gloves are important

"He's gonna rip my freaking glove!" I was thinking.

Johnny, we'll call him, didn't want to get out of his sleeping bag. After all, it was 20 degrees out and all he was wearing was his long johns. Plus he hadn't moved for 2 days, save to get out of his sleeping bag to pee.

"I'm comfortable" was his only response.

But this kid had already ran from the program twice, and we weren't taking any chances. He was under constant supervision, staff always within 5 feet of him: when he sleeps, when he....well, the job isn't always glamorous.

And at night we take his boots, his wool pants and his winter parka. But Johnny wouldn't have any of it. His pants and parka were at the bottom of his sleeping bag and he didn't want to move to give them to us. We asked him 4 times and then the decision was made: Wiggy dump.

A wiggy is the brand name of the sleeping bag students are given. And dump...well, use your imagination. But Johnny fought. As 2 staff lifted the end of his sleeping bag high in the air, Johnny hung on inside somehow until I started opening the zipper.

"This doesn't have to be a fight" I told him. He grabbed the zipper, fighting for control and losing it, and ended up sitting on a blue tarp in his long johns.

We took his pants and parka from the sleeping bag and gave it back to him.

"I want to do that again. Next time I'm want to break someone's wrist." He said smiling.

little adventures from home

yep well I'm at home but I isn't.

I'm in Zion National Park, one of the most beautiful places on earth and that's a fact. Here taking my Wilderness First Aid course: a 10 day class on....wilderness first aid. Work pays for half of it (it's $550!), so I decided to do it for me. So when I'm with you mountain biking everest and you take a bruiser, don't you worry none. So far we've learned..too much to absorb. Its 8 am to 5 pm everyday and tonight it's till 10 PM! but cool stuff like shock and head trauma. we just finished learning about treating infections and after lunch (it's lunch break), we're doing infectious diseases. infectious diseases rule!

so yeah, if you ever get the chance go to zion national park. I'm in class all day and have little time to hike around. But imagine HUGE red rock formations towering over you on all sides as you hike through a narrow valley. That's zion.

This class ends the 18th and the 19th I'm back at work at SEcond Nature. A crazy schedule but I'm enjoying it so far and work is going well. really challenging. everyday. but well.

peace and love incorporated.