I am officially a blog neglecter...ugh! I guess all I can do is tell lots of good stories about why I haven't written. Considering that I haven't posted in a month, this could be a long one. Since my last post, I've made my biggest purchase in several years. I am now the proud owner of an entire ski set up. Skis, bindings, boots, poles, a helmet goggles, the whole deal. Additionally each of the days I've taken them out in the past week have been fresh powder days. PERFECT!
From March 11th-20th, I was down in Gunnison Colorado re-taking a Wilderness First Responder Course with a fellow crew leader, Josh. Because it was my second time taking the course, I felt I was able to absorb much more information and hone in on good patient assessment and care. While in Gunnison, we stayed at an awesome hostel called Wanderlust run by two great gals, Amy and Melissa. If anyone is ever looking for a place to stay in Gunnison, you should check it out. Additionally, for the second time in a month, I got to see my best friend Alli in Montrose, CO. Although I drove a total of 3 hours to see Alli for 2 hours, it was wonderful to see her and I'm so glad I made the trip. Driving home from Gunnison in daylight made for a beautiful drive and I was ecstatic to get home to someone special. Thus I will introduce to the world, on my blog, Kory Cook, my boyfriend. Kory and I met while working at the ski area and have been pretty much inseparable since our first date at the Banff mountain film festival world tour in Laramie.
After a much needed night of rest, I departed again for Denver to pick up Adam Pettee and Courtney Smith from the airport. These two were kind enough to spend there spring break with me for some much needed fun. Upon picking them up it was close to 70 degrees and sunny in Denver. Although the weather was beautiful, I was really hoping for some snow so they could ski on fresh powder. Sure enough, both Wednesday and Friday(the two days I was working) we had a few inches of snow and on friday, enough people showed up to work that I got the day off and skied for just about every minute of it. Friday night, we all shared a new experience that really made me feel like a local, shooting guns on BLM land. After much discussion on the ride there about everything not to do, we were all nervous, but excited to try it. As it turns out, Adam is quite the marksman, and Courtney and I are not. We were much better at throwing the clays and even that was not so easy. On Saturday, we drove through some nasty weather on I-80 to get Courtney and Adam back to the airport. After a teary farewell, I sent them on their way and made the 2.5 hour drive to Laramie one last time.
For now, I'm enjoying my last week at the ski area and then I'm off to Salida, CO for 4 days of chainsaw training with the other crew leaders at Colorado Fire Camp. Hopefully, I'll post sooner rather than later!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Risk Management Journal
Assignment: Reflect on why risk management is important and steps you can take to make sure risk is limited.
Risk; exposure to the chance of injury or loss. You could say that only a pessimist would see risk around every corner, but by taking actions that have real consequences(risks), we open so many doors to learn and grow.
Early on in college, I was fortunate enough to learn the famous venn diagram risk equation from Mr. Bill Schnirel in Outdoor Education class. On one side of the diagram is human factors, and on the other is environmental factors. Naturally, the middle is the cross-over space where human and environmental factors interact and result in incidents, or worse yet, accidents.
So, what can we do to as leaders to mitigate risk for ourselves and our groups. BE PREPARED of course. Most incidents and accidents are the result of human error, so the best thing we can do is be educated. Know where you are, what resources are there, and how to get out quickly if the event arises. Know what you're doing, how your equipment works, and that you should stop if you are concerned about safety. Lastly, know your group and their skill level so that you know who and what to look out for. If you're always a step ahead, you'll always have the space you need to fix things before they even become a problem.
Risk; exposure to the chance of injury or loss. You could say that only a pessimist would see risk around every corner, but by taking actions that have real consequences(risks), we open so many doors to learn and grow.
Early on in college, I was fortunate enough to learn the famous venn diagram risk equation from Mr. Bill Schnirel in Outdoor Education class. On one side of the diagram is human factors, and on the other is environmental factors. Naturally, the middle is the cross-over space where human and environmental factors interact and result in incidents, or worse yet, accidents.
So, what can we do to as leaders to mitigate risk for ourselves and our groups. BE PREPARED of course. Most incidents and accidents are the result of human error, so the best thing we can do is be educated. Know where you are, what resources are there, and how to get out quickly if the event arises. Know what you're doing, how your equipment works, and that you should stop if you are concerned about safety. Lastly, know your group and their skill level so that you know who and what to look out for. If you're always a step ahead, you'll always have the space you need to fix things before they even become a problem.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Project Management Plan
Vision: Provide recreation opportunities in state parks lands for mountain bike users
Critical Success Factors: Develop 4 miles of single track trails that will be complete and available to users at the conclusion of the 10 day hitch. Crew learns the fundamentals of single track trail building.
Work Breakdown Schedule: Work will proceed in a bell curve type fashion where the bulk of the work will be done mid hitch followed by a day off and then a final push to complete the project. Day 1(Travel, frontload and assimilate to work site). Day 2-3(Develop first mile of trail). Day 4-6(Develop 2 miles of trail). Day 7(Half day or day off depending on progress). Day 8-9(Last mile of trail and finishing touches). Day 10(Clean up and travel home).
Resources: WCC equipment will be used in conjunction with agency equipment
Financial Plan: Yeah Tim and Kendall!
Project Team Roles and Responsibilities: Crew leaders main role is to provide guidance to team members to complete projects as planned and act as a team liason to agencies to ensure projects are accomplished as envisioned. Crew members will serve to support this mission and provide the labor necessary to comlete tasks
Document Distribution: Documents will be distributed during travel time and discussed twice daily in group ups
Quality Control Plan:Check in daily with agency partner to determine if project is being completed to standards disucessed in scope
Communication Plan: The foundation will be excellent co leader communication, followed by group communication and then communication with the agency partner. Twice daily group meetings will ensure that issues are dealt with and goals and expectations can be achieved or met.
Change Management Plan: Schedule accomodates time for changes in the scope of work or adjustments to the critical path. This will be minimized by maininting excellent communication among leaders, members, and agencies.
Risk Management Plan: Critical parts will include the first day of site assimilation and project familiarization. Risk can be minimized by checking in with group members and ensuring they are physically and emotionally able to work in a safe environment.
Client Care Plan: Maintaining good contact with the agency will be critical to the success of the project. We will check in with the agency daily to ensure that goals are being met and everyone is getting most they can from the experience.
Critical Success Factors: Develop 4 miles of single track trails that will be complete and available to users at the conclusion of the 10 day hitch. Crew learns the fundamentals of single track trail building.
Work Breakdown Schedule: Work will proceed in a bell curve type fashion where the bulk of the work will be done mid hitch followed by a day off and then a final push to complete the project. Day 1(Travel, frontload and assimilate to work site). Day 2-3(Develop first mile of trail). Day 4-6(Develop 2 miles of trail). Day 7(Half day or day off depending on progress). Day 8-9(Last mile of trail and finishing touches). Day 10(Clean up and travel home).
Resources: WCC equipment will be used in conjunction with agency equipment
Financial Plan: Yeah Tim and Kendall!
Project Team Roles and Responsibilities: Crew leaders main role is to provide guidance to team members to complete projects as planned and act as a team liason to agencies to ensure projects are accomplished as envisioned. Crew members will serve to support this mission and provide the labor necessary to comlete tasks
Document Distribution: Documents will be distributed during travel time and discussed twice daily in group ups
Quality Control Plan:Check in daily with agency partner to determine if project is being completed to standards disucessed in scope
Communication Plan: The foundation will be excellent co leader communication, followed by group communication and then communication with the agency partner. Twice daily group meetings will ensure that issues are dealt with and goals and expectations can be achieved or met.
Change Management Plan: Schedule accomodates time for changes in the scope of work or adjustments to the critical path. This will be minimized by maininting excellent communication among leaders, members, and agencies.
Risk Management Plan: Critical parts will include the first day of site assimilation and project familiarization. Risk can be minimized by checking in with group members and ensuring they are physically and emotionally able to work in a safe environment.
Client Care Plan: Maintaining good contact with the agency will be critical to the success of the project. We will check in with the agency daily to ensure that goals are being met and everyone is getting most they can from the experience.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Group Development Part II
Assignment: Journal on 2 characteristics of healthy group development and 2 obstacles preventing group development.
I'm going to simplify this assignment by picking two topics, and stating how they can help or hinder group development. I'll go with 2 that seem like to brainers to me, conflict management and responsibility.
Responsibility is a burden of obligation. In the stages of group development, a huge part of the groups forming can occur at the time they are first given responsibility. This responsibility can manifest in many ways like taking on roles, generating ideas, solving problems, and making decisions. When the individuals in the group are given responsibility, they become important and needed, making each individual feel like a part of a collaborative effort. All this makes it possible for the group to develop further. However, if responsibility is never taken, or only taken by select individuals, development can be hindered or get stuck in the storming stage.
Which leads me to my next topic, conflict management. I'm personally a huge fan of the storming stage of group development. I like to think that conflict creates some temporary chaos, but if dealt with correctly, chaos can become calm. Without it, we would never learn or grow. But, in order to learn and grow, it's critical to confront group and other inter-personal issues among your team. If conflict is not managed and addressed, issues will only magnify and create more issues. If managed well though, there is exponential room for growth among your team.
I'm going to simplify this assignment by picking two topics, and stating how they can help or hinder group development. I'll go with 2 that seem like to brainers to me, conflict management and responsibility.
Responsibility is a burden of obligation. In the stages of group development, a huge part of the groups forming can occur at the time they are first given responsibility. This responsibility can manifest in many ways like taking on roles, generating ideas, solving problems, and making decisions. When the individuals in the group are given responsibility, they become important and needed, making each individual feel like a part of a collaborative effort. All this makes it possible for the group to develop further. However, if responsibility is never taken, or only taken by select individuals, development can be hindered or get stuck in the storming stage.
Which leads me to my next topic, conflict management. I'm personally a huge fan of the storming stage of group development. I like to think that conflict creates some temporary chaos, but if dealt with correctly, chaos can become calm. Without it, we would never learn or grow. But, in order to learn and grow, it's critical to confront group and other inter-personal issues among your team. If conflict is not managed and addressed, issues will only magnify and create more issues. If managed well though, there is exponential room for growth among your team.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Gratitude Filled Snow Globe
I'll admit that lately, my blogging has been cut down to a bare minimum 'must not give up on new years resolution' dreaded homework assignment where I spend far too much time staring at the computer screen. Is this what writers block is? Luckily, today someone said something that caught my attention, and in conjunction with a few other thoughts, I feel I finally have adequate content for a posting.
Working at Snowy Range Ski Area is like working in a snow globe. Some days it's tranquil and quiet as if someone had let it sit idly overnight and then let it be all day. Other days, like today, I get the impression that a two year old has taken our 'globe' and spent their day shaking it violently. What other explanation could there be for 50 mph gusts and white out conditions? Just yesterday, I shoveled in a long sleeve shirt and got sunburn. Today I wore two jackets, got windburn, and still came home cold at the end of the day. Please, put the globe down, kid.
But somwhere in the 33 miles between Laramie and Centennial, there's a buffer zone. For me, it's a place of total bliss, where the sun and the moon never fail to entertain my mind. Wild horses roam the range and the bluest sky you've ever seen makes the endlessness of the whole place that much more magnificent. Most of the time I spend my drive brainstorming words to explain all this, or how to capture it all in a photo, but I always come up short. Short, but happy, because after a few weeks I have nothing but appreciation for the fact that the place I live is inexplainable. For that and my understanding of that, I am thankful.
The past few weeks have been a great mix of old and new friends. Last weekend I spent three days in Telluride with my best friend Alli, skiing and doing many other things Alli and I love to do, like clean kitchens, drink tea often, and play with children. Spending time with an old friend is always a good reminder of where you've been and what you're doing on the path you're on. I couldn't be happier that Alli is 'only' 8 hours away. I also couldn't be happier to have such awesome co-workers at both Snowy Range and at Wyoming Conservation Corps. Finally, I am OUT OF THIS WORLD EXCITED that the one and only Adam Pettee is coming out to visit for a week in march. As much as I love my inability to explain my life here, I'm so excited to share it with someone who can make sense of all my stories.
After all, it's not where you are, but who you're with.
Working at Snowy Range Ski Area is like working in a snow globe. Some days it's tranquil and quiet as if someone had let it sit idly overnight and then let it be all day. Other days, like today, I get the impression that a two year old has taken our 'globe' and spent their day shaking it violently. What other explanation could there be for 50 mph gusts and white out conditions? Just yesterday, I shoveled in a long sleeve shirt and got sunburn. Today I wore two jackets, got windburn, and still came home cold at the end of the day. Please, put the globe down, kid.
But somwhere in the 33 miles between Laramie and Centennial, there's a buffer zone. For me, it's a place of total bliss, where the sun and the moon never fail to entertain my mind. Wild horses roam the range and the bluest sky you've ever seen makes the endlessness of the whole place that much more magnificent. Most of the time I spend my drive brainstorming words to explain all this, or how to capture it all in a photo, but I always come up short. Short, but happy, because after a few weeks I have nothing but appreciation for the fact that the place I live is inexplainable. For that and my understanding of that, I am thankful.
The past few weeks have been a great mix of old and new friends. Last weekend I spent three days in Telluride with my best friend Alli, skiing and doing many other things Alli and I love to do, like clean kitchens, drink tea often, and play with children. Spending time with an old friend is always a good reminder of where you've been and what you're doing on the path you're on. I couldn't be happier that Alli is 'only' 8 hours away. I also couldn't be happier to have such awesome co-workers at both Snowy Range and at Wyoming Conservation Corps. Finally, I am OUT OF THIS WORLD EXCITED that the one and only Adam Pettee is coming out to visit for a week in march. As much as I love my inability to explain my life here, I'm so excited to share it with someone who can make sense of all my stories.
After all, it's not where you are, but who you're with.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Group Reflections
Your middle school teachers really weren't kidding when they told you you would have to work in groups in the 'real world'. Upon trying to list all the groups I've worked in or with in some capacity, I've filled up a whole page with no problems. I've narrowed it down to the two best extremes I can think of...
The first is my historically favorite 'great' group-The 2007-2008 officers of the Towson University Rock Climbing Club. To be totally honest, upon running for officer of RCC I had NO idea at all what I was getting myself into. Luckily, the three other officers all had experience with the club and made my transition super easy. One of the essential components of our success was our communication. Each week we held a meeting to talk about what was going on with our club supervisor and have a small chunk of time to get some work done. After our hour long meeting we would all go out to a secret lunch spot together so that we could have some fun time as well. Aside from our communication efforts, we all filled specific niches in our group. Ian was our 'techy', having a wide knowledge of climbing equipment and techniques. Bob was our muscley workout master pushing us in workouts, but also supporting the officers to keep getting more work done. Alli was our group mom and workhorse who kept everyone happy and loved while all the while being a master of paper work and technicalities. All of this hard work and group cohesion really paid off when we planned our clubs first cross country trip to New Mexico in the spring of 2008. It took a lot of extra work to convince our administration that we were prepared, but with a glossary of terms in your powerpoint, how could you ever go wrong? The leadership team finished off the year strong by making a solid transtion into new leadership for the fall semester when the club traveled to California and Alabama to climb. We definitely left a legacy-Kudos to you all; Ian Brown, Bob Spielman, and Alli Kreuzer!
And then of course, my classic 'bad group'. If you've ever experienced a humid New Jersey summer, you know it can be quite unpleasant. In particular, working in a field with no shade from 8-4 as a slave with a 20 minute lunch break really seemed to bring out the worst in people. Of the 13 staff, 6 were returning and good hard workers. Another 6 had never worked at a camp, and more significantly had no experience on a ropes course. Then of course, right in the middle was me. I had a good amount of experience climbing and belaying but had not worked at a summer camp before. So let me put it this way, despite all efforts to bring everyone to the same level of training and operational standards, information seemed to evaporate into thin air for the new folks. Things that were obvious and clear to people with experience(like anchoring down and belaying with 2 hands) just didn't stick with the new guys. Eventually the experienced folks got tired of trying to teach and the new folks got tired of trying to learn information that just didn't come accross clearly. Ultimately, this meant that the new guys got stuck doing the slave work(moving ladders back and forth and hauling screaming 5th graders 30 feet into the air on a giant swing. I think it goes without saying that one would not want to haul children up all day in the sun when another job(launching children from the zipline) involved sitting on a shady platform in a tree for hours on end. I don't think there was anyone in particular to blame for these misfortunes, and without adding extra days of training, there was really no way to 'correct' the problems once the season was underway. In conclusion, I learned a lot that summer, but not enough to bring me back for another season. Only 4 staff returned the following summer. Wah wah...
The first is my historically favorite 'great' group-The 2007-2008 officers of the Towson University Rock Climbing Club. To be totally honest, upon running for officer of RCC I had NO idea at all what I was getting myself into. Luckily, the three other officers all had experience with the club and made my transition super easy. One of the essential components of our success was our communication. Each week we held a meeting to talk about what was going on with our club supervisor and have a small chunk of time to get some work done. After our hour long meeting we would all go out to a secret lunch spot together so that we could have some fun time as well. Aside from our communication efforts, we all filled specific niches in our group. Ian was our 'techy', having a wide knowledge of climbing equipment and techniques. Bob was our muscley workout master pushing us in workouts, but also supporting the officers to keep getting more work done. Alli was our group mom and workhorse who kept everyone happy and loved while all the while being a master of paper work and technicalities. All of this hard work and group cohesion really paid off when we planned our clubs first cross country trip to New Mexico in the spring of 2008. It took a lot of extra work to convince our administration that we were prepared, but with a glossary of terms in your powerpoint, how could you ever go wrong? The leadership team finished off the year strong by making a solid transtion into new leadership for the fall semester when the club traveled to California and Alabama to climb. We definitely left a legacy-Kudos to you all; Ian Brown, Bob Spielman, and Alli Kreuzer!
And then of course, my classic 'bad group'. If you've ever experienced a humid New Jersey summer, you know it can be quite unpleasant. In particular, working in a field with no shade from 8-4 as a slave with a 20 minute lunch break really seemed to bring out the worst in people. Of the 13 staff, 6 were returning and good hard workers. Another 6 had never worked at a camp, and more significantly had no experience on a ropes course. Then of course, right in the middle was me. I had a good amount of experience climbing and belaying but had not worked at a summer camp before. So let me put it this way, despite all efforts to bring everyone to the same level of training and operational standards, information seemed to evaporate into thin air for the new folks. Things that were obvious and clear to people with experience(like anchoring down and belaying with 2 hands) just didn't stick with the new guys. Eventually the experienced folks got tired of trying to teach and the new folks got tired of trying to learn information that just didn't come accross clearly. Ultimately, this meant that the new guys got stuck doing the slave work(moving ladders back and forth and hauling screaming 5th graders 30 feet into the air on a giant swing. I think it goes without saying that one would not want to haul children up all day in the sun when another job(launching children from the zipline) involved sitting on a shady platform in a tree for hours on end. I don't think there was anyone in particular to blame for these misfortunes, and without adding extra days of training, there was really no way to 'correct' the problems once the season was underway. In conclusion, I learned a lot that summer, but not enough to bring me back for another season. Only 4 staff returned the following summer. Wah wah...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Today...reading, not writing
Ironically, somewhere in my quest towards writing, I've become totally engulfed in reading. I've gone so far as to invest $15 in a subscription to national geographic and got a membership to the laramie library.Today I'm experiencing a total post-superbowl food-coma writing block. I have much bigger and better plans for tomorrow's post. For now, I just want to read, not write. Here's what I've had my nose in...
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell..."What must underlie successful epidemics, in the end, is a bedrock belief that change is possible, that people can radically transform their behavior or beliefs in the face of the right kind of impetus."
Where Men Win Glory by John Krakauer..."Earlier times may not have understood it any better than we do, but they weren't as embarrassed to name it: the life force or spark thought close to divine. It is not. Instead, it's something that makes those who have it fully human, and those who don't look like sleep walkers...It isn't enough to make someone heroic, but without it any hero will be forgotten. Rousseau called it force of soul; Arendt called it love of the world. It's the foundation of Eros; you may call it charisma. Is it a gift of the gods, or something that has to be earned? Watching such people, you will sense that it's both: given like perfect pitch, or grace, that no one can deserve or strive for, and captured like the greatest of prizes it is. Having it makes people think more, see more, feel more. More intensely, more keenly, more loudly if you like; but not more in the way of the gods. On the contrary, next to heroes like Odysseus and Penelope, the gods seem oddly flat. They are bigger, of course, and they live forever, but their presence seems diminished...The gods of The Odyssey aren't alive, just immortal; and with immortality most of the qualities we cherish become pointless. With nothing to risk, thegods need no courage." Quote by Susan Neiman-Moral Clarity
Three Feet From Gold by Greg Reid and Susan Lechter..."Remember that your real wealth can be measured not by what you have, but by what you are" Quote by Napoleon Hill
and finally...
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold..."The problem, then, is how to bring about a striving for harmony with land among a people many of whom have forgotten there is any such thing as land, among whom education and culture have become almost synonymous with landlessness. This is the problem of conservation education."
I know that its a bit of an eclectic blend, but I generally don't make book reccommendations lightly, so when I say you should check these out, I promise that there's purpose.
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