The Cairn Project
It’s February 1st and I'm loading my Mukluk up for a big ride: a flask of tea, lots of warm clothes, a towel, shorts, a bra, my wood axe. The axe is for ice, as somewhere on this ride, I need to stop at a loch, chop through the ice and immerse myself in the freezing water below. It’s something I’ll do every day in February as part of my “Dip A Day” challenge. To say that I’m nervous would be an understatement—I have so much trepidation about this month. How will I handle the cold? How horrible will it feel? Will I be able to do it? Will I die? I'm not good with cold at the best of times; I'm usually that girl on a ride wearing three times as much as everyone else. Stripping my clothes off in the snow and dunking into near-freezing water is WAY outside my comfort zone.
I'm doing this to fundraise for The Cairn Project. An organisation who provides grants to wilderness, outdoor education, and outdoor sport programs for women around the US. Founded by Alison Wright and Sarah Castle in 2015, they have since given out $190,000 in grants to different projects.
I'd come across The Cairn Project through some incredible women I followed on Instagram. Over the next year, some of them visited Scotland and then I went to the States. They were obviously very proud to have helped fundraise for The Cairn Project and recommended I sign up to do the same.
I was sponsored by a similar program when I was 16. We were bussed into the highlands and spent a week learning how to face challenges, work as a team and build trust, confidence, and friendship. We climbed, kayaked, and jumped off cliffs. It was terrifying and exhilarating and it changed my life forever. I came back from that week feeling proud of myself. I had a confidence I’d not felt since becoming a teenager, and although I didn’t know it then, I’d found the industry I was going to work in after uni.
Nearly 15 years later and that week still stands out as a life-changing event and one of the most positive memories from my teenage years. I'm so grateful I had that opportunity, made possible by people who had challenged themselves to fundraise for the program. It has been wonderful to help raise funds for future girls and women to have that same opportunity. I recommend the experience to anyone, and you can find details on how to get involved on The Cairn Project website.
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MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT THE CAIRN PROJECT...
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