>> [Major snip] I believe strongly that groups need leaders and if they need leaders, they also need followers (or at least active participants). If a person wants to paddle as though they are by themselves when with a group then they should not be in a group. John Winskill >> ************************************************************************** * Well said. I think anyone who paddles in a group should understand that they are responsible to and for every other person in the group. No one, especially the slowest paddler, should be ever be left to paddle alone. The flip side of this is that each trip participant must be honest about his or her capabilities. It is possible to ruin a trip for the entire group by abusing the "no group paddles faster than its slowest member" rule. I remember one trip in which we had to change our destination because one person with a poor forward stroke was unable to keep up with the rest of the group and because another, who (unknown to me) was suffering from flu, pooped out about two-thirds of the way to our destination. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Chuck Holst wrote: > [Major snip] > I believe strongly that groups need leaders and if they need leaders, they > also need followers (or at least active participants). If a person wants > to paddle as though they are by themselves when with a group then they > should not be in a group. > John Winskill > Well said. [snip] No one, especially the slowest paddler, > should be ever be left to paddle alone. > > The flip side of this is that each trip participant must be honest > about his or her capabilities. It is possible to ruin a trip for the > entire group by abusing the "no group paddles faster than its > slowest member" rule. Used to be, in the mountains, the ethic was "stick with your buddies -- everybody stays together, and everybody leaves the mountain together." But, the rule also was that folks who misrepresented their climbing abilities did *not* get invited back, at least until they had upgraded their skills. Seems like the same rules ought to apply on the water. (Warning: I feel a rant coming on.) This gets more difficult when leading trips for hire, however. When I taught X-C skiing classes for a local community college, a major problem was dealing with exceptionally out-of-shape individuals and/or folks who would not acquire and bring necessary personal survival gear (10 essentials, etc.). The posture of publically-supported instructional bodies re: "refusing" anyone who signed up for a class, or, (heaven forfend) "refunding their money" prevented me from removing folks who were troublemakers or were so unfit they were a liability on the easiest of beginner terrain. Lack of support from gutless administrators, fearful of "offending" anyone, eventually drove me out of the X-C instruction hobby. The problem people took up much time and energy which could have gone toward enriching those who were prepared for the experience. [Aside: the guy who took over the program when I quit had a woman sign up who "injured" her knee on a trip. Turned out, in the ensuing litigation, she had chronic knee problems, had had surgery on the joint, and was NOT endorsed by her physician to be X-C skiing! None of this could be revealed in a mandatory screening during signup because of "privacy" policy restrictions of the school (which were altered as a result of this incident). Glad it was not my headache. Woof!] I imagine, from what I've seen on the water in popular places, that guided sea kayaking groups have some of the same problems. I bet that a guide who "rejects" a client as too unsafe or "unprepared" gets a ration of "stuff" from the owners. What say you, trip leaders? (Not me, never again.) -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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