This trip span over four days in April and took place around Evje and Kristiansand where it began in Bylands Fjord where we canoed and ended in Kristiansand after cycling over 70km, whilst doing some climbing in between these activities.

Here is the itinerary of the week:

Day 1- We arrived at Byandfjord and got the canoes ready at the edge of the fjord. The trip would be 25km long to Evje spanning over two days. Before we set off the group wrote down a few rules and objectives that we wanted to achieve over the first couple of days. Some of these included:

• Learning how to paddle
• Learning how to put a shelter up
• Making sure we all had fun
• Everyone to speak English

At the end of the day we ended up sleeping under tarps on an island with less than half way to go.

Day 2 – We continued the canoe trip to Sytveit Dam, a short walk from TrollActiv. That night we had the choice of going white water rafting and the groups slept in a tipi.

Day 3 – We received bikes to start the 70km journey back to Kristiansand. We cyxled 25km to a crag just off the main bike road. Here we went climbing and abseiling and learnt how to rig a climb. This night we slept under tarps.

Day 4 – We continued the trip back to Kristiansand and covered 50km as we biked along an old railway track.

Canoeing

We were all put into pairs and given Canadian canoes where we tandem paddled along the fjord. We both spent time at the back and the front practicing controlling the boat using the J stroke and the goon stroke.

It is recommended you wear a buoyancy aid when canoeing and if leading a group this is strongly recommended that you lead by example and ensure all group members are wearing this. This is not a necessity however and if you know your journey and there is no white water and risk of falling in and it is extremely warm, you can take responsibility and not wear it although many will prefer it to be worn.

Make sure all gear is waterproofed either in a dry bag or plastic bag. You can also put your most important gear in a small barrel which can then be tied into the canoe.

The lower the centre of gravity, the more stable the boat will feel. If you sit on the seats provided the boat will feel less unstable and so it is recommended that you kneel in the boat and perch on the seats giving you a lower centre of gravity, more stability and this position also provided you with more power in your paddling strokes.

You should have prior knowledge of the area you are about to travel through and this can be just looking at a map. You should also have an idea of the weather conditions. Canoes are very susceptible to wind and can be harder to control so ensure you are confident in higher winds.

Holding the paddle – The top hand should be around the T grip with the tumb underneath and your knuckles pointing upwards. The bottom hand should be holding the shaft.

Forward stroke – Reach the paddle forward, ensuring the top arm is straight. Ensure the paddle is vertically straight into the water and pull the paddle through the water along the side of the canoe. Ensure the blade is fully immersed and as you pull the paddle back using the shoulder and torso showing good trunk rotation.

J – Stroke – This stroke is used by the person sitting at the back when traveling forwards. This stroke acts as a stern rudder steering the boat and keeping it on course. The paddle goes in the water like a forward stroke but as the blade passes where you are sat, twist the blade so that the hand holding the T – grip has its thumb point towards the water. The blade then acts as a rudder.

Sweep stroke – This used to turn the boat while moving or not. Act as a forward paddle but stretch the paddle as far out as it can go to produce a ‘C’ shape. This will turn the boat. One persn can do a forwards sweep stroke and the other a backwards to turn the boat around.

Remember when canoeing as a pair that you shouldn’t paddle on the same side and don’t continually switch sides. A canoe can be moved efficiently even when paddling on one side.

Climbing

Equipment needed –

• Safety helmet
• Harness
• Climbing shows
• Belay device
• Carabiners
• Sling
• Static rope
• Dynamic rope

Safety considerations:

Always wear a helmet, loose rock may be around

If someone shouts below do not look up as most likely something is heading your way and you want it to hit the helmet, not your face!

When climbing always buddy check each other – make sure carabiners are done up and harness are on properly.

If you are bouldering there should always be someone spotting ready to support their fall. You are not expected to catch them but merely support them.

Make sure all carabiners are closed in the rigging system

You can tie yourself in with the figure of 8 knot.

The figure of eight not is usually the most common knot to tie someone in with and is simple to learn and easy for instructors to check it is tied properly. A re – threaded figure of eight knot is usually used however if with a group a figure of eight on the bite may be quicker to tie someone in with, however this can lead to younger or easily distracted peers fiddling with the carabineer which they could loosen and unclip whilst climbing. When using the knot to tie in on a harness, the single figure of eight knot is tied before the rope is threaded through the waist belt and leg loops until the knot is as close to the harness as possible. The figure of eight is then re threaded making sure the rope is not twisted and looks neat. To finish off, a stopper knot is required which ensures the knot will not undo whilst climbing. It is best to get the knot as close to the harness as possible with little amount of slack, as ‘it can cause unnecessary additional slack in the event of a fall when it tightens up.’ Peter (2004)

When climbing it is best to start with a warm up, this could be bouldering but remember to have a spotter. You should have most of your weight on your feet and keep your arms straight as this puts less strain on your arm muscles. Shift your weight over to each leg when climbing and ensure body is close to the wall.

Cycling

When personalising the bike for the best experience make sure the seat is around hip height which ensures your legs are almost straight when pushing on the peddles.

Equipment needed:

• Cycling shorts/tight bottoms with a padded bottom for extra comfort
• Helmet
• Puncture repair kit
• Map and compass
• Pump
• Map and compass

Over the course of the week we built a couple of shelters using tarps. Many of us had never built a shelter this way before and so on the first night it took us many tries to get the shelter the best way. We ended up with a triangular tent shape which was effective as we were are warm and dry in the morning. Many of us expected to be taught on shelter building however this did not happen and we managed by ourselves. It seems the instructors took a laissez faire deductive approach and let us go on a journey of teaching ourselves and each other. It could be said the experience itself is what is teaching us without the aid of instructors.

This week also highlighted the group and its dynamics, it appeared that after canoeing there was some minor misunderstandings regarding where to sleep. It was later decided that we were to carry on traveling to an island where we would set up camp. This was not decided until a few vocal people voiced their opinions making it harder for others to voice theirs. Priest and Gass define leadership as ‘a process of influence.’ They define a leader is someone who ‘influences others to create, identify, work toward, achieve, share, and celebrate mutually acceptable goals’ This is something that a leader should take into account in that every member should happy with the decision or has at least had the chance to voice their opinion. I feel this didn’t happen and the more vocal who took on a leadership role should learn from this.

This trip focussed a lot around reflection. Puk (1999) seem to be inclined that more than one night would be more beneficial as there is not enough time in one activity for a person to reflect and therefore grow personally. However one night away is better than a one day activity. This is seen by the amount of time given for a person to reflect on their experience which according to Kolb’s learning cycle, is very important to achieve the most out of an experience, academically and personally. We were able to reflect on each activity as a group which helped to make the next day better in terms of group dynamics.

References

Peter, L. (2004) Rock climbing, essential skills and techniques, UK, Mountain Leader Training UK

Priest, S. (1999) Outdoor Leadership Competencies. In: Miles, J. & Priest, S. (eds.) Adventure Programming. State College, Venture Publishing, pp. 237-239.

 

Puk, T. (1999) Do one day adventure programming activities, such as challenge courses provide long lasting learning? No. In: Wurdinger, S, D. & Potter, T, G. (eds.) Controversial issues in adventure education. United States, Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Langmuir, E. (2013) Mountain craft and Leadership. 4th edition. England, Mountain Training Scotland and Mountain Training England.