We're in the Goo -- What a blind father, a broken wood stove, and a bed bug infestation taught two dads about raising outdoor kids

Alex Terry's father has been blind most of his life. He couldn't drive, couldn't see the trailhead signs or the snow conditions. But he could get excited. And when a young Alex came home talking about some upcoming adventure, his father would light up — not politely, genuinely. That's what started it.Not perfect outdoor education. Not expert instruction. A blind man getting excited about something he couldn't see, and making his son feel like the world outside was worth running toward.Alex Terry is a dad, educator, conservationist, and wilderness therapy veteran. He grew up scampering through the woods of New Hampshire, spent his adult life leading groups through the Sierra Nevada and Colorado Rockies, riding motorcycles through Baja California, and skiing glaciers in Iceland. A year ago, he moved back to the East Coast with his wife Jesse and their infant son Samson — and discovered that everything he knew about adventure needed to be rebuilt from scratch.In this episode, Scott and Alex talk about:— Growing up with a blind father who adventure-parented anyway — Five years in wilderness therapy — what it teaches you about risk, trust, and human resilience — The cross-country move that went spectacularly wrong (food poisoning, a sick baby, bed bugs at 3am) — The chrysalis — the idea that new parents are "goo" between who they were and who they're becoming — Why Alex is "at high risk of shoving the outdoors in his son's face so hard that he hates it" — Trail stewardship on the outlying islands of Northeast Maine — Why outdoor access sometimes just means having enough toilet paper in the bathroomsThis episode is for every parent who has ever found themselves in the goo — convinced they've ruined everything — and slowly figured out that the backyard was enough all along.ABOUT ALEX TERRY Regional Stewardship Manager, Maine Island Trail Association. Dad, educator, conservationist, wilderness therapy veteran. Based in Maine. 🌊 mita.org | @meislandtrailABOUT YOUR HOST Scott Shepherd is the founder of Wildward Institute, based in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. 15 years in outdoor and environmental education. 🌿 wildwardinstitute.netNew episodes every week. Subscribe wherever you listen.