Location
This self organized trip took place in and around the Jegersberg forest, most of the terrain consisted of forest tracks and paths. I felt that this would best suit the needs and ability of the group I was in, many of whom had not done much navigation before. This location allowed me to set sections that used both marked tracks but also unmarked paths as well. I had marked a flat area of ground with little to no trees in order to practice some basic techniques such as pacing and walking on a bearing. The weather reports leading up to the trip had forecast it to be warm and sunny, with no rain.
Day one
I planned a short walk for the first day to allow the group time to build the natural shelters. By making the walk short we had time to talk about how to construct a natural shelter and the time to collect the materials we needed; an important part is to take materials from around the camp area rather than just one spot to limit the impact that we have on the environment as Ravenlore (no date) advocate in their leave no trace policy. However this does slow construction, as Sigma 3 Survival School (no date) state, ‘gathering the materials is what consumes 90% of your time!’
Day two
According to Estes (2004) the fourth generation of facilitation means to front load the experience, I did this by talking about key learning points with the group before the activity took place, this way the group had an idea of what they are trying to achieve but at the same time they where in the driving seat and had ownership of their learning. I had planned for the group to do basic navigation practice, while on route to the relocated campsite. During this phase I stepped back from the autocratic leadership role I had taken in order to observe the progress of the groups navigation, looking to give them exercises to improve on areas that they were perhaps a little weak, however at one point I had to step in when they had lost their bearings a little and were close to making a direction choice that would have seen them trying to climb down a very steep rock face. I pointed out the dangers of their decision and how they could better navigate around the danger area, during this stage I took the lead before handing the leadership role back to them when the track had been rejoined. On reflection I can see that I was taking on the role of a facilitator, however the style of facilitation was ‘facilitative leadership’ which concentrates on the ‘content’ rather than the ‘process,’ as explained by virginia.edu (no date) (see table 1 and 2 below). This means I still had ‘decision making authority’ and was able to step in when the task at hand dictated.
Table 1: source: virginia.edu (no date)
Table 2: source: virginia.edu (no date)
Day three
I used the third day to help the group improve on their navigational skills. We navigated to an area that I had identified as a potentially good spot to practice these skills. We looked at pacing, timing, relocation (triangulation), slope aspect, contour lines and how they affect the time it takes to walk sections on a map. We then used these exercises to navigate back to the first campsite.
Day four
After packing up the campsite and leaving no trace we walked back to the university. This was an important part of the trip as the Boy Scouts of America (2014) and Leave No Trace Canada (2009) agree; when nature is used it should be respected and looked after. This journey back from the campsite gave us time to reflect on the things that we had done over the past few days. We discussed shelter construction, food that we had brought along with navigation and leadership styles.
Camp life
During this first camp location the group had decided to build natural shelters from the materials they found in nature, rather than using tarps or tents. I felt that this would fit in well with the learning outcomes of the trip by allowing us to build a shelter during the first night, and then return to the same site on the third day to improve and make it more comfortable.
Brown (no date) talks about how a shelter should be able withstand everything nature can throw, however as the weather forecast had predicted dry days and nights and my own observations had told me the same I decided to construct a shelter that would protect me from the wind rather than rain. As a back up I had taken a tarp that was ready to be put up using the structure of the shelter in case the weather turned bad during the night and so felt comfortable with my choice. Building this kind of shelter also minimised my impact on the surrounding forest while still enabling me to practice new skills. If the forecast had been different I would have made the shelter with this in mind, creating a two sided design with a lot more cover both from branches and leaves (from silver birch). The construction consisted of an A frame made from two logs tied together with a supporting cross beam: each end was secured and tensioned using cord and rocks, the cross beam was used as a lean-to which supported long thing branches that smaller twigs could be woven around creating a wooden frame that branches from the trees (scotch pine and fur) could be laid on to provide a wind break.
Dinner consisted of risotto for the first two nights and curry for the third night. This meant that all the ingredients could be cooked together, rice in one pot and all the rest in another. I felt that this would give me the carbohydrates and nutrition that I would need for the trip. I had snacks of fruit as well as chocolate, nuts/berries, mixed sweets and marzipan. Owing to the fact that the weather was warm I had decided to carry cold milk in my thermos rather than hot water which I could use for my breakfast which consisted of a mix of nuts cereal. I looked to improve upon living at camp from nature so I made a fire and a cook pot holder rather than using a stove.
Relocation camp
The site of the relocation was to be on a small hill next to a small pond/lake, marked on our maps as slightly wooded on rocky ground, however when we arrived at the location we found that it was quite different, the trees had taken over with perhaps only several feet between them, while the ground was thick with bushes standing one foot high. This meant that an alternative camp had to be found. After referring to the map I decided that the only way to proceed would be to start from where we were and just look around, we had plenty of time before nightfall. Partly using the contours of the map we headed to what would be the flattest areas close by; we found a site similar in ground vegetation but with fewer trees that turned out to be very good. It was again on a small hill well away from any paths; this gave us shelter from the wind or noise from any passers by. During this relocation the group had decided to use tarps as we had already made natural shelters and were planning to return to them after the relocation.
One thing that I learnt from this relocation was that I had a more comfortable night’s sleep due to the cushioning that the bushes provided. This provided me with the knowledge to use more bedding material the following night when we were back at the natural shelter: as the ground there was very rocky making it very hard.
Equipment
To build the natural shelter I took with me a knife, saw and axe as well as lengths of cord. I took a gas stove, but also planned to use an open fire for cooking. Having been on many overnight stays I was well prepared and as a result did not miss or forget anything.
Learning outcomes
During this trip we as a group had decided to focus on camp life: cooking on an open fire and building a natural shelter as well as leadership and navigational skills. As with many of the previous trips that I have been on many group members seem unmotivated to engage in the learning process. During the navigational parts of the trip individuals seemed more interested in having chats or not wanting to get involves because ‘it’s too much effort’. I found myself leading the group by giving them set objectives and sections to lead, giving them help and advice, as well as reassurance. I found this great as it gave me the opportunity to not only practice navigation skills but also guiding others and helping them to learn and understand more about their abilities or areas they can improve in.
Conclusion
I feel that this trip allowed me to successfully achieve my learning outcomes; I learnt new skills in building natural shelters while increasing my skills in teaching beginners how to navigate better. I still feel that I would like to understand more what it takes to motivate people, as there were many times during the trip that some group members were happier to sit around and relax rather than learn new skills or try new things.
I enjoyed taking on a leadership role in organising the trip regarding camp locations and navigational legs, planning exercises for the group, however perhaps part of the reason for their lack of motivation came from them not having as much influence on the shape the trip took. I tried to combat this by arranging a meeting before hand to allow every group member the opportunity to express what they wanted to learn and do during the trip but again as when they were on the trip they seemed happier to wait for other people to come up with ideas and make suggestions. It seems to be a theme that when a group like this is told to go on a trip of this sort they need structure and a set programme rather than the freedom to come up with something that they want. It seems to be a theme that when a group like this is instructed to go on a trip of this sort they need structure and a set programme rather than the freedom to come up with something that they want. This liazzes-faire style of learning is not the best option for everyone, as Cherry (no date) explains, ‘Researchers have found that this is generally the leadership style that leads to the lowest productivity among group members.’
I have wondered if it may have helped to motivate the group if I had tried to take on more of a facilitator role in the planning stages, however as a fellow student and not a teacher/instructor I feel this could have compromised my own learning and motivation. I have wondered if it may have helped to motivate the group if I had tried to take on more of a facilitator role in the planning stages, however as a fellow student and not a teacher/instructor I feel this could have compromised my own learning and motivation.
References
Boy Scouts of America(2009) Seven principals of leave no trace. [Online] Available from: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/outdoorprogram/outdoorethics/leavenotrace.aspx [Accessed 30 May 2014].
Brown, T. (no date) At home in the wilderness part 1: Shelter. [Online] Available from: http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/shelter/men71/index.html [Accessed 30 May 2014].
Cherry, K. (no date) What is laissez-faire leadership? [Online] http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/f/laissez-faire-leadership.htm [Accessed 31 May 2014].
Estes, C. A. (2004) Promoting student-centered learning in experiential education, Journal of Experiential Education. 27 (2), 141-160.
Leave No Trace Canada (2014) Why leave no trace. [Online] Available from: http://www.leavenotrace.ca/home [Accessed 30 May 2014].
Ravenlore. (no date) Shelter. [Online] Available from: http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/html/shelter.html [Accessed 31 May 2014].
Sigma 3 Survival School (no date) The debris shelter [Online] http://www.survivalschool.us/debris-shelter/ [Accessed 26th May 2014].
virginia.edu (no date) The role of the facilitator [Online] http://www.virginia.edu/processsimplification/resources/Facilitator.pdf [Accessed 27th May 2014].