2025 Grand Climbers Reach the Summit
This summer, four exceptional high school students—Lily, Adrian, Saadiq, and Joseph—etched their names into City Kids history, joining 34 other participants who have summited the 13,775-foot Grand Teton and earned their place on the legendary City Kids Grand Climb Paddle. Joined by Senior JET Program Manager Ginny Brooks and skilled Exum Mountain Guides, these climbers demonstrated remarkable perseverance, teamwork, and growth throughout their four-day mountain adventure.
Preparation and Bonding
The path to the Grand Teton summit began long before the summer for these JETs (Job Experience Trainees). Throughout the year, they built their skills through a carefully orchestrated partnership network: developing strength and technique at Movement Gyms’ indoor climbing walls in DC, outdoor climbing experiences alongside Calleva and Arc’teryx, and finally testing their endurance on the demanding Teton Crest Trail—each step designed to prepare them for this ultimate challenge.
Once in Jackson Hole, they embarked on intensive technical training alongside Exum guides. The JETs honed essential mountaineering skills, rode what they lovingly dubbed the “Giardia/Gardiola/Glogodon” (aka the Gondola) up the mountain, and marveled at the cascading beauty of Hidden Falls. Between demanding climbing sessions, they forged deeper bonds over a hearty jambalaya dinner prepared by the JETs themselves and evening Dairy Queen treats. Adrian’s valiant attempt to sleep in a hammock—while repeatedly losing his blanket to the Wyoming night—provided comic relief during their Colter Bay car camping adventures.
The Climb
After their rousing team “Yeehaw!” at Lupine Meadows trailhead, the group began their ascent, playing games and sharing stories that echoed off the canyon walls. When Lily faced the mountain’s humbling combination of altitude effects and dehydration, the team rallied around her. A conversation at the Caves and a Nutella banana sandwich just in the nick of time got her back on track—a powerful testament to the importance of fueling and self-care in the mountains.
After a long day for everyone, the team celebrated at the Lower Saddle, sharing cheesecake that one of the Exum guides, Ryan, had carried to the saddle—a sweet moment suspended high above Jackson Hole. That night, sleep quality varied—Joseph slept like a baby while Adrian woke up “screaming for his energy drink” and Lily tossed and turned in anticipation of the 3:20 a.m. ascent.
Summit day brought a gauntlet of technical challenges: the exposed Black Dike scramble, narrow icy tunnels that tested their nerve, and the famous “Riding the Horse” pitch that demanded every bit of their skill and trust. Though the team split into different climbing groups to navigate the technical terrain at their own pace, they reunited at the summit in a moment of pure joy.
Lessons and Legacy
Saadiq emphasized the importance of personal commitment: “I recommend, if you want to do it, it doesn’t matter if your friend wants to do it, do it for you. Do it because you want to do something hard for yourself, because that’s going to carry over into other hard things in your life. Whether it’s school, life, or whatever else. If you’re not doing it for you, it’s not going to be as rewarding. Just know it’s not easy, and it’s okay if it’s not easy. Do it if you want to do it.”
When the going got tough, each climber found their own strategies for perseverance. Adrian’s approach was simple: “Lot of jokes on the hike,” while Lily advised future climbers to “Have a good time, persevere, push yourself, snacks too—like literally, eat.” For Saadiq, difficult moments became opportunities for growth: “Remember why you’re there, if you just remember a hard time in a moment in life, and you’re like ‘oh I didn’t do well there,’ use that as fuel, as a chance to do better, to push yourself forward now.”
As Ginny observed, “Something that made a difference was self-management, how we managed our needs. We talked a lot about nutrition and water, getting rest, and communicating our needs.” Having worked with these JETs throughout the year, Ginny’s presence on the mountain added a special dimension to the experience—witnessing firsthand the culmination of months of preparation and growth.
The team discovered that their years of City Kids experiences, as well as recent trips with City Kids’ partners like Wilderness Adventures, had prepared them not just with technical skills, but with the unshakeable confidence and resilience needed when the mountain tested their limits. Whether facing a literal or figurative mountain, as Adrian put it, “Just be prepared to do what you gotta do.”
Support the Summit: Making Adventures Like This Possible
Transformative experiences like the Grand Climb are made possible through the generous support of our community. Each August, City Kids participates in Teton County’s beloved Old Bill’s Fun Run, where every dollar raised directly funds outdoor adventures—from technical mountaineering expeditions to wilderness skills training that builds confidence and character.
Save the date: Old Bill’s Fun Run begins August 15th. Your participation helps ensure that more participants like Lily, Adrian, Saadiq, and Joseph can discover their strength, build lasting friendships, and learn that no mountain is too high to climb.
