The Sharp End Podcast Listener Feature
I love hearing from my listeners and recently received a very kind and important note from one based in Australia! John writes:
“Hi Ashley,
So lovely to hear from you and get a personal message. I know that takes energy and time, so I really appreciate it! Do you have any other Australian supporters?
I worked for many years for PCOBS in Oregon and it was such a great time in my life. Also guided on the Franklin River in Tasmania back in the 80s when we had no tech on our 13 day self-supported wilderness trips. While the tech is so great now, I still think back on how prepared and organised we had to be in those days. I also rafted in Siberia in the early 90s, and was featured in the documentary A Glorious Way To Die.
I've always believed that telling stories is the key to learning safety in the outdoors in a way that other forms of teaching do not. As guides shooting the shit over beers after the trips mostly informally filled this function. Even wilderness first aid is so much more effective when stories are woven into the theory.
I've run outdoor adventure programs for many years, most recently sea kayaking off ships in Antarctica. There is always so much drama (and lessons) in reviewing accidents but I always worked with my guides to share stories and lessons from 'near misses,’ as there are more of these to examine. Asking guides to write up and share their near miss stories really changed the culture in organisations. A culture grows where vulnerability is outweighed by the willingness to pass on the learning from experiences that otherwise get buried within teams in the field.
Perhaps you could consider a 'near-miss' thread in your stories where something nearly happened but was closely avoided through gut feeling (experience), chance or just luck. It's not as juicy as the accidents, but there must be a lot more stories to choose from!
Your show is amazing and I really look forward to each episode. Most of all, I respect your commitment and tenacity in continuing to produce the show for so many years. You've made a huge impact on our community, thank you so much.
So good to have a friend in Alaska,
John W.”
