Relative Something

Recently, I awoke from a dream about an experience I had when I was a teenager. In the dream, I was telling someone about a pivotal event that shaped my love for winter, ever after. I have resurrected a story I wrote about that event, which I published in my online community years ago. Since it is too long for one blog post, I am going to break it up into a 3-part series. The adventure begins…

During my Junior year of high school, in the winter of 1975-76, I spent a week learning winter survival skills from Will Steger, a local teacher who went on to become one of the world’s great polar explorers. It was a monumental experience for me; one that could just as easily have never happened.

It was a relatively new trend for high schools to offer an interim session, similar to something colleges and universities featured. We were required to register in advance, and were to fill our week by choosing from options like, learning to play Bridge, first aid, chess, cooking, or SCUBA diving, among other like-type activities. The interim idea was well-intentioned, but it was up against the cynicism and apathy of teens at that time, and it seemed the students felt that the choices offered were, for the most part, “uncool.”

There was one option that stood out from all the rest. Instead of just an afternoon, or a day or two, this single choice would take up the whole week. Our Physics teacher had helped his friend build a rustic cabin, nestled into a hill on a cliff overlooking a lake. During one of his visits, as the friend shared details of a winter training school he was starting, our teacher talked him into becoming one of our interim options.

Will Steger came down to our school to do a presentation, which is the way he marketed his new winter skills school, “Lynx Tracks.” He narrated an amazing slide show of photographs he had taken, and used a background soundtrack with recordings he collected of birds, wind, water and wolves. I was fascinated. But this option would cost $100! That was too much for me. I didn’t even consider it a possibility.

Some of my friends said they were actually considering it. It was a big step to get me over my reluctance to spend that kind of money, but with a little extra coercion, and plenty of support, I was persuaded, and I committed to join them. Eventually, it became a group of 6. Shortly after we had all signed up, my high school announced that, due to the lack of participation by students in registering, our interim week had been cancelled. Now, that is what I call, “uncool.”

Our initial dismay over this news was soon turned to gloating. Due to the significance of the trip we had selected, and the money we had committed –not to mention, the generous offer Will Steger had made to even take on a group of otherwise unchaperoned high school kids– our interim option was allowed to proceed, even though all the others were dropped, replaced by regular classes.

I recall scrounging a backpack and assembling the best of my winter boots and gear. And I was excited for the travel accommodations that were worked out. I got to ride up to Ely, in a car with 2 girls (one that just happened to be my future wife, Cyndie) and 1 other guy. Road trip! Unsupervised road trip!

It was a little daunting to be heading out on this adventure, completely responsible for ourselves. More than once, we questioned the wisdom of the variety of adults who had either set this trip in motion, or simply allowed it to play out. The instructions we received were pretty vague, and consisted mostly of verbal descriptions from our Physics teacher, regarding where to leave our car by a lake, and to then just wait to be met by the man, himself, …Will Steger.

Continues tomorrow…