Our Staff
Kelly McClendon Harris
In the summer of 2021, I found myself going through some major life changes. I knew that I needed to do something for me…go on an adventure and work on some of the mind knots I was experiencing. You know, some of the things I challenge my clients to do.
The first of those adventures was with a group climbing Pikes Peak in Colorado. The trip challenged me both physically and mentally. I had been training for a massive climb for a couple of weeks and this was a good test to see where my preparation level was at. I wasn’t prepared for the intensity and bonds I would form,… the vulnerability and strength of overcoming together. It sparked something in me.
About 10 days later, I went on that once in a lifetime experience I had been working towards. I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro! At the last check point, as they checked my oxygen levels, I struggled a bit and didn’t think I was going to make it to the top; but, I was determined! I was going to do it! Standing on that summit when I finally reached it, and looking out at the incredible views, letting everything sink in, I felt the sense of accomplishment and I wanted to share this experience with others. To see that moment when we move from being stuck, to realizing that we can do so much more. Over the next four months, I would embark on 3 more mountain adventures. The foundation had been set.
So, I chose to start Adventure Therapy because I have experienced first hand the power of therapeutic healing and growth when we can process outside. When we push our bodies, the mind becomes more open to receive and loosen up old stuck points and distortions. Helping others achieve a WIN, through an adventure, and discovering new personal insights, is one of the greatest missions I could be part of.
K.C. Thorson
As a kid I was always playing in the woods behind the house. It’s where I found my freedom to roam. I could go on adventures and experience the thrill of hunting the mighty cotton tail rabbits and find a sense of accomplishment in simply climbing a tree. There was no better place to tackle the problem solving that came with building the best fort possible. It always brought me peace and let me feel alive. I quickly joined the boy scouts so my play wouldn’t stop, and the size of the woods I was exploring continued to grow.
Almost every weekend during the summer months in Minnesota, my uncle would take me fishing. Those were some of the best times in my childhood. I can still see his goofy laugh and the cigarette dangling out of his mouth as he helped me bait hooks and unhook fish. Then, when I was about 14 years old, he walked into the woods and ended his life. That had a profound impact on my life well into adulthood.
Fast forward a few years and "real life" had taken priority, I found myself suffering from depression coupled with horrible anxiety. I reached a breaking point and knew that I needed a reset. I grabbed my backpack, took off for the only place that gave me peace, and soon found myself in Superior National Forest. I spent a few weeks exploring what it had to offer for adventure and excitement. Soon the immediate fires of everyday life started to quiet down, and I was able to focus on the problems that I really needed to work on without the constant interruptions. It retaught me how simple life is. If you’re hungry eat. Don’t have food? Figure out how to get it, and then eat. See a mountain you want to climb? Go climb it and enjoy the climb just as much as the view.
I fell into guiding after meeting an outfitter on one of my adventures, near the Canadian border in the BWCA. In guiding, I got to experience leading others through the world’s best playgrounds in the wilderness, saw them through their struggles after a long tough day of work, and shared in their reflections of those struggles as they shared around a campfire with a decent meal. With the shared experiences grew my ability to guide through lessons and see them play out long after the trip had ended and into their personal life. During one of the boundary water trips, while paddling, I recall getting hit with this overwhelming sense of fulfilment and the thought of my grandpa being proud of me in that moment for what I was doing.
For me, Adventure Therapy is because I want to bring people into the woods and provide life changing experiences that show them a glimpse of what they are truly capable of physically and mentally.