National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - Summer2008 - Index

12
THE
Leader
BOOK REVIEW
Vertical
Ethiopia:
Climbing
Toward
Possibility
in the Horn
of Africa
Written by Majka Burhardt
©Shama Books, ISBN 978-99944-0-032-4, $37.99
REVIEW BY LAUREN WETHERBEE,
NOLS ALUMNI INTERN
NOLS grad Majka Burhardt’s new book, Vertical
Ethiopia: Climbing Toward Possibililty in the Horn
of Africa, is a striking portrait of her time spent in
Ethiopia, seeking out first ascents in a country in
which few have spent much time climbing.
Majka’s first trip to Ethiopia was as a journalist
where she was swept away by the country’s stunning
rock faces. Inspired by the landscape and by
British climbers Pat Littlejohn and Steve Sustad,
who only two years before became the first
climbers to ascend a tower in Ethiopia, Majka returned
to Ethiopia with three other women and
long-time friend and photographer, Gabe Rogel.
That expedition, which Majka writes about in the
cover story of this issue of The Leader, culminated
in the creation of Vertical Ethiopia.
With a foreword by Paul B. Henze, author of
multiple books on Ethiopia’s history and his time
spent living and traveling there; and historical,
geographical, and cultural background provided
by Majka, Vertical Ethiopia is more than just a
climbing narrative. Anecdotes about interactions
with incredulous taxi drivers, dexterous local children
with their own systems for climbing, and
even a priest who officiates at a church high up a
rock face are interspersed with stunning photographs
of climbing, landscapes, and daily life.
Through these vignettes of the people of
Ethiopia, you can feel the warmth and humanity
of a place that few ever visit and most know little
about; a country that Majka describes previously
imagining as consisting of “dry and desolate
landscapes, [and] fragile and bony legs…a country
of constant war and oppression.” Both visually
enticing and informative, in many ways the book
relates as much a cultural experience as it does a
climbing one. For Majka, climbing is her way of
connecting and experiencing: “Living, however
temporarily, in the vertical is the most intimate
and powerful way I can know and understand a
foreign land.”
Vertical Ethiopia is available on Majka’s website,
www.majkaburhardt.com, or on Amazon.com.
WILDERNESS QUIZ
Answer (to question on page 5): B, New Zealand
Established in 1952, Fiord Land National Park
is situated on the South Island of New Zealand.
With an area of 4,834 square miles, the park
is comprised of fiords connected to the Tasman
Sea and bordered by the mountains of the
Darran Range. Some of the country’s finest
treks (the Routburn, Kepler, and Milford tracks)
are located in the park. The fiords are home
to Bottlenose and Dusky dolphins, Common
and Hector's dolphins occur outside of the
fiords. Humpback, Southern Right, and Sperm
whales have also been sighted.
As I approached my college graduation five months
ago, I began to mull over an old adage I finally
could not escape. I’ve heard it said, “You graduate
from college, get a job, plug yourself into society.” Although
those are logical steps, I felt there were a few
crucial factors missing: having fun and believing in the
work you do.
Tackling the fun factor first, I applied for a NOLS
course and searched to see what employment opportunities
might be available with NOLS after my course.
I discovered their internship program online and without
hesitation I applied for the NOLS Rocky Mountain
(RM) internship in Wyoming. With graduation, a NOLS
Baja Sea Kayaking course, and an internship coming
up, the next few months promised to hold some of the
greatest adventures of my life.
After my sea kayaking course, I was thrilled to bring
my new skills I learned in the field, such as leadership
and expedition behavior, to the internship. I was ready
to work hard, challenge myself, and learn even more.
My journey began in Michigan and when I arrived
in Lander, Wyoming, perched just northeast of the
Wind River Mountains, I immediately knew why this
was the town where NOLS was founded. With two
days before work started, questions began swirling
8:00a.m.
A Day in the Life of a NOLS Intern
Making a Lifestyle Choice
BY JARED PANGRETIC, NOLS ROCKY MOUNTAIN INTERN & BAJA SEA KAYAKING GRAD
9:00a.m.
8:30a.m.
through my head: What to expect? Who were my
coworkers? What would the work atmosphere be like?
When do I get to go climbing?
Monday, my first day of work, was extremely
exciting and everyone was very welcoming. My co-intern,
Sandy Bandhu, and I took a tour of the Rocky
Mountain base and the NOLS International Headquarters
building down the street. Within a few weeks
we had settled into our workspace and dynamic schedules.
Even though there was so much going on around
the branch, it was always easy to find small distractions
and interesting people to talk to. I soon found
out that there was no such thing as a typical day for a
NOLS intern, but to give a bit of a snapshot of what
it’s like, read on:
It’s April, and at 7:30 a.m. my alarm wakes me up to
a bluebird sky and smiling sun at NOLS’ Noble Hotel
where I’m staying along with other interns and students
and staff from courses coming and going. I grab breakfast
from the dining hall before taking my two-block
walk to NOLS Rocky Mountain.
I’m welcomed at the office by office manager
Glenda Brannan’s bright smile and a pot of brewing
coffee. As I’m checking email and glancing at my