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What goes around comes around, even if it's tentatively on the sheer face of a craggy rock cliff or a solid glacial ice wall.

Mark Oldmixon, 25, was introduced to outdoor activities at the Attleboro YMCA. As a child, he loved the wilderness excursions that instructor Wayne Sloman conducted, the ropes course, the canoe trips to other states - sports with no score; competition against himself.

Now, his life's work is showing other young people the wonders and challenges of trudging through the natural world.

Oldmixon attended Brennan Middle School, graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in 2000, and Saint Michael's College in 2004. While attending Saint Michael's, deeply involved in the wilderness program there, he spent a month backpacking through Kenya.

The Attleboro native lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, employed as the coordinator of outdoor activities at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. As Sloman once led Oldmixon and other kids on trips, he now leads students on even more challenging adventures - ice climbing, rock climbing, sea kayaking and hiking anywhere in the huge, rugged state. He doesn't worry about emergencies, however, because he is also an EMT who runs a volunteer ambulance crew. His parents, Don and Anne, leave this week to meet Oldmixon's fiancee as you read this.

SUN CHRONICLE: Your interests in outdoor activities started at the Attleboro YMCA. Tell me about how that shaped you early in your life.

MARK OLDMIXON: I have to give Wayne Sloman at the Attleboro YMCA credit for my current career goals. I was a frequent user of the Camp Finberg high-ropes course where I developed some confidence. Soon after, Wayne put me in a canoe and taught me to paddle whitewater on the Wading River, Connecticut River and some rivers up in Maine. Before college, that was about all the camping experience I had.

I can remember my father asking me at one point what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, "Essentially, I want to be Wayne."

At Saint Michael's College I found a good business program but an even better wilderness program. The director, Todd Wright, saw my desire to become involved in the outdoor education industry and generously took me under his wing and got me to where I am today.

SUN CHRONICLE: And, now, this has come full circle, as you lead trips for students, like you were led. Consider that?

MARK OLDMIXON: I often think about that when I am struggling with finding a purpose on a certain trip or in a certain class. I think back and say, "I doubt Wayne or Todd knew the long-term impact this trip or class would have on me. These students may not be cooperating right now, but when they think back on this trip they will see the greater lesson learned."

SUN CHRONICLE: You ice climb, rock climb, sea kayak, hike. What's your favorite thing to do?

MARK OLDMIXON: I enjoy the longer trips, where you have time to really get to know the students and have a long-term impact on them. On the flip side, I enjoy the day trips because it plants a seed of opportunity with many students.

A short day trip can really turn someone around, whereas students on the longer trips generally already know the benefits of the wilderness. SUN CHRONICLE: You once camped overnight near the Arctic Circle in minus-25 degree weather. Can you describe how cold that is, like white-caps-in-the-toilet cold?

MARK OLDMIXON: I was about 75 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It was a cold and dark night. We arrived at camp at about 5:30. At 5:30, in November, in Fairbanks, Alaska, it is always going to be dark and cold.

We were not surprised by the cold and were prepared for it with plenty of clothing, food and fire. The group quickly set-up shelter, built a fire and started making dinner on camp stoves. One participant got a little cold, so we took measures to warm her up and quickly shuttled people off to bed in their minus-20 degree-rated sleeping bags. The hardest part of the trip was getting up in the morning and putting on your cold boots. That is when I got minor frostbite on my toes.

We had camped next to a natural hot springs and students took advantage of it in the morning, but couldn't bring themselves to strip down the night before. I used the hot springs to thaw my feet out before we started back down the trail.

SUN CHRONICLE: As if that isn't harsh enough, you and your sister, Beth, and several others went on a six-day sea kayaking trip last summer. Just another day at the beach?

MARK OLDMIXON: That was an amazing trip. Have you ever paddled in a bay where there is a sea lion hanging out 100 feet from your boat, dozens of bald eagles flying around, a salmon run happening under your boat and a black bear eating a salmon on the island just behind you?

Or, how about the next day, when we paddled by half a dozen 100-foot-plus waterfalls, deep into another bay that is home to seals, thousands of Kittiwake birds and a glacier that is creaking and cracking all night?

Sea kayak touring is an awesome activity and Prince William Sound is a beautiful place to do it.

SUN CHRONICLE: You also spent a month backpacking in Kenya. What was that like?

MARK OLDMIXON: Kenya was a life-altering experience. It was my first time at higher altitudes (16,000 feet on Mount Kenya) and I got sick enough that I don't have a strong desire to go that high again. I was able to spend three days with a Masai warrior to learn how they truly live off of the land. I was able to experience many wild animals up close and personal.

One night, we had an elephant walk through our camp. Finally, our group gave back to the community by volunteering at an orphanage for children with HIV.

Overall, the trip made me appreciate what I am so lucky to have, and taught me to have Hakuna Matata (No Worries). Because of that trip, I am a very easy going guy.

SUN CHRONICLE: Why do you love this kind of explorer's life so much?

MARK OLDMIXON: I wouldn't call myself an explorer. I am not going where no man has gone before. There are people much more "hard-core" than I am.

I enjoy sleeping in a tent, but don't have a problem staying at the Sheraton. I enjoy the back country activities of hiking, climbing and paddling, but what keeps me coming back to work each day is that I get to have an impact on the people who use my program.

I take people off the couch, put boots on their feet and help them experience life. I like to think that somewhere out there is a student I impacted in the past who has improved their life because of the experience they had on one of my trips.

SUN CHRONICLE: Are you afraid of anything?

MARK OLDMIXON: I am afraid of most animals. I wish I was able to know what they were thinking.

DO YOU KNOW someone for this feature? Contact James A. Merolla at 508-236-0431 or at jmerolla@thesunchronicle.com.