Summer 2004 Trail Mix

Reflections on
Wilderness Leadership Trainings Past
- by Sarah McCarthy

I recently got a chance to look back and think about BAWT and the WLT. I'm going on my third year of being involved with BAWT, and I am happy to say that I continue to be positively impacted by my WLT experience and the connection that was made with BAWT. I truly feel lucky to be supported by such a great (and small!) staff and reliable gear. These two factors make taking youth into the wilderness feasible and fun.

To be honest, I didn't expect to learn a whole lot during the WLT. I worked as a teen wilderness trip leader before, and I felt pretty confident in my skills. However, I was genuinely impressed and humbled by how much more there was to learn. The BAWT leaders did an excellent job framing the weekend and modeling what we could each do as leaders. I learned about different ways to talk about safety and health in the backcountry. I also felt welcome to share my thoughts or ask questions. It made for a very informative, open, and fun trip.

By far the most important, and unexpected, asset of the WLT was the group of youth workers with whom I spent those four days. Over the trip I was struck by the dedication and compassion each person took to their job. I felt honored to work in a field with such an amazing group of adults. It may sound trite, but I felt inspired and comforted to know more about the good work being done throughout the Bay Area by county advocates, teachers, drop-in center volunteers, and community-based program staff.

Three years have passed now, and I still feel a strong sense of the BAWT community. I even left the Bay Area for a year, and I was warmly welcomed back by BAWT staff. This affirms the ongoing commitment BAWT has to enabling youth workers to have access to the outdoors. They offer consistent, steady support. I believe this is a rare quality and one that fosters BAWT's success. The gear is consistently reliable and high quality. It allows the youth to enjoy their experience more and take in all that the outdoors have to offer.

-Sarah McCarthy
McCullum Youth Court