Adventure Links is proud to be hosting a Wilderness First Responder course this year. Among outdoor companies wilderness training courses are the norm. Companies typically outsource to various vendors who in turn provide an instructor. Average medical courses include: Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and some go as far as Wilderness EMT. A WFA course is typically two days long and basically expands on basic first aid lessons with an outdoor backdrop. A WFR course is a bit heftier, averaging a week to ten days the course covers quite a bit and aims to have the participants be completely comfortable with wilderness aid. Participants tend to learn convenient techniques like creating a splint, but the wilderness side of it shows them how to do it with non-traditional materials, for example a splint might be made from a jacket, branches, and a shoelace. or an arm sling can be made from a shirt and extra tent cordage. For most of the trips that Adventure Links runs a WFA certification is sufficient, as most groups are within an hours range to a hospital and rarely without cell service. But the comfort that some of our instructors feel with a WFR certification under their belt is unparalleled, so we made sure we could offer the course to our employees and anyone in the surrounding area looking to up their certification.

It seems the older I get, the farther back in life I go to look at times I had it “all figured out.” Today I reflect upon one of my most treasured childhood memories and my first marriage proposal. I was 6 years old…

As a child, well before WiFi was even an idea, we spent our summers on an island in the Adirondacks only accessible by boat with a rustic cabin deliberately absent of electricity or running water. The adventure of it all was profound. Even better, I knew I would see my best friend, Billy. Although Billy and I disappeared into the woods the moment we stepped ashore, there was something this island brought out in the rest of my family I treasured as well. Each in a different way, we accessed a peace and connection otherwise tough to find in the day to day shuffle and scuffle of family life. We had to eat, so the grown-ups knew we’d all be together at mealtimes.

The memory I treasure was spending hours constructing a shelter/fort on the edge of Bear Pond where the rowboat was docked. We couldn’t google “fort building” at that time so we were left to our imaginations, our spirit for “survival,” and the untouchable joy of convincing ourselves we had everything we needed to live forever in that spot. In fact, he proposed that we get married and stay there. 37 years later, the memory is as rich and vivid as if it was present day. What we knew then was that we had the key ingredients for our survival: 1) a place to call our own, 2) a rowboat to travel “wherever” we wanted, 3) some handmade tools and “weapons” to get food, and 4) a connection, adoration, and friendship that gave us freedom and content.

I am stunned at how far we allow ourselves to wander from the simplicities and essentials that bring connection and contentment. Amidst the pressure, the constant input of external stimuli, and speed at which life occurs, I relish the treasures lodged in the mind of that 6-year-old that re-introduce myself to me. I may spend some more time here…

As fate and luck would have it, Brian returned summer after summer to continue impacting the lives of youth as well as the lives of his colleagues. He grew in talent and the application of his teaching skills and passions were clear to all.

At the beginning of one of his last summers with Adventure Links, he met a lovely young lady as a fellow staff member. Appropriately, their first date was whitewater kayaking on the Staircase in Harpers Ferry. That young lady accepted and has created years of adventure with Brian and it is with pride and happiness that they announced their engagement! Our community of friends and staff will come together from far away to celebrate this serendipitous journey.

I was also able to experience the proudest reference call of my career. Brian was interviewing to be an elementary school teacher and three different schools were hoping they would be the school he selected. Notice… not the other way around. Brian’s love for teaching, competency, and potential were so clear that all three principals were determined to have Brian on their team. With so many changes and beginnings for Brian, it is with deep sentiment and honor to have been, and continue to be a part of this amazing life journey.

Unbridled joy… that’s what you get when you mix a snow day, ice-coated mountain
driveway, and a run with a 10-year-old.

My daughter’s face lit up when I posed the idea of going for a run on this icy day
home from school. “This will be pretty funny, mom.” And it was. The laughter erupted
when we struggled to gain and maintain traction up the first big hill—we couldn’t look
at each other (we were too focused on our own balance) but we could clearly imagine
how ridiculous we each must look. Each step was an adventure of whether we could
continue to gain ground. Finally, one of us said what we were both thinking: that
coming back down was going to be really crazy. We journeyed the icy mile separately,
but were brought together when we heard the yelps of each of us almost falling
peppering the quiet woods. That was only broken with the sounds of our redbone
coonhound’s nails grappling for control and sliding as she shared in our struggles.
We ran, slipped, and searched continuously for places of stability where gravel poked
through the ice or bits of ice chunks provided the slightest reprieve.

Coming down was as crazy as predicted and although the goal was simple, to not fall, I
realized that this challenge of coming down was much different. While we were trying to
not lose ground on our climb up the hills, on the way back down, we were desperate to
slow the pace and not gain ground too quickly and slide out of control.

Of course, it made me think about the personal and business challenges I approach
and navigate each day. Which of those am I trying to gain footing, move carefully
through to not lose ground or fall, and where do I find places of strength, stability, and
safety to continue to push on? And, which of those am I worried the accelerated pace
is potentially a threat and I need to gain traction and control to not gain faster than
I can manage? And then… are there times that I am skipping or avoiding “the run”
altogether?

Brian graduated to the age of our Teen Expeditions. His growth as a learner, a leader, and a contributor shone brighter and brighter with each trip. 

It was years later Brian moved the room giving a speech at the wedding of one of his Adventure Links mentors—there was not a dry eye in the house. He said that life had delivered exactly what he needed at that time in his life—an angel. He was searching for guidance, inspiration, personal challenge, and those that believed in him. That angel came in the form of an Adventure Links expedition leader named Elena. It was a poignant moment of realizing that the gifts she and her co-leader Scott had given of themselves during their leadership at Adventure Links would return in gratitude and powerful impact.  To me, I felt like I had started something exponential and the circles continued to expand as our staff and campers made their marks in the world. 

The story only grows.  Stay tuned.