After couple of days of learning about leadership, we got to use it in a real application. We went on a one day shakedown overnight trek. This was mostly to give us an idea of what it is like to go on backpacking treks. It also showed us a little demo of what the 10-day trek will be like. I personally, found this to be really helpful on showing me how small things such as the bag size can impact how the trek goes. I will be taking some of the learnings I have listed on the questions below on the 10-day trek. For the most parts I enjoyed the experience, but I also struggled a lot with how long the trek was. But hopefully it was just my body trying to get used to a new environment. I also got to spend the night outside looking at the stars but I slept on a slope and kept sliding down the hill so next time I will definitely be looking for the sleeping location before the time comes. Anyways, I am little scared, but also little excited for the long hike.
Let’s move to the reflection qna:
- What did you learn during the shakedown overnight trek? How will this impact your approach to the longer trek later in the program?
- The shakedown overnight trek was a big eye-opener. It was able to make a lot of things more imaginable. Before the shakedown trek it was slightly difficult to imagine how carrying the heavy back and walking would feel like but now that I have seen how it feels, it gives me much closer idea of what the big 10-day trek will be like. I learned some very important things on this 1-day trek. Firstly, I learned the importance of hydration as soon after starting to walk, I started feeling dizzy and having headaches but turns out it was due to me not drinking enough water for the altitude we were at. Secondly, I learned the importance of self-care, which includes pacing myself and keeping myself well-fed to avoid a caloric deficit. I will be able to use these learnings in the 10-day trek as it will be more important to hydrate myself at an even higher altitude. It will also be more important to do self-care so I do not end up falling sick during the big trek. During the 10-day trek, I am thinking of constantly eating as I walk, and keeping myself well-hydrated throughout.
- What leadership skills and abilities did you recognize being implemented by your peers during the shakedown trek?
- My group leader for the day was Dikchhya and I think she did a fantastic job. I saw her constantly checking up on the other teammates during the trek. I think her ability to constantly keep everyone’s safety and well-being in check was commendable. I also saw my other peers checking up on each other if they heard anyone slipping or almost falling. It was nice seeing everyone taking care of each other during the trek. It showed me an example of how people don’t have to be in a position of power to be a leader. Everyone can be a leader from their place by taking care of their teammates.
- Upon reflection, how did you personally offer leadership on the shakedown trek?
- I think one place where I offered leadership during the trek was on one of the landslide sites. The person at the front did not want to go through it first as they were afraid so I offered to go before them so they would be more comfortable going behind me. I think this was a good way of showcasing leadership skills as it gave me an opportunity to help my other teammates.