Adventures on the Sawtooth Trek

The Sawtooth Trek group learned some really important lessons as they made the decision to cut the trip short on the 7th day. Here’s how Ben Brock, Director of Outdoor Education, explained the decision.

Starting on day one, we had emphasized the role that every member of the group played in the success of the trip; from self care, to sharing the loads, to emotional support, we were in this thing together. We communicated openly with students about how the situation was continually changing and involved them in the decision-making process; their input helped refine our plans at every step. The trip had truly become a group effort and to send some students out (due to severe blisters) while others continued on felt like it would go against the message that we had been communicating throughout the trip.

In the end, I believe that the decision demonstrated an important lesson to a group of young outdoor enthusiasts; it is okay to be conservative in the wilderness. We could have pushed on and things might have turned out just fine. But had we pushed on and limped into Redfish with even one toe that was in dire need of a trip to the ER, we’d all have felt pretty awful.

I also believe this trip illustrates an important lesson about ‘success’ and ‘failure.’ There are few opportunities for young people these days to fail meaningfully. I know that to many it was disheartening to not complete the route that we set out to hike; after the planning and thought that went into the trip, I have to admit that part of me was pretty bummed. At the end of the day, however, I think we all learned more from ‘failing’ to complete our route than if we were sitting at Cramer Lakes right now, getting ready to ‘succeed’ at our traverse. We have learned more about the terrain, more about our own abilities and needs, and we will all be better prepared for the next adventure. I know that some students have already gone out and assembled new blister kits of their own and some students have signed up for Wilderness First Aid courses so that they’re better able to manage these kinds of situations on their own.

Judging by the photos, it seems as though the trip was still a huge success!