Now that winter is drawing to a close I can start thinking about the adventure season.. Living in my alternate reality in Summit county leads to an interesting winter and allows me to meet new folks from around the globe. Teaching skiing provides me with a way to both share one of my passions, exercise my ability as a trainer and continues to challenge me on ways to impart technical knowledge to people that are non technical.
My own free skiing ended a little early in February with a broken thumb. Still allowed me to teach but the doctors orders were to not fall on the thumb so free skiing was out. I continued teaching through the end of March. So finally back home from Keystone it is time to starting planning my activities for this wheeling season.
As a trainer in the winter I feel like becoming a trainer for a summer activity is a natural progression. With this in mind I have decided to pursue certification as a 4 wheel drive trainer through I4WDTA. I4WDTA is an internationally recognized organization that provides certifications for trainers around the world.
The first order of business is to get my Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification renewed which I will be doing the first weekend of April in Moab. For anyone spending lots of time in the back country WFR provides a high level of first aid training for dealing with emergencies in a remote setting. Remember that once you leave the highway you may be hours or even days from the normal EMS system and your training can be the difference between life and death.
With the WFR out of the way I will be able start studying in earnest for the I4WDTA certification. As I work through the materials I will be sharing my progress here.
My first real trip of the year will be a short outing to the back country of the Canyonlands Needles districts. This trip will be with a few other instructors and about 3 trucks. Elephant hill always provides for an interesting and beautiful trip. Look for a trip report on this in the next few weeks.
At the end of April I will be attending the premier Toyota Event, Cruise Moab. Cruise Moab is a fun and adventurous gathering of Toyota owners and Vendors. Over the 3 day weekend there are numerous guided trips into the wondrous red rock canyons and mesas around Moab, Utah.
My try at the I4WDTA certification will take place in the first part of May in Grand Junction, Colorado. The certification will take place under the guidance of some of the premier 4wd trainers in the US.
Certification in hand or not I have a number of other trips planned for the summer months of 2014. Keep checking back for updates and progress.