This summer and autumn, I explored the history of U.S. and Roaring Fork Valley experiential education and shared about some of the many programs available for local youth through school and private organizations. In this winter feature the series turns to outdoor education opportunities for adults of all ages.
For this iteration I spoke to Colorado Mountain College (CMC)’s Johann Aberger, professor of outdoor education at the Spring Valley campus. Statewide, CMC offers two different tracks: Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Outdoor Education. The former is an Associate’s program at the Leadville campus and geared toward individuals starting careers as professional guides. The Outdoor Education track is available at many campuses, including those in the Roaring Fork Valley.
A full two-year course load results in an Associate’s degree.
However, Aberger says the majority of students he sees are “non-traditional, above-20 students taking one-off courses for skill development.” This may be professionals or avid recreationalists seeking Wilderness First Responder or American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education certifications, or even folks wanting formal instruction when starting or improving a sport — from rock climbing to mountain-biking to kayaking.
“I’ve taught 17-year-olds alongside 72-year-olds,” shared Aberger with a smile. CMC offers a wide variety of introductory courses for outdoor skills and sports. The campuses also offer orientation courses, which Aberger said offer powerful opportunities for self-exploration and identity development through the medium of the outdoors.
The intersection of outdoor education and social psychology offers promising possibilities of helping people heal and develop resilience and resourcefulness.
Aberger reflects on growing up in what he describes as a “rough area of central New Jersey” and feeling a sense of disconnection. He found respite and freedom in nature and went on to study outdoor education at the University of New Hampshire. He then completed a Master’s degree at Arizona’s Prescott College before leaning into experiential education as a career. Once he arrived in the Roaring Fork Valley and started facilitating outdoor education with Colorado Mountain College, he hasn’t looked back.
“Big picture, I feel outdoor education is key to the survival of humanity,” Aberger declared. “I think there’s something about being in wild spaces that opens us up in ways classrooms cannot.”
While he’s witnessed more moments of empowerment than he can count, especially on course camping outings, he recounted a particularly powerful one during a campfire connection exercise. On a trip in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness, a participant shared about being brought across the border as a toddler.
She spent her childhood and life up to that point perceiving wilderness as a barrier that separated her from her family and represented unknowns and disconnection. The CMC camping course gave her the opportunity to add a new definition to what it meant to her. Her choice to be vulnerable invited others in the group to contemplate her perspective and, moreover, that not everyone may consider the outdoors as a safe or comforting space.
Aberger thinks it is important, especially for people getting into the outdoors for the first time, to seek out hands-on learning opportunities — whether that means venturing on an easy hike with a wildflower pocket guidebook or enrolling in a CMC course. He worries that relying on the internet for information has the potential to be detrimental.
He elaborated that resources online sometimes are so detailed that people memorize photos instead of developing real skills. Part of the value of outdoor education courses is developing the skills to be able to manage unexpected situations in the outdoors. Specifically, Aberger opined, “14ers.com has too much information. You can see every detail of a route without ever stepping foot onto a peak. That doesn’t always make people safer, and it can cheapen the experience.”
For people interested in spending more time outside, Aberger recommended “anything that gets you off your screen and outside, even into the backyard,” whether that’s a book or a walk along a river path. Basalt Regional Library offers a Library of Things where outdoor gear can be checked out, just like books. Offerings there include birdwatching kits, tents, telescopes and even State Park passes. Garfield County Public Library District, likewise, checks out State Park Pass Kits that include binoculars and various guidebooks. For basic skills before committing to a full-semester CMC course, Aberger endorsed Mountain Rescue Aspen. “Locally, I think Mountain Rescue is doing a great job offering basic information and workshops to help keep people safe.”
Aberger’s work is grounded in Edward Abbey’s philosophy that it is not enough to fight for the natural world, but that we must also enjoy it. “I hold as a guiding principle that nature can shape us in ways no strategy can. It’s the power of place,” he said.
CMC certificate courses include Wilderness EMS, fly fishing guide certification, rope rescue training and avalanche awareness, in addition to sport skills including: mountain biking, climbing and rafting.
More info CMC courses at www.coloradomtn.edu