Nearly one year ago, I packed up my comfortable home at Eagle's Nest to set out on an open-ended adventure around the globe with my husband, Brian. Leaving Eagle's Nest was hard. My friends were there, my home was there, and I was one of the lucky few who got to witness the changing of the seasons on the Eagle's Nest campus. Life was pretty great, yet dreams of adventuring in far off lands were pulling me away from my cozy little nest. I knew I had to go explore.
After seven months of consecutive travel on three continents, Brian and I have put away our backpacks for a while in New Zealand, where I have had a lot of time to reflect on the impact Eagle's Nest has had on my life. You see, as hard as it was to leave campus and set out on a big trip, Eagle's Nest had more than prepared me for adventuring in new places. It was there that I practiced teamwork, honed my wilderness skills, and developed the courage to dream big.
Throughout our trip, we met up with many fellow Nesters who were also adventuring in various corners of the world:
Claire and Brian enjoy gelato in Spain
Our first stop was visiting Claire Wofford (Hante Spain Instructor Extraordinaire!) in Málaga, Spain, where we swam in the Mediterranean, watched BMX bikers combine forces with Flamenco dancers, and ate gelato that definitely gives Big Scoop a run for their money. Then we continued on and saw Marlene Tempchin in Granada, Spain, where we explored the winding cobblestone streets of the Albayzíin, Granada's ancient Muslim quarter and visited the ancient Alhambra, a beautiful palace and fortress from Moorish times, dating back to the late 1400s.
After a few weeks of traveling in Italy, we made our way north to see Kelly Ockwell in the United Kingdom where we conducted epic walking tours of London and escaped busy city-life by taking a camping trip to Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales and visiting Stonehenge.
Kaitlin and Brian in Switzerland
After a month hiking and road-tripping in England and Scotland, we flew to Switzerland to go on a backpacking trek with former Outdoor Academy math teacher and Hante instructor Danny Schiff and former Outdoor Academy resident and Environmental Seminar teacher Arrington McCoy. We spent a week traversing through the Swiss Alps, swimming in the bluest lakes I've ever seen, eating wild plums and pears, and camping under the stars– we called it "orientation trek," just like at the Outdoor Academy.
We spent another couple of months exploring Europe and Thailand by ourselves. We trolled through Paris, worked on an organic farm in Belgium, took Thai cooking classes in Chiang Mai, and spent a day caring for, swimming with and trekking on an elephant through the jungle. Eventually we made it to New Zealand where we met Luke Wofford and celebrated Thanksgiving on the other side of the world. Having seen so much and visiting all of those friends along the way, we certainly had a lot to be thankful for.
Eagle's Nest is particularly good at inspiring and preparing people to go on adventures. It gives us the confidence to work toward our dreams, it gives us friendships that last a lifetime, and it holds a special place in our hearts; wherever we are, we always have a home at the Nest and family around the world.
I know many Hante participants worry about leaving campus for the first time. They wonder if they should, instead, return to the familiarity of the lake, of Indian Village, of their cabin and of capture the flag. I wondered the same thing before I decided to embark on my personal Hante around the world, and now I'm here to encourage you: step out of your comfort zone, go on a big adventure, see places you've never seen before. All the while you'll be surrounded by the most supportive community imaginable, just like I have been. Go away and learn this summer!
To learn more about Kaitlin's adventure, visit her blog.
