Gratitude for a life of learning
October 8, 2024 I By Katie Cox, Executive Director
Dear Friend,
I can’t say I was at all surprised when Dave Kretzschmar sat down in my office to let me know that he is heading to the far north, the Arctic Circle to be exact. Dave spoke about wanting to learn from the Sámi people, to experience their reindeer culture, and to see what the world looks like as far north in Norway as you can get.
I always figured that each year we had with Dave as our Director of Education was another lucky year. He is a true adventurer and that is the gift he brought both to the program and to the youth that he served over his eight years here at KLT. It was through his many gifts of tuning in, not out, that he expanded the minds and hearts of the kids in his care, connecting them more deeply with nature.
As a parent of children in his programs, I witnessed this on countless occasions. One in particular sticks vividly in my mind:
We were canoeing the Green River in Utah and had set off on what seemed at first like a fine day in April. That quickly changed. Around the first bend we met a relentless wind that never ceased and only grew stronger throughout the day. Our first camp was 9 miles downriver and at 6 miles we knew that going further, as night descended, would be a dangerous undertaking.
The only dry ground was a sand bar alongside the river. There we landed our three canoes, 3 adults and 4 kids knowing it was our only choice. As the wind ripped our tents from our hands while we tried to stake them down and sand blew into every nook and cranny, I made the decision that the best thing I could do was to get a hot meal started. I opened every single camping box to discover that we had NO MATCHES packed, not one. Somehow amongst my various packing lists I had forgotten one of the most essential supplies! I am known to remain calm and composed even when circumstances turn badly. I was having a VERY tough time remaining composed knowing that this trip was my grand idea, I had brought friends along for the (wild) ride, it was going to be a tense night with the wind and sand, and now we had no way to keep ourselves warm or make a hot meal.
A moment later, my (very wise) friend exclaimed, “I DID remember it!” and produced a ferro rod and steel. Honestly, I had no idea what this was or how it could be useful.
Our daughter, Josie, upon seeing this, jumped into action as I watched in amazement. What I observed was years of knowledge imparted by the education staff at KLT, and I was ever so grateful.
Josie first questioned me in that uniquely teenage way about why I had chosen the spot I had for starting the fire. She moved my little stash of sticks and paper next to a huge rock and out of the wind. Then, she ordered us to gather more kindling, paper and supplies, which I promptly and gratefully did. Finally, with shoes off (of course) she squatted down and within two minutes had produced a roaring fire. She carefully tended it for 10 minutes and then let me know it was ready for our cooking pot.
For the remainder of our 5 days on the Green River, Josie was our firemaker every morning and evening. I saw in her a true gleefulness in being able to fill such an essential role and I marveled at her understanding of not only this skill but the way in which all the kids (every single one of them having participated in KLT programs) were so comfortable in the wild surroundings of the river bottoms.
As Dave sets his sights on the next adventure, I think not only of what gifts he has given my own girls over the years but the countless children (over 5,000 youth in programs during Dave’s tenure) that have learned from him to be comfortable and content in the outdoors. Dave has taught them to take off their shoes and feel the dirt and grass of the forest floor under their feet. He has given them the courage to sleep under the stars. He has taught them the foods that nature offers. And he has shown them how to love the land.
Dave has told us that he will head out in the world to learn but that he still plans on coming back to our community, our programs and our kids to bring us more and more stories about the other side of the world. His ability to inspire each of us has not ended, it is just beginning.
Thank you, Dave, from the bottom of our hearts and from the bottoms of our feet,
Katie
