Yesterday, we completed our first overnight hike called the shakedown trek. This hike was made to show us what the actual 10-day hike will be like, what we will need to bring next time, and what we won’t need to bring next time, and this hike definitely shook all of us up. We hiked around 8.5 miles from 9am until 5pm, taking breaks for rest and lunch. During this time, we had people crying from dehydration as well as others becoming bruised from the bags we were carrying. It is safe to say that by the time we started to make dinner (pictured below), we were all ready to go to sleep, but there are certain things that have to be finished before we could actually sleep. Those things included pitching a tent, poop school, and dishes after dinner. The dishes were one of the hardest parts do as we had very little water to use, and we had burnt our food on the pans.
Once everything was finished, we “cowboy camped”, which means we just slept in our sleeping bags out in the open. This was a beautiful experience in the morning as we all could sit up and see a bright red sun coming over the horizon. After a few minutes admiring the view, we started to make breakfast, which is not an easy feat. Although it was a simple dish, we took around an hour and half to set up, eat, and clean up afterwards. Finally, we packed up the campsite and took a short 30-minute hike down to a nearby village where we were picked up. We had successfully completed our first group hike!
What did you learn during the shakedown overnight trek? How will this impact your approach to the longer trek later in the program?:
I learned a lot about myself and our group during the shakedown trek. Personally, I realized I need to drink more water as well as take some more time to myself. So in the future, I will try to drink 8 liters of water a day and possibly take the “sweeper” (back end) of the group in order to create some distance for some much needed alone time.
As a group, we learned that some people are physically stronger than others and should be carrying more weight. We also learned that we all need to eat more even if we don’t feel hungry and we need to drink more even if we don’t feel thirsty.
What leadership skills abilities did you recognize being implemented by your peers during the shakedown trek?:
One common leadership skill being used was the use of intentionality with questions. Peers would ask “Is anyone not okay with this?” rather than “Is everyone okay with this?”. This allowed those who were not okay with the action to speak up easier. This can be seen with how many breaks we took and how fast our group decided to go.
Upon reflection, how did you personally offer leadership on the shakedown trek?:
I offered leadership in a way much differently than I usually do. Typically, I take charge and would be the so called “designated leader” for the group, but during the shakedown, I was not in that role. So, offered leadership by being a good follower to the designated leader as well as sharing tips and ideas that would help our group succeed.
