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| NOLS grad Erin Peterson getting
ready to hit the "streets" at Travel Show Chicago
2005. |
They’ve been sliding into towns on veggie
oil together since mid-November. They’ve driven
well over 10,000 miles, handed out a countless number
of catalogs, handled over 80 events including two
huge trade shows, checked innumerous grease traps
in alleys, enjoyed first ocean sightings, given away
tons of free gear, held impromptu banjo jam sessions,
answered more questions than they’d be able
to shake a stick at, spoken with prospective students,
concerned and interested parents, curious folks at
rest stops, restaurant owners, fellow musicians,
rock climbers, outdoor enthusiasts and alternative
fuel advocates, all while living in motel rooms and
one decked-out, 36-foot bus.
The NOLS team is calling themselves “the first
and longest urban NOLS expedition.” Grads Ashley
Lewis and Winter Ramos rode away from Lander back
in August, sticky with champagne, and were later
joined by grad Matt Copeland and Jared Scott to drive
the tour onward. Somewhere in the midst of this country,
as the breakfast fare changed from cereal, muffins,
bagels and cream cheese to biscuits, grits and gravy,
these co-workers became a team of friends. Their
journey has become the ultimate in working together
toward a common goal.
“We’re coming closer together as a team,” Scott
says. This shift in mentality from individuals doing
a job to a group working together toward a common
goal kept Lewis on board through her intended stopping
point in February. “I just didn’t want
to leave that,” the southern dancer explains.
She also felt it important to keep a female presence
on the bus.
The crew’s success depends daily on their
expedition behavior, much like any NOLS expedition.
Copeland akins the bus crew to a NOLS Instructor
team rather than a group of students. “We’re
like a well-oiled machine,” he says. “Pun
intended.”
“The group is great,” Ramos says, “we
just fit. We’re from different backgrounds,
parts of the country, have different interests, but
we complement each other. We’re great together.” They’ve
come from forming, through storming and norming,
to performing. “It’s not easy,” Copeland
points out, “but things are more rewarding,
more successful.” As the bus rolls into Massachusettes,
its 29st state, their energy holds steady.
At the two trade shows in Chicago and New York,
the bus crew gained all-star help from the marketing
department, as well as alumni who volunteered their
time to join the “NOLS Street Team.” For
each event, the Street Teams helped over 2,000 folks
find their way to the bus by donning classic NOLS
windpants, a NOLS t-shirt, and Lowe backpack and
pointing people in the right direction. “I
had an amazing NOLS experience; therefore, I wanted
to promote NOLS to my fellow Midwesterners,” says
Erin Peterson, a Chicago resident and graduate from
a 2002 Alaska Outdoor Educator course.
By mid-April, they’ll still be spreading the
good NOLS word in the be northeast.Ramos
will be departing for his Instructor course in Alaska,
Scott will be thinking about his brother’s
wedding in May on the West coast, and only Lewis
and Copeland will be left to ride the bus home in
June. They will hand the bus over to the next generation,
probably in a ceremony involving some tears but more
laughter, a banjo and a button that reads, “How’s
your EB?”
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