Scott Carlton
Operations Coordinator
Joined Open Sky: February 2009
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2009
Interview with Scott
Q. What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?
A. I have a great deal of patience. In my own path, I've found that figuring out how my choices in life affect myself and others has taken time. I have the ability to stay calm in stressfull situations and see things with a clear mind. I'm also able to see the humor in most situations.
Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
A. My two older sisters. When I asked them who they thought has been most inspiring to me they answered with humor and honesty that it was themselves. They spoke the truth as they always do. They've shown me how to live a life to my own high standards, how to sacrifice and how to love.
Q. What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?
A. When I was 17, I found myself in a wilderness program. I was at the bottom of a mountain that I knew I could not climb. I was far beyond any exhaustion I had ever known. Roger, my instructor, talked me into taking two steps to a rock up the trail. Then another and another. He did this for hours. I found myself standing on top of a mountain that not long before I had known with certainty that I could not climb. Then I hiked and stumbled and stumbled down the other side to a place where we made camp. I've never again looked at an obstacle in life without thinking that maybe I can get over it.
Q. What do you think Open Sky students need?
A. I think they need time away from the patterns in life that they've become stuck in. An open heart. A sense of peace. I think they need to be shown respect. I think they need honest communication and a chance to redefine how they are seen by themselves and others.
Q. If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?
A. I'd like to meet a Native American living in the old ways. I'd like to know what the old ways truly were. How they lived with the earth and with each other. I'd also like to know of their spiritual life and how that was woven into their entire life.
Q. Why do you think wilderness therapy works?
A. I think wilderness therapy has the potential to work for anyone. The distractions and mixed messages of society can be set aside. Time is allowed for ones own thoughts. For myself, I have found that sitting with my own mind and not being able to distract myself from my thoughts by flipping a switch on a TV or radio has been difficult. In wilderness, I had a chance to see myself. I think the potential for growth in wilderness comes from living with a group of people where most are trying to grow and where consequences of actions in life are somewhat immediate.
Q. Why do you work in wilderness therapy?
A. I work in wilderness to continue my own growth and help others find their own way. My first experience in wilderness therapy was as a student. That time of my life was very impactful on the choices I've made in life. I'm grateful to have the opportunity allow others their own experience.
Q. What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t working in the field?
A. When I'm not in the field I still find myself drawn to be outside exploring. I like to travel and see new places. I also like to practice primitive skills. I like to help my friends figure out why their vehicles don't run and I like when they figure out why mine doesn't run. Most of all I like to visit my family and friends.
Professional Experience
Appalachian Mountain Club Mohican Outdoor Center
Assistant Manager
Programs Assistant
Camp Waziyatah
Camp Counselor & Adventure Bound Staff
Education
BS, Recreation/Outdoor Management
Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Boulder Outdoor Survival School 28-day Field Course
Tom Brown Wilderness Awareness and Survival School
Hurricane Outward Bound School
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
