01.02.17

Overnight trip to Jegersberg – group dynamic tasks / cook competition

Before we went to Jegersberg we had a lecture about how to pack our rucksacks. The recommended way of packing is to put everything heavy as close as possible to your body so the weight can be carried by your hips. In order to keep your centre of gravity low which is a benefit if you walk on uneven or steep underground it is also suggested to pack anything heavy low in your rucksack. One should also consider packing his/her rucksack by ease of access like things you won’t need during your day tour (sleeping bag e.g.) should be packed at the bottom and things you may need more often during the day (First aid kit or spare pair of gloves e.g.) should be put on top. Another suggestion is to put anything similar together in plastic bags, so you won’t need to take all the stuff out of your sack before having the things you need for example for lighting a fire. Plastic bags or other dry bags can be very useful as well when it comes to waterproof your equipment.

After we arrived at Jegersberg we started to put up our tarps. Simon, Timon, Bowen, Max and me were in a group and we chose to put it up at a lakeside while considering the direction the wind is blowing from.

Once we finished it was time for the group dynamic tasks. Every nation had to present a typical group building game. Max and I were presenting a game called “the amazing maze” in which the others had to find out a certain path which we created and set up on a tarp lying on the ground. The guys seemed to have a lot of fun and I liked the games the others have presented, too. In some we had to compete in a team in others we had to compete alone against each other. In either games, I recognised a high cohesion within the group. Len critiqued and gave feedback on every game we presented and finally gave out scores. These scores were important for the following cooking competition. The team with the highest scores could pick the food it wanted to use for its meal first. Our team was able to pick chicken, noodles and broccoli. We had twenty minutes to prepare our dish and when it came to the presentation and the tasting we became first! It was a good way for experiencing the possibilities of having a proper meal within a short time with all the nutrition you need during a trip.

At the end of the day we were sitting around a campfire, played some games and enjoyed our meals.