Official Weblog for ADV111

This blog is part of the course requirements for students enrolled in ADV111 Wilderness Expedition Skills, a course in the Adventure Recreation and Tourism program at Washington County Community College in Calais, Maine

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pre-Backpacking Trip Blog Post

As we prepare for our AT backpacking trip, keep yourself updated on the weather forecast for Millinocket at the NOAA website. Also reference the equipment checklist you have received for the backpacking trip.

After viewing these two pieces of information, address the following items in your blog:
  1. Comment on the weather forecast for this weekend.
  2. I would like to you to look specifically at the clothing requirements of the Personal Gear List section and list out the pieces of clothing that you are bringing with you, and identify which pieces of clothing
    you are bringing.
  3. Consider the term "expedition behavior" or "EB" for short. Visit the following web site and read how John Gookin defines EB:
    http://www.nols.edu/alumni/leader/06summer/expedition_behavior.shtml . What are the actions you are going to take to model good EB?
        4. Share your expectations for this trip. Comment on the following:
    • What are your personal goals for the trip?
    • How do you think you will perform?
       
    • Is there anything you are anxious or nervous about?
       
    • Identify some strategies you will use to stay warm and dry
       
    • Do you feel "prepared"?
     As always, I look forward to reading your posts.  This post is due by 6:00 am on Friday morning.
    Posted by at

    4 comments:

    1. AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 6:37 PM

      1. The weather for this weekend looks like we will have a wet, damp, and cloudy trip. The day time for the most part looks to be good around 50 degrees. The chance of showers is slim. So on that note I really hope that my rain pants that I paid extra for will be here on time as promised. Taking care of our gear is going to be really important because we will not have good enough weather to dry it out. (good practice!)

      2. I have learned for my past trips as to what I really need and I don't need to bring. Obviously I need everything on the list. However, I have a tendancy to bring all too much. I bring extra everything that I think, now that I have been on a few trips, I will not need extra of. I will bring my polypro base layers, my rain gear, my warm hat, gloves, and coat. My focus will be on warm and dry socks. I will be bringing a rain coat plus a water proof/breathable shell both that way if one fails I have another to keep me dry and warm.

      3. Good EB on this trip for me is going to be something that I will focus on a lot of. I want to really be someone that others look to for an example. I would like to be a great "leader". So in doing so I want to be a good listener, have a good attitude, and demonstrate a good moral on trip. In camp I want to be orderly as well.

      4. My goals for this trip is to observe the leaders to gain knowlege from them. I would like to be a better follower too, because this is hard for me to do. I would like to gain some navigation experience while on the trip. I think that I will preform well but given breaking in new boots and the weather being maybe not so nice we shall see. I am not nervous about anything on this trip. I feel as though I am ready. I am going to use the same strategies on this trip as I did on Katahdin in February. GOOD GEAR MANAGEMENT! Hopefully it will work as easily as it did before for me. But, sometime things happen that you don't plan on that may put a kink in my plan. I do feel "prepared", but I also plan on things happening that we didn't plan for so to be ready for any changes in our itinerary too.

      For me it is time to really put all my skills to work. It will be may last trip with you all.
      Lisa Leighton

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    2. AnonymousNovember 10, 2011 at 1:46 PM

      1. the weather for this weekend looks wet. I was hoping for it to be nice and sunny for this trip, but rain will give us a lot of practice with staying warm and dry.

      2. I'm going to be bringing my poly-pro top, wool bottom, waterproof breathable shell top and bottom, fleece top, puffy coat, warm hat, warm gloves, and warm hat.

      3. I think that our group shows good EB on every trip. I mean, every trip we have been on, we have times when all of us should be at eachothers throats, but instead, we enjoy every part of the trip and turn the negative stuff into positive stuff. On the sea kayaking trip, it rained all weekend, but everyone just accepted it and instead of complaining we made it an enjoyable experience. Our group is very tight and we all help eachother out whenever one of us is in need. I think we will all be good leaders during this trip and demonstrate good EB like we have on the past trips.

      4. My goals for this trip are to stay warm and dry and take care of myself and others. Another goal of mine is to be a good leader of the day. I think I will perform good on the hiking portion, but i'm not so sure about the leader portion. I'm kind of nervous about not being able to start a fire during pyro-fest. I'll make sure I have good gear management and wearing appropriate layers. I'm going to be focused on keeping my feet dry. I feel prepared with my gear and fitness level, but I don't feel 100% prepared for pyro-fest or being leader of the day.

      -Dallas

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    3. AnonymousNovember 10, 2011 at 4:25 PM

      The weather for this weekend looks like it’s going to be very wet so were going to be wherein our rain gear a lot it might get miserable. I am trying to bring all the cloths on this list like my Polly pros, wool pants and jacket, fleece jacket a warm shirt, extra wool socks and water proof pants and jacket. expedition behavior is something I hope we all preform very well I would like to see a fight free weekend I’m personally going to try to keep a good attitude even when it’s raining or cold. My goal for this weekend is to be a good leader I’ve never really had to so this will be a grate learning experience for me. I think I’ll perform well this weekend I’ve done this kind of camping before I know how to keep warm I’m confident in my fire starting skills so I see this trip going well for me. The only thing that I’m a little nervous about is being the leader for the day that’s only because I don’t want to mess up on something. The first thing I’m going to do to stay warm is to keep my head covered and dry the second is to keep my feet dry I plan on doing that by changing my socks every time I get a chance if there wet. And last but not least to have a nice fire to dry my stuff and help keep me warm. For this trip I feel really prepared and confident I like these kinds of trips just because I feel more comfortable
      Brent Russell

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    4. AnonymousNovember 10, 2011 at 9:30 PM

      The weather we are going to get does not seem to be the best we could hope for. Friday night there will likely be rain and a low that is below freezing. It may clear up Saturday and Sunday during the day but then rain again Sunday night and Monday. So all in all it looks like we are going to get wet

      I am going to bring a lightweight polypro long sleeve and short sleeve, as well as lightweight polypro bottoms all of which I will most likely where the entire trip. I am also bringing mid weight wool underwear top and bottoms. I am going to bring a fleece vest as well as a down vest. I have a wool sweater that I currently have packed but I am not sure if I will bring it. I am going to bring 3 pairs of wool socks as well as 3 pairs of lightweight wool liner socks. I have a a lightweight breathable waterproof jacket and breathable waterproof bottom. I am bringing a wool hat and and wool gloves I have my hiking boots that I will be wearing. And I will have hunting orange items as well.

      I think That having a positive and light hearted attitude is one of the most important things when it comes To “EB”. Just go with it and don’t take the small things to seriously. That being said it is important to know when things need to be taken seriously. It is also important to respected other people and there space and opinions. People will be stressed but if ever one is respectful it will go a long way to make a successful trip.

      My goals are pretty simply. I am hoping hike at a reasonable pace and help others where I can. When I am leading I will hopeful be able to help the group maintain a positive attitude and keep everyone informed. I expect to preform well on this trip I have done a few backpacking trips of similar length before and have done a lot of hiking. Granted I have not been doing as much hiking recently but I’m still pretty confident in that I will have a good idea what to expect. I am not over joyed about the weather but other then that I do not have many worries. I will just do my best to stay positive in spite of the weather. To stay warm and dry I am bringing camp only cloths to put on at the end of the day. I will also have many layers to put on and take off. I will also start cold before we start hiking. I do fell prepared for this trip I am looking forward to going on a backpacking trip again..

      Alex Bradley

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