I have spent much of my professional career working in the camping industry. Having lived this life, I have come to understand that people on the outside, looking in, often wonder what we do the other 9 months of the year. It might go without saying, but that time is spent prepping for the season ahead. For some, this idea of prepping for 9 months, does little to inform them on the nuts and bolts of this work.
So, when I scanned the WA office on one day in December, I thought it would be fun to take note of what our folks were doing to ready themselves, and our team, for the summer of 2020.
Learning and Connecting
On this day, Tom, Trent, Molly and Carly were in Salt Lake City, engaged in active conversations with many of the outfitters we work with throughout the world. Not only that, they were learning and actively participating in the America Outdoors conference. Wilderness Adventures is an industry leader and we take that to heart. Being a leader in the industry means that we need to stay up on best practices, we must continually forge relationships with our peers in the industry and we must continue to learn what we can do better for our students and their families. Consequently, we are actively involved not only in America Outdoors but other industry associations like the American Camp Association, the Western Association of Independent Camps and local groups like the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.
Then, in the evening, the three met up with our great seasonal staff residing in Salt Lake. Seeing them was a reminder of how amazing this community is and all the friendships we have made by being a part of this organization.
Holding Down the Fort
At the same time, Tim, Gabe, Paige and Catherine were back in Jackson attending to the needs of our students who are enrolled in this summers’ upcoming adventures. We pride ourselves on the customer service we offer our families all year long. In the winter, we are available via phone from 8am to 5pm, and then in the summer we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were responding to questions from parents about visas needed for our international trips, packing lists for trips in Yellowstone, and travel arrangements to Alaska.
Adventuring Far and Wide
Across the world, Shannon and Meredith were in Tanzania. They were performing an audit of our Kilimanjaro program in Africa. 
The trip took them to literal new heights, as they vetted our guides on an ascent of the tallest peak in Africa while also taking time to explore new service programs in an effort to make our world a better place. We care a great deal about making each trip itinerary perfect, and sometimes this means going and experiencing the trips ourselves. So, on this day, they were trekking and having a blast experiencing a wilderness adventure of their own.
Willy Ross was deep in the heart of the Grand Canyon as he knocked off a bucket list goal of rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
To work at WA, you must have a passion for outdoor pursuits and on any given day you will see members of our team outside living the “do something wild” lifestyle. Taking time to adventure is a critical part of readying ourselves for the next season.
And that was just one day. It is with the passion of this December day that we prep for the upcoming season of trips. Even when we are out of the season, we still approach each day with a sense of adventure that only this company can bring.
