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Humble beginnings

There was a time when I wouldn’t have dreamed that my career would have veered down the path I am currently following. I have always loved being outdoors, exploring and appreciating nature but never thought it was possible to build a career in the outdoors without being a zoologist, biologist, geologist or any other “ologist”.

Now that view has completely changed and I am hooked on forging through my professional development as an outdoor instructor and education facilitator.

Years ago I began to head out walking alone after work or when I needed to decompress. I was nervous about getting lost and being alone, but I am lucky to live in a very beautiful part of the world where Exmoor, Dartmoor and stunning coastlines are on my doorstep, and the benefits of spending times in these spaces outweighed those worries.

A growing sense of adventure…

I soon developed a sense of adventure and was inspired to go further and for longer. I was frequently faced with comments from friends, colleagues and other such as “are you not scared going walking on your own?” and these sorts of views motivated me even more. Yes sometimes I was scared to be on my own, I was worried about getting lost or hurt, but I did not want this to stop me. I was beginning to dream big – multi day hikes, long lists of places to visit, following blogs of the best adventures to be had.

At a similar time I was introduced to climbing with some old friends. We climbed indoors and on the coast, we were novices but there were those in the group that were competent and had enough knowledge to keep us safe. This is how a lot of people are introduced to the sport, the climbing and mountaineering community thrives on shared knowledge and experience and I have come across many official and unofficial mentors in accessing the outdoors. As a more experienced climber now, and of course since the journey into instructing, I hugely value the input of professional instruction and can identify key points along my personal climbing journey at which I would have eased anxieties and ensured best practice for myself and my peers had I had professional input, but Ill go deeper into that at another time.

Always learning

I quickly realised I am the sort of person who learns best interacting with others, doing practical and physical tasks and that I love the process of reflection and development. I was becoming aware of what was inside and outside my comfort zone and what I could do to expand this. The feeling of building resilience and confidence in climbing, walking and navigation has and continues to have ripple affects across everything I do.

The discovery of Mountain Training courses was revolutionary in gaining the skills I wanted to develop and explore different pathways, opening up lots of new options I hadn’t considered before. When I began preparing for my Mountain Leader Training course I didn’t yet have intentions of becoming a mountain leader. I wanted to expand my knowledge and be safe in mountainous environments but didn’t yet have the confidence to feel I could use this to lead others. By the end of the training course those thoughts were already beginning to change. The group of learners attending the course were so varied and the instructors who taught us throughout the week each gave great personal insights of what it was to be an outdoor instructor, that the cogs began to turn and I started to see this as a possibility for me.

Challenges and benefits

The process from training to assessment was a long one that featured many ups and downs, not just slogging up hills in bad weather but the mental challenges to prepare myself for assessment, overcoming thoughts of being an imposter, embracing the changes in life style and work schedules. But the more I did, the more I wanted to do. Every course and workshop I did for my own learning, inspired me and compounded the feeling that I wanted to be able to offer this to other people. The process of continued professional (and personal) development certainly doesn’t end at assessment. In fact it is very much just beginning.

A further realisation of what is important throughout this journey for me, was not only that I was feeling more connected to nature, spending time outdoors, learning about flora and fauna, geology and local histories; I was also connecting with people. Lots and lots of people. This is my type of networking. The outdoor industry in my experience is hugely welcoming, I have met so many interesting people, whether that be professionals running courses I have attended, the people I’ve met on those courses, colleagues and people I have worked for, or social meets through looking for climbing partners or people to get outdoors with. Overall I have found the community are supportive and uplifting, especially when you discover the little gems, the collectives of people you really gel with, which I will add details of below. This is why Outdoor Adventure Connection looks to connect people as well as places, we thrive from interacting with both.

The journey continues

Thank you for taking the time to read the first Outdoor Adventure Connection blog post, I hope it gives an insight into what I do and why I am so passionate about the ongoing journey. I also hope that it gives you a nudge to get outdoors or connect with someone, or both! Below are a few great places to start connecting and resources I find really valuable. If you have any questions about accessing the outdoors or skills or starting the journey into instructing please feel free to email me, or contact me on social media and equally if you have any of your own little gems you would like to share please do get in touch – outdooradventureconnection@gmail.com.

Women’s Alpine Adventure Club – WAAC was an independent group, now a CIC (Community Interest Company) that run UK Skills meets and socials as well as international meets and skills trips. They are an amazing group of female instructors who want to make alpine experiences available to more women.

Mountain Training and Mountain Training Association – Mountain Training is the awarding body for qualifications in Walking, Climbing and Mountaineering across the UK. The website is brimming with resources and information on courses available and is a great way to get to know the qualification pathways whether you’re looking to qualify yourself or looking for appropriately qualified instructors in your area.

For those who do take steps towards instructor training, you can also become a member of the Mountain Training Association which offeres a range of benefits such as access to workshops and training, a professional magazine subscription, online CPD and discounts on gear and services.

Local clubs – using resources such as UKC or UKH  Directories are fantastic way to find social meets, indoor centres, instructors or guides for both climbing and walking. Being able to search by postcode and searching in map view.

Online Groups – Searching on Facebook or Meetup for local and national groups (lots of national groups also have regional sub gropus) is also really helpful and quick way to see whats going on locally or if there are events planned in your area – or if you can plan your own!