Our weekend in the Blue Mountains was an unforgettable
experience. Even a week later, I can think back to that weekend and remember
how at peace I was while hiking around even after eight hours and then how sad
I was to return to the city that Sunday.
From the first day, the weekend taught me so much about
myself, others, and the environment we were hiking in. I’m not just saying that
because that was the goal of the course – I actually did learn a lot.
I learned the most on the most challenging day, which can be
demonstrated in the edgework and flow theories. As the challenge increased, I
got closer to my edge zone, but never entered the anxiety area, allowing for
optimal experiential learning to take place (Csikszentimihalyi, 1991; Lyng,
1990; Merged by Gustafson, 1994, revised 2006). Throughout the weekend and the
class in general, we discussed comfort zones. When I was younger, I was afraid
of everything. Roller coasters, haunted houses, heights, animals, and more
would send me into hysterics. Those fears remain, but my previous experiences
in tackling these fears have allowed me to have a very wide comfort zone when
tackling uncomfortable situations.
I did, however, learn about a different part of my comfort
zone during our weekend. I am most comfortable when I am in control of the pace
and the timing of the hike. Over the weekend, we took turns leading and walking
in the back. I had little say in what we were doing or how fast we walked. It
made me antsy.
Learning a new kind of patience and having to let go of
control, however, was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Relaxing and
walking at the back of the group afforded me endless opportunities to slow down,
talk to new people, and enjoy the present moment. I noticed my itching desire
to take the lead slowly faded away when I was engrossed in conversation. This
allowed me to be mindful of the itch on Sunday and consciously take a step back
when I began to worry too much about timing or the walk. I think the little
things we learned about ourselves on the two days prior to our cabin-only hike
allowed us to enjoy Wentworth Falls more than we otherwise would have.
I learned about others at different stages of the trip. The
girls in my cabin grew to be quite close in the three days we spent together,
just by playing games, discussing our cultural difference, and making a music
video. Just by each of us opening up a little, we were able to create a deeper
bond than we otherwise would have.
Another part of the trip that I’ll never forget came during
the middle of the Saturday hike. We stopped by a tree and were asked to partner
up with somebody we hadn’t talked to much on the hike. Alex Cammy offered to
partner with me. I didn’t know Alex at all but was glad that he had offered to
be my buddy. Before we continued walking, we took turns painting our faces with
the residual from the tree. Alex painted me first, giving me a goatee and
unibrow. I quickly retaliated and we had everyone laughing. I learned how
quickly people can bond with a small joke as long as we are willing to not take
ourselves seriously. We continued walking together and I learned even more about
him. Our ensuing chat came effortlessly because it felt like we had already
been friends for a while after the war paint experience.
As for the natural environment, I learned about the Blue
Mountains throughout the hikes. When we descended into the many different
environments and experienced everything around us, the learning came naturally.
I was so impressed to hear we were in the second largest valley in the world,
and excited to learn about how to determine if water from a stream is more
likely to be safe to drink or not. During the hike, I began to appreciate all
parts of nature, from the most beautiful waterfalls to the coldest swimming
water of my life. Even after spending three days surrounded by mountains and
trees, I couldn’t get enough.
The campfire debriefing period allowed me to reflect on the
day and remember what I had learned and helped me to think about how I can
apply it to my future (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). Moving into the
fourth stage of the experiential learning cycle, testing implications in a new situation,
I’ve already started applying my knowledge about myself to my everyday life
when I am planning activities with my friends and working on group projects
(Kolb, 1984). I think for experiential learning to be most effective, these experiences need to reinforced over time, so that participants are constantly reminded of their own strengths and weaknesses and the lessons they have learned.
Looking back on my first blog at the beginning of the
semester, I had hoped “to bond with others, see new places, and make memories
of a lifetime”. Our trip to the Blue Mountains accomplished each of these three
goals. After such a successful semester, I hope to take advantage of more of
these kinds of opportunities in my future. There is so much more to learn and
see and the trip awakened a new desire to see as much of it as possible.
