I very much enjoyed working with you all last weekend on our first expedition. Judging from your comments and reactions, It appeared as you all enjoyed it as well. As I mentioned at the end of the experience, I am pleased with how you are all progressing individually as well as a group.
Part I:
I would like you to reflect upon your expedition last weekend and write a blog entry that summarizes your experiences. As you reflect, comment on specifics such as:
- food
- teamwork/comradery
- LNT
- paddling skill development
- student leadership
- safety
- Reversing Falls
- planned activities/initiatives
- your own goals
- your favorite and least favorite parts of the expedition
- things you would like to have been done differently
Part II:
In his book "Outdoor Leadership," John Graham writes:
Consider and answer the following questions:
1. What do you think John Graham means by this quote, and
2. How do you think this applies to your experiences of last weekend?
Please remember that your blog entries should be of considerable length and depth. It is highly recommended that you type your responses in a word processor, use spell check, and then copy and paste into this blog. You may find that you need to make more than one entry to fit your entire response into the text box. Refer to the blog evaluation rubric for further information on how you will be evaluated. Your responses are due to be posted by the beginning of class on Friday, October 7, 2011.
I have to say that I was really impressed with how everyone got along this weekend. No one was negative or grouchy even when the weather was unfavorable or people were tired. I believe that because everyone got along so well that everyone was always willing to lend a helping hand even with little tasks. It made setting up camp go very smoothly, carrying kayaks easy, and running activities possible. The food on the trip was filling, hot, tasty, and served at a descent time. Even though our menu had to be changed a few times I believe that all the food was served well except when we needed hand sanitizer for our first lunch. Our LNT projects were fun. I didn’t think that I would enjoy learning or even discussing any of the LNT principles but hearing each others views on the topics I think brought us closer together. Paddling skills development for me didn’t go as planned. I didn’t mind being in a tandem kayak but I feel like I was stuck in it to long so I didn’t get the chance to really practice good techniques. This is no ones fault but my own. I should have spoke up for myself sooner so I could have run the falls on my own on Monday. Don’t get me wrong I still had a great time, I still feel like I paddle better now, it’s just a totally different experience in a tandem kayak. I feel like all of the students did really well leading. They all took their role seriously and I feel like I learned a lot from leading. I lead on two days and both days I was thrown into different situations and I learned a lot by dealing with them. On this trip I felt safe the whole time. The only time where it was a question for me was when we were crossing into deep cove playing frogger with the urchin draggers. However, the leaders did a good job in keeping the risk of an injury minimal. Reversing Falls is not an unfamiliar area to me but it is a totally different place when paddling through it in a kayak and as a group. It is a place that I love to go to so to be able to see what other people thought about it was nice. It is always fun to show someone the things that interest you and see them like it too. I feel like the activities that we planned for everyone went well. We really tried not to overwhelm anyone with too much activity and I think taking Sunday night and relaxing and talking was an activity but it was not as structured. This night too me was a really good bonding experience. I didn’t have any personal goals for this trip. The only goal I had was to try to keep the first year me and second year me separate as possible so that I could learn from both angles. My favorite part of the trip was in general watching the first years and the second years bond. The least favorite part of the trip for me was having wet feet for four days. I suppose that really is minimal considering what other things could have gone wrong that could have been my least favorite part. I would have packed a little bit different clothes. I packed for some rain but not rain everyday.
ReplyDeleteI believe John Grisham meant that it is one thing to read about things in a book but it is another thing to take that knowledge and use it in the field. Situations always change and solutions change with them and every time that that happens you learn more, grow more, and get more from the situation than you would have from a book. We are told to plan and prepare for trips but unless we have something unplanned happen than we will never really learn. For example, we will always think to check gear such as PFDs before going on the water. And we will always think to bring a spare one as well.
Lisa Leighton
I want to agree with the fact that no one was grouchy or negative due to rain and being wet all weekend. I remember being told that we might be woken up at five, so we could get to reversing falls before the wind picked up. Tyler woke us up at 5 and everyone in the tent got up right when he told us to and we all hopped right into our cold wetsuits. I don't have much to say about the food, besides the fact that it was awesome. I thought the LNT projects were actually really interesting and kind of fun. I think when I started paddling I didn't realize how important it was to paddle with your torso instead of your arms. After paddling for about twenty minutes or so, I quickly changed my paddling style; for the rest of the trip I never got tired or felt sore afterwards. I never once felt unsafe when paddling; if anything I wanted to go kayaking in something crazy because I felt too safe. It was a big disappointment for me when we were told that we couldn't paddle around in reversing falls. I have to say I was totally ready to pull some Hurricane Rider moves, but I never got the chance to prove myself. I guess my goal was to go kayaking and make the best out of everything and I think I accomplished that goal. My least favorite part of the trip would probably be the fact that I had wet feet for four days and I failed my roll on camera twice. My favorite part of the trip would be the fact that I was up for anything and playing spoons/ninja. Leadership is definitely learned in the field; you can't just read a book and automatically be a good leader. Reading a book about leadership would just prepare you for whats to come in the field, but the rest is determined by how you react in the field.
ReplyDelete-Dallas
Last weekend was a blast i got to know people that i've one time before. When it was cold wet and everybody was tired nobody started fighting we all worked together really well i think that was because everybody was willing to help each other i think that brought the stress levels down alot. i'd like to thank the second years for grate trip i didn't realize how muchpreperation and planning went into this trip i think thet all did an awsome job leading. there was not one day that felt uncomfortable on the water. the food on trip was grate it was nice to have a hot filling supper at the end of the day along with the breakfast and lunch that kept us going during the day. My paddling skills i believe improved greatly during the weekend i was never to sore at the end of the day. Now that i look back on the trip i wish i would have switched into a diffrent kayak. the LNT projects went better than i thought i should have been more prepared for it. My goals for this weekend was to get to know the second years. My favorite part of the trip was the paddling i got a lot of time to think about what i was doing like my paddling and where everybody was on the water. The only thing that i would have done diffrint would be takeing less breaks stoping every 30 mineuts it felt like was starting to bother me every time we stoped it would make me think if i was sore or not it just wernt working for me. I thing john graham was saying in his quote is you can only learn so much leadership from a book. its some thing you have to do on a personal level you have to go out and do it. I got to see this on our kayaking trip im shure that the second years had to take a leadership class and on the trip they got to excersize this and they did a grate job this weekend. Brent
ReplyDeleteAlex Bradley's Post Sea Kayaking Expedition Reflection
ReplyDelete>
> Part I:
> I would like you to reflect upon your expedition last weekend and write a blog entry that summarizes your experiences. As you reflect, comment on specifics such as:
>
> food- I enjoyed all the food and feel that the second years did a good job trying to find things that everyone or at least most people would enjoy eating. I am pretty easy to please when it comes to food in a short term expedition setting. As long as I m not eating oatmeal or cucumbers I m pretty satisfied. The one thing that I feel could have been better is having more seasonings on the sides. I understand that the food had to be seasoned for the palates of the masses and had I known that spices where not going to be provided I could have brought my own seasonings. I am not to saying that the food tasted bad but I m use to more seasoned food. I thought the amount of food was good and most of the issues with ingredients came from bad communication about packing.
>
> teamwork and comradery- I think that as the trip progressed teamwork and communication improved. At the beginning of the Trip it seemed like many people really did not know what was going on and how to help. By the end however for the most part the teamwork and communication was much more evident. It was also really good to get to hang out with all of the adventure Rec students in a different setting and get to know the second years students better.
>
> LNT- I do feel that for the type of trip we where going on and where we where camping at night we followed LNT. At both locations we used established fire sites. I also think we disposed of our trash and other waste in a responsible way. We Potential could have done a better job when it cam to durable surfaces. In Cobscook Bay State park we could have tried to find a better way to get up from the water. As far as I know we respected Wildlife and did the best we could when it came to food scraps.
>
Alex (cont'd)
ReplyDelete> Paddling skill development- While on the Trip I really think it got the Paddlers box down. My form was the best I think the first day though and as I got tired my form started to diminish. I got the idea of how to cross and eddy line with a peel out and eddy in. Ferrying Finally started to make sense to me when we did the exercise on Saturday. Though I still have a hard time noticing and gauging ferrying in a bigger scale applications. I also feel I got ok at doing the front rudder stroke or dufek.
>
> Student leadership- It seemed the second years did a good job planing the trip. But not much went to plan. I do think though that it seemed not much thought was giving to organizing gear. This in turn lead to gaps in communication. Also there where times when the leadership did not take into account the abilities of all the people on the trip. Over all however the second years did a good job leader the trip in not ideal circumstances.
>
> Safety- The second years did a very good jobs at risk management and gauging how much risk we where up to. At no time during the trip did I feel that I was truly in danger. A few time ill admit I was little nervous but if your not expanding the comfort bubble whats the point.
>
> Reversing Falls- I am glad that I finally got to see Reversing falls and paddle through it even if I was not able to play in it. I do however fell that for me it was the right choice to not play in it this weekend considering the weather and mentally where I was.
>
> Planned activities/initiatives- The seconds years did a good jobs
> having activities planed for us. They where good about putting them
> in to take up time so we were no sitting around doing nothing. They
> also where good about not forcing us to do things at some times when
> we needed down time
>
> Your own goals- My goals for the trip where pretty simple. It was to
> have a good time and not get injured. They way I see it as long as I kept a positive attitude the trip was going to be a pretty good time. Not everything or really as it seemed anything went as planed but for the most part everyone was good at rolling with it and keeping a good attitude.
>
> Your favorite and least favorite parts of the expedition- Looking back at the trip my least favorite things sticks out pretty clearly and that is the weather. Mostly however it was the inability to get my feet dry and my feet fared pretty well compared to some. The rain however just in general put a damper on the whole weekend. My favorite thing was defiantly just being with good people out of the daily grind of school and life. Everyone stayed pretty positive considering and it made for a good weekend that I did not spend on the couch or at a computer,.
>
> Things you would like to have been done differently- I would like to say have the trip on a weekend with better weather but I think that s a little of a cop out. I do feel that if equipment had somehow been better organized , mostly the food, it would have helped with communication between the second years who often seemed to not be able to find things. This in part would have lead to there being less stressed moment not knowing where things where.
>
Alex (cont'd)
ReplyDelete> Part II:
>
> In his book "Outdoor Leadership," John Graham writes:
>
> Leadership is not a science to be picked up in one book or course,
> but an art to be learned over time.
>
> Consider and answer the following questions:
>
> 1. What do you think John Graham means by this quote, and
>
> I think he means that you can not just take a course or read a book and know how to be a good leader. Leadership is something you learn overtime. Some of it you learn by being lead and observing those leadership styles. You also learn important leadership skills from being in the position of a leader and learning from your successes and follies. Ones leadership style is an amalgamation of all of this and more. The way you lead comes from the technical leadership hard skills you learn as well as the more personable Soft skills you learn. The art comes from how each one of us combines all the skills, life lessons, and personal values that we have in our palette into our leadership style.
>
> 2. How do you think this applies to your experiences of last weekend?
>
> This past weekend I had the opportunity to observe many different leadership styles and techniques. In doing this I have been able to see what the different second years did that I feel work well and what could have been done better. In doing so I may be able to replicate things that worked and avoid things that may have ended up being miss steps.
>