Constantly Improving Wilderness Camp

The leaves are barely beginning to turn colors in Southern Utah but Milton Hatt, warehouse manager for RedCliff Ascent, is already prepared for winter.

Part of the preparation means making sure the warehouse is filled with everything students may need to keep warm and dry – especially when it comes to their feet.

This year Milt is swapping out last year’s model hiking boots for a style that is waterproof and insulated. It costs the company about $30 more per pair but Milt says it’s worth it.

“We’re constantly improving,” he says about the products he stocks. His job not only includes warehousing and distributing equipment but shopping for the best gear at the best price.

The new hiking books are waterproof and insultated to well below zero. Combined with a pair of NEOS overshoes, students’ feet not only stay dry but they also stay warm.

Milt took shoe improvements an additional step. He shopped for, and found, camp sandals without holes in the uppers. Students typically change into these “Croc”-like shoes at night as they gather around the fire. “No holes means stockings stay dry at night. That makes a big difference in whether or not feet stay warm,” Milt says. 

Therapy is hard work but Milt and the rest of the RedCliff Ascent staff work hard to make sure students stay safe, warm and dry as they re-build family relationships.