Outdoor Professionals
Each year more and more people are finding their way back to the outdoors. (outdoor industry) Many go on adventures and explore the wilderness. They make the most of whatever free time they have together. Some love the outdoors and its expansiveness; for others, it is a way to learn about and understand the wild and nature.
For some, being outside is more enjoyable and fulfilling than being indoors for most of their working and free time. And getting to experience what the wilderness can teach has some considered what an internship might be like.
Being Outdoors
To answer these questions, we touch base with the crew at MICA Guides in Glacier View, AK, just a couple of hours’ drive from Anchorage. This locally owned and operated company specializes in teaching and supporting new guides in an outdoor internship role. Each summer season, the company opens new slots for dozens of interns. The company offers guidance and training to build skills in the assistant outdoor guide role and/or the logistics team.
With over 20 years of outdoor experience, MICA ice climbing guides provide the perfect hands-on learning experience. Additionally, they partner with local companies to make the learning space feel like it comes straight from imagination. Lifelong experts and senior team members guide new generations.
The Guide Life
Joining an outdoor company with little to no experience often means starting in an internship role. In these positions, novices can learn, build skills, and find where they fit best in the outdoor industry. At MICA, guides find themselves paired with a mentor. This gives them a go-to person within the growing community.
MICA Guides is known for its commitment to top-of-the-industry safety standards and for creating memorable outdoor experiences in Alaska, including exploring the Matanuska Glacier and having fun while doing it. Each person has a title, but everyone is part of the community.
Why the Outdoors?
Guiding and working in the outdoors is a job unlike many others. This workplace often means home is a tent or camper in remote wilderness areas, and it requires some communal cooperation. Not to mention the sheer necessity of communicating effectively for the success of individuals and the community alike. The wilderness is a good way to understand the balance of nurture and nature, and why that is important for learning and changing. (Ecology of Adventure)
Outdoor Community
More often than not, when I listen to former and current guides, many reflect on the joy of community. This is not to say it is perfect in form. Rather, the simplicity of being connected to others who can be empathic with the lives shared in a communal space. People are quicker to notice things that are ‘off’ and address them at an interpersonal level.
Often, this outdoor community easily connects people going through similar experiences and provides a kind of organic support. A visceral empathy of sorts. Especially when it comes to learning, many guides can provide guidance rooted in personal experience.
The summer starts with fumbling conversations and awkward hellos and turns into a completely different life. Group dinners blossom, teams take on daily chores together, and before you know it, the group bonding experience is in full bloom. The days are long and filled with skill-building and learning, so the reprieve of coming together at various points in the day seems essential.
An Outdoor Community
More often than not, when I listen to former and current guides, many reflect on the joy of community. This is not to say it is perfect. Rather, the simplicity of being connected to others who can be empathic with the lives shared in a communal space. People are quicker to notice things that are ‘off’ and address them at an interpersonal level.
Often, this outdoor community easily connects people going through similar experiences and provides a kind of organic support. A visceral empathy of sorts. Especially when it comes to learning, many guides can provide guidance rooted in personal experience.
The summer starts with fumbling conversations and awkward hellos and turns into a completely different life. (Adventure Education)
Group dinners blossom, teams take on daily chores together, and before you know it, community works together more easily and with better support. The days are long and filled with skill-building and learning, so the reprieve of coming together at various points in the day seems essential. (Social Psychology)
Space in the Outdoors
Community is a major draw in the outdoor industry, and outdoor internships have become a place for some to return year after year to learn more and grow. Another draw for folks from all over is finding a role in the outdoors. This environment pushes your boundaries and helps you feel where you want to grow.
Many interns and senior guides have started their journey to Alaska from a variety of pathways. Some have been geared since childhood to play in the mud for a living. Others were on the degree pathway and were abruptly diverted by an epic outdoor experience. A good handful of people draw their love from NOLS courses in their adolescence and the desire to grow into their own style of outdoor leadership.
Conflict Resolution
With epic views, hands-on activities, and a thriving community, it’s hard to imagine any conflict. Alas, the outdoor world is not without struggle. The expansive spaces of glaciers, mountain wilderness, and coastlines often put you face to face with both internal and external dilemmas.
A couple of interns and senior guides reflect on when they got to their first ‘I’m not sure I can do this’ moment. They also reflect on the process and realize that success comes from adapting and problem-solving. Even in relationships with self and team, this holds true for cultivating the communication skills necessary for growth. (Social Emotional) Noticing that the small steps are very important to a long journey.
Outdoor Internship
Peopl People arrive inspired by areas near public lands that they’ve enjoyed. Others come from cities with little outdoor space; once they leave and step onto the forest floor, the learning and exploration starts.
As education and exposure move further into formal learning, many arrive in far-off landscapes. Although many young people follow this route, more and more people are reevaluating their careers and taking on the wilderness later on. (Alaska Pacific University) This is a world opening to birds of many feathers.
Summer and fall seasons are important learning seasons for an outdoor internship. The people who fill them decide how and where they will use these newfound skills. Some are inspired to diverge from their original plans after one summer. A handful realize this is their perfect fit, for now. And that staying in Alaska with an outdoor community helps them fulfill their goals and grow. Teaching future generations the lessons they have learned.
