Former teacher turns his love for the outdoors into a retirement dream

Walt Sepic is passionate about the outdoors.  The retired teacher of 34 years has wide-ranging knowledge when it comes to outdoor education and these days he’s using that to help others get out into the fresh air.

Walt Sepic says he wants to “… help demystify the outdoor stuff, that’s the bottom line. Is to help people get outdoors, give them some skills, some knowledge, some safety guidelines and off you go.”

About 10 years ago the former outdoor education teacher started up Firefly Adventures — a retirement dream that allows him to do what he loves.

He teaches everything from astronomy, wilderness survival, canoeing and even winter camping in a “quinzee,” which is similar to an igloo.  He also teaches how to start a fire using magnesium instead of matches.

Sepic says, “Magnesium, when you scrape it with a sharp edge, makes these lovely little flakes, and when the spark hits those flakes, it erupts into a beautiful hot flame.”

Over the years, Sepic has taught over 70,000 children and adults how to reconnect with the outdoors, which he says also builds life skills.

“The confidence you get from completing a canoe trip on your own and then doing it yourself later and expanding it. That’s a big thing,” says Sepic.

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It can also bring with it a history lesson and in this case, he says, from the stars.

“They have a cultural history from the Greeks and Romans. Even though we’re a modern technological society, we still refer to the map of the night sky based on those ancient legends,” Sepic said.

Those who have experienced the Firefly Adventures, highly recommend the tours. One person from Zurich, Switzerland said their “four-day canoe trip with Firefly Adventures was beyond expectation,” while another person from Dubai said Sepic “was a wonderful guide that made her feel safe.”

From stargazing to cold-weather camping, Sepic says these are the experiences that will help you appreciate Mother Nature.

Sepic’s business is based out of Kingston.  It offers more than a dozen courses, including canoeing trips, astronomy, and team building. Information and prices on the various courses can be found on his website.