Developing a leadership style, one program at a time

So last week was my first time being the program coordinator, or PC, for my lovely outdoor education company. Being a PC isn't that challenging, in theory, it just involves a bit of experience, organization, and enough charisma to glue it all together. In theory, I have all these qualities at some point in time but all at once seems a good bit harder. So this past week marked my first attempt at running a successful NAL program and I think it went o.k. considering what I was up against. It rained off and on all week, stormed the first night (when we were all trying to plan), the faculty kept changing the schedule (not really normal for one of these programs), and I had a few faculty (teachers from the school who hires us to be responsible for their students) who made it his mission to break every safety rule we have. Nobody got seriously injured, but I was very prepared for it. Both the students and faculty seemed to come away from it all happy so I'd call it a success. That being said, I feel like I could have done a much better job of maintaining some semblance of control or authority over the situation. My coworkers on this program with me were amazing, that helped tremendously. Some of them roll with the changes better than others but they all pulled through and rocked it out. From a rushed and "long" hike through cow pastures to adding a beach block without really any prep time, my coworkers built a fantastic experience for all parties involved.
Its funny how you can go crazy planning and trying to orchestrate every little detail and then something as simple as a hole digging contest at the beach can turn into a wild success. The time at the beach the second afternoon was really a highlight of last week for me even though I pretty much only had safety on my mind when I was going there, I very quickly relaxed and soaked up the beauty of the visa. One of the students had a minor medical situation so I got to play with one of the trail groups for a bit and they were great. I also got a little time to level with the rebellious teacher, it didn't help the complete disregard for our rules but it put a perspective on the situation. Sometimes in these kinds of situations that's about all you can hope for.
I get a chance to make it bigger and better in two weeks. Here's to hoping I make different mistakes and grow from those as well. Three weeks left and it already feels like its wrapping up. At this pace of mine three weeks can bring lots of change and possibilities. Keeping my ear to the ground and eyes on the horizon at the same time prove easier when I'm moving so fast.

Mountains and Bears and Murders Oh My!

So its been a few weeks since I've had the time, energy, and internet capacity to put works to screen. Since then I've crossed California twice, been through three mountain ranges, been hailed on for my first cooking job, had a bear break into my tent to try and steal my deodorant, and spent a week running around the woods with a swat team and a psycho-killer on the lamb 2 miles down the road. I couldn't have asked for much more in terms of learning experiences.
Between weather, wildlife, and the colorful characters that scatter these weeks I'm not sure where to begin. Time is of the essence, like always. So I guess I will go with the week in the redwoods with my cousin and his friends. The week off from work was a blessing in disguise. I was focused on making money somehow in that time that it didn't even occur to me that I probably needed a little R&R. Turns out I needed it badly. It would have been lovely to spend my mornings picking apples and watering plants and afternoons hiking around the woods but I was dissuaded to do that in light of all the activity surrounding the man hunt. It got me thinking about actual risk versus perceived risk. My statistical probability of running into Aaron Bassler in the woods in that week was probably pretty low while my chances of tripping and falling into a field of poison oak and having a horrible reaction was probably pretty high. It was very clarifying being somewhere 2 hours away from my next work site and knowing that a person could essentially disappear into nothing if they so wanted. My cousin Art is a bigfoot believer, not from a personal experience, but on literature and the sheer vastness and density of the woods on the lost coast. Its called the lost coast for a reason. If you want to melt away into the landscape, just get a few hours north of San Francisco. In light of my adventures in good 'ol shake city, I think I'm going to try it out for a few months this winter, what better way to get over my dislike of being cold and wet!