Trip Leader Spotlight: Lucy B.

Lucy’s 2022 students crossing a footbridge in Ecuador[/caption] I ask Lucy about the most rad adventure she’s had this year, outside of her work with students. She says she’s done the least traveling this year than any year of her life, which for her has been a real challenge. Being a passionate wanderer, not to mention professional guide, staying in one place is not Lucy’s norm. “This year it’s been about the little things. I loved going on a camping trip with friends in Upstate New York. It was very simple and lovely.” Lucy still chases adventure, even when exploring close to home. “My friend who was running the trip was like, ‘let’s go tubing down this river.’ This river was intense. We had little baby donut tubes, which were totally going to pop and not sustain us. Three people dropped out because they were nervous.” Not one to back down from a challenge, Lucy dove in. “I live for the thrill. I was just in a swimsuit and the water was frigid. I hadn’t done something like that for so long. It was so, so much fun. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to throw up. It’s fun to me to be on the edge like that, on the unknown, but having friends to do it with.” Lucy’s energy and sparkle shine through, even on the phone. I ask her next about her thoughts on past students. If she could tell her students one thing about her life outside of Bold Earth, what would it be? She’s quiet for a moment, thinking through her response. “I always want to tell students this, but I don’t because the trips aren’t about me,” she says. “I’ve really struggled with being scared of feeling like I don’t have one passion to follow and having so many things that I want to do in life and feeling really alone in that process.” She goes on to explain that trying to navigate life wanting to do so many things has been a stressful and anxious process. It would’ve helped her greatly to speak to someone about those feelings at a young age. When she shared those feelings as a teenager, adults told her she shouldn’t worry so much because she had so much time.  “That really wasn’t helpful,” she says. She turns back to the subject of her past students. “I would share with them that they are not alone. There are many ways to navigate a life with many passions.” Lucy herself is the living proof of this. She’s now working at a Vermont based wilderness therapy program where she helps mentor and empower at-risk youth. She doesn’t plan on giving up her adventurous lifestyle anytime soon.

“You never have to settle for being the type of person that you don’t want to be. There’s always space for you on this planet. You don’t have to change.”