Full Transcript for Walking Post podcast 54: Camp hiking counsellor

--> 00:04:38.360 trails we had an article on the rise in the number 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:41.920 of hiking injuries and ordnan's survey highlighted 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:44.720 the health benefits of walking seven thousand 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:48.779 steps every day There's a new Quiet Lanes program, 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:52.300 which hopes to create safer walking and cycling 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:54.759 routes. And you can read all of these and more 00:04:54.759 --> 00:05:00.160 at walkingpost .com. As you know, if you listen 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:02.839 to the podcast regularly, or even not regularly, 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:06.639 I generally put out a request for guests, which 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:09.620 I do in other places too, and I recently heard 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:13.399 from a proud mother about her daughter Francesca 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:16.360 Pezza. Francesca will soon be a recent college 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.839 graduate from Santa Clara in California, and 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:23.300 she was a hiking counselor in Colorado last summer. 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:26.199 She attended camp in Rocky Mountain National 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:30.180 Park for 30 days every summer beginning in sixth 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:34.120 grade and hiking pretty much took over her life 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.240 and her dream was to someday be a counsellor 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:40.319 but specifically a hiking counsellor. Now finally 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.639 last summer she reached the age of 21 and qualified 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:47.379 as a hiking counsellor so instead of taking internships 00:05:47.379 --> 00:05:50.680 she decided that fulfilling her dream of leading 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:54.040 groups of young women into the Rockies to discover 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:57.959 nature and parts of themselves was far more important. 00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:01.759 All right hi Francesca great to have you with 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:05.600 us and talk about hiking. When I was younger 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.839 my mom's from Denver and so I kind of grew up 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.339 going to Colorado to see family because part 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:15.279 of my family lives there and I always just like 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:18.120 took to it so much and just hiking and skiing 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:20.800 since I was a kid. One summer I was like I'd 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:24.949 really just love to get more into this and explore 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:27.509 that more and explore that passion and see where 00:06:27.509 --> 00:06:29.689 it takes me. And we started looking into summer 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:32.629 camps and different programs that I could do 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:37.470 out in Colorado. And I ended up choosing a camp 00:06:37.470 --> 00:06:39.689 called Chile Colorado Camps, which is the best 00:06:39.689 --> 00:06:42.730 decision. And I ended up going there for six 00:06:42.730 --> 00:06:45.279 years. We

do a lot of really big hiking trips 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:47.480 there in the Rockies and the Indian Peaks and 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:50.439 the never summers of Colorado. And I would just 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:53.620 hike every single day without fail and realize 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:56.300 how much I absolutely loved it. Went back every 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:58.579 year. We'd learn so much about environmental 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:01.939 education as well and how important it is to 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:06.410 care for the outdoors and leave no trace. Be 00:07:06.410 --> 00:07:08.889 aware of all the trees and all the flowers around 00:07:08.889 --> 00:07:11.290 you and the wildlife and the rules with that 00:07:11.290 --> 00:07:14.069 and how to treat the earth around you and how 00:07:14.069 --> 00:07:18.050 to enjoy nature without disturbing it. And that 00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:21.689 just inspired me so much throughout my life and 00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:24.230 has influenced what I want to study in college 00:07:24.230 --> 00:07:27.410 and my career path. And I knew from the first 00:07:27.410 --> 00:07:29.370 year that I went to this camp that I wanted to 00:07:29.370 --> 00:07:31.709 work there, at least for one or two years when 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:34.930 I got older. And I ended up doing that two summers 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:39.079 ago. And I ended up usually like first year employees 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:44.129 do more like in camp stuff. And so I had to deal 00:07:44.129 --> 00:07:46.050 with that because I was late to the game because 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:47.970 I'm on the quarter system at Santa Clara. And 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:50.970 so I had to miss all of staff training and all 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:53.089 of that. And so I would kind of help wherever 00:07:53.089 --> 00:07:56.310 they needed me. I would hike. I would do all 00:07:56.310 --> 00:07:59.069 of the in -camp stuff. I would just be available 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:00.829 wherever they needed me. I just wanted to be 00:08:00.829 --> 00:08:03.110 there and contribute and kind of build up my 00:08:03.110 --> 00:08:05.629 repertoire for the next year. And I ended up 00:08:05.629 --> 00:08:08.230 applying again for the next year, got incredible 00:08:08.230 --> 00:08:10.170 recommendations from my boss the year before, 00:08:10.189 --> 00:08:12.980 and I ended up getting... the hiking and backpacking 00:08:12.980 --> 00:08:16.879 guide position and it was absolutely amazing 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:20.240 because growing up going there all I wanted to 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.759 do was emulate my counselors that I had and inspire 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:27.459 other campers how they inspired me that was just 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:30.350 something that I needed to check off in my life 00:08:30.350 --> 00:08:32.850 and that I felt so passionate about I would do 00:08:32.850 --> 00:08:36.269 over like a classic summer internship like I 00:08:36.269 --> 00:08:40.289 wanted to check this box and have this experience 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:43.090 and it ended up being the most amazing experience 00:08:43.090 --> 00:08:46.830 ever and I learned so much about myself I learned 00:08:46.830 --> 00:08:50.470 more about Colorado than I had before I learned 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:54.190 how to communicate like effectively with teenage 00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:57.600 girls and kind of battle that imposter syndrome 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:00.059 that came with leading a bunch of teenage girls 00:09:00.059 --> 00:09:04.159 up class four mountains and 14ers and I remember 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:06.639 like I had a freak out moment and I called my 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.100 mom and I was like am I in over my head like 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:11.559 this is such a big role this is such a big job 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:13.799 that I have to do I feel like all of their lives 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:18.019 like land on my shoulders and I ended up having 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:20.750 to just like realize that I have the training 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:22.809 for this like I have my wilderness first aid 00:09:22.809 --> 00:09:24.830 certifications I've trained for this I've done 00:09:24.830 --> 00:09:28.169 this my whole life and that like yes I can do 00:09:28.169 --> 00:09:32.230 it once I kind of grew into that and kind of 00:09:32.230 --> 00:09:33.909 learned to be comfortable in the uncomfortable 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:36.629 I was able to lead them much more effectively 00:09:36.629 --> 00:09:39.169 and lead them better and connect with them more 00:09:39.169 --> 00:09:42.070 and working with teenagers is just it's so awesome 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:44.330 because you can like you can relate to them more 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:48.000 and you can it's easier to connect and It was 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.980 such an amazing experience. I learned that even 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:53.419 when I felt sleep deprived, even when I felt 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:55.759 physically and mentally tired, I still had to 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:58.899 be on for them 24 hours a day for two months 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.000 straight. So I learned how to function through 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:04.320 all of that and constant planning and figuring 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.519 out routes on maps and learning how to navigate 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.519 and still give them my full self and all that 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:13.039 I could give while also sacrificing some of my 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:16.299 own well -being, which was... a good skill to 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:18.779 gain and taught me that I really am capable of 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:20.940 much more than I thought I was. It's all about 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:23.320 the journey. It's not just getting from point 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.639 A to point B. It's really important that you 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.519 enjoy every step of the way and learn to cherish

00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.759 that and absorb all of it and realize that the 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:34.539 journey is much more important than just getting 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:36.720 to the destination as cliche as that sounds. 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:39.240 So yeah, the first month I did a lot of backpacking 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.759 and then second month I did like singular hiking 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.860 trips, like day trips. Our big trip at the end, 00:10:45.309 --> 00:10:47.070 We aren't allowed to do more than five days straight 00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:49.149 because it's kind of split into four weeks. And 00:10:49.149 --> 00:10:52.570 so at the end of the term, so week four is the 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:55.230 big five -day backpack. I was nervous. I'm not 00:10:55.230 --> 00:10:58.210 going to lie. I hadn't done that as a camper. 00:10:58.269 --> 00:11:00.230 I've backpacked before, like had the experience, 00:11:00.409 --> 00:11:02.870 but I'd never done the five -day one. And I've 00:11:02.870 --> 00:11:05.490 learned absolutely everything I need to know 00:11:05.490 --> 00:11:09.149 and absolutely every situation that could go 00:11:09.149 --> 00:11:11.250 wrong and like every route we could take. And 00:11:11.250 --> 00:11:13.409 if one route doesn't work out, like which other 00:11:13.409 --> 00:11:15.940 route we could take. Learn how to deal with, 00:11:15.940 --> 00:11:19.120 you know, the uncertainty that comes with backpacking 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.139 and comes with girls getting hurt inevitably. 00:11:21.299 --> 00:11:24.460 And that was, I think, one of the biggest feats 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:27.940 of my life was feeling alone in that and still 00:11:27.940 --> 00:11:30.720 making it work. providing the girls like such 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.399 a good experience and there was one time like 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:35.059 we encountered a bear and I was ready to throw 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:37.519 myself in front of all the girls and like so 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.659 incredibly fulfilling to see the girls feel so 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:41.860 accomplished with themselves and like make it 00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:44.720 to the top of the 14er and see like them struggling 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:46.840 like waking up at two in the morning with our 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:49.500 headlamps and like hiking in the dark and having 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:52.259 to like ration your food and like learn how to 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:55.580 use the wilderness stuff. The whole thing has 00:11:55.580 --> 00:12:00.049 made me become such a better person. And seeing 00:12:00.049 --> 00:12:03.289 the sunrise on top of a mountain is the most 00:12:03.289 --> 00:12:06.250 beautiful thing. And it just, it made us all 00:12:06.250 --> 00:12:08.610 feel so connected to our roots and who we are 00:12:08.610 --> 00:12:12.149 as human beings. And has made me realize that 00:12:12.149 --> 00:12:16.269 my principal purpose on the planet is to help 00:12:16.269 --> 00:12:19.909 the Earth and protect nature and contribute positively 00:12:19.909 --> 00:12:22.830 to the environment. It's very known that it's 00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:24.809 in jeopardy right now and has been for a while. 00:12:24.870 --> 00:12:28.059 And it's very urgent that we need to help. figure 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:31.220 out how to be sustainable and how to protect 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:34.080 these places and keep these places alive. And 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:36.879 I think showing these girls these beautiful things 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:40.500 like I was shown as a camper has enlightened 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:43.039 that in them. And especially like the evolution 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.659 of some girls who are maybe afraid to hike at 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:47.580 the beginning or thought they couldn't do it 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:49.580 physically or mentally. And then by the end, 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:52.120 they're peaking 14ers and they're happy and they're 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:54.399 proud of themselves. And that's just to feel 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:58.860 like you made an impact on another. It's the 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:02.059 greatest feeling. And doing that in such a beautiful, 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:05.399 beautiful place like Colorado was just so rewarding 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:08.580 and just so amazing. I'm so happy I had this 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:11.679 experience. I learned not only so many cool wilderness 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.879 skills and survival skills, but also how to connect 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:17.740 with that age group and how to connect with other 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:20.559 people. And I saw so many people of different 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:23.000 backgrounds and types of personalities come together 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:26.039 and all bond over this one thing, which is hiking. 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:29.019 How do you deal with the fact that obviously 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:31.899 they have different abilities, different speeds, 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:35.519 different fears? You know, they're all individuals. 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.600 How do you sort of keep it all together without 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.539 the first one being three miles up ahead and 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:44.659 the last one just sitting down there saying, 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:48.320 where's the nearest McDonald's, you know? Yeah, 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:51.639 that's such a good question. So from the very 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:53.860 beginning of the term. we're scoping that out 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:56.159 and we're becoming aware, getting to know each 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.879 girl and getting to know their fears and talking 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:01.240 that through with them and observing them as 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:03.620 they hike. So at the beginning of the term, the 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:06.559 hikes are very easy. They're very basic, eight 00:14:06.559

--> 00:14:09.559 miles round trip or less, maybe six to like a 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:13.179 lake. And so girls that haven't tried it before 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:15.899 are encouraged to try it and see if they like 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:18.299 it, see if they take to it, see if they feel 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:20.940 physically able to do it. And since the girls 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:24.399 come from all over and aren't like physically 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:27.480 trained and and used to the altitude that's why 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:30.059 we also do that to kind of ease them in throughout 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:32.440 the term so the hikes like week one like they're 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:34.539 kind of easy week two they get harder week three 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:37.659 they get more hard and then week four is you 00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:39.919 kind of have to apply we have to approve you 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:44.039 and if you've hiked like x amount of times and 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:47.080 you've done x amount of difficult hikes and proven 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:49.500 to us that you're able to do that and have the 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.559 right mindset and perspective to kind of conquer 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:55.940 this challenge. That is when we will say, yes, 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:57.740 you can come. There's a certain amount of spots. 00:14:57.980 --> 00:15:00.440 There's always tiers of girls who don't get on 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:03.879 it. Have you been doing hiking in California 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:06.360 while you've been there? Yes, I do a lot of personal 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:09.799 stuff. I love to go to Santa Cruz. I love to 00:15:09.799 --> 00:15:12.279 go to Big Sur. I just did a backpacking trip 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:17.240 with six of my buddies. I'd never actually backpacked. 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:20.539 with view of the ocean which was so cool and 00:15:20.539 --> 00:15:23.700 backpacked around like different types of wildlife 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:27.179 and like seeing like a columbine flower on trail 00:15:27.179 --> 00:15:29.440 that and like an Indian paintbrush flower that 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:32.580 I didn't even know existed in California and 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:36.100 kind of like connecting all of that and um we 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:39.409 like hiked up this mountain cliff side but it 00:15:39.409 --> 00:15:41.330 was like completely it felt like different terrain 00:15:41.330 --> 00:15:43.350 but like we were going up there and like we just 00:15:43.350 --> 00:15:46.870 saw like endless ocean and we saw a few rattlesnakes 00:15:46.870 --> 00:15:51.049 which was scary but yes hiking and backpacking 00:15:51.049 --> 00:15:53.269 I feel like many people at Santa Clara there's 00:15:53.269 --> 00:15:55.009 definitely a huge crowd that is very outdoor 00:15:55.009 --> 00:15:58.110 minded I'm definitely part of that we have a 00:15:58.110 --> 00:16:00.509 super awesome student -run organization called 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:03.269 Into the Wild which is the outdoor club of the 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:07.049 school where you can apply to be a leader and 00:16:07.049 --> 00:16:09.179 that's one of your jobs. Or that's like your 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:12.899 job. You get paid and you lead trips every weekend. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.779 And then there's spring break trips. For example, 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:17.840 there's one in Utah. There's one. So like they 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:20.000 do Moab. They do backcountry skiing in Montana. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:24.919 They do a Maui trip. And I was signed up to do 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:28.100 the Maui trip over spring break. And we're going 00:16:28.100 --> 00:16:32.049 to backpack all through Maui. It ended up getting 00:16:32.049 --> 00:16:35.690 canceled the day before because of the torrential 00:16:35.690 --> 00:16:37.509 downpours and flooding that happened in Maui 00:16:37.509 --> 00:16:40.610 recently. And it just wasn't ethical or safe 00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:45.450 for us to do that trip. But there's so many hikes 00:16:45.450 --> 00:16:49.769 nearby the hills in the north and Lake Tahoe. 00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:52.870 I've done cross -country skiing, backpacking 00:16:52.870 --> 00:16:56.490 with that club as well, which was something completely 00:16:56.490 --> 00:16:58.330 different than I've ever experienced because. 00:16:58.990 --> 00:17:01.610 It was absolutely freezing. Ended up being below 00:17:01.610 --> 00:17:04.809 zero when we were sleeping. And we decided to 00:17:04.809 --> 00:17:08.029 stop after it got dark, even though like there 00:17:08.029 --> 00:17:10.529 was like two miles left of skiing, but it was 00:17:10.529 --> 00:17:13.710 freezing. And it was a rule that the guides couldn't, 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:16.569 if one, even one person in the group said, no, 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:19.210 I can't do this. Like we're not allowed to go. 00:17:19.470 --> 00:17:22.819 And so we ended up. Finding like our own makeshift 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:25.319 place off trail, like in the snow, like spending 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.460 hours building snow trenches to put our tents 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:29.980 in and making sure everything's secure and we're 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:32.660 in a safe place. And we still had a place to 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:35.759 make our food and all of that. But I feel so 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:39.480 grateful and lucky and privileged to have so 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:42.720 many outdoor outlets nearby because California 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:45.559 is such a versatile, beautiful, natural state. 00:17:45.859 --> 00:17:48.960 Where's your favorite place to go? Back in Colorado 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:53.480 or? Yeah, in Colorado, my favorite place to go, 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.059 I definitely, I don't think I could choose like 00:17:56.059 --> 00:18:00.000 a mountain range. That's my favorite. And there's 00:18:00.000 -->

00:18:02.400 endless hikes that I could never decide between. 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.299 But one of my personal favorites is in the Indian 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:08.660 Peaks range. There's three mountains called Pawnee, 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:13.220 Shoshone, and Toll. You backpack about 10 miles 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:18.660 to this beautiful, serene lake. What we did, 00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:21.099 it was a three -day trip. And on the second day, 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:25.700 woke up at maybe 5 a .m. And we were camping 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:27.380 kind of like at the base of the mountain. And 00:18:27.380 --> 00:18:30.599 so we ended up going up with light packs and 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:33.900 going up and being there for the sunrise and 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:35.960 watching the sunrise and then going to peak the 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.420 mountains nearby. It has such a different feel 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:41.980 than... Obviously, the Rockies are absolutely 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:45.089 beautiful and amazing, but it felt... More silent 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:49.069 and serene and spiritual, I would say, because 00:18:49.069 --> 00:18:51.990 it was way less crowded. Rocky Mountain National 00:18:51.990 --> 00:18:54.829 Park attracts all the tourists and it can be 00:18:54.829 --> 00:18:58.369 tough kind of navigating a large group around 00:18:58.369 --> 00:19:02.170 so many people on a narrow trail. Usually we 00:19:02.170 --> 00:19:04.130 would take the fire trail, which is a shortcut, 00:19:04.250 --> 00:19:08.049 but just being somewhere a few hour drive away 00:19:08.049 --> 00:19:11.569 that's less well known, that's probably my favorite 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:14.369 area. Are you going to be doing the counseling 00:19:14.369 --> 00:19:18.549 again next year or are you done this year? I 00:19:18.549 --> 00:19:20.569 unfortunately cannot do it this year because 00:19:20.569 --> 00:19:24.569 I'm graduating college pretty late into the first 00:19:24.569 --> 00:19:28.009 term. And unfortunately, they can't hire someone 00:19:28.009 --> 00:19:30.809 for that amount of time and then boot them and 00:19:30.809 --> 00:19:32.789 then have me come in. And so it's kind of like 00:19:32.789 --> 00:19:34.869 you're. If you're committing, you're committing. 00:19:35.150 --> 00:19:37.130 The past few years, I've left school a little 00:19:37.130 --> 00:19:39.309 bit early and figured that out with my professors 00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:42.509 and made it my priority to make it in time. But 00:19:42.509 --> 00:19:46.190 obviously, it's my graduation. And so I can't 00:19:46.190 --> 00:19:49.009 miss it. It's mid -June and all of that starts 00:19:49.009 --> 00:19:51.869 early June. And so I'm unable to do it, unfortunately, 00:19:51.990 --> 00:19:54.190 this year. But I really want to make it out there 00:19:54.190 --> 00:19:57.420 and do some hikes and visit some of the... the 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:59.599 girls that I connected with in years past and 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:01.720 hopefully do it again in the future, whether 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:04.299 that's through Chile or through another program. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:08.839 Do you have plans beyond university yet? I mean, 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:13.759 is hiking or leading groups or travel, is that 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:17.859 in your future plans for a career or not? I would 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:20.119 definitely say my goal is to do that at some 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:25.039 point. As of now, I'm looking for jobs just in 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.970 the outdoor industry. that are environmentally 00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:30.470 focused. I'm looking to do specifically sustainability 00:20:30.470 --> 00:20:33.950 work and find jobs that... I'm a communication 00:20:33.950 --> 00:20:37.009 and Spanish double major and a sustainability 00:20:37.009 --> 00:20:40.750 minor. And so I've gotten to kind of connect 00:20:40.750 --> 00:20:43.890 these different fields and passions all together 00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:49.009 at Santa Clara. And I would love to just make 00:20:49.009 --> 00:20:50.710 a difference environmentally, whether that's 00:20:50.710 --> 00:20:52.869 through marketing, like sustainability marketing 00:20:52.869 --> 00:20:56.119 for an outdoor brand or... other types of sustainability 00:20:56.119 --> 00:20:59.119 roles. I would love to just be engaged with that 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:01.519 type of work. I feel like I'm not a very like 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:05.039 nine to five person. I love to be hands -on. 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:07.119 I love to be out there. And so that's definitely 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:11.180 a priority for me to find a job that fits those 00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:14.200 things. And I'm very open -minded. I feel like 00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:16.420 I've gained many facets throughout college that 00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:19.279 I could go several different routes. Also, I 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:21.400 work for the Center for Sustainability at school. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:23.579 I have an apprenticeship I've had for the past 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:26.400 three years where I contribute to the sustainable 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:28.980 development goals on campus. And I specifically 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:31.720 spend a lot of time in the Forge Garden, which 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:34.220 is our campus garden, and combat food insecurity 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:38.319 and just learn a lot about sustainable gardening 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.660 and horticulture and how important it is to get 00:21:40.660 --> 00:21:43.299 back to your roots and eat seasonally and have 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:47.599 that as a resource for students. And so I'm definitely... 00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:52.009 Looking for jobs that just align with my core 00:21:52.009 --> 00:21:54.970 purpose that I feel I have in the world. You're 00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:56.269 going to stay in California or are you going 00:21:56.269 --> 00:22:02.650 to anywhere? I want to stay in probably either 00:22:02.650 --> 00:22:06.509 San Francisco or go to Colorado. I feel very 00:22:06.509 --> 00:22:09.390 at home in Colorado and I have lots of connections 00:22:09.390 --> 00:22:12.190 there. And it's a wonderful, wonderful place 00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:17.019 to do all the aforementioned. But I also love 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:19.019 San Francisco and there are many cool opportunities 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:30.599 here. It's great that the next generation of 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:33.019 stewards of the great outdoors is already in 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:36.519 place. i'm not sure about my son being a steward 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:38.920 over the next couple of days because i'm assuming 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:41.980 he'll be shattered after his two days out in 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:44.680 the galloway forest so he probably won't want 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:48.180 to do anything this weekend he can sit and monopolise 00:22:48.180 --> 00:22:50.700 the television again Not sure what's going to 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:53.000 happen when the World Cup comes on in a couple 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.599 of weeks. I've only missed two games ever, and 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:59.259 those were both when my band was playing gigs. 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:02.339 Although I have to fess up for the first time, 00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:05.720 I did have a phone with the game on next to my 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.279 drum pedal. Thank goodness I didn't step on it. 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:11.559 I'm sure ours won't be the only battle for the 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.319 remote in the world regardless. This week we 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.000 also got an invite to go and film a hiking series 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:19.900 in Eastern Europe next summer, so that should 00:23:19.900 --> 00:23:23.559 be fun. Now my son has that huge backpack, he 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:26.500 can carry all the equipment. If you do have news 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:29.019 or suggestions for podcast guests, please do 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:32.039 get in touch through jim at walkingpost .com. 00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:34.700 And as I mentioned earlier, we are always looking 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:36.980 for guests, whether it's about a book, a trail, 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:39.880 a walking festival, or someone with a good story. 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:43.119 So I hope you enjoyed this week's walkingpost 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:46.160 .com podcast, and I hope you have a great week 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:48.859 ahead, hopefully with a walk somewhere, whether 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:51.519 it's for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, as training 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.180 to be a camp counsellor, or just because the 00:23:54.180 --> 00:23:57.660 dog needs to go out. Until next time, happy trails!