The ISU Outdoor Recreation program recently returned from a weeklong leadership training program in Wind River Range, Wyo. Leaders trained a group of attendees how to navigate large groups with little assistance.

Nick Monserud, senior in civil engineering, said the trip helped teach the group skills necessary to survive in the woods.

Attendees learned how to lead a group of people who had never experienced the back country, Monserud said.

Gina Weydert, senior in history, attended the trip in an effort to become a group leader.

“Each one of us actually took a day to lead the group through the mountains,” Weydert said. “Basically, we learned how to navigate through the mountains with maps and compasses.”

There were many valuable lessons learned on the trip. Some skills that many take for granted were taught and reviewed, such as hygiene in the back country and what to do in emergencies, Weydert said.

“We also learned how to prepare yourself for Mother Nature,” she said.

The trip was not without its challenges. Most of the trainees encountered many obstacles while learning their leadership qualities. Despite their frustrations, the students participated in a baptism-by-fire training.

Monserud said navigation was a big challenge for the group.

“We sat back and let the people we were training make mistakes,” he said. “They just learned by doing it.”

The students were not completely alone, and, when the leaders felt necessary, they intervened and sent the backpackers down the right path.

“We stepped in when we thought it was time to help them,” Monserud said. “They learned to catch their mistakes faster, and, overall, they were on top of the maps.”

Finding their own mistakes was critical to the students’ learning. Once they were coordinated enough, students were able to steer one another in the right direction.

Monserud said the biggest challenge was “working together as leaders and finding different routes through the woods and back country areas.” But the trip had its rewards, too, he said, like “watching them progress in their leadership.”

Those who were trained said they have fond memories of their own for the trip.

Weydert said the trip was a beneficial way to learn how to survive in a group using teamwork.

“It was great getting to know each other while learning how to survive in the back country,” Weydert said.

Becoming a leader for the Outdoor Rec program is not for the faint of heart. Leaders need to master a variety of skills in order to lead a group through the outdoor.

Leaders need certification in CPR and first aid said the program coordinator, Jerry Rupert. “They have to be involved in our training program where they learn how to be a trip leader, they learn how to deal with group dynamics, and they learn how to make good decisions,” he said.

Students interested in joining the Outdoor Recreation program should act quickly, because interest is always high, Monserud said.

“We tend to fill every one of our trips on the big breaks, — winter break, Thanksgiving break and spring break,” Monserud said.

Other trips also include rock climbing, backpacking and canoeing.

“If people have had interest but have just been nervous about the dangers, Outdoor Rec is a great way to get involved,” Weydert said. “Take advantage of what we have to offer.”