I'm baaaack from Outward Bound

[Number One]

So you did HTFU then!!?

Said, once again, with tounge firmly in cheek!

Yes I did and it was btw 'a cup of wake the fuck up' - as you'd said it would be. Sometimes we learn the most from experiences that hurt don't we....

[R6_kid:Me]

Harden up! What watch were you on?

I thouroughly enjoyed the whole experience personally, my only problem is that at the moment i'm having trouble sleeping for less than 12hrs at a time!

I was on Rutherford Watch... the guy who instigated Movember at the second morning assembly!

[007XX]

Yes I did and it was btw 'a cup of wake the fuck up' - as you'd said it would be. Sometimes we learn the most from experiences that hurt don't we....

YAY...You're back!!!

Sorry, didn't read the whole thread, but will a bit later, promise!

We all missed you...and yes, your man was good keeping your thread up and running. It's just a shame it's so darn hard finding pics of good men.

[R6_kid:Me]

The 21 dayers seemed to have heaps of downtime while also getting to spend more time doing all the various activities - I think I might have enjoyed the 21 dayer more as they got to have really good goes at things...Plus they all looked to be having an absolute ball and seemed to behave as if they were on a summer holiday camp.

Heh, more down time! The only time we got an actualy break was when we went and did our service, and that was only because the DOC Supervisor who was there didn't like the particular job we were doing (weeding) and decided to finish 3hrs earlier than we were supposed to! Other than that we were all action packed too

After each expedition (sometimes two) we spent a day at Anakiwa doing stuff around there like rock climbing/high ropes etc.

Our first expedition was 3days sailing, in which we went out to the Cook Straight (barely) but still sailed there all the same, and had a play around Blumine Is, Ships Cove, and a Bird Sanctuary.

We also did two days Kayaking, an initial two day bush hike (to learn the skills for the big one), a three day solo (read sitting doing nothing for three days going out of your mind), we finished with a three day (two night) hike from Mount Riley to Mount Royal, which was 38km or so then got back from that at about 5.30pm and were then told we were doing the half marathon the next day at 6am...

There is much more to it of course, in all honesty you guys did look pretty busy, but we didn't have so much 'downtime' as you may think although we did 'debreif' each activity at night for a half hour or so before getting prepared for the next days activities, but I certainly don't remember having any scheduled breaks until we had completed the half marathon!

[deanohit]

Our first expedition was 3days sailing, in which we went out to the Cook Straight (barely) but still sailed there all the same, and had a play around Blumine Is, Ships Cove, and a Bird Sanctuary.

Good on ya for doing the sailing, used to see them on my way out the straight each day when I worked on a fishing boat. Beautiful on a nice day, hell on a wet windy shitty day.
I regularly camp on Pickersgill Island next to Blumine, did you guys sail through the narrow passage?
The bird sanctuary is Motuara Island, we took one of NZs only captive albino Kiwi on there with DOC one time, poor bastard couldn't hide very well. The birdlife out there is amazing, the birds are incredibly tame, some will fly right onto your shoulders.

[R6_kid:Me]

Good on ya for doing the sailing, used to see them on my way out the straight each day when I worked on a fishing boat. Beautiful on a nice day, hell on a wet windy shitty day.
I regularly camp on Pickersgill Island next to Blumine, did you guys sail through the narrow passage?
The bird sanctuary is Motuara Island, we took one of NZs only captive albino Kiwi on there with DOC one time, poor bastard couldn't hide very well. The birdlife out there is amazing, the birds are incredibly tame, some will fly right onto your shoulders.

Yep we sailed through the passage, due to my handy knowledge and skillful timing on the tacks it was a doddle! We stayed both nights in Wharehunga Bay on Arapawa Is. and the first day we sailed we had dolphins following and swimming around us from around 11am til we made camp in the bay... which was when they started showing off - pretty cool to see!

[Number One]

There is much more to it of course, in all honesty you guys did look pretty busy, but we didn't have so much 'downtime' as you may think although we did 'debreif' each activity at night for a half hour or so before getting prepared for the next days activities, but I certainly don't remember having any scheduled breaks until we had completed the half marathon!

I guess I assumed the 21 dayers had lots of down time as we heard lots of jamming sessions and singalongs plus saw people lazing around in the sun alot - we were sooooo jealous!

To those who might be thinking that I'm just a big girls blouse I have since found out that
* The intructor team were had 'issues' behind the scenes.
* The course we we were meant to be there to do (which was meant to be a customised and specifically designed and targetted programme) was muddied by what the instructors thought we were there to do.
* The instructors actively shut out and undermined our facilitator and the lack of engagement with us as a group was not 'the norm for OB'.

So all in all and since speaking with others I find that my 'reaction' was based on 'real and pervasive' dynamics so I wasn't just imagining it all

Others who have done OB talk about how great their instructors were (both really tough but human too!) ours didn't seem interested in us at all and nor did they actually do many of the activities alongside us...they just stood back and watched passing judgement on our skills/fitness and/or lack thereof. I now understand this was not the traditional OB experience.

Our instructors talked the talk but they never really walked the walk. Personally I think they just had stink ttitudes and were not skilled/expereinced or flexible enough to adjust to the 'quiet energy' of the group dynamics they were presented with.

I should at this point add that I learnt heaps! Achieved a whole lot of things I thought I couldn't and feel really lucky to have had the opportunity! So I'm not completely ungrateful or hateful - promise!

[deanohit]

I should at this point add that I learnt heaps! Achieved a whole lot of things I thought I couldn't and feel really lucky to have had the opportunity! So I'm not completely ungrateful or hateful - promise!

Thats what really matters then aye.

[Number One]

aaaaye men