Learning Mechanics during my Wilderness Lifestyle Experience

My family owns a mechanics garage in Ireland, and I owned a car for eight years. Yet my first time learning basic mechanical work was when I arrived at the Trails to Empowerment community. Seems crazy right? Well, I learned to drive the conventional way, by getting lessons from a certified driving instructor. When it came to mechanics, I was taught just enough to pass the exam – like how to check your water and oil. But after the test I never did it again.

You would think having two uncles as mechanics I would be learning more about mechanics than the average, as I would have direct access to all of the knowledge and mentorship right at my fingertips. But that wasn’t the case. It was actually the complete opposite. Any time my car needed a service, I would give it to my uncles, and they would fix it up for me. If the engine light came on, or a bulb needed changing, I would drop it off and it would be done before lunch time. A couple of times, when I broke down or got a flat tire on the side of the road, they came and saved me. I felt incredibly grateful for their help over the years, as they were more than happy to offer it when these situations arose. I remember thinking to myself “I am so lucky”, making sure to show them my appreciation.

Although, if I’m being honest with myself, I often had thoughts of “what would I do if my uncles weren’t around to save me anymore?” I knew it was inevitably going to happen, but for years, I pushed that thought to the back of my head and told myself I would be learning it when the time came. My friends often complained about the extreme prices they had to pay for their mechanics. So naturally, my mind was conscious that one day I might have to pay lots of money to a mechanic. Little did I know it was more than the monetary costs I was missing out on.

I have come to realize, that out here, in this remote wilderness environment, the ability to get the job done yourself, and the mindset which accompanies it is necessary for a lot of things, driving and mechanics being one of them. With no cell service and such big distances between destinations, you have to know the basic mechanical skills if you want to survive. With the closest garage being a three-hour drive and 6h round trip away, it would be dangerous to consider otherwise. Those who drive here have to know how to check the oil and water every time before they start their truck. How to fill it up if necessary, and with what. They have to know how to change their tires or pump them up with air if they need it. They need to make sure they have all the equipment in the truck before they even leave on their journey, so that if they do get a flat, they can change it themselves. Seems basic enough, right?

Well – for the first time, my uncles were not here to do these things for me, and they certainly weren’t going to be there to come and save me if I got into trouble. Even if I wanted to pay for a mechanic out here, it’s so remote it’s not even an option. Well then. Now what? The reality was, if I wanted to drive here, I would have to learn all of these “basic” skills to be self sufficient. Honestly, at first, I was embarrassed about just how little I knew. “Your family owns a garage?”. My community partners looked at me with disbelief when I first told them, considering my lack of skill.

The crazy part is, I wasn’t even conscious of how dependant I was on my family. I now realize that every time I stood back and let my uncles fix my car for me, I was missing out on the opportunity to fix it with them. Every challenge could have been an incredible learning opportunity, to develop my skills and knowledge, had I stood forward and taken responsibility and ownership for them. With each challenge, I could have learned more and more, developing the skills to be able to fix it on my own the next time. More importantly, I would have become independent, self reliant and feel capable for being so. I know, had I shown the interest or initiative, my uncles would have loved to share their knowledge with me. It certainly would have helped me now.

Thankfully, my naturally conventional mindset and lack of knowledge did not leave me obsolete. I was told when I first came here that I could learn anything I wanted once I was willing to invest in myself. “Opportunities come with responsibility taken”. I had never heard of this before, but it wasn’t long before I experienced what it meant.

In my first week after guide school, I spent the morning in the office. I had mentioned my interest in driving and therefore, mechanics as I wanted to be able to drive our guests to the trail head, or to go to town if needed. In the afternoon, one of our community partners, Lea, was changing her brake pads and tires on her truck. Here, we use our “free time” as time to invest in our personal development – and this time, there was no way I was missing out on any learning opportunities. After lunch, I eagerly joined alongside two other community members. This process began by watching, then by doing, then by mentoring. We all took turns at different parts of the process, and by the end I could change a tire all on my own. I could then mentor someone else in doing it.

I remember feeling so grateful that I was learning these skills. That my community partners did not put me in the same box I had put myself in all of these years. That my granddad, who started up our family garage a decade ago, would have been proud watching me.

Since then, I’ve changed many tires, pumped them up with air, bled radiators, jump started, towed, the list goes on. Most of these learning experiences were the successful outcome of overcoming a challenge.

Just last month, Lea and I were driving to Bella Coola, a 10-hour trip in her new truck to go for a marketing meeting. On the way there, we got a flat tire. In the middle of nowhere, with no service, for a moment, we looked at each other and said, “oh no”. But we instantly snapped into gear and instead of being stranded and helpless on the side of the road in a panic with our hands out looking for help, we had all the tools in the truck and experience of changing tires at the ranch which allowed us to have the flat changed to the spare in a short 15 minuets. A guy even pulled over to ask if we needed a hand – and without even thinking, I told him we had it under control and he could carry on. Lea and I giggled in the truck as we carried on our journey. Now, that felt empowering.

This was just the beginning. With the summer season over, and no more guest trips I have been learning all of the ranching activities here. A dream of mine since I was a very young girl. Yet, in reality I had no idea just how challenging I would find it.

When I was learning how to drive the tractor, and putting out hay for the first time, it cut out on me. I tried to restart it, not realizing I was doing it wrong. My mind shut down, unsure as to what to do next. I went blank, afraid to try anything else as I felt I had done all I knew. After guidance from another one of my community partners, Kevan, I soon realized I just hadn’t had it in the right gear. Embarrassing right?

The harsh reality of this situation was – what would happen if this was a life and death situation? If I was out in the bush on a trip? With my partners? With my guests? Would the adrenaline kick in or would I shut down? I realize, in this moment, the ability to be creative and find solutions to problems when they arise goes far beyond mechanics. Some day, my life, and others just might depend on it. This experience, served as my reminder. Of my purpose. Of why I am here.

I have come to realize, in life I have a choice. When faced with a challenge, I can look towards others to be the solution, avoid taking responsibility for myself and be dependant. Or, to take responsibility for myself, ownership for my challenges, and turn them into my successes. With my new knowledge, and exposure to this unique empowerment culture, I choose to take responsibility for myself. For the role I want to play in my own life. I am committed to working on myself to build my mindset, my internal abilities and skills to be independent and self sufficient. Because, I realize, in life, these challenges, are inevitable.

This attitude and commitment, combined with the right exposure, and mentorship from my community partners, I can feel my progress. I am conscious, of how each time I learn something new, my community partner’s set me up for success by sharing all of the information and knowledge with me, then takes a step back so I can figure it out on my own while still being there as a safety net if I need it. I am incredibly appreciative of this, as today, I have just successfully taken the hay out of the corral using the tractor, brought it to the pasture and rolled it out. All on my own.

Now, it’s important to note – It wasn’t without its challenges. It wouldn’t start, but thanks to previous exposure I knew how to spray the starter fluid on it. It began to idle on the way back to the shop, but I had a feeling it was because it was so cold we needed antifreeze in the gas tank. More than the physical act of being able to move the hay, the intangible feeling I had as I trialled and error-ed, made mistakes and carried on figuring it out. To experience some challenges, take a deep breath and consciously decide on the next step of the process. To understand what I was doing and be flexible and adaptable in how I got it done. Not for a moment did I panic or shut down. That was my true success.

It’s a graduated program and each time I am learning something new, having a different challenge, and different success. I’m starting to step forward and take ownership for my challenges, to see them as opportunities for growth and learning, to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. To accept where I am in my development, while being determined to grow. This week alone, I have learned how to drive the tractor, skidder, and use the chainsaw, again – the list goes on. All of these skills are required if you want to live and survive in this wilderness environment. The horses need hay, wood needs to be brought in to be cut up and split to keep the house warm.

Why do I tell this story? It’s important that I constantly remind myself, where I came from. What I started at. How far I have come in my personal development since then. That my successes are no small feat. Even though for some, it’s basic stuff. It’s a reminder, that anything is possible once I am willing to work hard enough at it. To persist through the uncomfortable learning stage. “If you really want something you’ll find a way, if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”  To understand that others who join us in the future, could be in the same position I was 6 months ago. That we all start somewhere, and as I reflect on and internalize these experiences, I can be conscious about the kind of person, and mentor I want to be.

Many of us envision our dream life, but we don’t envision all of the challenges and how we plan to overcome them. Knowing these skills, and developing these mindsets, is allowing me to live the life I have always dreamt about. I can only anticipate what the next challenge will be and welcome it with open arms on this Wilderness Lifestyle Experience.

by Kayleigh, Ireland