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Veteran Or Beginner, Attitude In The Outdoors

Discussion in 'Other Camping' started by 2sweed, Apr 5, 2015.

  1. 2sweed

    2sweed Natural Camper Staff Member

    In reading a book called "Backpacking One Step At A Time, By Harvey Manning," I came across a topic he refers to as Respect. I figured this was a good topic of discussion as it deals with basic human viewpoints. As Harvey talks about beginners and veterans, his thoughts are on the dangerous things and memories told over campfires over the years and of the narrow escapes, and as one person to another asks "How did we make it this far?" They both might laugh nervously, for they should have died many times over when they were young and raw and fearless.

    Maybe at that point they become silent remembering companions or friends that did not make it and were now missing this campfire. For the thing these old veterans learned is that fear is healthy and when scared, they now say it loud and proudly, having ceased years ago to fret about being called a chicken.

    But how about beginners? They may be driven by pride or social pressure to run when in their gut they know it would be wiser to walk. Or they may continue toward a planned objective when deep down in their heart they know it would be better to retreat. There is often that fear of not measuring up to manhood or not meeting up to another's expectations, or of becoming old and not as good as one used to be that drives someone onward.

    Be it a hiker or a camper, and no matter how inexperienced, one almost always realizes when he or she is in great danger. One knows when the terrain is so steep that a fall could be mortal. Or when the wind is so strong that a bad storm is surely building, or when the temperature is dropping to unsafe degrees.

    The author states that beginners are in danger of dying out on the trails or in remote locations, or from bad planning or total inexperience because they do not have the guts to be cowards. They have been led approach the great outdoors without any sense of fear, but just with the idea of overcoming or taking control of a place or thing, by use of will and determination, without thinking it though in regards to the dangers. So he says that the outdoor experience can build confidence and a sense of accomplishment, through learning respect and humility, and admitting to ones self that being afraid is healthy and when fear rears up to take the proper steps to prevent disaster.

    What if anything does this article remind you of when you read it? Do you remember those foolish thoughts and actions that could have been the time you almost did not make it home? Share your experiences and express your opinions on this topic of conversation, as do you agree or disagree with this author, or can you add to this way of thinking to educate others.
     
    2sweed, Apr 5, 2015
    #1
    Saul Goodman likes this.
  2. Northern Dancer

    Northern Dancer Survivalist

    Interesting article. I find living with people far more dangerous than living in the wilderness.
     
    Northern Dancer, Apr 5, 2015
    #2
  3. actadh

    actadh Pathfinder

    Nice discussion topic, 2sweed. It reminded me of the conscious competence model:

    1 - unconscious incompetence

    • the person is not aware of the existence or relevance of the skill area
    • the person is not aware that they have a particular deficiency in the area concerned
    • the person might deny the relevance or usefulness of the new skill
    • the person must become conscious of their incompetence before development of the new skill or learning can begin
    • the aim of the trainee or learner and the trainer or teacher is to move the person into the 'conscious competence' stage, by demonstrating the skill or ability and the benefit that it will bring to the person's effectiveness
    2 - conscious incompetence

    • the person becomes aware of the existence and relevance of the skill
    • the person is therefore also aware of their deficiency in this area, ideally by attempting or trying to use the skill
    • the person realizes that by improving their skill or ability in this area their effectiveness will improve
    • ideally the person has a measure of the extent of their deficiency in the relevant skill, and a measure of what level of skill is required for their own competence
    • the person ideally makes a commitment to learn and practice the new skill, and to move to the 'conscious competence' stage

    3 - conscious competence

    • the person achieves 'conscious competence' in a skill when they can perform it reliably at will
    • the person will need to concentrate and think in order to perform the skill
    • the person can perform the skill without assistance
    • the person will not reliably perform the skill unless thinking about it - the skill is not yet 'second nature' or 'automatic'
    • the person should be able to demonstrate the skill to another, but is unlikely to be able to teach it well to another person
    • the person should ideally continue to practice the new skill, and if appropriate commit to becoming 'unconsciously competent' at the new skill
    • practice is the single most effective way to move from stage 3 to 4
    4 - unconscious competence

    • the skill becomes so practiced that it enters the unconscious parts of the brain - it becomes 'second nature'
    • common examples are driving, sports activities, typing, manual dexterity tasks, listening and communicating
    • it becomes possible for certain skills to be performed while doing something else, for example, knitting while reading a book
    • the person might now be able to teach others in the skill concerned, although after some time of being unconsciously competent the person might actually have difficulty in explaining exactly how they do it - the skill has become largely instinctual
    • this arguably gives rise to the need for long-standing unconscious competence to be checked periodically against new standards
     
    actadh, Apr 9, 2015
    #3
  4. Saul Goodman

    Saul Goodman Explorer

    Wow, that's a true thing you said there!
     
    Saul Goodman, Apr 9, 2015
    #4
  5. Northern Dancer

    Northern Dancer Survivalist

    @actadh - sounds like a teaching model, sort of similar to Bloom's taxonomy.

    Bloom's taxonomy refers to a classification of the different objectives that educators set for students (learning objectives). It divides educational objectives into three "domains": cognitive, effective and psycho-motor (sometimes loosely described as "knowing/head", "feeling/heart" and "doing/hands" respectively).

    Now we are getting heavy.:(

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQq_dD3vG3TzlBRQ1ApIf2ntTapjRHz26o4-AKMZJ2-ltB7OmMb.jpg True :)
     
    Northern Dancer, Apr 9, 2015
    #5
  6. 2sweed

    2sweed Natural Camper Staff Member

    What if anything does this article remind you of when you read it? Do you remember those foolish thoughts and actions that could have been the time you almost did not make it home? Share your experiences and express your opinions on this topic of conversation, as do you agree or disagree with this author, or can you add to this way of thinking to educate others.
     
    2sweed, Apr 16, 2015
    #6
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