| Statement
of Outdoor Education Philosophy
"Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion...I go to them as humans go to worship. From their lofty summits I view my past, dream of the future and, with an unusual acuity, am allowed to experience the present moment...my vision cleared, my strength renewed. In the mountains I celebrate creation. On each journey I am reborn." --Anatoli Boukreev I believe in integrating arts education, environmental education, and adventure education because I believe in context-dependent, experiential learning as a nearly universal mode of study, superceding learning styles, ages, and abilities. When I am teaching climbing anchors, for instance, I am also inherently teaching the physics of force vectors and angles, the art of creative and efficient sling craft, and the ecology of which trees grow among rock outcroppings and how to determine their age and health (and reliability). Although adventure sports like climbing, cycling, and skiing are an important and regular part of my life, I would never call myself an “adrenaline junkie.” Rather, I approach outdoor study and adventure education with a sense of wonder and reverence. I find a state of meditation and keen awareness in careful movement upon the less hospitable ridges and couloirs of the earth. I believe that in the backcountry, as in life, to lead is to serve and cooperate; to teach is to never stop studying; to tread lightly is to leave the greatest impact upon the Earth and its inhabitants. For myself and for my students and clients, I seek experiences more than goals. This is an especially delicate balance among climbers because of the tendency to allow “summit fever” to color our judgment. However, I believe in traveling and learning in the wilderness for tomorrow as well as today. This statement applies to my cautious choices in risk management as well as my attentiveness to resource conservation and the size of my footprint. As we each must find our own place in the world among career choices and family dynamics, so must we all develop our own relationship with the Earth. As an instructor, I believe that it is important to take the helm and manage an experience at times when health and welfare come into jeopardy; but most of the time, it is more important to get out of the way and allow the world and the experience to speak for themselves.
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