1.2.16
Challenging forest hike
3rd Norwegian daytrip
Lessons of the day
Even waterproof jackets have their weak points. You can’t set fire to the rain (Adele lied). I shouldn’t wait too long to write the blog assignments.
Main part
Another Monday, another daytrip organized by the Norwegian students and another day to test our material since it was raining cats and dogs.
As usual, meeting point was 9 AM in front of Spicheren. We were then directly split into two groups and given maps of the Jegersberg area. 2 students of each group had to find the way to a checkpoint marked on the map. My group had an easy start, heading to the well-known flat area where we camped the week before. The other group took another way.
After we arrived we had to master the first challenge, carrying an injured person (broken leg) up a hill and down again. The group was divided into teams of 3-4 people, so it became a small competition. Ready, set, go! Before we could start running, the broken leg had to be stabilized. Different techniques could be observed. We took a whole foam sleeping mat while another group used two branches and rope. In conclusion, the sleeping mat is pretty stable, but big and it takes some time to wrap it around the leg. The branch-method was a good idea except you should only use one branch instead of two, we were told by one of the Norwegians.
For the next two guys it got a little bit more difficult to find the way, because we had to leave the track and go into the woods. At the next checkpoint the task was to build a pile of wood as high as possible. Being divided in smaller teams again, this was a fun competition, but with no real learning effect compared to the task before.
We lost this challenge, because antennas didn’t count (probably because the referees have been bribed) and then carried on to meet the other group at a fireplace by the Stitjønn lake.
We were pretty happy, because they had already made a fire and we could practice some social loafing. Sadly, after lunch, we had to realize that starting a fire was also a task. Two teams raced against each other trying to burn a string that was tautened over the fire. While the action took place, we had to pretend that one group member had cut her finger (Jill, why did you do this?) and tell the leaders how we would react. The finger was saved, but we had to realize that rain isn’t a friend of fire and Adele probably lives in a place with strange rain*. Although this task was kind of disappointing for us, it was pretty good to see which difficulties can occur and what has to be considered.
The other team performed better and we continued our way. The 4th task of the day was challenging our brains, because we had to run up a short hill, remember an arrangement of small logs and then reassemble this arrangement at the starting point. The last challenge of the day made us running again in a relay race with different handicaps like walking, running backwards and carrying a second person. The muddy ground wasn’t helping at all.
Arriving at Spicheren again I had to realize that my jacket, although it is waterproof, has some weak points at this big hole on top of it. Some cats and a few dogs slipped through my collar and got me pretty wet. Time to go back home for a hot shower.
*if you don’t get this reference watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri7-vnrJD3k