Wilderness Skills
The Outdoor Education Program runs a wilderness skills class that is advertised as the most fun that you can have in a class and life changing. When I signed up for it as a student, I thought that was gimmicky. In the end it turned out to be true. I enjoyed the course so much that I later applied to be an instructor, as did two thirds of the students who went through the same experience.
At about 10,000 ft in Death Valley looking over the Inyo Range and Southern Sierras. I started out with Rachel Finck 12 hours earlier at -250 ft. We managed to gain about 12,000 ft over the course of the day. This is one of my favorite days. Challenging, but fantastic from start to finish. Neither of us knew whether we were going to be able to pull it off. I think this was around the point where we realized we just might.
I continued to learn from the other instructors and students in the community. In part, this was hard-skills, such as how to place climbing gear on a route or use an ice axe. However, I think the skills in leadership and teaching have had the greatest impact on me. Learning to be self-sufficient in the wilderness has also helped me learn to be more self-reliant in other parts of my life as well. It’s been incredibly empowering. I think one of the reasons I stayed involved in the community is to pass this experience on to others.
I continue to look for ways to strengthen myself as a partner. I recently took as Wilderness First Responder Course through Cascade Outdoor Education. I don’t know how I would do an actual emergency—maybe that’s an impossible thing to know until it happens. I do know that after nine days of hands on training, my shot at keeping calm and not forgetting the basics is much higher. I’m looking forward to building a new skill set for the Cascades while learning a new range and connecting with a new community.