I woke this morning in the comfort of my bed, a recording of nature sounds looping in the background because, well, you know... I was tucked in my bed, without the luxury of the wilderness. Thoughts flowed through my mind, uninhibited and clear. The places my 44 year life had taken me so far, and the destinations I am currently attempting to manifest for myself and my family. Fresh from a twenty year career as a Pennsylvania State Trooper; now returning to my roots in nature. I rolled over and smiled at my pack, slumped in the corner of my room, next to the long bow lent to me from one of my long time Trooper friends, and my dad's recurve bow I have been shooting. My present moment of bliss was slightly interrupted by an uncomfortable sensation in my stomach, and an intrusive realization that I retired from one male dominated environment in the police force, and I walked into another one as a Wilderness Survival Instructor. I had been so attuned to being one of few women around at work, it didn't really hit me at first how few females work in the Outdoor Adventure industry. I am a HUGE fan of the show Alone, and I have made my fair share of comments regarding the ratio of women to men in each Season; women consistently make up less than half the total number of contestants, which is a symptomatic representation of the numbers of women out in the wilderness doing the work. And it is such empowering, healing work. My discomfort faded as I recalled my childhood roots in nature; the wild that humbled, shaped, and strengthened me.
I grew up in a family that fled to the mountains of Central Pennsylvania every weekend and for extended stays camping, sailing, hiking, and exploring the wilderness. My parents took me on their sailboat for the first time when I was three months old. I was taught nautical skills alongside my regular schooling, and I solo-sailed my first sailboat July 1985; I was 7 years old. I could tie knots with my eyes closed, predict wind shifts ahead by watching water, feel weather changing, and know how to navigate alone with confidence from a young age. I knew what I knew, and nobody could take what I knew away from me. When an unexpected blast of wind capsized my boat, my tiny body knew how to keep calm, go through the necessary process, right the boat, crawl back aboard and continue on my way. I did not get shaken, and I did not feel afraid. I continued sailing through my youth, and eventually I competitively raced my sailboat in a Sailing Club. My friends and I would gather on shore after our friendly duals on the lake and we would return to camp for the night; campfires, trails, exploration, laughter. I could not ask for a better gift from my parents. Nature was a mystery waiting to be solved, a game to be created, an adventure continuously unfolding; the place I knew best.
The intuitive, safe relationship I developed with the elements of nature at a young age went beyond the hard skills my parents taught me, it was a seed they planted deep within me; no matter what happened around me, I could feel my way into it, adjust, navigate, and survive. The faith and confidence that grew in me as a result of those planted seeds gave me the grit to survive the adversity of life; I knew I could do hard things, and the sensitivity cultivated as a natural consequence of being raised close to the earth developed my desire to be of service to humanity. I wore my heart on my sleeve for as long as I can remember, and I organically walked onto my path of becoming a Pennsylvania State Trooper.
I paused on that thought and rolled over in bed to face the mirror. Nature sounds continued in the background as I studied my morning face still resting right side down on my pillow. I stared long and hard, but tried as I might, I couldn't see myself through the eyes of my former male counterparts on the force; those eyes that objectified the young me, fresh and vulnerable out of the Academy, whose mouths told me women did not belong on the job. I could only see the woman who completed a rewarding twenty year career that grew from seeds of grit her parents planted long ago. The seeds her upbringing in nature grew. The majority of my time in that career was spent in the crime unit working child sexual abuse investigations. I felt accomplished and honored to have served in such a difficult role, helping children in such a way. However, the things I heard... will never be forgotten. The things I saw, can never be unseen. Long hikes on my days off helped me process the horrors life brought before me. I found safety in the forest, in nature; my oldest friend.
In the solitude of my bedroom this morning, I saw how my path had come full circle. Just as I had organically walked my path in becoming a Pennsylvania State Trooper, I am doing the same now in becoming a Wilderness Survival Instructor. It feels as though I am claiming what I have always been. I had come to know the power of the wilderness to humble and heal, and thereby strengthen. To learn wilderness survival is to walk into an environment of overwhelming beauty and ferocity; an environment that could potentially swallow you whole, yet know, with confidence, you have everything you need to survive on your back, in your mind, and upon your heart. So many women I encountered during the course of my twenty year career as a Trooper would benefit from learning Wilderness Survival. These skills take you beyond the ability to survive, and teach you to thrive; not just in the wild, but in life. I would love to see more women take agency over their own lives and feel the freedom of taking outdoor adventures without hesitation knowing they possess the skills and knowledge to take care of themselves, and others, if necessary. Equal representation in the Outdoor Adventure industry is possible as more women come to know the empowerment of such skills and the holistic benefit of wilderness exploration. The experience can be either purposefully, or indirectly, therapeutic, which speaks volumes about the healing potential of wilderness training that hasn't even been tapped into yet.
Women, this is your time, your opportunity, your arena. Step into your power. Step into the wild.
by Gretchen Swank
Retired Pennsylvania State Trooper
Wilderness Survival Instructor
Founder / Owner / Head Wilderness Survival Instructor "Camp Gretchen Wilderness Survival School"
in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania ~ Specializing in Classes for Women and Youth
Learn More: www.campgretchen.com
CampGretchenSurvivalSchool@gmail.com
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