Immersion

The first part of the Outdoor Leader Course (to be referred to as OLC in future blogs) was an 8 day immersion. The goal of this part of the course was to teach us how a normal Outward Bound course operates for regular students. We spent the entire 8 days backpacking and learning about camp craft. By day 2 we were cooking for ourselves, setting up our own tarps, hanging the bear hang by ourselves and we had already started to navigate ourselves.

The first day was spent meeting our crew, crew #9, and our instructors and also learning how to pack our packs and take the appropriate things with us. This was the point at which we said good bye to our cell phones, wallets, i-pods and any food items we had brought. We then divided the food among our food groups that we had been split into. Once we were all packed we headed to our first campsite.

Throughout the 8 days, we did a lot of hiking. Some of it was rather mild and some of it was more challenging. We hit the peak of several mountains and did a number of grueling climbs. We were also introduced to a new term to me, "Bush Pushing". This is literally what it sounds like. You travel off-trail and push through the bushes. It is a much more challenging way of hiking, because you have to use navigational skills to figure out where to start and what route will be the best to travel on and then you have to use landmarks to distinguish where you are on the map. We got really familiar with our compasses at this point. One day, we were bush pushing up a huge mountain and we ended up not getting into camp until 10:30pm. It was a pretty rough day. I also managed to get a stick lodged into my eye during that day. By the end of the day, I was pretty fed up with hiking off-trail. However, it is an extremely rewarding experience when you reach your destination. We also did a day of blind folded hiking which was pretty funny.

We also did quite a bit of team bonding activities during these 8 days and had a lot of lessons on group dynamics and living in the wilderness. We had several river crossings, sometimes having to hike up our pants as far as we could. We even had a couple members fall in, which isn't always pleasant. Luckily, I was able to stay on my feet and not have any unexpected water incidents.

The first couple of days were probably the hardest because it rained. It's hard to feel positive about forcing yourself to be in the woods when it's pouring rain outside. But it was a great lesson about how despite the weather, you can still be outside and have fun. I also got sick during immersion, which was really tough for me. At one point, a couple members from my crew had to carry my pack. It was hard for me to admit that I needed so much help. Luckily it only lasted a couple of days and I was back to normal.

Immersion was a great way to start the trip and really got us acclimated to the environment and values of Outward Bound.

Back to reality/what did I learn?

It's a very strange feeling to come back from living out of a backpack in the woods for 50 days. All of the things that I have been doing for the past two months seem to no longer apply and that feels odd. It feels weird to be sleeping in a soft bed under a roof, to be using a porcelain structure as a means to go to the bathroom, to be changing into fresh clean clothes every day, to have clean hair, to not have to eat food off the ground when you drop it and mostly it feels weird to be able to escape from the outdoors. There was something very refreshing about the simplicity of it all and yet, I have a hard time explaining what exactly it all was. All of the luxuries that I thought I missed, really aren't that great. But, it's so hard to explain to people how 50 days can change a person.

So, in an effort to do so I will use someone else's words. On the last day of the course, one of the instructors read us this piece of literature. Take it for what it's worth. Many more blogs about my adventure are soon to come.

"People always talk about what you can't take home with you after a course. You can't take home the backpack, or at least it has no place in your daily life. You can't take home the rations, and if you did, your friends wouldn't eat them. You can't take home the mountains. We seem to have to get rid of all of our connections to this place and our experiences here. It's frustrating and can be depressing.

This essay is about what you can take home. What you can take home, and what, if you work at it, can be more important than any of those things you have to leave behind.

Let's look at what we've really been doing out here. We've been organized. We lived out of backpacks the whole time, and mostly we knew where everything was. We've been thorough: we counted every contour line on the map and put every little bit of trash in a bag. We've been prepared: at this moment, every one of us knows where his or her rain gear is. We've taken care of ourselves. We've been in touch with basic survival tasks. We've taken chances with other people, entrusted them with our lives and seen no reason not to grow close to them. We've persevered and put our minds to things that never seemed to end. We've learned to use new tools and new techniques. We've taken care of things we have with us. We've lived simply.

These are the things you can really take home. Together they comprise the set I call "mental hygiene," as if we needed to take care of our minds the way we take care of our bodies. Here they are again, one by one.

1.Organization: The mountains are harsh, so you need to be organized. But that other world is much more complex, and even harsher in ways that aren't always as tangible as cold, wind and rain. Being organized can help you weather storms.

2.Thoroughness: Here it is easy to see the consequences of leaving things only half done. That other world has so many interruptions, distractions and stimuli that it is easy to leave things half done, until you find yourself buried under a pile of on-going projects with no direction.

3.Preparedness: Out here you've only had to be prepared for every eventuality of weather; but in that other world you have to be prepared for every eventuality - period. There are no rules, shit happens, and only the prepared are not caught off balance.

4.Take care of yourself: and do it even more aggressively than you do it out here. The environmental hazards are even greater: crowding, noise, schedules. Take time to be alone and think. Never underestimate the healing power of being near beauty, be it a flower, music, a person, or just dinner well-prepared.

5.Stay in touch with basics: Continue to cook your own food and consciously select the place where you sleep at night. Take care of your own minor injuries and those of your friends. Learn about how the complex vehicles and tools you use work. The other world is far more distracting and seeks to draw you away from the basics.

6.Keep taking risks with people: Your own aliveness is measured by the aliveness of your relationships with others. There are so many more people to choose from in that other world, and yet somehow we get less close. Remember that the dangers are still present; any time you get in a car with someone you are entrusting that person with your life. Any reasons that seem to crop up not to get close, examine very carefully.

7.Remember you can let go and do without seemingly critical things: Here it has only been hot showers, forks and a roof overhead. But anything can be done without; Eventually for us all it is a person that we have to do without, and then especially it is important to remember that having to do without does not rule out joy.

8.Persevere at difficult things: It may not be as concrete as a mountain or as immediately rewarding as cinnamon rolls, but the world is given to those who persevere. Often you will receive no support for your perseverence because everyone else is too busy being confused.

9.Continue to use new tools and techniques: Whether it is a computer or an ice cream maker, you know now that simply because you haven't seen it before doesn't mean you can't soon be a pro. Remember that the only truly old people are the ones who have stopped learning.

10.Take care of things: In that other world it's easy to replace anything that wears out or breaks, and the seemingly endless supply suggests that individual objects have little value. Be what the philosopher Wendell Berry calls "a true materialist." Build things of quality, mend what you have and throw away as little as possible.

11.Live Simply: There is no substitute for sanity.

These eleven things are the skills you've really learned out here and they will serve you in good stead in any environment in the world. They are habits to live by. If anyone asks what your course was like, you can tell them. "We were organized, thorough and prepared. We took care of ourselves in basic ways. We entrusted people with our lives, learned to do without and persevered at difficult things. We learned to use new tools and we took care or what we had with us. We lived simply." And if they are perceptive, they will say, "you don't need the mountains to do that.""

-Morgan Hite (1989)


For your viewing pleasure until further blogging http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/568595868wNJHba?mediaPosition=1

Outward Bound is here...

It's time for me to venture into the wilderness. I just wanted to write one last blog to let everyone know I will be out of the blogging world for about two months. I will try to blog once while I'm at Outward Bound, but chances are my next blog will be after I get back on November 3rd. I'm really looking forward to this experience and I hope to have a lot of stories to share when I return.

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog. It has been a really fun thing for me to do. It's almost like a personal diary that I can share with my friends a family. I also have really enjoyed reading blogs. I'm pretty sure that my sister is the master blogger. She literally keeps a list up on her whiteboard so she doesn't forget about anything. Anyways, I will really miss reading up on everyone while I'm gone. But, I'm looking forward to all the reading material I will have when I return.

"I now walk into the wild" -from the movie Into The Wild.

One last hoorah...

Since I might not be able to blog about this after it happens, I thought I would share it now. Tomorrow I'm leaving State College to go to Nashville, TN to visit good friend/old coach Buffy Baker and her family. I haven't seen her in over a year and I'm extremely excited about it. She has been a huge support system for me throughout my college tennis career and continued that even during last year when I had a new coach.

Buffy is part of the inspiration for doing Outward Bound, so I thought it fitting for her to send me off. Plus, it will be fun for Rich and I to hear all about her and her husband's adventures when they did Outward Bound. I look forward to visiting with them and seeing how much the kids have grown up.

No Gas?

I had a very surprising experience on the road today. I was on my way to State College from McLean and following my new favorite route provided by Garmin. It's a back way that takes a lot of country roads, but ends up being more than 30 miles shorter in distance. My gas light was about to come on, so I decided I would stop at the next gas station I saw. So I pulled into this gas station and found that every single pump had sign that read, "Sorry, we are out of gas today." I opened my mouth in awe. Given, this was a small town in the middle of nowhere, but still I never thought that would happen in my lifetime. I wish I had thunk to take a picture of it, but I was a little more concerned with getting gas at a station that had some. Plus, I desperately needed to use the restroom. Anyways, I thought I would share this story because it amazed me so much.

Reuniting with old friends

I recently got back in touch with some very old friends of mine, and have since had great experiences with it. Therefore, I'm reflecting in a blog. This past Tuesday, I got together with two old tennis friends from when it all started, Mike and Jonathan. I probably haven't seen them in over 6 years. We played tennis for about an hour and a half, but mostly chatted trying to catch up. Then on Wednesday, Jonathan joined me for a drink with another old tennis friend, Cassie. Some of my fondest memories of my early tennis years had to do with the group of people I shared them with and it was really great to spend time with them again. I hope I will remain in touch with them.

Also, on Wednesday I reconnected with, Zach, a friend from High School. Through the early years of college we had really kept in touch well on the Internet, but I guess our lives got so different that we eventually lost touch. The other night I happened to catch him online and we chatted away catching up on old times and our new lives. Then on Wednesday, we went to Great Falls park and hiked for a couple of hours. Sorry, no pictures. Again, I hope to stay in touch with him after I return from my adventure.

For my own purposes, the lesson I learned through the whole thing is the importance of communication. I have a poor history of keeping in touch with people and therefore I have lost touch with a lot of great people. I have been really trying lately to change that pattern and last week was another huge inspiration to do so.

I should also mention that I happily reconnected with a more recent friend, Ceren, who is living and working in India. What great insight into the world she has shared with me.

Email is a beautiful thing.

Labor Day Tradition

Since I can remember, it has been customary for my Dad's side of he family to gather in Syracuse during Labor Day weekend to celebrate the New York State Fair. So, this past weekend Rich and I spent the holiday with my family. On Saturday night we went up to Tunkhannock, PA where my Aunt Marilyn and cousins all live. We had a very nice dinner with them and then roasted marsh mellows, even though I was so stuffed. I was glad I got the chance to spend time with the Kelly's, since they wouldn't be making it up to the fair. It was also nice to see my old dog KIA. The next morning, we got up early and had breakfast with Marilyn at Marsha's, a local diner. Then Rich and I headed up to Syracuse. We went to my Uncle Jon's house, got settled and then headed for the fair. Normally the weekend starts a day earlier, so we had to cram some of the old traditions all in one day, rather than spread out over a few days. So, we went to the fair and ate more awesome food. We also had 25 cent milk and looked at the butter sculpture and sand sculpture. I was pretty impressed with the sand sculpture. We also watched a skateboarding and biking show with some pretty cool stunts. Then, we headed up to Victory, NY where my Uncle Jim lives and started hosting a bon fire a few years ago. We again had MORE food and chatted all evening until it was time to light the fire. Some of Marilyn and my Uncle Ralph's old High School friends were there and it was really neat to hear all about their childhood and all the trouble they got into. When it came time to light the fire, Marilyn declared that she would start it this year. After a little bit of trouble, the huge fire was ablaze in no time. For the rest of the evening we hung around the fire, trying to stay warm and shared good conversation. We really wanted to make smores, but the fire was too hot. So, my cousin Bobby bravely risked himself to go in and rake out some of the fire so we could roast the marsh mellows. It was a really tiring, but very fun day. The next morning we continued with the traditions by having breakfast pizza. Are you getting the idea yet that this whole weekend was about food? Then, we headed to Dewitt and Fayetville to visit my Dad and Grandfather's graves. My Aunt Mary Jane placed a fair ticket on my Dad's grave last year, since it was something he loved to do so much and luckily she had another one this year so I guess she started a new tradition. Then we met my Grandmother at my Grandfather's grave and headed over to her house for some refreshments and to visit with her a little bit. Finally, we headed to Heid's for the last Labor Day tradition. Heid's is a local hot dog shop that sells Coney's. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically a white hot dog that is a lot tastier than a regular hot dog. Then we headed home, with a quick stop in Mansfield to visit with Rich's Mom. It was a jam packed weekend, but I'm so glad I got to be a part of the tradition that college had gotten in the way of for so many years!

A special thanks to Marilyn, the Kelly's, Jon and Mary Jane, and Jim for all of the wonderful hospitality.

First PSU Football game 2008

This past Saturday was the first game of the season for the Nittany Lions football team. Rich and his Dad have been going to games since he was a little kid, but since his Dad was going to be out of town I had the opportunity to go. The night before the game, some old friends of Rich came into town and we all went downtown for a little while. By the time we got home and went to sleep it was about 3:30am. I guess we were all trying to re-live our college days, which for the other 3 people in the group was a few more years ago than myself. Well, needless to say the next morning came to quickly. Rich and I were so tired that we didn't even go to the noon game! We stayed at the house like bums and watched the game on tv on the couch. The only valid excuse we have for doing this is that we were leaving right afterwards to go visit my Aunt Marilyn and cousins in Tunkhannock, PA. But still, this to me was a true statement of getting older! We are supposed to go to the second game this Saturday. That one starts at 3:30pm, so hopefully we will get enough sleep to show our faces in the stands!

Outward Bound....Bound

So here is the post I've been promising about for a while. On September 15, I am heading to Asheville, NC to start a wilderness course that I signed up for. Outward Bound is basically a program for outdoor leadership and offers courses for all ages. Some of their programs are for troubled kids, some of them for anyone looking to have some fun and some of them are for adults like me who get anxious at the thought of sitting behind a desk. The course that I'm taking is a 50-day Instructor course and will end on November 3rd. Just in time to vote! The activities will include:backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater paddling, ropes course, Leave No Trace, Wilderness First Responder, educational development workshops, unaccompanied final expedition, instructor evaluations. The Wilderness First Responder certification is really important if I do end up wanting to pursue a career in outdoor leadership. Which gets me to my point about why I'm taking the course. After almost an entire summer of searching for jobs, turning down offers and not really knowing what I wanted I needed to get myself involved with something. My good friend and old coach, Buffy, met her husband doing Outward Bound and they both were instructors for a little while. They have nothing but terrific things to say about the program and after experiencing some Outward Bound philosophies through team building activities that Buffy always incorporated, I have always been curious about it. Then, back in February Rich mentioned wanting to do an outdoor course and he really got me thinking about doing one. So, here we are several months later and I'm actually doing it. I'm hoping that it will lead to a career as an Outdoor Instructor, at least for a little while. But, if nothing else I know it will be one of the best experiences of my life. The only thing I'm a little concerned about is the SOLO which is promised to be no longer than 72 hours. I like being in the wilderness with other people, but I'm not quite sure how well I will make out on my own. Nobody to talk to, and a serious fear of bears! Either way, I am very excited about the course. I obviously wont be able to blog while I'm there, but I'm sure I will have plenty to blog about when I get back. I will write a blog right before I leave to remind everyone that I will be out of commission.

The power of community support

Recently, my boyfriend Rich found out that his hometown of Mansfield, PA would be housing a YMCA. This might not sound like a big deal, but for a town like his it would be a community/life changing thing. When he was growing up he simply had no place to really work out, play basketball, or just be active. So, when he heard of the news he got really excited and decided to start an advocacy group to try and show community support for a YMCA. This was equally as exciting to me, since it meant a lot of Public Relations type work. I felt like my college experience in my major could finally come to some use in helping Rich get his group going and out there. While Rich spent hours upon hours emailing various people, I got to help him with the fun stuff like a facebook group (now with 100+ members), a blog, a logo, a tee-sirt design and a 5k flier. He also received a ton of support and help from several people he went to High School with. It was simply amazing to me how involved a bunch of people, who are now living far away from Mansfield, wanted to be in a project that wouldn't benefit them personally.

This weekend was the 5k fun run/walk. In just a months time, with everyone's efforts, we were able to get a group of about 60 people to show up to a 5k on a Saturday morning at 10am. I would call that a huge success! The 50 tee-shirts that Rich had purchased for the event were gone in a flash and everyone looked so sharp walking/running around town showing their support. I was glad that I got the chance to be a part of it. It is a really refreshing thing to experience how much community support there is in such a small town. It makes me also not take for granted all of the resources I had as a child growing up. I don't know how I ever would have been able to accomplish the same level of athletic success that I did, without the use of a gym. I only hope that when the YMCA does make its way to Mansfield, it can provide the types of programs and facilities the town has been needing for a very long time!