#hammondschool

Last Sunday, I was sitting at a Sunday dinner table with friends of mine and a family I hadn't seen in over a decade.  We were asking topical questions, and mine was: "if you were going to circumnavigate the world, how would you do it?"

Geoff, the one I'm closest with, said: "You know, I think it would be all about human kindness for me.  I wouldn't plan anything, I'd just go - and hope that people would help me through it."

I smiled throughout the explanation.  I do plan my methods and my routes, but for the most part (unless in the middle of an ocean), human kindness plays a huge role in every journey.  It's something I talk about to every day, to every person and at every school.  Being positive and staying open to new possibilities are the ingredients for accepting that kind of involvement from people you may not otherwise know.

This week, I am dedicating all of my blogs to some of the incredible people and instances that have made mine a journey and not just an expedition.

The Hammond School

It was the third day straight of rain at the Annapolis Sail Show.  Everyone was hiding under their respective tents while I stood by my boat.  I have to say, that considering the weather, there was still a consistent amount of people walking by that wanted to engage in the art of ocean rowing.  If it wasn't for their excitement and wonder, it would have been a difficult 8 hours/day indeed!

Boat shows are important for me, I get to inspire people to go outside of their comfort zones, meet some crazy inspiring people and sometimes get offered new opportunities to meet people outside of the show.  At Annapolis alone, I met two ocean rowers, a guy that singlehandedly sailed around the America's who was the same age as me, and a couple from Germany changed the way I hope to do a circumnavigation due to their suggestions. 

And I met Jamie Walker, a sailor/diver/adventurer extraordinaire who walked up and after a short conversation with me said, "There's a school my kids went to that I am still very involved with that would love to have you.  Can I have your card?" 

A few days later, I got an email from him and the headmaster of the Hammond School, Chris Angel.  The school was in Columbia, South Carolina, and it's coursework came with a focus on experiential learning, outdoorsmanship and adventure.  For instance, they took their entire 9th grade class, instructors and teachers in over 100 single kayaks down the Nantahala River! 

I wish I could better summarize the feeling of it all, but the welcome I got there was overwhelming.  By the end of the day, I'd spoken to about 400 kids from grades 5 - 12 about the spirit of adventure and 21st century exploration on their beautiful campus.  They'd all done overnights in the wilderness before, many doing mutli-nights, AND knew what Leave No Trace was and had practiced it before.

There were a deluge of kids crowding aboard the boat, after the first presentation.  Everyone wanting a turn to take a look around:

Chris Angel, the Hammond School Headmaster, got on board to retell stories and talk about the boat with the 4th grade:

And none of this would've been possible for myself or for the school without Jamie, a new friend and kindred spirit in adventure who went out of his way to get me down to South Carolina: