2011 Master Educator Course

There is a beauty that comes with simplicity.
While the shoulder season is a quiet time for many in the outdoor industry, a time to catch up on projects and take holidays, for me it’s the opposite. My schedule fills up and the tasks are piled on. Somewhere in there I start getting lost. However this autumn one event interrupted my traditional season transition; a leave no trace master educator course.
Monday, June 27 was the official launch of the Leave No Trace Master Educator course, whether Chris and I were prepared or not it was all underway. And it all got simpler. The participants were excited and interested, asking questions that got everybody thinking. Of course the best part was day two when it all got a lot more simple. The course headed into the Pureora Forest for three days.
For many people going tramping isn’t simple but humour me. It’s a paradigm shift to a world with a single task. Tramp through the forest where the only distractions come in the form of flora and fauna, do not have a selection of ring tones, don’t require a logins and do offer great views. Our task was to explore how to go outdoors and make sure that those who follow and who we meet won’t be distracted by our impacts.
And here was the simplicity. Seven principles explored in the very place they were designed to enhance: A group of people who come from vastly different backgrounds but a shared vision: A desire to introduce others to an outdoor wonderland and educate how to walk softly. Seven principles are easy to remember. What I really like about them is that they prioritise nature over all the superfluous information of modern life. They pull back nature’s curtain and help us to get more with in touch with it.
I challenge you to go out and try it. As you plan ahead you’ll need to ask questions of the world you’re entering. Your first step will be led with a question of durability. Simple is so much easier to dispose of properly. You’ll see that everything is where it belongs and you’ll want it to stay there, and wildlife commands respect. And a small fire serves the purpose of bringing people together and doesn’t push nature away. By considering others we discover new ways of connecting. This is the simplicity of nature.
After three days in the forest we emerged. The world hadn’t changed and we’d been given the opportunity to see that. It was 5 days of social and environmental immersion. We left excited and armed with new tools to keep the outdoors available for others.
Matthew July, 2011