Staff Training

June 13, 2009

Staff training has finally come to an end. I say finally only because this was the longest training I have ever encountered. Two and a half weeks ago I arrived. Since then, I have backpacked, rock climbed, rappelled, slept in a tent on the top of a mountain during a thunderstorm, canoed, taken wilderness first aid, kayaked, learned CPR, zip lined, mountain boarded, played games, cooked meals, learned policies, cleaned bathrooms, and laughed so hard my side and face muscles hurt.
The staff consists of 6 trip leaders (3 guys, 3 girls one of which is me), 3 coordinators, and 3 full time staff. Many of the staff I worked with during the spring session at Camp Cheerio which has made my transition run a lot smoother.

Life is a bit more rugged here. Although during staff training I stayed in a cabin, come tomorrow I will be in a platform canvas tent sharing space with seven 10-14 year olds and a co-trip leader.

Whether I am mentally and physically prepared makes little difference. Right now I feel like I have been hit by a truck. I have bruises that I am clueless to how they got there. All I can figure out is the majority of them came from the capstone of our training: The Adventure Challenge.

The 6 trip leaders were paired off and each team had to embark on an 18-station journey encompassing all that we had learned over the past 2.5 weeks. Nate and I were paired together and dubbed the Old Folks as we found ourselves competing against people 22 and under. Ah, but with age also comes wisdom. Our combined experience proved to be an important asset as we gained almost an hour advantage on the first station of knot tying; something I have been doing for the past 8 years. Knowing what to pack also was an advantage as my Jet Boil stove shot us even further ahead by boiling water in 3 minutes. Nate’s knowledge of the wilderness, previous experience at Cheerio, and skills on the water sealed our lead. After a 12-hour venture, the Old Folks were the first to cross the finish line.