In an uncertain world, getting back to primal basics is empowering. Dan Coyle, the visionary behind Coyle Outside , learned this lesson throughout his life and now guides people ages two to adult in gaining confidence with wilderness survival skills.
Getting to Know Dan Coyle. Coyle was busy chopping wood when I arrived at his place in South Corvallis to talk with him. As he put down the ax, he said he enjoys making firewood for relaxation. Sitting down in his backyard by a cooled off campfire, there were signs all around that indicate he teaches many practical skills here.
He moved to Corvallis in to start a job at Oregon State University as a researcher. He grew up in New Jersey and learned to love being outdoors during college in upstate New York.
OSU first hired Coyle to research genetics, then he shifted botany, and then onto field biology. While interesting and environment-related, none felt aligned with what he wanted to do in life. Meanwhile, he had a part-time job teaching whitewater kayaking.
While teaching, he experienced an eye-opening lesson. One of the kayak maneuvers where the kayaker is flipped over and underwater, which he found exhilarating, frightened others β even though they were in the fairly safe confines of a pool. A skill he learned as a coach was to be curious about others and their inner motivations.
