The Iodine Brew - So Tasty!

This shot shows Jacki preparing to drink her first-ever gulp of iodine water.  The iodine was added to a water bottle based on the temperature of the water, and because it is a group 7 halogen, it would kill any potentially dangerous pathogens in the water.  Then the water would taste a little funny, but would be safe to drink in less than a half-hour.

Inside JOKE!

This is a "No Passing Zone" that we passed on the way back to UNH.  It made me question whether this was a "No - Tow Zone" well, or whether towing was allowed in this area.

The Shirp

This is Shirpa John who was my group's speaker and who came with us on part of this hiking trip.  He is a very unique individual in that he has trained himself to be able to run straight for over 100 miles and he has reached more mountain peaks than I care to count.  He is also a great character and good company on our adventure.

In Case of a Bear...

This is how we were supposed to act in the event that a bear came to our shelter.  Most of us stand and act big and scary.  Lauren waves mildly at the oncoming creature.  Steve grabs what's left of the food. Jared puts his headlight on and prepares to make a dash for it.  And I just whip out the ole camera and snap a shot.  I mean, what's a better time for one?

And Bill is ... Gonzos!

This is a shot of Billy after he had fallen asleep just sitting and waiting for dinner.  I have never actually seen this done before, so props to him for pulling it off.

Memories from the Adventure: the Bear Box

This is one of our trip leaders, Ray-Ray (Rachael), sitting in the latrine surrounded by all the food that we intended to place in the bear box.  It turned out that there was no bear box at this shelter, event thought someone had thoughtfully written that it was behind the bathroom. However, all that was behind that was large boxes full of human waste. Ha ha.  So anyway, you can see what we ended up doing with our food.

Return from the Trip and Overview

Our hike into the White Mountains went great, despite the fact that it turned out to be a very rainy weekend.  I feel that everyone truly took pleasure in the adventure in one way or another, even though we all experienced it differently.  I personally found the hike to be very meditative and rather a relief from the business and stress of everyday college life.  There was no other activities I could have or should have been doing during the trip and there was no real connection back to the 'real' world during that brief period.  There was only the gentle plod up the hills and the soft noises of us moving and the woods around us.  The hike was hardly strenuous in a physical sense, but it certainly liberated my mind from a constant barrage of thoughts, allowing me to just be in the moment.  For example, my muscles were not sore after reaching the campsite, but I was in 'bed' resting by 7:30.  This is earlier than I have gone to bed in years!

I savored the feeling of peace throughout the hike, but I also felt that it should have been more challenging.  We only hiked a total of 5.8 miles over the course of two days, a distance that I would jog on a run.  After writing a research paper on flow, I feel that it is important to examine any adventure for areas of flow, and even unique sensations.  I did not find myself in any sort of flow state during the adventure as the slight level of difficulty did not match my more developed hiking 'skills.'  This eliminated the need for me to focus intently on the adventure and essentially gave me a feeling of pleasure as opposed to a feeling of enjoyment.  In terms of sensation seeking, this adventure inspired almost the opposite feelings than one would get when skydiving.  This adventure was tranquil and alleviating, instead of exciting and adrenaline stimulating.

I am very glad that my group selected this 'moose quest' in the White Mountains as our adventure, (even though we never saw a moose), but because we had a great time and bonded as a team.

The Pack

(This picture shows Tom dressed and ready to go with his pack fully loaded.)

Just prior to departure, we packed our hiking back-packs full with supplies that we would need for our two day adventure.  In mine, I had: several pairs of socks (only one that was non-cotton), a pair of sweatpants for sleeping, a pair of shorts, a few dry-wick shirts, an extra rain jacket, a camera, a flashlight, a lot of honey covered peanuts, a sleeping bag, a floor mat, of course a frisbee (just in case), a bunch a stakes, a first aid kit, personal supplies, a V8 splash, water bottles, power bars, and a towel.  Altogether my pack weighed around 40 pounds and rose above my head.  I had to feel a little sorry for Steve, though, as he packed an extra tent and grill, bringing his pack up to around 55 pounds.  We also went over our shortened trip plan with Jared, Rachael and Jen before packing up the van.  I took a while to do all the final prep work as Tom was rather sick and everyone was a little over tired.

Simplifying the Schedule

As we neared the trip, we organized all of our goals into one trip plan.  This plan became extremely busy, including far too much for us to possibly to accomplish.  In this pre-trip plan, about a week before leaving, our schedule had us hiking a 15 mile loop over a minimum of 12,000 vertical feet on day 1 and another 9 miles to a waterfall on day 2.  This was way too much hiking for us for many reasons including that we were not all in good enough shape, there was not enough time, we would have to hike well past dark and the weather for the weekend was going to be cold and wet.  However, we all understood that this was not going to be achieved, so we simplified the schedule to simply a 3 mile hike in, an optional trip up Mt. Wiley, and a hike out.  This way, we would have plenty of time to set up camp, eat, and get warm before dark.

Adventure As I See It

Adventure as a planned activity stimulates the senses, engages the brain and often tests physical limits.  It often requires intense focus and concentration in situations where a mistake can result in injury or death.  Adventure demands that all one’s worries and concerns as well as hopes and aspirations are put aside to enjoy the moment.  This enjoyment can be felt as fear and exhilaration, pure freedom, or even a sort of personal transcendence.  For some people, adventure exists in a flow state where “a level of involvement such that consciousness at hand and the doing of it blend, that action and awareness become indistinguishable” (Mitchell, 1983, p.154). 

In the case of sensation seeking, adventure usually involves the release of adrenaline, which triggers a feeling of tremendous thrill and release that can become addictive to some people. In today’s culture, these activities are seen as challenges and escapes, and that is why adventure has become a highly regarded and sought after aspect of society.             

However, adventure is not solely dependent on unique sensations and physical strain, as raising children and maintaining a marriage are certainly included.  In this respect, adventure is an experience that goes beyond the norm of everyday life into the area where ”complete confidence and competence (do not) reign” (Quinn, 6).  These types of adventures may be just as difficult as a physical test, but the challenge lies not so much in one’s strength and corporeal ability, but in one’s spirit and intellectual proficiency.

Ecopsychology - How and Why

As part of my homework for Amped Up, I read the article Ecopsychology: Where does it fit in psychology? by John Scull because I thought that it relates to the hike and search for moose that my group will be doing next month.  This article describes what meant by the term ecopsychology and suggests that there is a spiritual or psychological crisis resulting from today's ecological crisis and separation from the natural world.  It looks at the roots and effects of these problems with the moral goal of discovering ways that people can connect with the natural world in ways that are healthy for both the people and the planet.  

I felt that this article has a strong connection to the adventure that we will be doing, as it describes the need people have to experience the natural world, and the need that people do this in a way that will not damage the environment; which is exactly what we are doing.  By hiking through a section of the White Mountains, we will be accomplishing this very objective: to experience some of the most pristine environment around while doing so in a way that willl have minimal impact on that environment.   

I also picked the article because I thought it would be interesting to explore the human need to connect with the natural world.  Is this need psychological and stemming from a genetic trait of the mind?  If so, what has caused this trait to be imbedded in us?  How does it affect the functions of our mind?  Has it played a part in our evolution contributing to survival of the fittest?  Why is it still with us today?  If it is not genetic,  is it a result of modern society?  Is there some sort of physical need to experience the natural world?  Does it result from awe of the balance of the natural world?  While there may be no definite answers to be found for these questions, I find them to be very interesting and certainly thought provoking.  I will certainly keep them in mind throughout the adventure just to realize what I may.

Personality - Results and Reflection

After taking a series of surveys for Amped Up, I was able to put test results to traits that I already believed about myself.  

In a sensation seeking test, I found that I rated an 8 out of 10 for thrill and adventure seeking, a figure which I agree with as I enjoy an adrenaline rush, but am not obsessed over getting one.  I scored a 7 in experience seeking, which is close to what I expected, but I love memorable experiences so I would have thought the figure to be higher.  I scored a 7 in disinhibition, which seemed just a little high for me as I am not a huge party animal, although I do like to rebel to some extent.  I also received a 6 in boredom susceptibility, which fits me because a have patience, but hate to feel that I'm wasting my time by doing such activities as watching TV, and I rarely feel like I have nothing to do.  

In a political quiz, a tested as an 8 out of 40 meaning that I am quite liberal.  Despite flaws in the quiz tool, I feel that this number really suits me as I do not trust the government to do what is best for the people, and I consider myself a liberal, especially right now.

In a personality survey, I received a 28 compared to an average of 19 for my openness to new experience.  This definitely fits me as I greatly enjoy new experiences, and I try hard to find more and more of them.  I also tested as a 31 compared to an average of 23 in conscientiousness.  This score fits me well because I read people well, and am always careful not to be particularly mean or rude.  I received a 30 compared to the average of 21 in extraversion, which sort of fits me as I can be a very outgoing person, but I also keep tabs on my own feelings so in some respect I am also an introvert.  I scored a 25 compared to 20 in agreeableness, which fits me as I am a friendly and agreeable person, although I will stick up for what I believe, even when it means to disagree.  I received a 2 compared to an average of 15 in the category of neuroticism because I am very chill and will go with the flow, but I do feel like it is good to have a plan and to worry just a little, so I feel like this rating is a little too low. I scored a 144 compared to the average of 98 in the overall personality score category, which is interesting because it means that I have a lot more 'personality' than most people, and I feel like this may be true.  I also believe that is a good thing because I really like interesting people, and feel that spending time with someone interesting is far better than with a boring, one-dimension person.

The Third Meeting

The Moose Group had a brief third meeting with Rachael on Thursday, October 9.  Not much happened at this meeting except the date was changed again to the second weekend of November, the 8th and 9th, as I have a fencing tournament on the first weekend.  This was an easy change though, as everyone is free, and it is far enough in advance that equipment needs are not effected.  We also reported to Rachael whether we would be needing a winter sleeping bag, as it's going to be cold, and a special hiking backpack, in which to fit everything. 

The Noreaster

(This is a poster I got from the Noreaster.  I then preceded to draw on it the horse insignia of the featured group: State Radio)

On September 27th, I went with two friends to see a series of concerts a Tenney Mountain, and to participate in some of the climbing and conservation activities taking place.  We did not know exactly what was planned for Saturday, but we know that State Radio was playing at 9:00, and that we might find some new talented groups that were previously under the radar.   Against my personal desire to sleep in on Saturday, we agreed to leave at 7:00 so that we would get there early as my friends, Sam and Laura, wanted to do some of the morning climbing offered.  However, when we arrived, we discovered that the climbing had been canceled due to the rain, and that the other activities were quite expensive.  Instead, we went downtown to get lunch and chill before the bands started playing at 1:00.  

When we returned, the air was heavy with the upcoming rain and Laura felt faint so Sam took her to her car.  She soon called me to say that she was going to take Laura home, and asked whether I needed a ride back with them.  The music was just beginning and I definitely did not want to head back to UNH yet, so I asked my roommate, Ben, if he would be able to take me back.  He had come up with some friends, but he said that I could catch a ride with them.  

I was glad not to be missing all the music, but rather confused at the same time as to why Laura had needed to get back to UNH so urgently.  She should have just drunk some water, and waited for the feeling to pass instead of wasting both she and Sam's time and money.  Maybe there was more to it, or maybe she was truly worried about her health?  I doubt I'll ever know.

Throughout the evening the music was incredible, and the bands better than I had expected.  By the time State Radio came on, it was absolutely pouring, but everyone was in high spirits, and having a great time.  That final concert was awesome, and afterwards everyone retired to the ski lounge for some heavy beats and chill dance music.  

Ben and his friends had some disagreements as we planned on when to leave because some of them wanted to spend another night, whereas Robbie needed to get home that night.  He wanted to leave around 10:30 to drop off people at UNH, and then precede to his school.  However, Ben wanted to see Glue play later that night, so the compromise was to leave at 11:30.  

The trip home was tough as we were all so exhausted, but the Noreaster event had been well worth it, and I was sure glad that I did not leave early.  As I reflected on day, and all that had led up to its successes and disagreements, I realized that it had been an adventure for all of us.  From first hearing about the EMS sponsored Noreaster from Ben, to arriving back at my Serc B at 1:30 in the morning soaked, drained, and happy, it had been an experience to remember.  

From a more formulated take on adventure, this trip certainly fit in the category.  According to Mitchell and his book Mountain Experience, an adventure requires planning, equipment, companions, conditioning, travel, technical points, talk, and debriefing, which were almost all encompassed in some form by the trip.  

In brief, I spread the word about the Noreaster three weeks in advance, bought tickets with Sam and Laura over a week ahead of time, and planned to take Sam's car.  We looked at the forcast and accordingly packed warm clothing and rain gear. We also brought detailed directions and a phone number, to ensure we could get there, and our ticket receipts just in case.  We also tried to keep our costs to a minimum by not participating in the expensive activities offered.  When I saw Sam and Laura again the following day, I described to them what they had missed and gave them some of the CD's I had brought back so they could get a taste of some of the groups.  

Looking back, there were areas where our planning could have been better, but at least for me, the trip was a success.

The Second Meeting, (now of more to come...)

Well, we had our second meeting with Rachael last Tuesday night, September 30th, and there has been a major change in plans.  She told us hesitantly that we would probably not be able to go on the trip this coming weekend as had been planned, but would need to set a new date and rethink our adventure.  This came as somewhat of a surprise to all of us who were excited to be going on the search for moose this weekend, not entirely as we did not know if the necessary equipment would be available for us.  This was indeed the factor preventing us from leaving this Saturday as Rachael did not have enough time to secure the trailer for the canoes, or the tents and warm gear that we would be needing.  We took time to discuss in detail if there was any way that we could pull the trip off even without the missing supplies, but after much scrutiny, we reluctantly concluded that it could not happen.  We then decided to move the moose quest to the first weekend of November, October 31 - November 1 , as this was the first weekend that everyone in our group was available.  After further discussion, we also ended up changing our plans for the trip as we felt it would be rather cold to be on the water in November, and because Rachael suggested a route in the White Mountains where we could sleep in a cabin.  Personally, I still thought we had better chances of finding a moose along a river, but as a group we decided to either go backpacking in the Zealand area and spend the night in a hut, or contact UNH about renting the university's cabin.  We are not sure yet in which area we will be hiking, but our goal is still to see moose and have an adventure.

Second Meeting with Rachael had been Postponed

Our second meeting with Rachael that was planned for Thursday, September 25 has been postponed due to the fact that the medicine she has been taking for her surgery has made her very sick, and because of that, very backed up with homework.  However, Jacki, who has been our primary leader in the organization and details of the trip has been in contact with Rachael about how the renting of canoes is coming, and is planning another date for the group to meet with Rachael.  At this next meeting, we plan to discern anything we may have left out and go over a final run-through of supplies as the trip is soon approaching.  We will also receive the papers suggesting items for us to pack for the trip, and we will go over the order of events for the trip, such as where and when we should pick up the canoes and the van.

Planning with Rachael

We had our second meeting focused on smoothing out the details of the upcoming trip with Rachael on September 22nd.  This was a very successful meeting as she has helped us to sort out many of the pieces of the trip of which we were unsure.  She is an outdoor recreation major and has taken many classes that give her information on and access to the types of equipment that we will be needing.  She suggested that we take five canoes, and we agreed, as this would allow each person to be paddling the entire time and not have to sit in the middle of any canoe.  This would also give us more space for any supplies we may need while canoeing.  The other supplies will be dropped off at a point were we will plan to spend the night ahead of time.  This will prevent them from possibly getting wet and will prevent us from having to carry them, but will mean that we have to make to it to the designated spot in one day of canoeing.  The canoes we will use will be rented by her for us as she has contact with that organization and the necessary credentials.  She also informed us that we will be needing one car to meet us at the end of the trip, and that the driver of that car will have to have taken a defensive driver course to be allowed to drive for UNH.  This works out well for us, though, as Steve has already taken the proper course, and has volunteered his car.  We also decided on another date to meet with Rachael, on which she will bring the forms that we need to sign in order to use the rented equipment and to participate in the trip.  She is also going to a tentative packing list for us and a list of suggested foods. 

Setting in on the Details

On September 19th, my group had another meeting with the purpose of working out some of the finer details of the trip, such as how many canoes we will need for the trip, where we will get them, how we will get them (as well as ourselves) to the river we choose to canoe, which river we will choose to canoe, what we will eat, what we should bring, and how far down the river we should leave the vehicle that will allow us to get back, just to name a few.  

 We were unable to answer all of these questions, but we did decide that with the two trip advisors that plan to accompany us, we will need at least three canoes, which will hopefully be rented along with paddles and life jackets from a university organization along with a trailer at no fee.  Then this trailer will be pulled by a ten person van that we will pay to rent and that will carry us to the river landing.  The river we will travel down will be the Merrimeeting River, a little less than an hour north of UNH.  This river is ranked an easy and safe river to canoe down and is supposed to have many marshlands along it that should provide a likely habitat in which to spot moose.  Each person was instructed to bring their own sleeping bags, that will be used inside two tents that will also be rented from the school.  For food, we determined that many pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would be easy to bring and would sustain us down the river.  Also, several members of our group volunteered to drive their cars if necessary so that we will have a car to meet us at the end of the canoe trip.  These plans still need a bit more work that we will work out with our trip advisor, Rachael.  However, the adventure is already beginning to take shape, and in my opinion, it looks hopeful!

The Ropes Course - Team Building from Both Success and Failure

On September 14th, my Amped Up class took a trip to the UNH Brown Center to learn some ropes-course skills, and more importantly, to build bonds of trust and a sense of team within our moose questing group.  

Upon our arrival to the center, we built a foundation of trust that would help to keep us safe and allow us to complete some of the later activities.  One example of this type of game involves falling to any side and resisting the urge to catch oneself by relying on the group to make the catch.  I felt that this was a beneficial exercise for our group as members who did not previously trust others to catch them learned that the group would not let them fall.    

The next activity was a challenge to move all the members from all four groups across a series of hanging wires in a mere half hour.  Each group was set to begin the challenge from a different place along the series of wires so that there would be two-way traffic across a single wire at sometime.  My group began by sending one-member to reach a hanging rope, which would allow him to develop a method of bringing one person at a time across the first two of four hanging wires.  This system worked well until our members met with members of another group going the opposite direction.  We resolved this issue by using our system in reverse to first bring the other group's members across the two wires before continuing to move our own members.  Again, this procedure worked until we met a different oncoming group that forced a buildup of people on the side of one tree.  We were able to slowly move people across this buildup and to the finish by rotating turns across one wire with the other group, but the time expired before everyone finished.  

Upon reflecting on this outcome, I found areas of coordinated teamwork and areas where further planning would have enabled us to be more successful in bringing all of our members across the wires.  The system of transportation we used was very efficient, and our choice to help out the first group we encountered proved beneficial to both groups.  However, if every group could have planned with each other before the clock began, we may have been able to devise a system for everyone to be successful.  This was the ultimate downfall in not meeting the challenge, but even our failure proved very educational.  We realized that planning is of the utmost importance in being successful, and we discovered who would act as our physical leaders as well as who would act as our planners, organizers and support.  This information would be very useful to us down the road and on the river.

The final part of our day entailed the completion of the ropes-course.  This consisted of three challenges involving teamwork, strength, balance and caution.  The first was to climb a series of wood planks called the giant's ladder.  The second was to cross a log high in the air at the same time as another person, and the third was to perform a leap of faith and touch a hanging ball at the peak of the jump.  These activities further built our sense of team as the members in the air had to communicate well and work together to succeed, and the members on the ground could only help them by shouting advice and encouragement.  As it turned out, humor also played a critical role in the completion of this course by keeping the spirits and enthusiasm levels high throughout the group, contrary to the mood induced by the falling rain.

Initial Planning

Once the initial excitement of choosing a moose search as our venture wore off, we realized that careful and particular planning would be necessary in the successful completion of this trip.

 That is why we called a group meeting on September eleventh to discuss some of the more detailed aspects of our upcoming trip.  At this meeting, we all contributed our thoughts concerning which methods of finding and safely encountering moose would work best.  

There was a general consensus that we should travel north to find moose, but disparity as to how far north.  Some members of the group felt that an hour away would be sufficient, whereas some thought that our chances of seeing moose would only increase as we traveled farther north and so it might be a good idea to go into northern Maine.  However, since traveling far north would be more demanding in time and money, we agreed that a nearby forest-and-wetland-area would our first choice.  

We also discussed whether we wanted to conduct the search by foot or by canoe.  This was an easy decision, though, as October is part of the mating season for moose, and it would be safer to encounter one in water than on land.  

Another topic covered was that of where and how to look for moose.  Some research that one member of the group had done revealed that moose are often found in wetlands and along rivers.  In addition, my dad had told me stories of seeing moose raise their heads out of the water for breath before going back under to chew on the vegetation at the bottom of the river.  This information strengthened our earlier decision to search by canoe.  One group member also suggested that we look into methods used by hunters to attract moose, such as a moose call and moose scent.  Depending on the price and availability, we may purchase these items. 

A Search for Moose is Chosen

Just over two weeks ago, Dr. Seaman formed my Amped Up Kinesology class into groups and presented us with the opportunity to organize and participate in an adventure.  We were excited about this chance to do something adventurous, but we unsure of what we were going to do.  We decided to first come up with a definition of adventure agreed upon by all members of the group to aid us in making a choice.  Together, we determined that adventure is an experience that goes out of the norm and pushes the adventurer beyond his comfort zone.  This means that adventure is entirely subjective, as something that may be adventure for one person may not be for another.  We also decided that adventure must have the elements of danger and aspiration involved.  This way, there could the accomplished and reflective feeling of success for adventurer upon reaching his goal.  Based on this definition, my adventure group brainstormed a variety of activities that we could do with our 360 dollar budget.  After some short debate, we selected an overnight canoe trip in search of moose as our adventure.  This selection went out of the norm for all of us and pushed us beyond our comfort zones as no one had ever done an overnight canoe trip or anything especially similar to one.  The quest also included danger as moose can be aggressive during mating season, but gave us determination that we would be strong enough for the venture and succeed in our search.  With this goal of finding moose in mind, excitement rose, and we began to plan and prepare for our trip.