A big thank you to the eight hale and hearty backpackers who ignored the clouds, cold (forecast high for our location on Monday was 52 degrees!), rain and fog to learn and play and enjoy each other's company on our 2016 Anderson & Watson lakes backpacking trip. This could've been a miserable time, what with the depressing weather, but your boys kept their spirits (and mine) high as they made the most of their situation.
At this age, we focus on developing disciplines and habits that will serve these boys for many years of wilderness adventure. In a phrase, the mentors stressed expedition behavior (EB). You can find a good write up about EB on the NOLS website.
Ready for an adventure, we headed down (up, actually) the trail.
Well, perhaps we needed to attain a vertical orientation before we could make significant progress...
Of course, horizontal works well in the right circumstance...
Thanks in large part to mentor Tim, who made up the menu and led meal preparation, we ate well. Sunday night's Ramen soup, with sweet carrots, onions and hard boiled eggs added, was nutritious and tasty. Here, two campers help with Sunday's dinner preparation.
As I said, the sun was not listed on the roster for this trip. There were times when it teased us a bit, only to withdraw behind a blanket of clouds and, later in the trip, dense fog.
How do you play Hide! without disturbing the fragile habitat of this wilderness meadow? Why, by playing it on large blocks of granite, of course!
When Tim sent the boys out on a sit spot before we headed home, he asked that they think about something awesome on the trip (as well as something fun and something challenging). The clear favorite for awesome was this pika, who scampered within inches of a few very quiet campers. Nice find, guys!
When the damp weather turned outright rainy on Monday afternoon, the boys headed under Tim's tarp and told some creative and scary stories. The laughter coming from under the tarp demonstrated support for leadership and growth in everyone (EB # 4) as all turned a blind eye to the showers and jumped into the impromptu activities suggested by their compatriots.
In another instance of positive EB, the boys showed real empathy when one of their number succumbed to a bad headache and vomiting, signs of dehydration. They repeated their empathetic behavior when another backpacker lost his lunch, literally, following our bumpy, swerve-y ride down the mountain on Tuesday. I trust you guys are feeling better.....?
Number 7 on the list of expedition behaviors is a tricky one. It asks that everyone does her/his share and stays organized. Well, that’s two different things. In general, the boys were willing, if not eager, to do their share. A good example, as we saw, was cooking, for which several boys vied to participate. They were less keen, but willing, to clean up after. Staying organized, however, was more hit-and-miss, although overall I would say they did better than average for young boys.
It was mentor Brian who tried to exhibit good EB when it came to admitting and correcting mistakes (# 10). I first allowed one of the campers to use the knife he brought, but then remembered we had asked that the boys not bring knives. So, I spoke with him about it and was pleased with his ready compliance. Come to think of it, he exhibited great EB as he treated myself and the group with dignity and respect (# 3).
Check out the rest of the photos for the more serious version of this picture. The mentors were humbled and grateful to spend a few days in an awesome spot with eight awesome boys. The trip was not without it challenges. In addition to the crappy weather, we had two boys get sick, never did find the promised toilet, and had one boy who had an allergic reaction to a plant before the trip and wasn't able to join us. Despite it all, your boys remained thankful for the opportunity to experience the great outdoors with a good bunch of guys. Sometimes the best trips are the ones that dump on you!
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