STEP

A few days before leaving Fernandina, a good friend and I went to visit our old home in Yulee. It's been almost three years since the STEP base ran its last course, but it still seems to pull old instructors there to reflect. For me, it was the where I started my career with Outward Bound and it was the place I called home for my first six months in Florida. I was living out of my car and instructing courses, and meeting some of the most amazing individuals (students and staff alike) that I had ever known. It was a wonderful time of my life. And before I knew it, a 3 month internship turned into a nearly five-year love affair with this organization, its mission, and its community.

Going back was kind of strange, almost like seeing a ghost. Everything is still standing, but without the people and the passion that ran it, it was a car without an engine.

Ropes course

Climbing Wall

Mailbox

Caitlin at the Mushroom

The flag outside the mushroom

The compass on the stairs

The mushroom

What remains of the Blue Peter flag, at the end of the mudwalk.

Caitlin's reflection at the Mushroom.

My reflection.

The place holds so many memories, and the feeling of being a part of it is difficult to describe. It was nice to see it one last time before leaving. It wouldn't have felt right driving out of Florida without returning to the place that brought me here.