Guides

Guides are essential to the backcountry. Sure, there are classes to teach you all the things you need to know, but there's a reason that the waivers for those classes are so extensive. It's always better to have someone with a lot of experience take you under their wing.
I've got a long list of people, starting with my father, who have made this lifestyle possible and safe for me. I owe them my life several hundred times over.
I'm not just talking about rope work. More valuable than knot tying is the ability to make critical decisions: to turn around with the summit in sight, to keep your feet dry at all costs, to pitch the tent on a rocky hillside rather than on the soft, flat lakeshore.
When I was 14 and just too small and weak to survive in the wilderness, my dad and others took the load off my back so I could make it.
It reflects my belief in Christ, in a way, because the debt is so real, but can never really be paid. The best I can do is just continue learning and pass on the goodwill.