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August, 2007
Guidelines: Serendipity
By Scott Phair
Ser-en-dip-i-ty
"The faculty of making important discoveries by accident". (The American Heritage Dictionary, 1983)
So there he was, seven years ago, a long time customer for Northern Outdoors, rafting the mighty Penobscot with his two sons on a trip like so many others we've all been a part of. But this day was different. His son looked at him and said, "Dad, I think I've found my niche: I want to be raft guide". Now many of us in the industry might have had a moment of panic, thinking of our children setting up house-keeping in Sodom & Gomorrah, but Dr. Paul Vanlandingham is not your typical pater. He's a professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. As his son began his college career at Green Mountain College in Vermont in the Adventure Recreation Program, Paul considered the implications of a similar program as part of Johnson & Wales University (JWU). Shortly thereafter, on another trip on the Penobscot, Paul had a conversation with Adam Swett, his guide for the day. Adam described efforts by Northern Outdoors to partner with Algonquin Community College in Ontario to create an Adventure Recreation program. But the two organizations couldn't successfully navigate the class VI bureaucracy an-across-the-border endeavor entails. Paul said "Gee, we're only about five hours away, we do all the things you're looking for, maybe we could work something out… and I gave him my business card." Paul didn't know it at the time, but serendipity had just been achieved.
Russell Walters, President of Northern Outdoors, had worked with Algonquin for 18 months to no avail, so when Adam told Russell of his discussions with Paul Vanlandingham, Russell was enthusiastic. "At some point in time, we made a transition. We had watched other programs start up. We knew we could do this. We could take people out, get them wet, and we had all the resources to do this. Johnson & Wales had a fine reputation in the hospitality industry and I was disappointed that our earlier efforts didn't work out. It was just happenstance that Paul and Adam had the conversation, but now we have the program"
This year marks the third class to finish the Johnson & Wales University Summer International Hospitality Program. The program at Northern Outdoors is growing, beginning with 9 students in 2005, 14 students in 2006, and this year's record crop, 20. It's easy to see why college students (heck, I'd guess anyone for that matter) would be attracted to this experience.
The itinerary begin with the Concepts of Adventure Challenge (AKA Challenge by Choice). There's the 16 hours of the Leave No Trace Trainer Course followed by tubing, kayaking and canoeing. Then you raft down the mighty Kennebec River, but not before you get to meet the world famous Ernie Deluca and get a tour of the Harris Station Dam. There are a couple days of mountain biking, rock-climbing and rappelling. You are introduced to fly-fishing, leadership, communication, and trip planning. Then on to rafting the Dead River, hiking Mt. Kineo, and preparation for a serious back-packing excursion to the Bigelow Mountain Range. After that it's on to Montreal and exploring a Canadian Adventure Tourism Resort. Throw in the Ottawa River on a raft and a jet boat ride and you're ready to return to Northern Outdoors for your final exam. (If I had ever found a college back in the day with even 1/3 of this curriculum, I'd still be there with a wide grin and a song in my heart!).
I was very fortunate to be able to speak with two recent graduates of the JWU program, Dawn Knowles of Watertown, N.Y. and Heather Klein of Perry, N.Y. Both of these young women had had very little outdoor experience when they decided to sign up for the course. Dawn came early so she could complete Northern Outdoors Guide Training before the JWU program began. Both she and Heather are now licensed guides. She is a self-described "hands-on learner who had never rafted before this program. I was surprised when they got us into wetsuits; I thought we were going to go hiking." She has overcome her fear of swimming in big whitewater to develop a love of river running (I assured her fear of swimming is healthy and warranted, and it never leaves you, trust me). Heather joined the program from JWU South Carolina campus. Her parents were a little concerned when she told them she was going to a place with no cell phone service. Now she works full-time, year round with Northern Outdoors and said the JWU program "really opened my eyes to more possibilities in the Adventure Travel Industry. It completely changed my career direction."
So serendipity comes to The Forks. As an educator, I can see the power for transformation a series of experiences like this produces. It is teaching and learning in the finest, purest form. And it all began with a simple, off-hand conversation between people who loved to be on a raging river. Perfect!
If you'd like to look at my portal you can go to http://www.my.portaportal.com/ then type guidelines in the guest dialog box. I have many interesting sites for raft guides.
Until next time, "never give up…"
Scott Phair is an educational administrator in Augusta and lives in Manchester, Maine
Email nick [at] noumbrella [dot] com with your questions, comments and concerns.
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