Overview of trip

Tues 22^nd to Friday 26^th April

Day 1- Tuesday  – Arrived at Byglandfjord in the morning and ready the canoes to start the 25k travel to Evje. Half way we spent the evening sleeping under tarps on island.

Day 2 – Wednesday – back in the canoes to finish the canoe trip to the Sytveit Dam close to troll Aktive. Wednesday evening was spent sleeping in a tipi at Troll Aktive.

Day 3 – Thursday – in the morning we were issued bicycles according to height. We then cycled 25ks to the climbing wall where we hid the bikes in the forest. The afternoon was spent climbing, setting up top ropes and abseiling. We slept under tarps this evening beneath the climbing wall.

Day 4 –  Continue the bike ride back to Kristiansand. Today we covered 55ks by bike down an old railway line back to university where Troll Aktive was waiting to collect the bikes.

Canoeing

About Canoeing

The type of canoe we used was a standard Canadian canoe. In our case we had two paddlers per canoe, and typically the lighter person would be at the front to give the canoe lift, however as each of the pair were to practice turning and direction technique this was not always the case on out trip. The front person acts as the motor for the canoe and the back person is there to steer there are many techniques when paddling. Please see below for canoe technique.

Important things to think about when on the water:

• Have an understanding of the weather forecast and plan for weather changed, including wind direction.
• Have a map of the river/fjord and identify land marks to look out for.
• Have an understanding of navigation on water.
• Always wear a life jacket and be able to swim.
• Sit in the canoe correctly to keep balance.
• Have an understanding of how to right the boat and re-enter if you were to capsize
• Have an understanding of paddling techniques.
• Don’t let go of the paddle.
• Inform others of your route plan.
• Have an emergency plan (phone with signal).
• Carry first aid kit.
• Wear correct clothing you will get slightly wet.
• Look for rocks and shallow water.
• Ensure boat is secure when you want to go to land.

Canoe techniques:

Sitting or kneeling: it is possible to sit or kneel in the canoe which ever you prefer you should keep good spinal posture with a straight back. If kneeling in the canoe you should rest your buttocks on the seat with your knees apart. If seated you should rest your knees against the edge of the boat in order to give you good control. (Canoe skills booklet)

Holding the paddle: Top hand should be over the T-grip, bottom hand is holding the shaft about the gunwale. The paddle should be vertical and be close to the boat. (Canoe skills booklet)

Forward Stroke: Reach the paddle as far forward as you can, lean from the hips without bending the spine forwards. When the blade is fully immersed it should be pulled back firmly using the shoulders and torso. (Canoe skills booklet)

The J-stroke: the J-stroke is used by the back person when working in tandem to turn the boat and keep it on course. First you put the paddle in the water reach forward as you would in the forward stroke, as the blade is pulled back and passes your body twist the paddle shaft so that your thumbs point down. Pull the paddle towards the boat and it will turn. (Canoe skills booklet)

Sweep stroke: is used to turn the boat on the spot and or to make adjustment to the course while moving forwards or backwards. You place the paddle in the water and sweep the blade out to the side and back in.  (Canoe skills booklet)

Climbing (Outdoors)

Equipment:

• Safety helmet
• Harness
• Belay device (ATC)
• 4x Carabiners
• 2 ropes (1static, 1 dynamic)
• Tape sling
• Climbing shoes

Important considerations when climbing:

Always wear a helmet.

Complete buddy checks before starting any climb.

Take into account weather conditions and possible changes in weather.

When bouldering ensure you have a spotter to catch the person bouldering if they fall (main safety is for the head).

Check top rope is set up correctly.

Use correct equipment.

Ensure all carabiners are closed and locked.

Ensure the belayer has the correct technique.

To tie someone into the climb use figure of 8 knot (add stopper knot if possible)

When climbing:

1)      Warm up: the best way to warm up is to do some bouldering or traversing.

2)      When climbing trust your feet holds, climbing shoes help to grip to the wall.

3)      Use leg muscles to push your way up the wall.

4)      Keep arms as straight as possible to prevent them tiring easily.

5)      Keep body position close to the wall.

6)      Be creative in finding your route to the top.

7)      Be prepared to swap foot and hand holds.

8)      Take regular breaks so you don’t tire quickly.

When abseiling it is important to use strong anchors that are fixed in the ground. Abseil ropes are set up in a similar way to a top rope. The initial decent from the wall during abseiling was a challenge for me because I was scared to go over the edge. When I began to lower down the wall I felt secure and pleased I succeeded.

Cycling

Bike preparation:

To ensure comfort and to get the most power form each peddle you should position your seat to approximately hip height. This should enable the leg to be almost straight with only a slight bend at the knee. Before getting on the bike you should ensure the bike is set up correctly and that the gears and breaks are in working order.

Equipment:

• Cycle clothing (padded shorts are a good idea, and tight trousers so they don’t get caught in the chain)
• Helmet (safety first)
• Puncture repair kit
• Tyre pump
• First aid kit
• Water and food
• Map and compass
• Be conscious especially on the roads
• Plan enough time for regular stops.
• Be aware of weather conditions and changes that may occur throughout the day.

Shelter Building, Leaders and Group dynamics

Building a shelter: the first and third even we were expected to build shelters with ropes and tarps. At the start of the trip I was under the impression that we would get taught how to build shelter. However the guides took a self-teach approach (Mosston and Ashworth, 2008) allowing the students to figure it out for themselves. We separated into separate groups and began to build group shelters. Some of the groups were experienced some (my group) were not. The shelter we build was sufficient and water proof however I feel more guidance should have been given to people who had no experience of building shelters.

 

Leaders: as previously mentioned the leaders took a self-teach approach.  However I feel a more guided discovery role (Mosston and Ashworth, 2008) could have been more appropriate because no advice at all was given when shelter building or on canoe technique. Before the trip we were slit into canoe pairs with one beginner and one advanced canoer. Although my partner was a great help to me he was unsure of the J-stroke, one of the main strokes on canoeing. Here I feel the guides should have stepped in and taught the people that had no experience in canoes. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the trip I feel a better learning experience could have been gained from guidance from the ‘professionals’.

Group Dynamics: because the students were left to plan the whole canoe trip them-selves the group had no clear leader. I feel this was a bad decision considering we were a group of 20 people. At one point in the day there was some particularly strong winds and choppy water. At this point mine and another canoe became separated from the group (ahead) when we made it through the difficult water we stopped and waited for the rest of the group to catch us. This made a few people in the later group angry because they think we should have stopped sooner. When I think about this situation now, it might have been dangerous to go off ahead however at the time we felt we were in more danger of capsizing in the choppy water so waited for it to pass. From this point the people who became angry had their own ideas and took charge of the group. This at times worked and helped lead the group other times I personally felt I could not speak up and add my opinion in fear of being shot down by others. This tension in the group ruined the group dynamics for me and my self-esteem. There was one clear leader in the group from this point to the end of the trip who personally I thought had no intention of taking anyone else’s view on board. I felt like it was his way or no way. A study by Gachter et al (2010) explains how a leader should be cooperative and groups perform to their best when the leader is cooperatively inclined.

At another point on the final cycling day the group dynamics were not quite working. Here were split into two random groups, some of the group members wanted to go off and race back to Kristiansand and other wanted to take their time and take in the scenery. Here the two groups joined and make a clear decision we should make a fast group and a slower group. As it turned out the groups were an even split and worked much better from that point. This is an example of where group decisions and dynamics worked.

 

References:

Mosston, M. and Ashworth, S. (2008) Teaching Physical Education [Internet] First online edition. Available from http://www.spectrumofteachingstyles.org/pdfs/ebook/Teaching_Physical_Edu_1st_Online_old.pdf [accessed on 1st June 2014]

Gachter, S., Nosenzo, D., Renner E. and Sefton, M. (2010) Who Makes A Good Leader? Cooperativeness, Optimism, And Leading-By-Example. Economic Inquiry [Internet] 50(4). Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1465-7295.2010.00295.x/pdf  [Accessed on 1st June 2014]