Drew Thayer
Senior Field Guide
Joined Open Sky: May 2009
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2009
Interview with Drew Thayer
March 2011
Q: If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?
A: I would like to meet people who pushed frontiers that the world told them were impossible boundaries, right when they were facing that boundary and starting to wonder if the world was right, but for some reason kept trying. The first English-Channel swimmer. Roger Bannister running a four-minute mile. Test pilots trying to break the sound barrier. Lynn Hill on her attempt to free climb EI Capitan. Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler ascending Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Q: What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?
A: When I was 16, I was leading a backpacking trip for younger students and we got hit by a violent storm. After initial fear, I realized that even with soaked gear and no refuge, I could survive serious discomfort if I channeled my energy into caring for others. Rock climbing has initiated so many critical moments for me: the first time I got caught on a cliff at night and realized it would be OK, the first time I had to lead my team down a wall in a storm and realized that there was no question of running away from this trial, I had a job to do or we would die; every time, again and again, that I've had to call upon courage I didn't think I possessed to accomplish the task at hand.
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
A: I have always been awed by musicians who have such unity with their instrument that they can pass the steps of thinking about the techniques, notes, and even themes and song structures, but just feel intensely and music comes out. Derek Trucks, Warren Hayes, and Eva Cassidy come to mind. What a way to share yourself with others!
Q: What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?
A: I have boundless passion for wild places that has lead me to devote much of my time and energy to pursuing wild beauty in arenas across the world. I love sharing this passion of mine with anyone who has the time to listen, and students here might not have many things but they have lots of time. I have also always considered myself a student, even when forced into a teacher's role. This keeps me excited and humble, and willing to learn from the students as well.
Q: Why do you work in wilderness therapy?
A: I have become a firm believer that people are not victims, but in fact have immense power to lead happy and meaningful lives if they can sift out the truth of their situations and accept the dark shadows within, not run from them. I find it incredibly rewarding to guide people through their encounters with deep, painful truths and then watch them realize on their own that they can turn acceptance into a seed for a positive future.
Q: Why do you think wilderness therapy works?
A: The full immersion in the wilderness that happens here does a good deal of our work for us. From time immemorial, humans have traditionally sought isolation in the wild lands to wrestle with questions and pains of the soul. The simple act of sitting with ourselves in a wild place and listening, rather than constantly judging and hiding from problems, brings about immense healing.
Q: What do you think Open Sky students need?
A: Open Sky students all have some deep-rooted shadows they are running from or hiding from. They need to be removed from the multitude of distractions in their customary lives that make it possible for them to hide from this beast and let it finally catch up to them. If they can face these issues now, it will set them up to be able to face all the other trials which will face them for the rest of life.
Q: What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t working in the field?
A: I enjoy rock and mountain climbing, swimming in rivers, mountain biking, playing guitar, learning how to cook and bake, getting lost in remote countries, working on bikes, and improving mechanical things.
Professional Experience
Bay Bikes, Monterey, California
Customer Service
Williams College Outing Club, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Mountain Guide
Stevenson High School Sophomore Wilderness Expedition, Pebble Beach, California
Student Co-Leader
Extensive Background Experience
Education
BA, Geology
The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
