On Completing a Long-Term Goal

I'm sure you've been waiting for my next input with baited breath. I apologize for the delay! Fact is, I've been swamped. It looks like the next couple weeks will give me a bit of a breather, though. I just completed a long-term goal that should help free up some time and mental energy, and it feels great to be done with it and to have had it go off as well as it did.

Some of you may have read my post on quitting ski patrol. While I stand by that decision, it didn't come lightly, and there was one obligation I needed to complete before I could quit: teaching Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 2 (MTR-2) in my region of the National Ski Patrol, and laying the groundwork for the future success of the program in our region.

That's me, bringing up the rear at last year's MTR-1 class I led down at Ski Apache near Ruidoso, NM. That smile hides the fact that I'm secretly jealous of Brian's (the guy in front of me in black) lightweight, streamlined pack. Lightweight backpacking might be a next endeavor. Stay tuned...

Why, you may ask, did I need to do this class? Why didn't I just make a clean break, right now? I can't tell you how tempted I was to just call it good, especially with my recent bouts of back pain. But the short answer is this: I said I would (as far back as 2008). The long answer is, well, longer. I had the unique combination of coursework, rescue, practical, and teaching experience to plan and execute. I was interested in doing it and I enjoy the subject matter. I had been planning this thing for roughly 5 years. Issues with my back postponed it twice (and nearly cancelled it this year, for a third time). There were a couple people who were interested in becoming MTR instructors and needed this specific class to realize that goal, and since I've applied to jobs that would take me out of the area, I needed to get it done for those folks.

By all accounts--from students and my fellow instructors--the class went really well. I plan another blog post to describe the course and show images, but this post is an attempt to come to terms with the joys and sorrows I'm feeling. I incorporated ideas from other classes I'd taken and added a couple ideas of my own, like staying in a yurt/hut/cabin, doing a good bit of ski touring, and a night-time search & rescue exercise. I wanted to challenge people but not destroy them. We streamlined the lectures to coincide with and fit into meal times in the yurt, and spend most of our time during the weekend in the field. I had a blast.

A couple students putting an improvised splint and improvised litter to use in this year's night-time search & rescue exercise. Tracy, the Queen of Good Sports, acted as "patient."

I'm particularly proud of this class. I've organized 5 of the MTR-1 classes, and been involved in teaching several more. But the MTR-2 class required much more logistical wrangling than the level 1 courses. The level 2 course required me to refresh some of my knowledge in order to teach it, and to dust off some of those climbing/rope handling skills I'd learned and forgotten. It's said that in order to truly learn something you should teach it to others, and it is from that point that I have approached everything I've taught.

While it was enjoyable, I'm glad it's over. I'm exhausted. I typically get family and alone-time during the weekend, which I need to recharge, but that didn't happen this weekend. I was surrounded by 7 other people who, while they are great folks, are not my family. During the week prior, I was finishing up the details for this class and wasn't really focused on anything else, including sleep. So, my body says I need some catch-up.

There are, of course, mixed emotions. I was planning this course as a last "hurrah" in my ski patrol career for a while. I've pretty much left the Pajarito Mtn. Ski Patrol, and my involvement in patrolling at all has been minimal for the past few years. Like all big organizations, National Ski Patrol has its bureaucracy and corruption, the details of which I won't go into here, but it's annoying enough to make we want to avoid it. That said, I have really enjoyed the Mountain Travel and Rescue curriculum in its breadth and flexibility. No other discipline in the National Ski Patrol education programs offers the same range of topics. The MTR classes cover everything from nutrition and clothing to avalanche safety and search and rescue. And I love teaching other folks (I'm looking to make a career change to teaching, in fact). The people I've met, taught, and learned from have kept me involved this long and make it really hard to stay committed to quitting. Still, it's time for me to focus on my own kids, getting them out on the slopes and in the hills, and give them the opportunity to enjoy the activities that my wife and I have loved so much through our lives. Who knows? In 10 years, we may all be patrolling together! I guess the bottom line is this: while I enjoy teaching these courses, my energy is needed elsewhere.

Here, I'm (in red) demonstrating one way to make an improvised litter from skis and a snow shovel, again at Ski Apache. Lizzie the Jack Russell Terrier and her owner (in blue) look on.

Take care, and thanks for reading.