Getting to Trackerschool - from my book Changes

Chapter 5

Getting to Trackerschool

Flying from Florida to New Jersey was not difficult. It was the public transportation once I got there that felt scary to me because I had never used it before and there were so many unknowns to me.

For example, where do I catch the bus?  How will I know it’s the right bus?  How will I know when to get off the bus?  What do I do if I miss the bus?  Mostly I think I had a difficult time taking the theory of bus riding and stepping into the process in real life.

I studied the bus schedule.  And Trackerschool sent out instructions for us to follow to get us to Tom’s River Bus Station where we would be picked up by the Trackerschool interns and instructors.  Still, I was very nervous about getting on the right bus.

You would think a 47 year old woman would have some experience with the world, but I had lived a very sheltered life.

As I stood in the bus waiting area at the airport, watching the different buses come and go, I was afraid I would miss the one I needed.  I spoke to some of the people standing around, hoping to get some comfort but everyone seemed to know what they were doing and didn’t understand that I needed more than a few short directions to feel confident.

Let’s’ face it, I was used to having someone hold my hand.

There were two bus possibilities I could take.  One went straight to Tom’s River Bus Station and one made many stops along the way.  I did my best to keep my eyes out for either of them, running up and down the waiting strip where many busses could pull up, and where many little clusters of people waited, as if they knew where their bus would stop.

'How am I going to know when my bus comes’ I screamed in my head, panicking.

Then I saw a bus pull up with the right numbers on it.  I lugged my two big nylon duffle bags and my roller suitcase, running the 30 feet to the bus and, sticking my head in the door, asked the bus driver, “Is this going to Tom’s River Bus Station?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

“Is there a place to put my bags?” I asked.

Without a word he got out and opened up the undercarriage of the bus to show a large open baggage area where he unceremoniously tossed my bags.

Then we stepped up into the front, and while he plopped  down into the drivers seat, I asked about how to pay.

He pointed to a little clear plexiglass box with a slot on top, and I put my money in.

I think I was shaking by then and I had no idea how I would know where to get off.

I started walking down the center isle, looking for an empty seat among all the bored looking passengers.  When I got to the middle of the bus, there were three men who looked at me with expectant smiles and, leaning forward asked, “Trackerschool?”

“Yes!” I said, and immediately slid into a seat by them.  We were in four seats, all together, and I was safe!

One of the guys, a Navy Seals instructor, was probably in his 30’s.  One was a businessman who travelled the world and was probably in his 50’s.  And the other was an accountant, I’m guessing in his 40’s.

We had the best time on that bus ride (the one that made many stops).  I think it took 3 hours to get to Tom’s River Bus Station, but we were entertained the whole way.  All of us going to Trackerschool for the first time; going to meet Tom Brown Jr. and learn about surviving in the wilderness.

Our eyes were shining and our smiles were wide.  We shared what parts of Tom’s books we liked the most, and told about our lives at home.

We had something unique in common.  A love of learning and a curious excitement to learn from a man who was a legend in his own lifetime.