Moving Forward

I’m writing this post to communicate my vision for Origin Expeditions effectively. While I’m not planning on Origin ever becoming as big as a program like NOLS or Outward Bound, I do intend to see it constantly evolve and adapt. As I mentioned in the previous post, I am excited to see a community form around this project, one in which each member has a role to play. Whether they be a student, guide, parent, donor, or friend, I am interested to hear any feedback folks might have to facilitate the progression of this program—leave a comment below if you feel inclined.

It is not my goal to attend every course I plan, nor plan every course. A huge part of why I’m doing this is to teach people what I know and create opportunities for individuals who are or aspire to be knowledgeable and skilled wilderness professionals. Whether it be a course on sailing, alpinism, primitive survival, or farming (so long as individuals are fully qualified to execute a well-designed and budgeted trip), I believe that it is crucial Origin can offer that experience. For several years I have heard many people mention their desire to run a program of their own. I intend to create a platform from which these individuals can operate.

As I successfully execute, tweak, and eventually perfect trips, I will add more each year. My goal is to run trips of several varieties throughout the United States over the next decade and eventually run courses abroad. Students who complete specific courses will have access to alumni trips that focus on their further development of skills learned during their time at Origin. For instance, students who complete a course that involves alpine travel and basic mountaineering will have access to an expedition in which students climb the Gannet Peak in Wyoming.

Ascending Gannet Peak, Wyoming’s tallest mountain, by its most accessible approach requires 43-miles of hiking with over 13,000 vertical feet of elevation gain. Students would learn the fundamentals of glacier travel and basic rope skills as they apply what they learned about alpine travel in their previous course.

To provide myself the time and energy I need to facilitate the development of new courses, I intend to train individuals to lead current programs as I introduce them. I think a big part of this will be selecting the right individuals and inspiring them to return the year after they see how each course operates. Several things will determine this, most of all creating work that's fulfilling, engaging and expressive. Rather than selecting program guides based on how they conform to a set of standards, I intend to choose program guides based on the unique things they can bring to the Origin community.

There is also the challenge of determining a wage that is fair and compelling. I often suspect that issues with conventional education arise from the absence of salaries that inspire high-functioning individuals to become educators. With that in mind, I want to offer compensation that encourages highly skilled individuals to work for Origin and return for future sessions. I believe this is crucial in fostering a reliable and professional employee population and delivering the highest quality experience possible to our students.

With committed, professional guides, Origin will also be able to offer more specialized courses that one would otherwise seek out an established guiding company for (such as a three-week-long Grand Canyon rafting trip or a summit of Mount Rainier). I myself am pursuing an American Mountain Guides Association ski guiding certification so that Origin can offer backcountry skiing courses to students. I think it would be great if someday we could help developing guides finance the certificates they are pursuing to become better outdoor recreation professionals.

As I said before, the comments are open for this post. If you feel as though you have ideas to contribute or critiques of my own, know that they are tremendously valuable. Much of what I've spoken to in the blog is a product of years spent walking through forests, ascending skin tracks, and lying under stars conversing with others who are also passionate about the wilderness experience. I hope that the blog becomes a proactive platform with which the community can form cohesion and fulfillment among its members and Origin's overall plan. With that, if you feel at all compelled to post, please do!

Thanks for reading!