Count On Me

Dear Friends,

With my background as a member of the Bavarian Mountain Rescue Service I am definitely an outdoors type of beaver. That’s why I’m such a big fan of Bear Grylls. He always knows just what to do in any situation and his survival skills are amazing.

To upgrade my own survival skills to a standard Bear would approve of, I decided to do some work experience and on-the-job training. I was offered the chance to shadow a park ranger at Fox Glacier, which fitted perfectly with the mountain rescue knowledge I already have.

The glacier terminal face is a spectacular sight and it can also be very dangerous. The warning signs are clear: rocks and ice can fall at any time.

The Fox River flows out of the glacier and there are often huge chunks of ice floating downstream. It’s not a good idea to go too close.

My first job was to help the ranger update the daily noticeboard.

Next we had to remind tourists to stay on the walking tracks.

Then I was given my own job. How exciting! I was put on hazard monitoring, with instructions to watch out for flood surges, ice collapses and rock falls. Luckily there were no natural disasters on my watch.

This delicious hot chocolate was the only hazard I came across all day – and just like Bear I survived to tell the tale!

Justin.

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• Posted in: beavers ♦ Famous People Who've Met Me ♦ Food ♦ Nature ♦ travel
• Tagged: Bear Grylls, Fox Glacier, Fox River, Mountain rescue, New Zealand, Photography, Survival skills