I’ll always remember the day I learned how to cross a river. I was outside of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, and it was the second of what would be nearly 80 days spent wandering the mountains and forests by canoe and foot, learning every facet of backcountry living and expedition practices from the local branch of the National Outdoor Leadership School. This particular skill helped form the necessary core of getting from point to point when roads, sidewalks and paths don’t exist — such is life in the bush.