Leadership session - Catchpool

What:    Leadership scenario session
When:   Sunday 29 May 2016
Who:     Wellington Tramping Group Meet-Up Leaders: Josh (leader), Rodger, Scott, Russell, Rachel, Vignesh and me.

Why:    Run some incident scenarios in the bush, but not too in the bush

Where: Rimutaka Forest Park in the walking tracks around the Catchpool car park.

So ... Mike and Josh have been developing leadership sessions for the Wellington Tramping Meet-up 

Group. For those who don't know, the group is like Tinder for trampers (but a little more controlled and, as far as I know, without the sex).  Still confused? Well, tramping clubs don't suit everyone - you have to be organised and join, then sign up for tramps sometimes weeks in advance. If you're new to town, not around for long, not sure about tramping or just don't want to be part of a club, then Meetup allows you to get a taste without the commitment and often sign up for events less than a week out.

But the flexibility has a downside - who would lead a trip of web-sourced riffraff and who would trust someone advertising tramps over the internet? Surprisingly, there are a few people around prepared to do just that, but until now the Wellington-based group hasn't had any way to support development and share learning. Mike and Josh decided to fill the gap in the market, in conjunction with one of the other walking Meetup groups. When I heard about it, I loaned Mike my Mountain Safety Council Outdoor Safety book and watched with interest as they set it all up.

They plumped on a three session format - two evening sessions (I sat in on the second at the Thistle Inn) followed by an outdoor session to run through a few scenarios. I decided to come along as a punter. 

The morning of the outdoor session hadn't even dawned when my cell phone rings. "Hi, it's Mike here um, .... unfortunately I've got a migraine ... do you mind covering with Josh?" He sounds surprisingly chipper for this hour and for someone about to descend into a Dante-esque inferno of head-splitting pain. However, the warning signs can't be ignored so arrangements are quickly made and in due course Josh turns up and we head over the hill.

Starting with a recap
Vignesh, Rodger, Scott, Rachel, Russel, Josh

The day kicks off with a sit down and talk about what sort of risk assessment you might do for a trip over the Papatahi Crossing. I've dragged along a few maps of the area and the team quickly identify the steepness, isolation, river crossings, exposure, need for tent flys etc. Josh does a quick refresher of some of the things to keep in mind when doing risk assessments, and responding to incidents (people, resources and environment; leader, team and victim; take charge, assess the situation, stabilise the group, first aid, plan, implement, review ... etc).

A few maps

It's a lovely sunny morning as we wander up the Five Mile Loop Track - I have a scrawled note instructing me to lapse into a hypoglycemic attack at some point. This I do with all the acting skills I can muster, walking into a tree and falling dramatically in the track before lapsing into semi-consciousness: mumbling and slurring and completely confused in what must be the most rapid onset ever. The team rallies around, tasks are assigned and within minutes my pack has been ransacked - they have clearly remembered the lesson about using the victim's gear first.

A few slightly confused day trippers are assured that the drunken wreck is part of an exercise, as they delicately pick past the twitching body wrapped in tin foil in the middle of the track.  Eventually someone gives me a one square meal which I figure has enough sugar in it to improve my state somewhat. By now I'm festooned with sleeping bag, jackets and survival blanket and members of the team have been dispatched to get help.

There's a bit of a debrief to share observations, suggestions as to how things might have been done differently etc. Then it's straight on to exercise two - Josh hands out roles and we set off up the track again.

This time it's Rachel who is the victim. The scenario is slightly more complicated with Vignesh doing his best to be difficult, and Rodger going a bit loopy with hypothermia. This neatly divides the leader's attention but once again tasks are assigned, first aid is applied and Vignesh is taken off up the track by an insistent Russell.

'See - it says here I had to be a dickhead!'
Vignesh explains his instructions to Russell while Rachel does an impression of a rotisserie chicken

Another debrief chat with suggestions from the group, consideration of what different environmental conditions would have meant and discussion about delegating roles so that the leader can keep across the whole situation.

Post match analysis
Rodger, Russell, Rachel, Josh, Vignesh, Scott

We continue on around the Loop and start heading back to the car park with a brief stop to chat to one of the stalwart volunteers doing a stoat trap line. The final scenario requires a bit of a rethink when we discover that Russell, as leader, is keeping a tight rein on the group. A slight change in plan and we soon have a lost punter to find - one of the reasons I avoid tramping in groups!

The result is uncertainty with lots of possibilities and options and some contrary views in the group about which is best. In the end a few options are explored and eventually the errant Scott is found sunning himself around a corner. Without the urgency of an injury it is quite a different exercise.

The last scenario is run as a 'desk top.' It involves an injured party in another group and requires decisions about going for help, sending rescue parties, heading up hills for cell phone reception, deciding whether to pull the PLB before getting to the injured party so that help is on the way or waiting until the party has been located, and lots more.

Hopefully the group got something out of the day. At least a bit of food for thought about the sorts of things that can happen and some of the considerations in planning and responding. It's good to have a mix of people at these things as there is always some useful experience in the group that can be shared. A bit of a review and I think we have the makings of something quite useful!