One of the courses I'm taking in New Zealand is called "Land Journeys and Ethics." Initially, I was drawn to the course because it dealt with ethics and the environment. But what really sold me was the fact that the class had two backpacking field trips! I figured this was the perfect way to guarantee at least a couple of trips where transportation and some gear would be provided. Unfortunately, on the first day of class I learned that budget cuts had reduced the number of field trips to one. I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed at first. Then I realized how many weekends I had already booked up, so maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all?
Flash forward five weeks and I found myself once again on my way to the mountains. However, instead of a designated tramping group, I was surrounded by classmates with varying outdoor experience. Some had never been camping whereas others knew all about the idea of Leave No Trace. This turned out to be an important lesson of the trip: when some people are new and uncomfortable in the situation, adjusting the trip to create a good experience for everyone is necessary. I had to set aside my own desires and pay attention to the needs of the group.
A couple hours of driving Friday afternoon meant that we pulled into the parking lot at dusk. Groups were sorted and group leaders explained where the campsite was located. Last minute trips to the toilet were taken and finally we were ready to go. By this time, it was dark. Initially, I thought walking at night was strange and I didn’t understand why our professor decided we should hike at night. Later, I learned it was to create a contrast between hiking through the unknown on the way in and then seeing it all in daylight on the way out. In the moment, I was mostly concerned because we were told the campsite was a good 2-3 hours away and it was nearly 8pm. How hard and steep was the trail? Was it well worm or would you have to rely on reflective markers? Would there be river crossings? Since the trails I had previously hiked in New Zealand would have been quite challenging at night, I was anxious to get started. Well, the trail proved to be easy in difficulty and we made frequent stops, whether it be to rest, watch the clouds blow over to reveal a nearly full moon, or to explore a historic mine tunnel entrance. For me, seeing the moon illuminate our surroundings was incredible. All I wanted was set up a tripod and spend 20 minutes photographing the landscape. But even though we stopped frequently, it was either too short a break to get a good picture or a group activity was involved. Catching up to the group would have been no problem given the easy pace, but I knew we had to stick together. I put away my camera and focused on enjoying the view, committing as much of it to memory as I could.
You could tell by around 10:30pm that one individual was struggling. I don’t know if she was simply tired from a long day of school or the hiking was wearing her out, but she was really lagging behind. I had nominated myself as the last person, so it was my responsibility to make sure we kept up with the group. I tried talking to her in hopes of providing a distraction from the fatigue. I recommended she eat something for a boost of energy. She declined. I offered guidance on how to adjust her backpack to make things comfortable. It helped, but only slightly. In the end, I still had to yell up ahead a couple times for the group to stop. To be honest, I was frustrated at first because she wasn’t breathing heavily or sweating or showing other signs of complete exhaustion. To me, it looked like she was mentally giving up. I’m sure everyone else was just as ready to crawl into their sleeping bags for the night, but that seemed to motivate most people to walk faster, not slower. I thought it should be obvious to her that the sooner we get to the campsite, the sooner we get to rest. That’s when I realized it was selfish of me to ignore this girl’s limits. Clearly, she was having a hard time and it wouldn’t be right if I or the group pushed her to go faster just so we could set up camp 5-10 minutes sooner. I think the professor also realized how much she was struggling so he moved to the back and the three of us walked together while the rest of the group sped up when with campsite came into view.
Finally, around 11:30pm, we made it to the hut and campsite. As the last ones there, we set up our tents as quietly as possible. At this point, I accepted the fact I wasn’t going to get much sleep so I allowed my self a bit of time to take pictures.
Our trip plan was adjusted to accommodate the group and the next day we set up camp maybe a half hour’s walk from the first site. We did a casual day hike around the area and briefly joined up with the other groups at a waterfall.
On the morning of the last day, a small group of us got up early in hopes of catching the sunrise in a scenic spot. Originally intending to go off trail but within sight of camp, our professor gave us a different destination accessible by a trail. Between the change of plans and getting people awake, we quickly got behind schedule. The same girl who struggled on the first night wanted to come along. I wasn’t about to say no, but I knew we would need to maintain a fast pace if we wanted to get there in time. We set off at a brisk trot and the girl fell behind. We took a break and waited for her, but it wasn’t too long before the whole situation was repeated. Fearful of getting lost, the girl became agitated the more she couldn’t keep up. Seeing her so upset was like a slap to the face. I felt bad. Once again, I was being selfish; thinking too much about seeing the sunrise instead of considering the limits of the group. If we were really serious about catching the sunrise, we should have set a clear plan the night before and maybe even suggested that the girl sleep in. Neither of those things happened and we had to live with those choices. There on the trail, the group made a decision to stick together. Around ten minutes later, we stopped when we got a good view of the moon and the sky painted hues of pink, purple, and blue. We didn’t see the sunrise, but it was still a beautiful view.
In trying to accommodate everyone, our professor was kind enough to offer a more challenging route to the parking lot. He described the hike as a medium trail at a hard pace (no bushwhacking). We would steadily ascend until we reached a cliff overhang known as the Bus Stop before making our way down to the parking lot. I knew I could handle medium trails, it was the pace that concerned me given the weight of my pack. However, I decided to go take the alternative route, thinking I’d be hypocritical to pass up this opportunity when earlier in the trip I had silently complained to myself about the lack of difficulty.
Only four students (myself included) went with the professor and looking at the others, I bluntly admitted to myself that I was probably the least fit person in the group. Yep, now it was my turn to be the limiting factor. My only goal was to keep up and I purposely stayed at the back. Initially, the pace was doable, but then we started the ascent. Oh boy, here we go I thought. While the trail wasn’t bad, the pace was definitely challenging me going uphill. The higher we climbed, the more worn out my legs became. Even when my legs were burning and I was breathing hard with sweat beading on my face, I was determined to keep moving. Not knowing how close the top was, I began to seriously consider stopping if only for a bit while the others continued on. Thankfully, few minutes later, the professor had us all stop for some water. The break was just what I needed. I mentally prepared myself as we started up again, but we were a lot closer to the Bus Stop than I expected. After that, it was smooth sailing. I had no issues with the downhill and we ended up being the first group to reach the parking lot!
Suffice to say, I learned a lot that weekend. Primarily, I had to reminded myself the purpose of the trip. It wasn’t about covering lots of ground or summiting mountains. It was about educating students and fostering a positive experience. That may mean taking more breaks, walking more slowly, or changing the plan itself. But by doing so, people come to enjoy activities like hiking or camping which helps us value the environment. Bring in some Leave No Trace education and now we can take care of the natural areas we love to explore.
