been a mosquito bite in 2010, Cindi had cognitive issues, memory issues, balance issues, aphasia, and would get overstimulated easily. Things like people moving fast near her or driving in the car would throw off her vestibular and she would feel sick. She did months of intense therapy and rehab, used a wheelchair for a year, then moved to a rolling walker, and now still uses a cane to help with balance.

Last month, Cindi met with our friend, consultant, and market researcher, Mira, who is helping tell Waypoint participants’ stories and told her what made Waypoint different from other organizations she had been with in the past. She told Mira how refreshing it was that Waypoint was a teaching organization. She said, “They know that I have memory problems, but want to be able to hike on my own. They help me get there.”

What we love about hearing Cindi’s story is that it reminds us that we’re in the business of amplifying people’s true selves. Before her injury, Cindi was someone who liked to be bold, adventurous, try new things, and loved to learn. And after her injury, Cindi has the same love for adventure and living life to the fullest! She may need support with balance, memory, judgement,
and confidence, but she’s making progress to be able to hike on her own and she’s already planning more backpacking trips this summer with her son!

Go Cindi!

Winter 2020

December 8, 2020/in Annnouncements, Hiking, Latest News, Open Enrollment, Snowshoeing, Training

Here at Waypoint, we continue to enjoy outdoor adventures! In fact, winter hiking, biking and snowshoeing trips can be exhilarating and fun with proper clothing, the right equipment, a mask, and a bit of social distance. Let’s be real, even a stroll around the block on a gray day can refresh the mind and raise our spirits. We are excited to venture into the outdoors with you if you are up for the adventure! Our new online registration process is up and running – click on ‘The Adventures’ tab on our website to sign up or give us a call and we’ll find the best program fit for you and your goals!

We understand that the pandemic can sometimes make travel, or even getting out of the house feel challenging. The good news is that opportunities to virtually enjoy nature, as well as resources and inspiring stories are available at the tap of your device or computer. Studies have shown that even virtual nature can improve our health and happiness. Here are some websites and links to virtual adventures that might get you dreaming of post-pandemic outings.

Try a virtual nature hike or “visit” a national park at one of these links:

Join a National Park Service ranger for a guided tour of select parks
ProArtInc’s Virtual Hikes via the 4K Virtual Outdoor Hikes Playlist on YouTube – Immerse yourself in a trail for several hours, listening to the sounds of nature as the camera moves along a hiking trail at walking speed

If movies are your thing:

https://www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest-at-home

REI has a nice blog post here on books, movies and podcasts designed to bring the outdoors into your home:

https://www.rei.com/blog/news/bring-outdoors-into-home

The following link has a wealth of information about planning and preparing for outdoor adventures and developing wilderness skills:

https://www.trailspace.com/blog/2020/06/12/online-outdoor-skills-education.html

As winter arrives and daylight grows a little shorter, the brambles and thorns of life might tug at you and try to hold you down or keep you indoors. Nature has a way of affording us a literal view of the forest through the trees. Science has proven that nature (even virtual nature) can contribute to happiness and boost our moods and state of mind. Come join us on a Waypoint Adventure; and if that isn’t possible at the moment, try experiencing nature virtually!

Please contact us via email or phone to let us know about other virtual nature experiences that you like or to request that Waypoint run a virtual experience

Private Lessons Summer 2020

September 25, 2020/in Hiking, Kayaking, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Uncategorized

It’s been a wild summer! Covid-times are hard times for sure, but the silver lining for us at Waypoint has been these private lessons! Check out pictures and some cool things we’ve noticed!

Participants are progressing in skills! We’ve been able to focus more on teaching directly to a participant’s skill set and learning style. On one kayaking lesson, we spent over 40 minutes with a participant near the shore breaking down the steps of kayaking very carefully and methodically – adding color cues to her paddle, arrows on white boards, writing out steps, and wading into the water next to her boat to practice the feeling of paddling. We just wouldn’t be able to devote that level of instruction in a group setting!
We’re developing closer relationships with our participants and their families. There’s a lot to chat about on a 90-minute lesson! We’ve seen fresh sides to personalities in a new one-to-one atmosphere and have learned so much about each person who has come out!
More people than ever are signing up that have never been on a Waypoint program! We’re getting calls and emails from all over the Boston area from people who’s school or program is closed and they are looking for something outdoors to do. People who have been on our mailing list for years and just never got around to signing up are doing so. And we think, partly, it’s desperate times, but for some people, they just thrive in a private-lesson setting as opposed to a group one.
We’ve been forced into trying new sites when parks were closed and they’ve turned out to be awesome for us! Some of our new favorites are paddling on the Concord River from Lowell Street in Concord, MA, the Ice House Landing parking lot in Maynard, MA which has access to the Assabet River and a great rail trail for biking, and we’ve used more than usual our favorite Cambridge kayaking spot, Magazine Beach!

It’s A Wrap! Somerville 2019

June 12, 2019/in Hiking, Kayaking, Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, Schools, Series

24 Programs! Our biggest partnership ever! What an awesome year it has been with the thriving Special Education Department of Somerville Public Schools. Thanks to a Cummings Foundation grant the Somerville SPED Department received and the tireless efforts of Wellness Coordinator and friend, Caitlin Kelly, Waypoint was BACK in Somerville for the 2018-2019 school year designing and facilitating quality adventure-education programs for 19 different classes across the district. Social-Emotional Learning was happening on these programs: students immersed in problem solving scenarios, supported by the process of learning and community, and given the right to take on challenging experiences and we saw it in action – the perfect recipe for character building come to life.

These programs were not just work for us. The buy-in from teachers and administrators made this series a joy to facilitate. We even had volunteers come out on one program and come back again and again and again because of how much fun they had just being a part of these days! Shoutout to Jim Bradley, Sylvana Weinstein, and some awesome repeat groups from Definitive Cares and The Shady Hill School. This community is vibrant and excelling because of your support!

You HAVE to peruse some of the pictures below. It felt like a family photo album putting these together and laughing about ridiculous things that happened on programs and awesome students, teachers, and volunteers we met along the way. Here are some snapshots from all of the programs we ran with Somerville during 2018-2019:

10/25/18 Ropes Course at Hale Reservation

11/14/18 Hike in the Middlesex Fells

12/19/18 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/9/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/11/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

1/15/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/23/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

1/30/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/5/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

2/13/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/19/19 Hike at Harold Parker State Forest in Andover

3/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/28/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

4/2/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

4/10/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

4/24/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/1/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

5/15/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/16/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

5/23/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

5/24/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

5/29/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

6/5/19 Kayaking on the Charles River in Allston

We can’t thank our site partners from Central Rock Gym, Paddle Boston – Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Kennedy School Pool, and Massachusetts DCR enough for supporting this programming. THANK YOU!

And THANK YOU to all the students for participating, and the teachers and administrators that helped coordinate transportation, get forms filled out, opened the pool, and made sure adventure programming fit seamlessly into your curriculum. We believe it’s so important and it’s encouraging to see others agree. Looking forward to next year!

Winter Hiking with Brain Injury Support Group

March 2, 2019/in Hiking

Sometimes, noticing that someone has a brain injury is easy. Other times, it’s invisible. You would never be able to tell that someone had one. But regardless, people who have acquired Brain Injuries or Traumatic Brain Injuries experience challenges that are very unique. So when someone with a TBI wants to do something as simple as going for a walk in the woods, he/she may need some very simple support.

Trekking poles for balance
Someone to guide the group so no one get’s lost on the trails
Calls before the program and extra care during the registration process.
And someone to design the day with a strong sense of community and a path to success (quite literally) that leaves no one getting too frustrated or anxious.

The MA Department of Conservation and Recreation recognizes the support that’s necessary to be able to provide access to their parks and has sponsored Waypoint’s hiking programs. This was an awesome day with adults who had TBIs in Blue Hills Reservation. Check out pics!

Opening A World of Opportunity

December 10, 2018/in Annnouncements, Fundraisers, Hiking, Latest News, Past Programs, Support, Uncategorized

Adventure, challenge, community and FAMILY are all possible because of YOU!

In early September 2018, Waypoint received a call from a woman in Connecticut who said that their family use to love hiking but as their son grew he became too big to carry and his disabilities made it impossible for him to go along. It was her birthday and when her husband asked what she’d like to do for her birthday, it sparked a memory. She’d visited our website over a year ago and saw a wheelchair that she thought would be a good fit for her son and she wanted to go hiking… with her whole family!

When we learned that they lived in Connecticut, we told her we were going to be there the next day to run a kayaking program and that we’d be happy to bring the chair along for them to use. She immediately got emotional and gratefully said they’d be there at 8:00 sharp!

When they arrived, we showed them how to use the chair, loaded it up in their car, gave them directions to a trail only about 20 minutes from the area and sent them on their way. When they returned the chair later that afternoon they were all smiles, telling us how they hiked all the way to the end of the trail and even managed to cross a large stone dam that they would have never imagined crossing before!

They said that the chair worked perfectly for their son and confirmed that it is possible for them to hike again as a family! They’re hoping to start a “go-fund-me” page to raise money to purchase a chair like ours and share it with other families they know in their area.

If it weren’t for people like you who contribute to Waypoint, we wouldn’t be able to purchase equipment like this!

With your help, participants and their families, like the Vernon’s, can continue to take part in these life enhancing activities.

Three States, Three Series’, One Awesome New Partner

August 31, 2018/in Hiking, Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, Series, Special Events, Support, Uncategorized

Waypoint has a new partnership! This summer, we had the awesome opportunity to partner with Epilepsy Foundation of New England (EFNE) and run programs in three different states! EFNE’s mission is: to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. They serve approximately 100,000 people in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island affected by Epilepsy and the people who care for them.

Throughout July and August, we custom designed three series programs across New England. Our first series was at Lincoln Woods State Park, Rhode Island. It included outdoor rock climbing and a day of exploring the beautiful park on a hike. On our second program series, we traveled west to Central Rock Gym in Worcester, MA for two indoor rock climbing programs. And our final program series took place in Maine for a ropes course at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough and kayaking at Range Pond in Poland.

The goal of it all? EFNE wanted to provide “camp-like” experiences for some families who just couldn’t do sleep away camps. They recognized the learning and growth that happens when youth are challenged through adventurous experiences. The goals to challenge ourselves and recognize support from our networks rose to the surface as goals. We were psyched that so many individuals and families got to come together and meet others in their community living with Epilepsy, but more-so, we were blown away at the impact these experiences had!

One 10-year old girl showed up to the ropes course visibly anxious. She had never been on a ropes course before! When it came time to do the high element “Multi-Vine,” she was the last in her group to try. When it was finally her turn, her whole team cheered her on as she climbed the staples embedded in a large tree to a thin foot cable, 20 feet above the ground. This thin foot cable was connected to an adjacent tree 100 feet away. She carefully balanced on the cable and shimmied her way across using hanging ropes above her like vines to get to the other side…. and she made it! As she was lowered down by her team, she beamed with pride and a large smile appeared on her face from ear to ear. To the whole group at the end of the day, she said: “I wasn’t sure I was going to come to camp, but I am so glad I did! I challenged myself all day and achieved my goals. I’m so proud of myself!”

These are the kind of moments that make these partnerships run deep! These programs would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the staff at EFNE, our awesome site locations that allowed us to run programs, and the individuals and families that participated! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Waypoint and EFNE!

Check out pictures from each series!

July 17th Outdoor Rock Climbing

July 18th Hike at Lincoln Woods State Park, RI

July 24th & 25th Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Gym in Worcester, MA

August 21st Ropes Course at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough, ME

August 22nd Kayaking at Range Pond in Poland, ME

A little rain didn’t stop us from having an awesome day out on the water!

That’s A Wrap! Somerville 2017-2018

June 26, 2018/in Kayaking, Schools, Uncategorized

Another school term in the books! Over the past year, Waypoint Adventure has had the privilege to work with over 13 special education classes from all over the Somerville Public School system. Seven program types were run (ropes course, indoor/outdoor rock climbing, indoor kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and team building), which gave over 100 students the opportunity to experience adventure!

For most of participants, this was their first time ever going on a hike or rock climbing or to a ropes course. Roughly 92% of the students from Somerville that came out on an adventure program with us were experiencing that type of adventure for the first time. There is a real need to get more kids out in nature, on adventures and into their local community!

We are so grateful to have worked with such incredible students, facility, and administration this year at Somerville Public Schools. Thank you to all the volunteers and coordinators that made these programs possible and so successful. But…It’s not over yet!!

Thanks to a very generous grant given by the Cummings Foundation to the Somerville Public Schools, we are excited about the potential of continued programming with SPS!”

Here are some pictures of the last program we ran with Somerville Public Schools:

April 2018: Indoor Kayaking; Thanks for volunteering Definitive Cares!

To see our other posts about Somerville Public Schools, click the links below:

Beginning-year Somerville Programs

Mid-year Somerville Programs

Cotting School + Waypoint = Strong Partnership

June 21, 2018/in Annnouncements, Hiking, Schools, Uncategorized

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since we entered into one of the most supportive and successful partnerships we’ve ever had. On June 21st, 2016 we moved onto the campus of Cotting School in Lexington, MA and it’s been hugely successful. The way it works is: We provide some after school team-building activities, occasional adventure programs and weekly vocational opportunities for their students and Cotting provides us with a place to call home; and what a place it is!

As one of the many added benefits, we get a chance to build relationships with students from Cotting, many of whom join us on adventure programs throughout the year. One example of this is seen in the fact that 4 of the 11 Leaders In Training participants from 2017 were Cotting students or alumni! Other benefits include access to Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and highly skilled Special Education teachers that allow us to seek advice, learn and improve the impact of Waypoint’s adventure programming.

We are so grateful for the amazing Cotting School community and the support they’ve shown us over these last few years. We’re looking forward toward many more years of deepening and expanding this partnership for the benefit of Cotting students and Waypoint participants!

As mentioned above, Cotting students work at Waypoint throughout the school year as part of the their vocational study. Students this year packed equipment and gear for programs, unpacked, took inventory, stamped envelopes for mass mailings, and more. To honor these hard working students, we did two hikes this June at Meadow Brook in Belmont. Check out these pics from our adventures!

Hike in the Fells!

April 20, 2018/in Achievements, Group Homes, Hiking, Latest News, Past Programs, Series, Volunteer

Well, it turned spring in New England (we’re pretty sure), and the lingering cold hasn’t stopped us from getting outside. In March, we hit the Middlesex Fells with a close-knit group from Specialized Housing, Inc. Six adults who live together in a group home in Newton were up for the challenge and it all paid off as the sun poked through and we actually got an awesome day!

Our goal was to challenge ourselves (physically, mentally, and socially) while also take intentional steps towards supporting all members of the group. After some group initiatives like “Name Toss” and “Wompum,” the group set off towards Panther Cave near Bellevue Pond. Everyone started off with micro-spikes on their boots; however, after several minutes, everyone decided that they would trudge on without them. Along the way, the group encountered a river crossing that took all hands on deck to get everyone across. Check out pictures from the day!

After Panther Cave, the group was motivated to get to the summit of Pine Hill, which was home to Wright’s Tower and a beautiful view of the Boston skyline. With several steep hills and the snow and ice adding to the difficulty of the trek, the group (literally) went hand and hand all the way up to the tower.

As the group made their way back to the parking lot for the end of the adventure, they stopped at cement bench to debrief and reflect on the challenges they had faced throughout the day. All were filled with smiles and laughs as each volunteer gave a special shout-out and a rock to each participant to commemorate their journey throughout the hike and the bond they share with their fellow housemates.

All in all, the group pushed themselves to their limits and supported each other throughout. We can’t wait to see what will happen next with this group on their upcoming indoor rock climbing adventure in May!