Outdoor Leadership

Written by Maddie A during the fall 2020 Gap Semester

If you were to ask me six months ago if I was planning on taking a gap semester, I would have been quick to shut down the idea. However, thanks to COVID-19, many plans for the future were drastically changed, including my own. Now, five weeks into Gap at Glen Brook, I am so thankful to have made the decision to take a gap semester. Coronavirus caused a lot of problems and uncertainties, but one good thing that came out of it was this gap experience. 

Being from the Long Island suburbs, I spent a plentiful amount of time outside, but I had minimal experience in the woods. I had my fair share of outdoor experiences at sleep away camp, but none of them compare to what I have encountered here at Glen Brook. Coming to Glen Brook, I knew that I would be one of the most inexperienced participants. And of course, I was right. Many of the gappers here had either been at Glen Brook for camp or lived, breathed, and ate the woods. All I had to offer was a good and playful attitude, but I had no idea how far that would take me. 

For the first three weeks here, we spent the majority of our time outdoors; our cabins having screens instead of walls, the daily chores and activities being spread about the camp. I was nervous about this, especially because of the dropping temperatures. I never realized how much a sense of community and a good attitude could warm you up. During our chores, no matter how grueling they were, there were always smiles and laughter. I can’t remember one day where I didn’t enjoy an outdoor chore. The fourth week was when my anxieties really started to settle in; the canoe trip. Before this semester, I had never camped out and slept outside, and now I had to do it five nights in a row. Most importantly, I had never canoe’d! Next thing I knew, I was on the bus to Jackman, Maine awaiting my death. But wait, that didn’t happen at all. 

Each day on the river brought its own challenges, but also the most amazing memories. On the longest day (12 miles), it poured and hailed, but that didn’t stop any of us. I’m fact, our spirits were lifted. We cackled, screamed songs, and even threatened the sky to give us more rain. This canoe trip was unlike anything I had ever done before. It took me way out of my comfort zone, which is also why I decided to do the Outdoor Leadership apprenticeship. 

Once we returned from the canoe trip, the next two weeks were dedicated to apprenticeships that we chose to be in (cooking meals in the kitchen, farming, facilities, and outdoor leadership). The first week of Outdoor Leadership was focused on learning about wilderness first aid and leadership skills. Then at the end of the first week, we went on a day hike that was six miles long. This day hike was meant to prepare us for the upcoming 4 day backpacking trip. We mimicked what it would be like by wearing our backpacks and filling them with things so we had weight on our backs. And let me tell you, it worked. There were numerous points on the hike where I thought to myself that it was a mistake signing up for Outdoor Leadership. But then I asked myself, isn’t this the point of going out of your comfort zone? To challenge and explore your limits? 

Then came the true test: the four day backpacking trip. All of my leadership and wilderness first aid training has led up to this very moment. Clearly I survived because I’m typing this post, but there were definitely moments when I wasn’t so sure that this would be posted. Some of these moments included hiking 13 miles in the pouring cold rain, climbing a vertical mountain with half of your body weight on your back, or forgetting to purify your stream water. But despite these challenging moments, I have never been so grateful for an experience. I went into this apprenticeship knowing that it would be tough both mentally and physically. And I was right. Each day of the trip, a pair of gappers “led” the rest of the group on the trail to where we would sleep that night, and my partner and I had the rainy day. There were moments when I wanted to stop walking all together and sit under a tree and cry, but knowing that I had a responsibility and was part of a group kept me going. Not only that, but everyone in the group had such high spirits and good attitudes everyday that I couldn’t help but feel silly and happy as well. I never expected to learn so much about my mind and my limitations on this four day backpacking trip, but I am more than happy that I did because I can save these skills and experiences for later moments in my life. 

My time here at Glen Brook has not only challenged me physically, but mentally as well. I can already tell that I have grown in both ways, and I am so excited for what my future in this program holds.