Wilderness Therapy

05.05.2011

 Being a field staff for wilderness therapy poses many challenges to our individual sanity. It strain relationship, friendships, and skews the boundaries and norms associated with day to day life. One morning in Salt Lake, I was awoke to sound of violent squeaking coming from the kitchen. What I found was my friend madly trying to start a fire for morning coffee. 

 Now you might think this is joke... that this is all humor. Normally I would have to agree with you. Staff are typically fine and upstanding so that we serve as good roll models for the youth.  We take pride in helping others cope with all variety of challenges such as poor weather and a consistent diet of red-brown mush flavored with taco seasoning. But even the strongest of minds can crack, even the most fit fail, and then we are left to our own devices.....

 To the right is a perfect example of Aspenosis. It is a crippling illness that causes the skin to excrete a sticky paste during sleep. The result is that the victim is glued to the inside of their sleeping bag. Because we are typically in remote location, the bottom of the sleeping back must be cut open to allow the victim to continue hiking. 


For this reason we employ wise sages to follow us because only their magic is the only know cure for a variety of ailments that afflict desert travelers. Eji is one of the best known of our sages... unfortunately it is hard to divine wisdom from his persistent ramblings as the response to many questions is a high pitched, "No, you're a marshmallow."  
    It is unfortunate that much of Eji's wisdom is lost on the students because their natural tendency to resist medicine and who can blame them. Apenosis is a progressive illness, the wiggy worms pictured above is the first stage. The cure is to marinate a chipmunk for three days in Tobasco and sunscreen and then grill it over a bed of juniper branches. As a program we are not allowed to force the students to take medicine because our goal is to foster cooperation and self improvement. However, a student can be stubborn beyond reason and the result is.... well take a look for yourself. 

 

 Okay okay, things aren't grim all the time. The Spring is an amazing season. The next two photos were taken 48 hours apart.
 

 The above is from a hike to the top of Steel Butte near where we found the 800 year old Freemont bowl. And below, the view of the "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow."

 

Hiking can get a bit boring at times. So we like to spice things up by having the kids push Mormon hand carts. The Mormons didn't invent the hand cart, but they did move to Utah from the east coast using them.