The Perils of Over Inspiration: The Dilemma of Modern Wilderness Skills Instructors

Heading into the wild for the Hawk Circle
winter survival trek.

 I saw this article recently and I was both saddened for the man who succumbed to hypothermia, his family and for the instructors and wilderness school who taught him some of his initial skills, and for our wilderness education field in general.   It made me take stock yet again about the power and responsibility that we, as instructors of wilderness living skills, have, and for the ultimate impact our teachings can have on our students.

I have to add that there were many things missing in this article, including details about the types of gear he was carrying, his mental status, his family or relationship quality and other things that can come into play, like the weather at the time, and food choices or availability.   It doesn't go into whether he had practiced and trained for this outing, or what his level of experience was and many more questions we all could think of to ask about this person and the specific circumstances of this tragedy.

In the short of it, that stuff doesn't matter.   He died.  He died trying to live off the land, and practice the same skills that many of teach and share every day.   And that should sober us, and make us think long and hard about how we teach, how we practice, and how we prepare our students, who might someday try a similar sort of walkabout.

The Cherry Valley Creek: 
So Peaceful and Tranquil,
Yet Great Perils Lie for the Unwary!

It's easy to dodge our responsibility, if we choose.   "Hey, it's not one of my students.   My students would never do that."  I think it is natural for the first response to be one of defensiveness, to protect ourselves from any part of blame for this avoidable tragedy.   I know that some of that was running through my head at first.

However, it leads me to thinking about how we inspire our students.  I thought about how I was inspired, long ago, by my teachers, like Tom Brown, Jr, and John Stokes, and Jake Swamp.   I thought about the ways they inspired me, and, at the same time, balanced that with appropriate cautions and warnings in the right amounts too.   Tom used to say (and probably still does) that "the Earth will never hurt you, as long as you move and flow with it".   I believed this statement, and still do, to a degree.   But I also know that there are people who could take that statement and walk out the back door into the wilderness fully believing in it, and die a few hours later because they didn't really know what it meant, and they took that one statement out of context of a larger perspective and body of knowledge.

In other words, Tom spoke those words to us, as adults, and in the context of a full week of immersed learning and focused teachings.  He knew we weren't going out the door at the end of the day, or couple of days, and he had time to share the full spectrum.   I know, because while 20 percent of his teachings had this same type of beautiful, inspiring harmony, there was another 20-30 percent that lay in vivid stories and teaching that scared the crap out of me.   It balanced out.   It made it complete, and left me with days and nights lying in bed and going back and forth, always thinking things like:  "Am I ready to go into the woods yet on my own, to live this philosophy?"   "Have I practiced enough, to where it is reliable and a part of me?"   and "what the heck does that mean, 'the Earth will never hurt me as long as I move and flow with it?'  What is 'flow' anyway?"

Brian Sullivan heads into the wild 
for a spring survival test.

You can see, this topic is complex.   It has a lot of threads, and has few easy answers.   It is something I think about while working in our barn, mentally preparing for summer camp, or on the long drives through the rural New York countryside, heading to a meeting or after school program.   In the past few weeks, I have come up with a couple of ideas so I thought I would lay them on you and see what you think.

First, and easiest, is to Balance Inspiration with Hazard Awareness.  Give equal time to each area of your program, and tell stories on both ends.   Yes, it is great to share the wonder of seeing an early sunrise on the banks of a river, or hike in the moonlight, or whatever.   Those things are amazing and can help us feel like we are walking in the footsteps of the ancients.   But it is important to also share stories of hypothermia, of adequate nutrition and caloric intake on a wilderness trek, especially for teens and young adults.   You don't have to do it all at once, but make sure you do it.  Seriously.

Second, make sure You are Modeling Safe Behavior.   This means bringing a first aid kit on your treks and outings, and know how to use it.  Get certified for CPR and all that, so you are trained up and professional.   Wear warm clothing and gear when appropriate, and don't cut corners with safety in your programs.   Bring flashlights and headlamps, and make sure all staff carry them as well, even on short day hikes, just in case.   Bring warm clothes even on warm days, in case someone gets cold or immersed in cold water in an accident.   Don't model behavior that could be dangerous in front of kids that could easily begin mimicking your actions in unsafe ways.  

Hawk Circle Assistant Director Randy Charles 
teaches students about respect for the bush.

Third, Teach from Your Own Mistakes.   In other words, share your failures, your times where you forgot your rain coat, or got lost, or built your shelter poorly, etc.   If you don't have a lot of those, then you have to use other people's misfortunes or learning stories, changing the names if necessary so as to not embarrass anyone.   Doing this will help your students see that it is possible to make mistakes, and to fail, and to have to work at these skills, and that they don't come easy.   It helps to hear stories about how much practice it really takes to make a fire in the rain with one match, or skin a deer at -3ºF or whatever.

Fourth, Emphasize that there is Nothing Wrong with Using Back Up Gear while you are Learning.   I think this is pretty self explanatory, but hey, I have to say it.   And an addendum to this one is Watch out for The Crazy, Passionate, Over-Inspired Student!  This is where your mentoring really has to kick in.   You have to be willing to make sure that students are also modeling smart, safe behavior, and if they don't, then let them know they might not be able to stay in your program.   Not as punishment for being inspired, but as a safety issue for other students.   And for the safety issues for themselves.  

In  those situations, you have to find ways to get through to that person, not in front of the group where they might be embarrassed or feel self conscious, but at another time, discreetly, and have many as many conversations as necessary to help them value their own life, and others nearby.   What will help is if you have developed a bond of trust, and if you communicate through that trust, and really listen to what they are saying, and hearing whether or not you are getting through.   It takes time, and it isn't easy, but this is what we do.  This is what makes us good and real and awesome.

Ryan Smith cooks over an open fire on
his wilderness skills intensive.

It's all great to share about how the native people didn't have this or that, and could do these amazing things, but all of your great teaching will amount to nothing if you have a student get over-inspired and head out in bad weather and die.  Or fall off a cliff.  Or cut themselves with a hatchet or a knife doing something stupid.  So trust me on this, and tone it down a little.   Just be real.

Fifth, Be Sure to Praise Good Examples of Positive, Safe, Smart Behavior.   Give credit to your staff.   Give credit to the parents.   Give awards to kids who don't get cut, or forget their rain coats, or whatever.  I guess you can figure out what will work in your school or class, or camp or program.   But it is true that what we focus on will get attention and lead to positive change.

I do think that over inspiration can be a real problem in some learning cultures in various wilderness schools, and the problem sometimes comes about because we, as instructors, like to share what got us into these skills, or way of life, and we share the same stories because it worked for us.   However, we just sometimes forget about all of the other stories that were also shared at the same time as we were learning, or maybe our teachers never gave those to us in the first place.   So we can just go through our teaching routines, and find the balance, and tone things down, and make the adjustments.   It's not really all that hard, but the payoff is sweet.

I remember sharing some stories with a group of campers about one of my survival camp outs, telling them about the back up food I brought, and being huddled in a thick wool blanket in the early morning cold, leaning against a big pine tree and seeing the raccoons heading back to bed along the creek in the mist.   I remember sharing about my army poncho, and how it kept me warm and dry in a massive, two hour downpour in the back country on a cold November evening.   A year later, one of those same campers came back and shared her story, about how she remembered my wool blanket, and brought one along on her camping trip and was able to see deer pass within a few feet of her, on a morning where she would have had to leave early because it was just too cold for the clothing she had on.   Kids listen.   They understand, and they emulate.  And when they have a success, they will know your teaching helped them have that experience, and it will be good.   And those teachings will be passed down to the next generations, and so on.

Let's make sure we can pass on the best of our teachings to the kids of the future.   Doesn't every student of ours deserve our best?  And, if we do this, in a serious and deliberate way, the passing of this young Scottish man will not be for nothing.  It will matter.  It will make a difference.

Maybe his family would like that.

What do parents think?  

What do students of the wilderness feel about this post?

What do you think?

Starting your Own Wilderness Program-An Article Reprint from 2002

This is a reprint of an article that I wrote which was published by the Bulletin of Primitive Technology in 2002. Our school is celebrating our 20th year this year, (our first camp was in the summer of 1989) so the years are a bit off, but overall, the rest is pretty good in terms of content, and seemed timely way back then! Enjoy and I hope to post more of my archived articles on my website's media page later this winter.....


Starting Your Own Wilderness Program Words of Advice and Warnings!

So, you've run a few workshops and day programs in primitive living skills for a few years, but you're still working at that pesky full-time carpentry job (or whatever). You'd love to just make the switch from work to teaching skills full time. Hey, then you could spend all your time in the woods and teaching, doing what you love to do! Right? Not so fast, Buckskin Boy (or Girl)! Slow down! Take a deep breath and think this through...

I was once in your position, learning, teaching and working. I couldn't wait to make it to the big time, with my own school, camp or program. I was most familiar with summer camps and at the time there were virtually no “kid” programs around, so I thought it was the perfect way to teach and be in nature all summer long. Besides, I might make some good money too! It was a nice theory, but reality was a bit different. I found there was a price I paid for starting a full time program. I just spent the last three weeks chained to a computer working on a 50-page health & safety manual as required by the New York State Department of Health. I pretty much know the Sanitation Code for children's camps and food service by heart! Been in the woods lately? Man, from my window, it sure looks great...

Let's talk about the things you'll need to run a successful wilderness school, camp or program:
#1. First, you'll need to determine if your local area has enough of a population that is interested in what you're teaching. Is there a large urban or suburban area nearby? What is your plan for getting the word out that you exist to your target audience? How much money do you have for marketing and advertising? What kind of a brochure or flyer are you planning on creating? How much do you estimate this will cost? All of these things will require a plan and lots of time to organize. It will involve weighing pros and cons and possibly taking some risks. (Not to mention start-up money.)

#2. Now, you'll need a location. Where are you going to run your programs? If it is public land, have you checked into what you'll need to know/do in order to run your program there? Have you reviewed the requirements or restrictions on that land? (i.e., can you legally harvest plants, make shelters, etc.?) If you're planning to use private land, have you checked with your local zoning ordinances? Called your neighbors to find out if they'll mind 25 dread locked, loin cloth-wearing, yucca beatin', grasshopper eatin' savages wandering around on your place in full view of their family reunion? It is always better to take a good look at this issue before moving on to the next one.

#3 is...Insurance! Do you have any liability insurance to protect you in the event someone sues you because you didn't give them all the names of the edible plants in the bio-region or because they got too many black fly bites? Do you have medical/accident insurance in case a student needs to go to the Emergency Room to get 12 stitches for a cut made while carving? (Don't laugh, it will happen!) Do you have any first aid or medical training to handle emergencies in the field? These are very important questions too.

#4. We also have the issue of safety. Have you made a plan to deal with any and all possible hazards or situations that may arise? How well trained are all of your instructors and staff, (even if it's just you and your best friend)? Have you contacted your local permit-issuing official before going ahead with plans? (You don't want to have them show up in the middle of your program to close your doors for failure to comply with state/local ordinances!) What governmental agencies handle your type of program and set forth guidelines for safety? Is your building/facility up to "code" in your state? Do you have enough water/septic capacity to handle the number of students you are planning to have attend? Does your cook have the appropriate food service training if you plan to serve food? Who will buy or prepare your supplies? Who will clean and cook during your program? Who handles your phone, mail and basic administration? Who will make sure the van is full of gas, oil checked and all gear safely stowed (including food!)? If your answer to all of the above is "I'll do it!", then you probably should think long and hard before making the jump to the next level. I know from personal experience that you can do it all for a few years, but your program and personal life may suffer if you insist on doing it that way. In the end, you may find that you can't do it all, as each area of responsibility gets increasingly complex and involved. Personal woods time really takes a nose-dive and you may find you're pressured all the time without getting anywhere! It is also helpful to find out if your spouse or partner shares in your desire to put in long hours for free and also to lose family and relationship time to your personal dream and vision. (Better to know now and deal with it than to wait until he/she has the bags packed to go live with the parents!) All of these things are vitally important to the long term success of your school or program

OK, so have I scared you a bit? Good! It is better to enjoy a cold splash of spring water in the face now than to invest time and money into something that you'll abandon three years later from exhaustion and stress! My hope is that what you start as a program will be a success, and that you will know what you are getting into and be able to prepare properly for the challenges that lie ahead.

I have run my camp for eight years now, and taught skills and workshops for over 15 years. I have learned a lot the hard way. I know joys and sorrows from my blood, sweat and tears visionary project. Some days I wouldn’t trade it for anything, (other days, well....make me an offer!) I don't want those of you out there to be discouraged. I am more concerned that you are realistic about what you might be undertaking. There are a lot of opportunities and great projects out there waiting for someone to do. If you are inspired to teach wilderness skills don't let me stop you! Go for it! My main point is to get you to stop and think for a while to consider if you're truly ready to commit to the whole vision and reality, not just the fun stuff like campfires and mud camouflaging. (Chances are, you won't be leading that every night -- you'll be on the phone)!

Here is some personal advice: Take your time. Get some good research and training in every area outlined above. Enjoy being small time and having less administration details to deal with. You might try working in various programs for a while where you won't make as much money but you'll have more fun and “woods” time. It might even be better to just stay small and privately mentor local kids where you are, in your free time. Think of everything, and if you are still passionate and ready to commit, then begin the process. If you can, assemble a team/tribe and work together to make it happen. (That is an educational experience too!) And if all else fails, go into the wilderness, practice one skill for ten years and then come out and write a book. Then start your school. Your chances of being a success will be much higher! In many ways that might be the best advice of all!