One of the things I love most about the water and wilderness is how much you can learn from it. Most of the lessons I’ve learned as a wilderness paddler and guide have been valuable lessons in one of two things—
Cause and effect, or myself.
The past few weeks have brought a lot of both.
CAUSE AND EFFECT: Just a few days ago I was cleaning up camp in a rainstorm and wanted it just… done so I could go to bed. I didn’t put on my rain pants. As a result, my last pair of dry pants was soaked through, rain completely saturating every inch of me while I shuffled gear around for the night. I walked it out and wore it dry, but ultimately went to bed with damp pants. I could’ve just taken the extra minute to put rain pants on and had dry pants and just been a minute slower, but I didn’t— cause and effect. The things you put off now, will come and bite you later. Do it right the first time.
MYSELF: I am… always learning how to be a better guide, and leader, and person. I’ve been doing a lot more co-guiding this summer than last summer and a lot more training of newer guides on overnight trips than I’ve ever done before. For reasons completely out of my hands, I’ve had a lot more deeply challenging trips this year than I’ve had before, and learned a lot about my own pitfalls as a guide. Primarily, I think I’ve learned that shouldering blame and responsibility for everything, internalizing everything I could’ve done differently as a mistake, is ultimately unproductive and I really need to work on being kind to myself. I don’t give myself any grace, and ultimately I end up in my own head in a way that’s hurting my leadership skills.
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other hard lessons I’ve learned as a Lake Superior sea kayaking guide this season:
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