When I graduated high school back in 1987, did I want a party? Cruise? Family trip? Oh no--I craved escape after surviving the social labyrinth of teenager-hood meets public school. I begged for a hiking trip.
My Dad found something called Outward Bound. Living in Minneapolis, MN, he chose the closest one - in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that borders Canada. Holy Shit, that area was pristine. Back then you literally could drink out of the lakes, just scoop with a metal camping mug and Voila, hydration. A rustic frontier to explore. “Thank you thank you thank you!” I told my Dad, and got to packing.
I was SO excited for 2 weeks of freedom from civilization before dealing with the transition to college. Nature felt accepting and interactive, minus the social gymnastics to fit or navigate. Let’s go!!!
Upon arrival, low and behold, the first thing the Outward Bound folks explained was…We would stay at base camp for team building the first few days. ‘What!? Teams!?’ I fussed inside my head. The counselors emphasized, “This is serious rugged terrain, no hospitals, no phones (remember this is 1987, cell phones did not exist), just us. We gotta be ready to rely on each other out there.” Teen me was like, “Ok, I get it, but man, new people stuff already?…here we go…”
When they rounded us up that morning, here’s who appeared in our circle: a 30 year old Charlie-Sheen looking heart-throb, a 6 foot Norwegian-looking girl of 28 (rustic model material, for sure), a 6’1” 20 year old wearing thick glasses who loved hunting,a 5’2” muscular 35 year old woman with lots of camping experience, sporting sturdy hiking boots. A 45year old man, strong and skilled from being a Nurse. Then, there was 17 year old me: 110 pounds on a heavy day, 5’5”, and, despite biking, running, and cross country skiing a lot, my German/Scottish DNA did not allow muscle definition to show up. I was mighty and passionate inside, but this team would be bound together in the wild. Did they fear this “little girl” was useless?
Well, turns out there was no time to overthink it, we dove into ice-breakers-on-steroids.
First, we donned wet suits for kayaking. Those were so goofy to squeeze into; it definitely broke the ice. With some finagling and laughs, we paddled and even got our rigs to spin around. After lunch, we headed out for rock climbing. Here, my vertigo for heights seeped out. I whimpered, shook, and needed tips. But…NO way would I give up. They say courage is doing something despite being scared, so perhaps the team saw bravery. After the victory dance at the top, we repelled back down by letting out rope and gliding backwards. You would think this would scare me but, no, it was a blast.
The next day, our pair of Pro counselors showed us our route, then treated us to: the MUD PIT HIKE!
Oh, I wish everyone could do this at least once in their life. Hiking to the pit was hot and sweaty. Trudging and swimming (yes I went all the way under) in the mud felt refreshing, cool, messy, like a big cozy blanket hugging every inch of my body-Glorious. Everyone on our team got into it and looked hilarious.
After all that, the group felt at ease. How can you be stressed when everyone on your team loves to dig into gritty stuff like that?
The third day was backpack prep and first aid training. All morning, we rolled, tucked, inserted essentials. We packed light & tight, because we had to carry canoes and food packs too. Afternoon was first aid training.
That evening, all the groups at base camp gathered for mock-emergency round-up. Counselors posed as injured parties at stations. The challenge was to see which group could pass all the scenarios first.
Before “the games began”, the lead counselor hyped-up one more time: “This is your team, they will be depending on you. It’s essential you know how to react to emergencies!”.
Then POW!-the drills began. Our team operated smoothly through “set a broken leg”, “treat heat stroke”, “water rescue”. Final station was “man down”. Here, the person was unconscious, not breathing. By this time, my little heart was ramped up by the hype, team bonding. My active-imagination decided, “I GOTTA SAVE HER LIFE! “Someone, go get help!” I yelled. I whispered the trained way to deal with this, to be SURE to do it right(1987 style): “One breath, three presses, one breath, 3 presses”. I put my hands on her sternum in the proper interlocking position, kneeled down efficiently, pinched her nose, tilted her head back. Check, check, check. I sealed my lips on hers. Yes, you heard me right, lips to lips, no holding back for this chick. I pushed my life-saving breath into her mouth.
And Yes, she reacted as you’d expect--She jerked upright, eyes humungous- “Cough cough, WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Wiping her mouth, she gasped, “This is a just a drill!”
Cheeks red hot, now back in reality, I cried, “Oh no!, I am SO sorry, are you ok?” MOST embarrassing moment material, definitely…. I waited a moment that felt like an eternity. Would this crew hate me now? Think I was crazy? Kick me out?
After the eternal moment…the counselor shook her head….paused and chuckled. “Well, you certainly take this seriously! Your team passes, please just remember to check the pulse first next time.” My crew laughed and gathered round. I apologized, but they assured, “It’s ok, at least we know you’ll have our backs,” Heartthrob slapped me on the back, and we moved along. Tomorrow, it was time to “hit the trail.”
What a relief. My passion was seen as caring, my intensity as focus, my body as useful. And my embarrassing boundless imagination, taken in stride. Wow. This is when I knew the trip would go well. And it did. We worked hard and relaxed, were quiet and loud, together and alone. Everyone helped and needed help along the way. What a great experience before heading into college, a new frontier!
My Dad found something called Outward Bound. Living in Minneapolis, MN, he chose the closest one - in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that borders Canada. Holy Shit, that area was pristine. Back then you literally could drink out of the lakes, just scoop with a metal camping mug and Voila, hydration. A rustic frontier to explore. “Thank you thank you thank you!” I told my Dad, and got to packing.
I was SO excited for 2 weeks of freedom from civilization before dealing with the transition to college. Nature felt accepting and interactive, minus the social gymnastics to fit or navigate. Let’s go!!!
Upon arrival, low and behold, the first thing the Outward Bound folks explained was…We would stay at base camp for team building the first few days. ‘What!? Teams!?’ I fussed inside my head. The counselors emphasized, “This is serious rugged terrain, no hospitals, no phones (remember this is 1987, cell phones did not exist), just us. We gotta be ready to rely on each other out there.” Teen me was like, “Ok, I get it, but man, new people stuff already?…here we go…”
When they rounded us up that morning, here’s who appeared in our circle: a 30 year old Charlie-Sheen looking heart-throb, a 6 foot Norwegian-looking girl of 28 (rustic model material, for sure), a 6’1” 20 year old wearing thick glasses who loved hunting,a 5’2” muscular 35 year old woman with lots of camping experience, sporting sturdy hiking boots. A 45year old man, strong and skilled from being a Nurse. Then, there was 17 year old me: 110 pounds on a heavy day, 5’5”, and, despite biking, running, and cross country skiing a lot, my German/Scottish DNA did not allow muscle definition to show up. I was mighty and passionate inside, but this team would be bound together in the wild. Did they fear this “little girl” was useless?
Well, turns out there was no time to overthink it, we dove into ice-breakers-on-steroids.
First, we donned wet suits for kayaking. Those were so goofy to squeeze into; it definitely broke the ice. With some finagling and laughs, we paddled and even got our rigs to spin around. After lunch, we headed out for rock climbing. Here, my vertigo for heights seeped out. I whimpered, shook, and needed tips. But…NO way would I give up. They say courage is doing something despite being scared, so perhaps the team saw bravery. After the victory dance at the top, we repelled back down by letting out rope and gliding backwards. You would think this would scare me but, no, it was a blast.
The next day, our pair of Pro counselors showed us our route, then treated us to: the MUD PIT HIKE!
Oh, I wish everyone could do this at least once in their life. Hiking to the pit was hot and sweaty. Trudging and swimming (yes I went all the way under) in the mud felt refreshing, cool, messy, like a big cozy blanket hugging every inch of my body-Glorious. Everyone on our team got into it and looked hilarious.
After all that, the group felt at ease. How can you be stressed when everyone on your team loves to dig into gritty stuff like that?
The third day was backpack prep and first aid training. All morning, we rolled, tucked, inserted essentials. We packed light & tight, because we had to carry canoes and food packs too. Afternoon was first aid training.
That evening, all the groups at base camp gathered for mock-emergency round-up. Counselors posed as injured parties at stations. The challenge was to see which group could pass all the scenarios first.
Before “the games began”, the lead counselor hyped-up one more time: “This is your team, they will be depending on you. It’s essential you know how to react to emergencies!”.
Then POW!-the drills began. Our team operated smoothly through “set a broken leg”, “treat heat stroke”, “water rescue”. Final station was “man down”. Here, the person was unconscious, not breathing. By this time, my little heart was ramped up by the hype, team bonding. My active-imagination decided, “I GOTTA SAVE HER LIFE! “Someone, go get help!” I yelled. I whispered the trained way to deal with this, to be SURE to do it right(1987 style): “One breath, three presses, one breath, 3 presses”. I put my hands on her sternum in the proper interlocking position, kneeled down efficiently, pinched her nose, tilted her head back. Check, check, check. I sealed my lips on hers. Yes, you heard me right, lips to lips, no holding back for this chick. I pushed my life-saving breath into her mouth.
And Yes, she reacted as you’d expect--She jerked upright, eyes humungous- “Cough cough, WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Wiping her mouth, she gasped, “This is a just a drill!”
Cheeks red hot, now back in reality, I cried, “Oh no!, I am SO sorry, are you ok?” MOST embarrassing moment material, definitely…. I waited a moment that felt like an eternity. Would this crew hate me now? Think I was crazy? Kick me out?
After the eternal moment…the counselor shook her head….paused and chuckled. “Well, you certainly take this seriously! Your team passes, please just remember to check the pulse first next time.” My crew laughed and gathered round. I apologized, but they assured, “It’s ok, at least we know you’ll have our backs,” Heartthrob slapped me on the back, and we moved along. Tomorrow, it was time to “hit the trail.”
What a relief. My passion was seen as caring, my intensity as focus, my body as useful. And my embarrassing boundless imagination, taken in stride. Wow. This is when I knew the trip would go well. And it did. We worked hard and relaxed, were quiet and loud, together and alone. Everyone helped and needed help along the way. What a great experience before heading into college, a new frontier!
Says it better:
Movie-Red.
Eclectic team for sure!
Movie-Red.
Eclectic team for sure!
