Coasting

Coasting

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Coasting
Coasting
Learning new things as an adult
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Learning new things as an adult

First aid, mountains and some cosy autumn favourites

Elise Downing's avatar
Elise Downing
Nov 08, 2024
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Coasting
Coasting
Learning new things as an adult
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Navigation practice on Black Combe

I’ve done a lot of learning this week. I guess as adults we don’t learn new things so often - not like when you’re at school and you’re having new information and ideas thrown at you for hours each day. Maybe that’s why it feels so uncomfortable? That prickly feeling in your chest of, wow, none of this makes sense and also I can’t believe I didn’t know it already?

That’s how I’ve felt a lot over the past few days, anyway. I’ve been doing “professional development” as I told my boyfriend last night. Basically: learning more about the things I talk about all the time already. On Monday and Tuesday I completed an outdoor first aid course, then yesterday I had a day of 1:1 tuition ahead of my 5-day Mountain Leader assessment later in the month, mainly covering micro navigation and rope skills.

The more I learn about the mountains, the more surprised I am by how many I’ve made it up and down and around in one piece thus far. I’m embarrassed by how much time …

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