Packing for an Overnight Trip
Within this trip we discussed the equipment we needed and how to pack a rucksack. It is suggested that all heavy equipment is packed closest to your back in order for you to carry to majority of the weight on your hips. Another point to be noted is that if you plan on trekking on steep and uneven ground the heavy items should be packed low in the bag as well as close to your back in order to keep your centre of gravity low and help with balance (Wild Backpacker, 2016). Before packing your rucksack it would be sensible to spread out all the equipment you 
require and sort it into weight and ease of access for example things you won’t need until the campsite e.g. sleeping bag, can be packed at the bottom of the sack and things you may need during the day e.g. first aid kit or waterproofs, should be packed near the top. It is important that all your gear is waterproofed in some way this can be done with dry bags or if you don’t have any available simply lining your bag with a heavy duty bin sack works just as well but won’t last for multiple trips like dry bags will. Items can also be packed into plastic bags this waterproofs them further as well as organising your bag at the same time by keeping similar items together.
Group Dynamic Games
One aspect of this trip focused on group dynamic or team building games that each nation associated with. Each nationality presented and carried out their game which was then critiqued and given feedback on and then finally given a score out of 10. Most games delivered I had seen similar versions carried out previously. One I found intersting and will definitely be using in the future was the Human Puppet Train.
Human Puppet Train
- Split the group into 2 teams
- Each team has a 5 minute time limit to decide on a leader and non-verbal signals for ‘Left’, ‘Right’, ‘Forward’, ‘Stop’, ‘Squat’, and ‘Jump’.
- Everyone then forms a train with hands on the shoulders of the person infront, everyone is blindfolded except the leader at the back of the train.
- It is then a race between the 2 teams to reach the end of the obstacle course.
I found this game to be of particular interest as it had a large focus on communication skills especially non-verbal and team work without which the team would not succeed. It was a fun and engaging game that groups could take a lot of learning away from, as well as providing an opportunity for healthy competition.
The 2nd part of this task was the highest scoring nationality got first pick of the food available for the cooking competition. The aim of the competition was to create a tasty and good looking dish on a storm kitchen in 20 minutes. Unfortunately team Brit ended up with mincemeat, couscous and a leek and we presented a cold mince mess and therefore didn’t do too well in the competition! The purpose of this task was to prove how it is possible to eat well and eat tasty food when out in nature within a relatively short amount of time. This has really opened my eyes as to the meal possibility’s when cooking on a storm kitchen or an open fire.
Bivvying
Finally I come to the improvised shelter. This build went much more smoothly than mine and Kyle’s attempt at a shelter the week before. All we brought with us for the shelter was a tarp (Presenning in Norwegian) and some paracord all other materials were sourced from the forest. We began by making a paracord line between 2 trees which we draped the tarp over. Having checked the weather forecast we prioritised the sides facing the incoming wind to be pegged down. We whittled pegs from dead wood on the forest floor. We were then left with 2 closed sides and 2 open sides to our shelter. One side was left open as an entrance and the second we closed off by using logs and branches with pine needles on or heather plants to act as a wind break. Along with making pegs we created a ‘tent pole’ to raise one side of the entrance using a branch and a slippery guy knot (as seen below). Inside I had a very warm and comfortable night’s sleep.
References:
http://www.wildbackpacker.com/backpacking-gear/backpacks/how-to-pack-a-backpack/