Kate Koons: NOLS - Instructor Prank Backfired

Hot Drinks - Stories From The Field

Leaving marks all over the world, our guest today is someone who started working in outdoor education in 1994 with Project USE in NJ, everybody, today we have Kate Koons! She is the bird with a search for peace who has Worked for ARCC summer 97-2001, worked wilderness therapy in Bend, OR for a year. Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the woman of wonders, Kate who has been the NOLS instructor 2001-present.

After spending 300 weeks in the field all over the world, she now makes her mark as she currently lives in Victor. You may be wondering that we are talking about just another guest, but with the outdoor education career which has led Kate not only to 15+ years with NOLS, but working in Antarctica, the Himalaya and managing professional avalanche education in the US – she is the talk of the town!

Our show further investigated how Kate mainly worked backpacking, climbing, winter, instructor courses, and worked for 7 years as a program supervisor in the NOLS Tetons Valley Branch, if you are brushing it away, let us tell you that this isn’t something small. She currently works as the Field Risk Manager for the US Antarctic program, ski guide, and avalanche educator, imagine having her supervision as your ski guide – Exciting.

In this episode:

• Kate Fun-ly talks about how she gave her motto of “Have a hot drink every day” to her winter semester Student.
• She recalls her “Scouting gone wrong in India” episode where water is 1500 meter below and things are catching fire. It wasn’t it, something about reading the map wrong and thinking the compass was right made “The scouting Group” go through some tough times.
• She further talks about how hanging out in a village gave them the opportunity to a wedding in which they didn’t know anyone – the Fun was just the vibe of it.
• Being the only Female seal of the all-male course, she shares the dangerous canyon she faced with a group of 13 men. Being scared, and wondering how the ropes will take them to the ground, she shared some thrilling side of her adventure. The adventure took a bright turn when they saw majestic waterfalls after hitting the canyon.
• She further talks about how a trip of three in the pandemic made them feel thankful for everything they have.
• Kate shares a fun way she got pranked by Electric fences where she thought “There’s no way the electricity would be a part of it”. It was funny how having a sore muscle in her chest fooled Trevor into thinking that the minor electrocution of the prank had done Damage to Kate's heart.

At the end, we threw a quick intriguing rapid-fire round at her, which she answered gracefully and revealed many fun things along the lines.