Feature | To Infinity and Beyond—As a Team

EXPOSE To Infinity and Beyond— As a Team

By Tre-C Dumais and Ben Urmston NOLS Instructors

Alaska’s Talkeetna Range. Courtesy of Tre-C Dumais and Ben Urmston Everyone wanted to know: what’s it going to be like? They were referring to instructing a NOLS Custom Education course with the first-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Really, we instructors had no idea what it was going to be like. Coming from different backgrounds and with an average age in the 60s, this team of four were not were not typical NOLS students. We were heading into Alaska’s Talkeetna Mountains in June. We had five days. And they barely knew each other.

Twenty-four hours into our course, however, there was no time to ponder such things. It was hailing, thunder and lightning were nearby, and visibility regarding bears and navigation was very low. We were tired, wet, and hungry and I remember thinking, as we set up the tarp, “I haven’t been this cold in years!” It was very different from their future experience on a space station with a relatively constant temperature in the 70s. Nonetheless, these conditions gave the crew an opportunity to learn about each other. They had to work as a team, sharing responsibilities, looking after tent-mates and cook-group members. They did their best

“In short, it was a NOLS course where people learn, among other things, how to work together as a team. Unlike most NOLS groups, their team will form again, though this time, instead of hiking at 1 or 2 miles per hour, they’ll be traveling in orbit at 17,500 miles per hour!”

keeping themselves and each other dry, fed, organized, and happy.

On the ISS, they won’t have to worry about bears, lightning, hypothermia and the like. For sure, they’ll have a different set of unique hazards, but now they know they can deal with adversity and uncertainty. Importantly, they also know they can make each other laugh. Throughout the course—the cold, wet, hungry, and even beautiful moments—humor kept the team together. Humor, a common respect for each other and their instructors, and exemplary expedition behavior made the expedition a wonderful success.

As instructors, we couldn’t be more excited for this team to fly in space. After spending intense days with them, we felt like part of their crew. We would look at each other periodically and say, “I can’t believe these guys are going to space! That’s so cool!” NOLS expeditions have served many NASA astronaut crews and the benefits of even five days in the wilderness were obvious to see. This crew will certainly share a laugh and much more when they look down from space and see the mountains of Alaska and recall the storms, the cold, the wetness, the river, the broken boots—the good food, the beautiful views, the camaraderie.

So, what was it like? It was awesome. We have four new friends and helped them prepare for an expedition to the space station. They were humble and respectful. They made it through challenging conditions and personal aches and pains. In short, it was a NOLS course where people learn, among other things, how to work together as a team. Unlike most NOLS groups, their team will form again, though this time, instead of hiking at 1 or 2 miles per hour, they’ll be traveling in orbit at 17,500 miles per hour!

The mission, known as Axiom-1, is currently scheduled to launch on March 30, 2022.

Tre-C Dumais spends her time exploring Alaska with her dog, cat and amazing partner. She runs the Anchorage Waldorf School on the side and loves Alaska.

Ben Urmston is a lover of exploration (and vehicles that enable exploration), engineering, sports, music, and American Sign Language.