The Blue Mountains

Last weekend I embarked on what could have easily been the most challenging and rewarding trip of my life to The Blue Mountains. While the weekend as a whole was an incredible growing experience, I will remember three specific moments for years to come. These three moments wouldn’t have been as memorable if it wasn’t for some extremely awesome group dynamics that took place throughout the weekend.

The first experience happened amidst one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Early into the weekend we were given the opportunity to army crawl through a small cave-like opening. While normally timid, I uncharacteristically decided to jump at the opportunity and began the crawl like many of the group members before me. While my team members were able to do this challenge with grace, I quickly panicked and was soon literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. My breathing gained momentum and my life started to flash before me as I tried to wiggle my way out. It simply was not working. I was truly stuck and started to think about the possibility of having to dislocate my shoulder to get out, or even worse remaining there until I had to embarrassingly be rescued by patrollers. Finishing and making my way fully out was not an option and I had to push my body back to where I began. While I was initially upset that I wasn’t able to properly finish, it did prove to be a worthwhile lesson. Sometimes, as hard as you may try, making it to the finish line is not an option. The best thing you can do is safely return to start and think about how you would do things differently next time. I’d love to come back to that cave in a few years and really complete the challenge. In Adventure-based Counseling an important principle is Challenge By Choice.  Simply put a challenge by choice is a growth activity, often difficult that the participant has full control over their own participation.The instructor and other participants must respect this choice. My challenge came in the form of going through that small rock formation. My fellow group members were fully supportive of me and only cared for my safety. It felt great to know that they had my back and wouldn’t judge me for not completing the challenge. It was my choice to attempt it and although I was not fully successful I am proud of the fact that I took on the challenge.

My next moment came at the final stair of saturdays hike. After hundreds of stairs and hours of hiking I’ve never been more excited to see the finish line. The eight hour hike was physically brutal and mentally incredible at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the hike, but was more than excited to see the end. As a group we all ran the last couple steps to the top, where the earlier finishing groups waited for us with hands spread open. This was an amazing feeling to see not only the support from the other groups but to know that our group was able to finish together as a team. I had a fantastic group for the long hike. We bonded throughout the time and genuinely cared about each other's success in the hike. Many scholars of experiential learning point to the five phases of group dynamics,forming, norming, performing, and ending. At this moment we were clearly in the "performing phase", working in tangent to reach our final goal. We understood each other and were able to provide the necessary support for everyone to safely and successfully reach the finish. We were confident in each other, which in turn led us to be confident in ourselves. I never realized how important that aspect of group dynamics is. If you can’t be confident in the people around you, it is very hard to conjure up the self-confidence that is needed to complete a task like the hike we embarked on.

The last moment that i’ll remember for a long time to come happened later that night by the campfire. While our group was reminiscing about our day and hike all we could do was break down in uncontrollable laughter. The dynamic was irreplaceable and the moment was a great summation of our day. This would fall into the "ending phase" of group dynamics. Our work was done and we still chose to be together and enjoy the process we went through. We laughed together, reminiscing about our success and it is incredible to think that just twelve hours early we barely knew each other. We will soon be in new groups, with new people and new experiences. I plan to use the successes from this group as a learning tool for any new group I may be in. While it is impossible to replicate a group's dynamic, it is possible to positively enhance group dynamic through prior experience.

I will look back to my weekend at The Blue Mountains with great pride and affection. It was an incredible experience, made even better by some pretty great people. An experience some would even call unforgettable!

Find out more about Challenge by Choice: http://wilderdom.com/ABC/ChallengeByChoice.html

Find out more about Group Phases: http://www.angelfire.com/mt/Roofonfire/group.html

 

Royal National Park Hike

On Saturday, August 18^th I partook in a full day, intermediate level hike at the Royal National Park.  This six-hour hike, while simple, positively impacted my confidence and enhanced my relation to the outdoors.  During my time at the Royal National Park I connected with the environment, tested some of my basic courage issue and debunked a few of my own uneducated thoughts in relation our environment.

In the weeks leading up to the hike, I was not overly excited about the journey. The long bus ride and early wake up time, acted as excuses for my apprehensive self to cling to. I focused only on what I perceived as the negative aspects of the adventure, rather than embracing the positives. This attitude changed during the lecture that took place before the hike.  The talk about “Checking Your Mindset” and thinking about the hike as an opportunity to grow really made me reflect on how destructive my negative thoughts were not only or myself, but for those around me. Looking back, I wish I had a positive mindset from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike, and I probably would have had an even better time if those lingering negative thoughts were completely vanished.

One extremely impactful moment of the hike was during our mediation session, although it had nothing to do with the act of mediating. It is hard for me to sit silent and unmoved, and this did not change during the mediation. Instead of sitting uncomfortably, I explored the surrounding rocks in the area that we were sitting on. I did not disturb any of my fellow hikers and I felt that so powerful in that moment. Even though I took little risk and remained close by, there was something intimately freeing about the experience. I jumped from rock to rock and truly breathed in the outside and loved everything it had to offer. This is experiential learning at its best. Jumping from those rocks, although they were small, safe gaps that any slightly experienced hiker could handle with ease, tested my little courage and allowed growth that I simply wasn’t expecting. To me, learning through the unexpected is a huge part of experiential learning, and this moment that was supposed to be dedicated to mediating gave me a completely different, yet totally acceptable and empowering experience.

 

Undoubtedly the overall most impactful part of the hike was the relationships I started to build with classmates. I made a great connection with a German exchange student, Louisa. Learning about her life story, was incredible. This could not have been possible without the outdoors acting as a powerful agent.  Being outside crumbled the walls and guards that I normally have and allowed for open communication; almost as open as the environment we were in. On the impending Blue Mountains adventure I challenge myself to meet even more people and forgo the safety blanket that was my two close friends with whom were both in my group. While having them there was fun, it did slightly hinder my ability to connect with other people.

The Royal National Park hike was an awesome experience. I hope to apply the personal growth that happened during the hike to my preparation and participation in the upcoming Blue Mountains three-day trip.

Time to begin the adventure!

I am the first to admit that I am not adventurous. I don't fully understand the thrill of taking risks and I sometimes shudder at the thought of going outside of my comfort zone. I am though extremely envious of those who embrace adventure and the exhilaration it can afford. I’ve always viewed those who take risks as having much more rich and fulfilling lives. At the end of the day all we have is our memories, and I want my memories to be exciting. With that viewpoint in mind I began the biggest adventure of my life; getting on a 22 hour flight from New Jersey, USA to Sydney, Australia. I did this because I craved change, a chance to try a new life. When selecting my courses, Outdoor Education initially stood out to me as a course I would never want to participate in. I knew it would require dangers and opportunities that I typically wouldn’t be interested in. Upon further thought though, I knew that my apprehension was exactly why I should take the course. It represented the reasons why I wanted to be in Australia to being with, to have fun and explore a new life. I desperately want to not only take risks in my life, but to so in an educated way. This then seemed like a perfect fit.

I think I will add a sense of humor to the overall group. While I do like taking charge, I do not think I will be a natural leader in this uncomfortable environment. I believe that my role instead will be one of comic relief, which often adds to group unity. While I would like to push my boundaries through the progression of this class and the experiences provided with it, I picture myself sticking to the pack of the pack. Although perhaps with more confidence in my ability to take successful risks, I can make my way to the front. It would prove incredible to not only be successfully adventurous, but also have fun in the process.