Title: Re: How much planning do you do?
Post by DentonDoc on Oct 14th, 2013 at 9:23pm
Puckster wrote on Oct 14th, 2013 at 8:42pm:Jimbo's excellent post prompted a thought relating to "leadership" on a canoe trip.
I've generally "led" trips in that I plan the route and buy the food. Leading a group of equally experienced paddlers however (most of the guys I go with), leadership is a very subtle thing, and never does a "leader" actually make unilaterally decisions. Perhaps almost by self-selection, the friends and acquaintances I paddle with are of like mind and canoeing/camping style. Group dynamics has never been an issue, until very recently.
On a recent first time trip with experienced acquaintances, my paddling buddy and I encountered the "I don't do it THAT way!" mentality when it came to many aspects of paddling, camping, and fishing. It proved to be an interesting, sometimes tense, but also learning experience. My buddy and I had to consciously decide to not bicker about or dwell on small things, and because of that we had a good trip. We actually learned new techniques, as I think the other two guys also learned a few things from us.
But I'm curious, have other QJrs experienced an occasional tense moment when there is a difference of opinion between/among experienced campers? (Who's in charge?) Did it come to blows? :-/ Or did you figure out an approach to avoid what could have been a tense situation? |
Hmmmmmm. I think there is a reason I generally paddle a solo canoe and pack as though I'm traveling solo ... if you catch my drift. :P dd
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