~*~ “adventure matters” dream ~*~

Yes, this is a personal website right now. Eventually I hope that it will become the online site of my future business. I thought long and hard a couple of years ago about registering a site. Not because it really mattered at the time, but because I thought it might somewhere down the road.

So the dream…the dream is alive and soon after I complete my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in the fall of 2006, I will be taking some steps towards making the dream come true.

What is the dream you ask? Well, it’s changed slightly over the years. What started as wanting to open up my own outfitter has morphed into wanting to open an adventure camp for teens. Eventually, I would like to own a hiker hostel somewhere in the United States and be able to run the camp from the hostel. I understand this is a few years away, but thinking about it now is what drives me. Camping was always something we did on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, not to mention all of the nights in the backyard or on the living room floor.

Back in the mid to late 90’s when I was living in Vermont, I became a co-leader for a day camp/adventure camp that was run out of a fitness club. We altered weeks of day camp and adventure throughout the summer. I remember one trip in particular to the White Mountains with a group of youngsters. The reason I remember it is because of one child. He loved hiking and being outdoors, and on a particularly beautiful night in the Presidential Range, I saw that unmistakable look on his face. The look of “getting it”. Knowing that I had been a part of showing him the beauty that surrounds us, made me so proud. It took me back to my first backpacking trip on the Chilkoot Trail and how I felt so accomplished at the end. The blisters, the pack sores, the rain…none of it mattered because I had done it. That child is now a senior at a huge State University and an avid backpacker.

My first step in this process is to better myself. To become a more experienced and knowledgeable backpacker. My short-term goal is become more actively involved with groups such as ALDHA, the ATC, LNT and others. I plan on moving forward and get my Wilderness First Responder Certification and then focus on the Wilderness EMT program. I am planning on a lot of hiking in the meantime because experience has proven time and time again to be the best teacher.

One day…

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