-
Finding out the bearing of a visual lock-
Keep your body in the same posture as described above, insuring that the Direction of travel-arrow is pointing directly at the visual lock. Then turn the Compass Housing until the red end of the compass needle lies directly above the orienting arrow. Once this is done, the bearing of the visual lock will be given on the Compass Housing, in line with Direction of travel-arrow.
-
Using the compass with a map-
Using the compass, position the map such that the ‘North” indicated on the map is in line with, and facing the same direction as the red end of the compass needle. As a result the cardinal directions on the map will be congruent to those on the compass. Place the compass on your hypothetical location (say “A”) such that the center, or axis, of the compass needle lies exactly on the chosen point. The Direction of travel-arrow should now be pointing towards your destination (say “B”), now, turn the compass housing such that the orienting arrow lies directly below the red end of the compass needle. Once this has been done, the bearing of your destination (“B”) from location “A” will be given in on the compass housing, in line with the direction of travel-arrow.
PACING-
To calculate your pacing, you must be in the presence of a flat path, which is either 100m or 50 m long. Walk up to the end of track and back, counting each and every one of your steps along the way, your steps should be casual, not unusually big or small. Count how many steps it took you to travel 100 metres, and repeat this atleast 4 times. Once this has been done, calculate the average number of steps you took to travel 100 metres.
Use your average pacing to determine how far ahead do you want to go. For example, if you are required to move ahead by 300 metres, and your average pacing is 143 steps, then you would move 429 steps ahead (i.e. 143 X 3), thus you would have covered an approximate distance of 300 metres.
BACKPACKING-
While packing your backpack, ensure that your lightest items are located on the bottom and the top of the bag, and the heaviest items in the middle. Packing the bag in such a manner keeps the bag balanced, thus reducing the risk of injury while carrying the backpack.
- Checking if the backpack is balanced
In order to check if the backpack is balanced, drop the bag from a height of 2-3feet onto the ground; a balanced bag will stay upright, while an unbalanced one will fall horizontally on the ground. ……
PITCHING A TENT-
The tent should be located on relatively flat land, before pitching the tent, clear the area of any rubble and stones, so as create an almost flat surface. Find out what the prevailing wind direction is and set up your tent in a way that the doors and/or vents are aligned along the wind direction. This will greatly increase the ventilation in your tent.
Unpack the tent from the case, and join the black rods to form 2 separate longer rods. Place each rod through a sleeve in the tent, until the rod protrudes from the other end. Put the ends of the rods through the small extensions at the end of the sleeve so that the rod is now curved and taut. At the end of the extension, there will be a small plastic goop, place a nail through each hoop and hammer it into the ground, so that the tent is fixed to the ground. Repeat this procedure for every sleeve so that once it is done, the tent will be dome shaped with two long rods holding it up (as shown in the photograph); the rods should intersect at the very top of the tent. The walls of the tent should be taut.
A dome shaped tent correctly set up with taut walls, and two rods intersecting at the very top (Note the flat land on which the tent is located)
COOKING-
Food is the primary source of nutrients and energy known to man, and when in the wilderness, it is essential to know how to cook food for oneself. Since the activity requires a lot of energy for almost the entire day, the diet must include carbohydrates as its main component. Therefore food items such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and noodles would be advisable. It is important to know hot to use cooking equipment in the wild such as butane gas burners and ensure that accidents do not occur during the cooking process, especially with the gas burners since it could result severe consequences such as forest fires.
TEAMWORK-
Since we had to perform the activity in groups, teamwork was and is an essential element in hill walking. Working as a team ensures that a larger number of tasks are completed in a shorter span of time, however, this can only be achieved when everyone in the team works towards one goal with sufficient intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from the peers in the team. Teamwork can be applied to tasks such as tent pitching, cooking and even climbing and overcoming obstacles. Teamwork increases the overall effectiveness of the group’s performance when done in an organized manner.
TRUST-
Trust is a vital part of nearly every group activity, especially hill walking. Every member of the team should trust his peers, his navigators and the leader. The entire group’s progress as well as enjoyment of the activity can be destroyed if there is no trust being built amongst team members. In any activity, building trust and having faith in the rest of the group is critical for success since it build’s a sense of confidence amongst the team, and acts as an incentive for people to perform well.
LEADERSHIP-
In any type of group, the leader is the one who ensures that the group performs their best whilst performing any activity, and this includes hill walking. A leader demonstrates to his peers, reassures them, motivates them, sets targets and most of all helps his peers. In a challenging activity like hill walking, a leader must ensure that the group functions as a team and as a single unit without any preferences or prejudice against any team member.
A leader also needs to consult with his team as to what is the opportunity cost of any decision taken. Only if all the team members are satisfied with the decision, can it be implemented. If team members are unsatisfied or are in doubt with the decision taken, they will not be able to devote their efforts completely, resulting in a mediocre performance that is not up to the group’s full potential. Everything from the route to be taken, to the food menu should be consulted upon so that each member of the group is content.
Last, but not the least, a leader needs to build a sense of confidence and enthusiasm in the team, so that each and every group member enjoys the activity and performs up to his/her fullest potential. This is what will ensure that the group’s performance is culmination of everyone’s strengths and best efforts, resulting in a truly remarkable overall performance.
PERSONAL PROFILE
STRENGHTS
General Fitness
Cardiovascular fitness-
I believe that my cardiovascular fitness is at a level suitable for this kind of activity since during the expedition, I was able to walk for long periods of time without getting too tired, even while going uphill. My heart and blood vessels are efficient in transport oxygen to my muscles and to the rest of the body, thus giving me a good stamina suitable for an expedition.
Muscular endurance-
In my opinion, I have good muscular endurance and my muscles have a sufficient level of tolerance for lactic acid. As a result, while walking, my hamstrings and quadriceps are able to repeat contraction for long periods of time without getting tired and without developing cramp. This helps me continue walking for a long time without muscular fatigue.
Specific Fitness
Agility-
I feel that I am quite agile and am able change my position smoothly and correctly whilst keeping my body under control. This helps while changing direction on a slope or on a cliff’s edge, since I am to change the position of my body swiftly without losing control, thus reducing the risk of a fall or an injury.
Coordination-
I believe that I am able to successfully coordinate movements between two or more of my limbs pr body parts. This was important in the expedition while walking down steep slopes since I had to move ahead while holding on to rock walls for support. I was able to coordinate the movements between my arms and legs with precision, which helped me move ahead swiftly without tripping or falling along the way.
Speed-
Throughout the expedition, I was able to move at an approximate speed of 4 km/hr, which is in accordance to Naismith’s Rule. As a result, I was able to cover distances as planned out earlier on the map, which made it easier for us to locate where we are and where we need to go.
WEAKNESSES
General Fitness
Flexibility or Suppleness-
In my opinion, I was not as flexible as I should have been during the expedition. My movements were fairly stiff. My legs could move freer and my arms and hands need to be able to perform delicate movements smoothly and carefully in order to be able move swiftly. An increase in flexibility will help me overcome obstacles with ease and help me perform techniques that require a large range of movement at joints.
Specific Fitness
Balance-
I feel that during the expedition, I lacked good balance. This hampered my movements greatly and also affected the speed at which I walked or climbed. While going downhill, I nearly lost balance completely several times, this meant that I had to slow down and take extra care of my movements. I feel that if I become well balanced, I will also be able to improve my speed, agility and coordination to a greater extent. I can improve this with regular yoga, and various exercises in yoga that are meant for balancing. With regular practice I am sure I will soon overcome all these problems.
Analysis Of Skills and Techniques
NAVIGATION-
I believe that I was able to navigate myself along a chosen bearing with ease. The bearings I recorded on the map were accurate, which helped in navigating our way through the forest reserve. When taking the bearing of a visual lock, I usually stood in the correct posture with the base plate held flat on my palm against my chest; this enabled me to take accurate readings. I was also able to follow a particular bearing with ease.
BACKPACKING-
After the expedition, I felt that I could have packed my backpack in a better manner, since I suffered from aches and pains in my back during and after the expedition. This could have been caused by the backpack being badly balanced, however, it did appear to be balanced when I checked it, but maybe a reorganizing of the items would have helped in balancing the backpack better. Also, I probably packed to many heavier items (such as bottles of water), which resulted in the backpack being too heavy for me to carry comfortably.
PITCHING A TENT-
During the expedition, I was able to set up my tent correctly without any mistakes and /mishaps. The rods were inserted correctly into the sleeve of the tent which helped the tent stay upright with taut walls, I ensured that the designated area for the tent was on flat, firm land and was devoid of any stones or sharp objects. This helped us set up our tents effectively so that they provided us with shelter and safety throughout the nights we spent out in the wilderness.
COOKING-
Each group prepared their own meals throughout the expedition and all of us fared well in this task. I managed to prepare noodles for the group with ease and without any mishaps. I was able to use the butane gas burner correctly and I also help set up the fireplace. The body requires nutritional content to make up for its losses so I insisted that every one in the group ate healthy meals that were rich in carbohydrates, but without too many ‘heavy’ liquids such as milk, low fat chocolate etc.
TEAMWORK-
I believe that the group I was leading worked well as a team and this is proved to be a valuable asset to our performance. We always lent a helping hand to every one and this is what helped us through the expedition. I insured that everyone was working as a single unit, including myself so that we could reach closer success through cooperation. I believe that I can work well in a team, as I understand each of my members’ strengths and weaknesses, help them and also take advice from them and learn from their performance.
TRUST-
As a team member it is very important to trust your team members. I trusted each and every member’s judgment on all matters and trusted my partners with my life. Whether it was navigations, or checking up a new area. Very frequently, when we were unsure of the path, we would send a member up in front to check out if there was any danger. We would have the walkie talkie on constantly and I used to trust his judgment about the inspection of the area. I am proud to say that I was also trusted be the group and this is what kept us so closely knit.
LEADERSHIP-
I was appointed to be the leader of my group and that meant taking up a huge responsibility. I stuck to this task well. I found my self motivating my peers and guiding them and reassuring them quite often. I ensured that the group performed as a single unit and that every one enjoyed the activity and reached their fullest potential while performing the activity. I did my level best to create a sense of confidence and enthusiasm in the team and I believe I was successful since everyone in the group seemed to be putting in all their efforts into each activity and yet enjoying the activities immensely.
8-WEEK HEALTH PROMOTING PROGRAM
Due to the lengthy intervals between the preparatory camps and the expedition itself, it was not feasible to restrict the program to just 6 weeks; hence the program had been extended to 8 weeks. When planning this, I applied the principles of training so that it is enjoyable and health promoting. I made it a point to warm up and cool down before any activity to prevent injuries of any sort. Rest was given for a day after any strenuous and demanding activities. My accessibility to sport facilities within the school proved to be quite useful when planning out this program, as was the proximity of my residence to a sports club and gym. I did my best to ensure that the program proves to be beneficial to my health and overall fitness.
EQUIPMENT CARRIED FOR THE CAMP-
- Torch
- Cells
- Note book
- Ballpen / Pencil, Eraser, Sketch pen (4 colours only).
- Thread & needle (medium size).
- Tooth paste, brush, cold cream,
- Suns cream lotion
- Soap
- Shoes – good trekking shoes & socks Extra pair too
- Floaters
- Big plastic bags 4nos.
- Toilet paper roll
- Pen / swiss / multi function knife
- Whistle
- Safety pins, candles, Match box.
- Water bottle
- Monkey cap
- P cap / sun cap
- Light jacket
- Sleeping bag
- Backpack
- Anti fungal powder
- Personal medical kit
- Insect repellent
- Knee caps & anklets
- Maps of the region
- Warm clothing, Spare clothing
- Toiletries
- Tent
- Plates, mug, cutlery
- Cooking utensils
Food items-
- 5 loaves of bread
- 4 kg Rice
- 1 kg Potatoes
- 25 Carrots
- 25 Cucumbers
- 7 packets of Cheese slices
- 25 packets of Biscuits
- 3 kg Pulses (Dal)
- 2 packets of Papad (a roasted snack)
- 1 kg of Onion
- Indian kitchen spices
- 6 packets of Noodles
- Few packets of processed food with high carbohydrate percentage (easy to make)
- Plenty of fruits- apple, pear, oranges (a kg each)
OUR MENU FOR THE EXPEDITION
FACTORS AFFECTING PERFOMANCE
Provision- We had planned our expedition well and planned all the things that we needed for survival. We had a torch and Swiss Knife, and good bags and good quality tents, good food and compasses and all provision required. Thus our expedition was successful and we did not fall short of any item.
Peer Group- All of us were inclined to do this course as it seemed fun and challenging. We were all motivated to try hill walking and thus this motivation was with us all along the trip keeping our spirits high and so that we worked well.
School- Our school encourages such activities as they want students to get an exposure of life without luxuries. It was their initiative to tie with Nature Trails and provide us with an option of Hill walking for Physical Education.
Rest- While on the expedition I made sure that my group and I got enough rest and sleep so that we were ready for the next day. This is why we were not very tired all the time. And since we had exercised all day, I made sure that we all were rested. For myself, it was not easy to carry all that weight, and walk such distances at high altitudes, hence that is why I had sound sleep every night in our tents.
