Today we'll meet a woman who's on a journey of 1000 hours.

That's right.

Hours.

So stick around.

We'll see what she's up to.

Away are you?

We're in that very New Hampshire, right behind the public library.

And we're here today to take a little hike, but more importantly, to meet a woman named Susan Dromey.

Peter, Susan teaches rights and spends a lot of time outdoors and well as she is.

Susan, a pleasure.

A pleasure, man.

It's a pleasure.

Well, online.

So you're going to tell us about what the subject for today is The Thousand, our outdoor program Yes.

Yes, as best I can.

I'm not like a representative of it, but I'm participating in it.

So I participate in the 1000 hours outside, you know, because at the beginning of January, I was I was thinking, I've got to get outside because during the pandemic, and as everybody so I found 1000 hours outside and I thought, I've got to I've got to make it to 1000 hours outside.

So I just downloaded this form.

And then every time I spent an hour outside, I fell down a little blank.

So it's been a very colorful journey.

And it just reminded me that it's it's pretty nice to be outside no matter what the weather, no matter what I'm doing.

Okay.

So we're taking a little walk in Barbados.

That's Spanish.

It is very confusing to me now.

Well, you know, it's Spanish.

A little this is lovely.

And that is the most beautiful that in that, you know, the stone wall.

Yeah.

And just sound like the leaves coming down.

Oh, our life begins right behind the town hall in Modbury, New Hampshire.

If we make it that far, will intersect with the Kingsmen farm trails which find their way across the property of the University of New Hampshire.

You look at all the rocks in this part of New Hampshire.

You have to wonder who in is right mind what?

Start a farm.

This outing is one of several that Susan will take us on.

We're getting outside with her during every season of the year.

When I come here, I usually hike with a friend and we walk for about an hour or two.

Wow.

I've always been an outdoors person.

Yes.

And now when I say outdoors, I'm not like a big hiker, you know, mountain biker.

That kind of thing.

But I love walking in the mornings and I love just being outside in all types of weather.

I didn't necessarily want another to do so now I'm part of this organization.

I just wanted to be outside, you know, like I just wanted to color and my little my little sister just saw the solo thing.

So in that very individual, I did have my neighbors.

We were kind of in a competition, so they were doing it they were two and five.

So LJ and Kennedy, I don't know if I don't know where they are, but they were beating me as they were outside.

But but I just wanted it as a way to kind of monitor and just to kind of remember how important it is to get outside.

So it's kind of like a little contest with myself, especially during COVID, especially where it was, it felt like, you know, kind of oppressive and lonely and, you know, isolating.

So when I got outside it, I just would come in and feel so much better for us that wouldn't just help the mental health that helped.

So, you know, spiritual health just all of the above.

So it but it was not something that I felt compelled to start, like everybody should do this because not everybody wants to, I guess I should.

I can't imagine why not.

I can't either.

But but there are a few people and I think it's a beautiful concept, too, and particularly for children and for students because, you know, as an educator, I see so much angst and other online and they're inside.

And I always, you know, I'll say like, how did you get outside this weekend?

You know, so the next thing we're going to be doing is four continents before any stroke, awful stuff given out or before and before we go in and usually put together the world.

Susan teaches high school Spanish and French during the summer.

She's with elementary school students.

I also have a software swing and I went outside and played on for only a few minutes, but it was fun.

And if your students have that same way or, you know, they do it, I just gave I just gave one to one of my students today.

Good.

Yeah.

Because she was having a hard time.

I said, why don't you work on this?

And I showed her mine when she's not teaching.

But isn't it better to sing outside than an inside?

Because I think the echo like the bird.

Susan writes.

That's how we found her and learned about the 1000 hours outside program.

And I find a place to perch.

But I like the idea of keeping track of how much time you spend outside, because I downloaded their little paper, and so I've kept track of all of the hours.

And I began on January 1st.

So I think on January 1st, I thought this would be a good thing to do over the year.

It's been one of the few New Year's resolutions I've actually got.

I think it might be the only solution I've ever kept so far.

So far, that's right.

I haven't.

I'm not there yet.

I still have a little bit to go here.

Here I will go and you guys have plan for me.

And I work with young children.

I've worked with young children.

I work with high schoolers.

And one thing I've noticed across the board and including adults, we don't get outside in the air you know, we're on we're in front of our screens all the time.

We go inside.

And I think one of the benefits and one of the gifts of COVID is in this whole pandemic is that it's been it's allowed us to really think out, think of space differently, like, you know, eating outside and.

I find it much more pleasant personally, many of the hours Susan spends outside her alone, I was there hiking buddy Bennie many when she's in the water, however, it's time well-spent with a friend Monet.

Cassius Clay.

Oh, here we go.

We are a lay mills and suffer with me.

Yes, that's how I know I'm not.

I'm not really sure, because Monet is the one who told me how to get here.

Yes, well, I'm glad the sun came out.

I'm addicted.

Yes, I am.

So my head has to hit the sky a certain amount.

Totally helped me unpack the Monets addiction to the outdoors is something she grew up with.

14.

I remember when I was 14.

I just remembered that everything in life was easier to accept.

If I was outside playing softball or kick the can.

That's what it was.

It was kick the can.

Those are memories.

Most of us carry through life.

I like coming here and getting change.

I like the changing rooms because they're very private, you know, and you can kind of sneak in second behind.

So that's my favorite changing room with me.

You know, it's easy.

As adults, we sometimes forget to get outside and play.

Monet says this is a place where she can shed the stresses of daily life.

Well, we're outside.

No one is calling or texting us to disturb us.

And so don't know.

Just the outdoor, the sun.

It burns.

It's an activity that's outside.

I think as hikers know, when we run, we're running a race, a road race.

If you're jogging and someone it just it's it's a natural and organic and that's important to Monet.

She's co-founder of Sober Sisters Recovery in Dover, New Hampshire.

Lovely view.

All the curtains were handmade by a volunteer.

Well, I work with women that are in recovery from substance use disorder.

I'm in recovery myself.

Coming up on 14 years.

And so my interest and helping women came right around four years clean and sober and recovery.

And I just knew that I wanted to help.

I'm going to play my wife here.

Just it's been amazing.

It's been amazing.

But I'll tell you, doing this keeps it amazing.

Being with her.

Being with Susan, nurturing it.

It's so important for my sanity.

So shall we Shall we take a dip?

Shall we take a dip?

See that rock we hang out there.

I tell people I'm in a meeting and no one can find me.

There she goes.

Oh, my gosh.

This is so bad.

I just go in and swim.

And, you know, especially after work, like when I came here.

After work.

That's right.

Don't have my teacher clothes on.

And then I would just always have my bathing suit in the car, because you always have to have a bathing suit and a towel and a car.

And then I would just get change and then jump in.

And it was like I washed off all those students and, you know, went out to the island and, oh, the only way I can work with my passion is if I make sure I'm outside.

It's funny, no matter the weather, I would say I think Monet and I are alike in this way.

I've seen Monet change and I think this happens to a lot of women of a certain age.

We just become way more comfortable in our skin.

You know, we just become like, yeah, I'm rocking this bathing suit.

You know, or I am just, yeah, I'm okay with going to bed at seven and getting up at four or, you know, not, not apologizing for who we've become.

And so I think that's, that's how I see Monet has changed and, and just becoming a lot more comfortable in her own skin.

When you have a true, real friendship you could be anything.

And but Susan brings number one.

I answer the phone no matter what, when Susan calls or texts, because there's always humor, lightheartedness, because I know her job can bring some stress and my job and we just we talk about our jobs, but we definitely compartmentalize is it?

And there's normally when I say hello, there's a one liner.

So humor, a lot of humor, lightheartedness.

Like I said, don't sweat the small stuff.

Well, everything is better shared but yeah, friendship, especially outside.

I think it takes away, you know, nobody's over here.

You know, nobody's listening in on your conversations when you're walking.

It's it's just that intimacy that can happen in the woods or the or you know, swimming or a pool.

You just feel like an I. Yeah.

You don't have the, the text going off.

You're not looking down at your phone, not checking things out.

Not.

Doesn't matter what time it is, it's present.

It's being present.

Oh, oh.

Here we go.

Oh, that is a good that's a good little just a good little swim.

Part of what I do and helping women.

Part of our program is exercise for money.

The outdoors offers something more than just time with friends.

It strengthens your passion to help women living with substance use disorders outside the trails.

And so if I'm if I'm doing it then it helps me have more patience.

Then we just go into our changing room.

Clothes on, full workout, done no TV, no sweaty people.

Oh, my gosh, you're so good.

And we're pretty proud of ourselves because we're 58.

And before doing we have swam to the rock.

Yeah, that's probably what it is I think that.

Yeah all right we're going to try in 2 minutes.

So those are some of those.

I want you to come back and then we'll go over the questions mixing work with the outdoors is a recipe that Susan uses at school.

Yeah.

With her hair, I found myself really encouraging my students to go out like, get outside.

You know, these kids were just on their phones or the iPads or the, you know, their Chromebooks all the time.

And I thought, you know, you're not we're not even looking up at the sky.

And, you know, we all knew that this was from yesterday and you weren't outside.

So I'm going to ask it today.

Can you see the world right now?

I don't know.

I can see the moon.

Sometimes I even have a telescope.

And we were looking and I was looking at Venus.

Venus Bright as a star.

It's called the I think it's called The Morning Star.

So I'm teaching summer school at Garrison.

What is the biggest shark right now?

The whale shark.

Okay.

Somebody show me how big the whale shark is.

About 40 feet.

Go show me I that means no harm.

And I asked the principal if we could film there because the kids I'm doing summer school and these kids should not be in a classroom right now.

So we've been going outside and she's she said, I want them outside terrified.

40 feet.

I know that is terrifying.

I, I'm not going in the ocean again.

And I noticed this as a teacher particularly with so much technology.

It's, wow, it's flat.

And we're 3D out here.

We're three dimensional, you know, like it just brings it a little bit more.

There's just a little bit more reality to it over here.

I think we can get her photo if 1000 hours outside sounds like a lot pink they could be any color.

Suzanne offers these words of encouragement are here and outside it's anywhere when I was in New York City this summer that of walking through New York.

Sure.

Absolutely counted.

And it didn't have to be Central Park.

It doesn't have to be, you know, putting hiking boots for me.

Yeah, right.

It doesn't have to be like, oh, you know, it can be anything but I will still use technology.

I'll still use the classroom.

I have to.

But this is just like an enhancement to her and I think students are still kind of getting used to it a little bit like just like we're kind of getting used to eating more outside or doing more outside things.

I think that it's increased their learning.

I mean, I don't have the data to necessarily support that.

Well, no, I take that back.

I do because when I give a test that sometimes they'll remember about her, they'll remember where they were, they'll remember that experience, they'll remember the word for tree because they touched it.

So and I think that that helps.

They're just more actively learning than just part of memories.

I know that my impression of those that was I mentioned earlier on, I guess Susan is taking us through the entire seasonal calendar.

We're in Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Susan has lived in the Netherlands and Alaska, where she learned to embrace winter.

This is what happens when sunshine and cold air come together always try to take up.

I think there's nothing better in the world than to be on skates in the sun.

And, you know, being cold and you got the clothes for you.

You know, I think it's just it's exhilarating.

Today feels like a beautiful day to be alive.

And, you know, I'm grateful I can skate.

And in my mind, I'm doing all these twirls.

So it's not that.

I love skating so much because I love that it's very inexpensive.

I have had in my whole life probably about three pair of skates.

I keep my skates in my car because I see a place that I can pull over and go skating.

I can do it it doesn't require a lot of I mean, it does require balance, I suppose, but I don't know.

It's a little bit like walking just with blades on and it's fun.

It's so much fun.

It's something I can do my whole life.

It's a lifelong sport and I feel like skating is just a beautiful thing to do.

So skating to me, it's like, it's like skiing, but on a flat surface, it's just.

I don't know how do I describe skating?

It's just being outside and dancing on blades.

I'm not really dancing, but in my mind I am.

I'm doing all these big flips.

I just find it very soothing.

I find it meditative.

One of the things I love to do when I'm skating is put on a put on some music.

If I'm not at a place like I'm big, if I'm at a pond.

And I just find it very cathartic, very healing, you know, it's just it's just an easy thing to do to get out in the in the winter and you know, not a lot of again, not a lot of prep.

I don't have to take a I don't have to take up time to get the skis waxed.

I mean, I do ski, but I like skating because it's just like I said, you can put your skates in your car, grab them, go out and do a couple laps and just feel so good.

Nothing better.

And when I skated, I don't know, I don't jog, but skating, I can just, you know, pretend like I'm doing some incredible pressure.

Someday I will.

This night.

Yes.

No, I happen to love weather in New England, but not everybody does Susan reminds us that with the right mindset and clothing, it can be a really nice time of year to get outside when people say you can't go outdoors in winter, it's too cold.

I'm going to quote one of my favorite Dutch expressions.

There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

So go out and, you know, get some good clothes.

It's a beautiful time to just just layer or just get warm.

And once you start moving, I don't know about you, but I you know, I feel like.

I'm warm because and then just to be outside in the air and the beautiful sky, you know?

So, yeah, there's nothing like it any place that you well well, we have had a lovely walk, and we're almost back at the end.

We are.

We make it I know.

If we if we get out.

If we get out alive.

Yeah, we've had a great time, and it's just been great meeting you and hearing all about what you do.

I got to check you out now.

I'm on Facebook and the Internet.

You do?

Okay.

And I've got to tell these people that it's the time of the program.

I like least one.

We have to say.

And you, you teach French on the on the idea of say no to their most famous.

Okay, man, what's in amigas?

Adios.

Bye bye.

I hope to see you again.

And Windows to the wild for 20, 22.

Uncharted.

I started my home.

I kept my tracks on and for 2021 I think I achieved 2000 hours.

I chuck I might have been like 992, but that's okay.

You know I'm I'm starting again in 20, 22 so I'm going I'm good at a lot of good hours today which I'm happy about and I'm going in my tracker and straight is a great way to get outside.

Look at this what can you what's not to love being outside on blaze and it's especially good especially during COVID.

You know I don't feel locked in I feel safe the air feels really good support for the production of Windows to the Wild is provided by the Alice J.

Rain Charitable Trust, the Fuller Foundation, the Gilbert Verney Foundation, Bailey Charitable Foundation, the Macintosh Foundation, and viewers like you.

Thank you so the tough love of me, I'm