WLAW Participant Packet Wilderness Leadership Academy Winter

Ashwill Ranch

WINTER Wilderness Leadership Academy Winter Participant Packet "Leaders are not born, THEY ARE MADE!"

Directors - Winter WLA Status Date S/D Names Email Phone

Director January 4-6 Sons/Daughters Sid Sharma [email protected] (469) 888-1900

Co-Director January 4-6 Sons/Daughters Chris Bowles [email protected] (214) 869-2687 Alan and

Co-Director January 4-6 Sons/Daughters [email protected] (214) 763-8136 Ethan Gant

Director January 18-20 Sons/Daughters Sid Sharma [email protected] (469) 888-1900

Co-Director January 18-20 Sons/Daughters Chris Bowles [email protected] (214) 869-2687

Co-Director January 18-20 Sons/Daughters Alan Gant [email protected] (214) 763-8136

Schedule

Friday Evening: 4:00 – 7:00pm – Arrive at campsite and setup camp 7:00pm – Begin Leadership Program 7:30pm – Games/Activities 10:00pm – Bedtime Saturday: 7:00am – Wakeup Call 8:00am – Circle up 8:30am – Name Game 9:30am – Leadership Games 12:00pm – Lunch 1:00pm – Leadership Games 4:00pm – Safety Activity 5:00pm – Voice in the Wilderness 6:00pm – Dinner 7:00pm – Hats Chat 8:30pm – Students tell Ghost Story 10:00pm – Bedtime Sunday: 7:00am – Wakeup Call 8:00am – Circle up 8:30am – Name Game and Leadership Activities 10:00am – Breakout Questions 11:30am – WLA Completed

Gear List Basics for every HATS campout: Overnight or longer trips:

___ Stove ____ 3 gallons water per person ___ Fuel ____ 8 lbs self lighting charcoal ___ Cooking pot(s) ____ 3 pieces firewood for campfire ___ Pot scrubber ____ 2 sleeping bags ___ Spoon, knife, fork ____ 2 foam pads ___ Extra socks ____ 2 lawn chairs ___ Extra shirt(s) ____ tent & ground cover ___ Extra pants/shorts ____ meals ___ Extra underwear ____ day pack ___ Heavy duty trash bag ____ layered clothing and rain gear ___ Down vest/down parka ____Tennis shoes, rain boots, hiking boots, crocs, ___ Moccasins/camp shoes house shoes, etc… ___ Towels

___ Nylon cord/rope Essentials for Hiking: ___ Extra matches ___ Comfortable boots/shoes ___ Soap ___ Map ___ Toothbrush/powder/floss ___ Compass ___ Mirror ___ Toilet paper & trowel ___ Medicines ___ First-aid kit ___ Notebook & pencil ___ Pocket knife ___ Playing cards ___ Extra clothing/hat ___ Zip lock bags ___ Bandana ___ Rip stop repair tape ___ Extra food ___ Repair kit – wire, rivets, pins, buttons, ___ Quart of water thread, needles, boot strings ___ Small flashlight & batteries ___ Large ice chest ___ Fire starter What NOT to Bring: ___ Sunglasses  Any electronics ___ Sun block  Cell Phones ___ Rain parka  Alcoholic Beverages ___ Insect repellent  Limit carbonated drinks ___ Moleskin for blisters/Duct tape  Pets ___ Whistle  Firearms ___ Gloves

Food Suggestions Breakfast - Eggs, hard boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, muffins, yogurt, cereal, fruit, juice, bagels, powdered donuts… Lunch - Lunch meat sandwich, pita sandwich, PB&J, Subway, fruit, chips, crackers, nuts, popcorn, snack bars… Dinner- Chicken, steak, sausage, fajitas, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn, tomato, beans, zucchini, potato, backpack3 meal, salad, M&M's, fixins' for smores…

Directions to Ashwill Ranch GPS coordinates 32.631866,-96.066036 Directions starting at 635 E and Hwy 80 E  Follow Hwy 80 until in merges with 20 E 20.7 miles  Continue down to Exit 512 - FM 2965 12.1 miles o This exit is just past CMV Truck weighing station and is FM 2965  Continue on access road .9 miles  Access road becomes dirt road, bear to the right 1.6 miles o The dirt road will dead end to a T  Turn left at dead end (Hiram Rd/ Co Rd 2627) .9 miles  Turn right on Co Rd 2628 .8 miles *LOOK FOR HATS SIGNS.*  Follow Co Rd 2628 until it dead ends at a gate  Look for HATS signs and surveyor flags on gate to your right  Enter gate and follow surveyor flags to camp site .4 miles Approximate drive time is 1 hour

Hospital Information for Ashwill Ranch

Presbyterian Hospital of Kaufman ...... … (972) 932-7200 850 Texas 243 Kaufman, TX 75142 Directions 1. Head north on Co Rd 2628 toward Co Rd 2627/Hiram Rd 2. Turn left onto Co Rd 2627/Hiram Rd 3. Turn right onto Farm to Market Rd 2965 N 4. Turn left toward I-20 W (signs for I-20 W) 5. Take the ramp onto I-20 W 6. Take exit 506 for Farm to Market Rd 429 toward Farm to Market Rd 2728/College Mound Rd 7. Turn left onto Farm to Market 429 8. Take the 1st right onto Farm to Market 2728 9. Continue onto Farm to Market Rd 2728/Kaufman Rd 10. Turn left onto TX-34 S 11. Turn right onto N Washington St 12. Turn left onto W Grove St 13. Turn right

Wilderness Leadership Academy Program Principles of Leadership One of the core elements of the Leadership Academy are the Principles of Leadership. These are ways that a leader differentiates themselves from a person that is simply in charge. You can lead from any position on the team, you don't have to be the designated manager or captain of a team in order to be a leader. These principles form the pneumonic "ICE ME":  Inspire a Shared Vision  Challenge the Process  Enable Others to Act  Model the Way  Encourage the Heart (Taken from "The Leadership Challenge" by Kouzes, Posner) Inspire a shared vision - "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."— Warren Bennis

One of the hardest things in leadership is translating your vision into action. If simply thinking of a good idea was the same as accomplishing it, then we would all be millionaires. A good leader is able to communicate his or her ideas in usable ways so that everyone is "on the same page". Imagine a marching band where everyone did whatever they felt was the right thing, regardless of the goal of the performance – it would be chaos. But the sheet music, the beat of the drum and the bouncing motion of the drum major's mace are designed to help everyone understand the desired outcome.

It would be impossible for the band to play a song cohesively without the shared vision. A fundamental failure of leadership is assuming everyone sees things the way you do and is going to understand what you are trying to accomplish without explicit instructions. We all see things in our own way, and in order for a group to function properly the leader has to unite everyone's perspective so that they all value the same outcome.

Challenge the Process – "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

In 1903 a pair of bicycle mechanics stood on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, NC and set out to do what no other human had ever done: achieve powered flight. Hundreds of inventions had preceded the Wright Flyer in order to make that possible and although some had tried before them, none had been successful. Orville Wright was still alive in 1947 when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. It took 44 years for man to go from thousands of years of no powered flight, to flying faster than the speed of sound. 22 years after that, in 1969, man walked on the moon.

President Kennedy challenged the newly formed NASA in 1962 saying: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are

6 hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

Challenging the process comes with a price. It is easy to stick with the status quo. Challenging the process requires risk and invites the potential for failure. Just over 11 years after man walked on the moon, we launched the Space Shuttle and began regularly flying back and forth to space. It took thousands of years for man to fly, then just 44 to break the sound barrier, 22 to go to the moon and 11 ½ to be able to take off and land in the same vehicle. None of it would have been possible without leaders willing to challenge the process.

What are you able to challenge? Should you keep doing things the same old way because that is the way it has always been done? Enable Others to Act – "The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been" - Henry Kissinger

They say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, meaning simply that if one part fails then the it will not be able to perform the job it was intended to do. You are probably considered a leader because of your strengths. But leadership is about getting the whole group across the finish line. If the whole group possessed your strength, then they might not need you as their leader.

Your task as a leader is to help those in your group realize their potential. Each one of us probably possesses the raw physical strength to climb a small rock, or jump off of a cliff, but you will see many people hesitate because they lack a key element to accomplish the task. Which part are they missing?  Equipment?  Training?  Confidence?  Vision?

By identifying what it takes to Enable Others to Act, you can clear the roadblocks to success and ensure the whole team succeeds.

Model the Way – "The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." - Ray Kroc

These leadership principles rest on each other, they are not independent. How can you inspire a shared vision and enable others to act? Many times it is by modeling the way yourself. If you want your group to have a positive attitude, then start by having one yourself. Emotions are infectious, and they can spread quickly. Have you ever noticed how one team member with a bad attitude can sour the attitude of the whole group? Likewise someone who is positive and upbeat, lifts the spirits of the whole group?

As a leader you need to demonstrate the behavior you want to get from your team. You need to be the first up and the last to bed. You need to have a positive attitude regardless of your circumstance. Many of the leadership principles start with modeling the way. Encourage the Heart – "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - John C. Maxwell

They say an army runs on its stomach. This is a short way to say that unless people have their physical needs addressed, they are not likely to perform at their best. As a leader you have to consider the morale of your team: Do they feel like they are being listened to? Do they feel valued? Are they getting their needs met?

You are much more likely to get good performance out of a team that is encouraged, versus one that is discouraged. Encouraging the heart can be as simple as a hot meal, or a good story – taking time out to minister to the soul of your team. Leaders that demand performance day after day without considering the emotional needs of your team does not typically get very far. People stop listening to you because they are overcome by their discomfort.

Build encouragement into your plan. Build relief into your plan. If it is going to be hot then see if you can grab some time to swim. If it is going to be cold, then make sure you have a fire or some other way to get your folks warm. Encouraging the hearts of your team will make up for a multitude of shortcomings in other areas. A team that believes in itself and is united to accomplish the mission is always going to perform better than one that is discouraged.

Traits of a Leader This session we will examine the traits of a leader – The characteristics of a person that enable them to carry out the principles of leadership. This is not an exhaustive list, but if you are *not* doing these things it is nearly impossible for you to lead. Traits of a Leader (Taken from Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis): (forms the pneumonic REAL)  Rejects Passivity  Expects a Greater Reward  Accepts Responsibility  Leads Courageously A Leader Rejects Passivity – Rejecting passivity is different than taking action. When you take action, you can be active in some areas and complacent in others, but a leader rejects the notion of letting something pass.

President Kennedy used a quote in 1961 that sums up the thought behind this point: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” HATS graduates choose the hard road. Outings like the New Year’s campout, rock climbing and white water kayaking require students and parents that are willing to be unconventional and do things that few of their peers would attempt. We need students that set the standard for this generation and into the future, and we need strong fathers who don’t let video games and television raise their kids, but rather take an active interest in guiding their children and families.

A Leader Expects The Greater Reward – Leadership can be challenging, but very rewarding. Seeing a boy or girl overcome their fears and conquer a cliff jump, a rock climb or a kayak bailout is a great thing. It might take a lot of work to get there, but you should work with the end in mind and pursue it to that end. Relaxing the standard or taking the easier way usually doesn’t yield the same results.

Camping in a tent in January is not a “normal” thing. Going 48 hours without electronics or toilets or a nap is not easy – but the payoff is sweet. As a Leader, you might have a campout with terrible weather, or equipment that breaks and you must encourage the participants to soldier on.

“Your circumstances should not dictate your attitude. Your attitude should dictate your circumstances.” (Kipp Murray, High Adventure Treks)

Many times in HATS our circumstances are not ideal. It would be great if we could guarantee beautiful weather and environmental conditions every time, but we cannot. You have to demonstrate that your attitude does not depend on your circumstance. You *model the way* by expecting the greater reward. We are going to have a great time regardless of the weather, regardless of the circumstance, because you expect it – you will it to happen. It becomes a self- fulfilling prophesy. Conversely if you expect a terrible time, that will happen as well.

A Leader Accepts Responsibility – We live in a culture where people want to find excuses for their shortcomings and want someone else to blame rather than accepting responsibility and leading. As a leader, you will have things that go wrong, and while that may or may not be your fault, making things right will be your responsibility.

“We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until... we have stopped saying ‘It got lost,’ and say ‘I lost it.’ “ (Sidney J. Harris, Chicago Sun-Times)

Delegation is a key skill in leadership. You can’t do it all yourself – you need others to help you. While you *model the way, inspire a shared vision and enable others to act* you will still be responsible for ensuring things get done. Think about a HATS campout – There are many tasks from digging the fire pit to setting up games to making sure things stay on time and you will need the help of your fellow Red HATS. They will be doing the work, but as the campout director it will fall to you to ensure that it is all done correctly.

A Leader Leads Courageously – “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one's fear. The timid presume it is lack of fear that allows the brave to act when the timid do not. But to take action when one is not afraid is easy. To refrain when afraid is also easy. To take action regardless of fear is brave.” ("No Peaceful Warriors!" (1991) by Ambrose Redmoon)

As a leader, you will be asked to do things that are uncomfortable – at a minimum, things like speaking in public or making an unpopular decision. In the extreme, outside of HATS, you might need to ask someone to take a substantial risk, even put themselves in harm’s way, for the collective good. As a leader, you must act out of courage and not buckle to convenience.

The things we do can be dangerous and that is why we are relentless about safety. It might not be physically comfortable to wear a life jacket anytime you put a toe in the water, or convenient to take a buddy to the restroom, but we do these things because they are the right thing to do. As a leader, you must have the courage to enforce the rules and *model the way*.

As a HATS leader, you are going to have to make unpopular decisions: someone has to dig the latrine and it may even need to be moved. Someone has to fill it back in. These are dirty, no fun, jobs, but they must be done and you must ensure that they are done. Leadership is being willing to make tough decisions and leadership is also stepping up and performing if you are assigned a tough job.

We are also going to put you in uncomfortable situations: We are going to ask you to discuss personal sanitation and low impact camping, or you might have to confront another team member about their attitude or behavior. But these situations in many cases are only uncomfortable because you make them that way. The more courage and resolve you show, the better the situation will be.

Leadership Behavior As a leader of people, you need to be the one person that is the driving force behind your group. As leaders, you will truly see your potential when you give 100%, which includes attitude, motivation, initiative and preparation.

Attitude – This is how you feel about the project or task you are leading, which comes out as you lead. Your attitude dictates your actions and then determines your results. Your actions, dictated by your attitude, reveal your feelings. You team sees everything you do and are listening to everything you say, and their reactions and subsequent attitude are a direct reflection of your attitude. You choose your attitude: whether to be happy or glad or sad or mad. YOU CHOOSE!!!!!

Motivation – As a leader, you must be inspiring at all times, to keep your team motivated. The only way a team keeps up the task at hand, regardless of the complexity or hardships involved, is motivation. Focusing on the goal, or end result, and its importance are key. Motivation has three key elements: Activation, Persistence, and Intensity. Activation involves the decision to initiate the behavior, such as engaging a group to move forward with a task. Persistence is a continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. Lastly, Intensity is the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal; your direct involvement and steady direction is paramount.

Initiative – Leaders act without being directed when knowing a common goal or pursuit. It is the first in a series of actions that shows a willingness to get things done and to take responsibility. As a leader, you would like your team to take action and assist with a task without being told to do so. As a team member or a mentor, your leader also appreciates you doing the same.

Preparedness –Taking the time and preparing for every action is key. With prior preparation and practice, your task has the best chance for success. You are either prepared for a task, or not. You cannot fake it when you are leading. If you are prepared, your group will know it, but if you are not prepared, your group will know that as well.

Name Game Start with the "Importance of Names talk":  Importance of Names talk- Ask the daughters/sons what is their most important possession. Select two or three to tell the group (might be their cat, ipad, etc.) Say that those things are important, but your most valuable possession is your name. Your mom and dad have worked very hard to come up with a name that is respected. A family name means honesty, hard work, family values and dependability. You get to decide each day what is attached to your name, whether it's good or bad. That decision is made by you.

 Tell this story: Say you (the daughter/son) go up to your dad and ask to spend the night with Alice/Edgar. Your dad says, "Hm, Alice. She's a cheerleader, in the church youth group and a good student. Sure, honey, you can spend the night with Alice." The next weekend, you ask your dad if you can spend the night with Sarah/Gardner. Your dad says, "Hm, Sarah. Well, she's in band, the honor society, and she volunteers. Yes, honey, you can spend the night with Sarah." The next weekend, you ask if you can spend the night with Holly/Everett. Your dad says, "Hm, Holly? Well, I've heard some things about Holly. She's already drinking. Her mom says she's breaking curfew. She doesn't respect herself or her body around boys. No, sorry, but I don't think you should spend the night with Holly." Think about it: What do you want attached to your name?

 Now, you're ready to play the name game!

 Make a circle alternating dads and daughters/sons. Go around the circle and say your name and an activity that starts with the first letter of your first name. (Example: I'm Lindsay and I like laughing.) Once you say your name, say the name and activities of the 4 people before you.

 Variation: To mix things up, have the daughters/sons attach an animal to their name, and have the dads say their name and where they were born. Then, have the girls try to name all the other girls' names/animals, and have the dads try to remember which dads were born in Texas, Iowa, etc.

Exercise Info A mentor team now leads the group in morning exercises. (If the campout is especially large, stop exercises once about ½ have lead an exercise, leaving the others to lead on Sunday.) The mentor team introduces the process, including no exercises that require hands on the ground. (wet, stickers, cow pies, etc.) The mentor daughter or son introduces her or his name and then the dad's name, in a clear and loud voice, followed with an explanation and demonstration of the exercise. They then lead the group in 5, 10, or 15 repetitions. Afterwards, they select a team by speaking their names clearly, and then taking their spot in the circle. Once either all or ½ of the participants have led an exercise, the original mentor team resume the center to teach and lead the Parrish polka.

Parrish polka instructions: pump left fist in the air while counting to 10, same with right fist, stamp left foot on the ground while counting to 10, same with right foot. Repeat all four actions while counting to 9, then 8, and so on, speeding up all the time. Big yell after finishing counts of 1.

HATS Non-negotiables  18 inch rule: The HATS mission is to develop the Dad and Son or Dad and Daughter relationship. This means spending quality time together. This means spending the campout together. The 18-inch rule is also a safety rule: “Where does safety start? – It starts with me!”

 No alcohol: The HATS mission is to develop the Dad and Daughter or Dad and Son relationship. Alcohol does not play a positive role in developing that relationship. Spending quality time with your daughter or son is best done without alcohol. If campout participants cannot follow this rule, the director should send the team(s) that don't understand the non-negotiable home. HATS will back you up and we will refund their money.

 No electronics: Cell phones, game boys, tablets, and other electronics draw our focus and attention to them, and not to those around us. Leaving all electronics in the car (or at home) allows Dads and Daughters or Dads and Sons to focus on each other for the weekend. Emails, texts, and social networking get in the way of the HATS mission. The only electronics allowed on a HATS campout are cameras, and a cell phone for the mentor assigned to monitor weather conditions during the weekend.

 No pets: The HATS mission is to develop the Dad and Son or Dad and Daughter relationship. A pet on a HATS campout ends up being all about the pet for many of the participants, and not about the relationship with their Dad.

 No firearms: Firearms do not assist in delivering the HATS mission. They draw focus, and become the center of attention in communication, when present, rather than keeping our focus on Dads and Daughters or Sons.

 Leaving early (planned): People have obligations and schedule conflicts that may lead to a need to leave prior to the campout ending. In this case, the team needs to pack and leave after activities are complete on Saturday evening, or prior to activities beginning on Sunday. Whenever a team packs and leaves during the middle of activities, a large portion of the remaining group will be focused on the team leaving, and not on growing relationships, communication and leadership.

 Leaving early (unplanned): Emergencies happen. In an emergency, when someone needs to leave early, it is important that they communicate with the Camp Director (preferably) or a mentor. If a team turns up missing, we will drop everything we are doing to go find them. Safety will always take priority over the HATS mission. If they are lost or hurt and need our help, we will be glad we found them. If they have left and are back in Dallas watching the big game, then the entire group will have missed out on an opportunity to fully benefit from achieving the HATS mission that weekend.

 Ask for group agreement to these conditions: Ask for any questions regarding the non- negotiables, and then ask everyone to raise their hand if they agree to them for the weekend.

Porta-potty discussion. Ask the kids to all breathe through their noses, and tell what they smell. Then, have them repeat breathing through their mouths. What did they smell? Not much. When in the porta-potty, always breathe through your mouth! When done, please close the lid, as this allows proper venting. Reminder: when your daughter or son needs to go to the bathroom, who goes with them? Dad! When Dad needs to go? Son or daughter!

Safety Talk

This is meant to inform the Dads and Students about the dangers we will encounter throughout the weekend. 1. First ask the students, what can hurt you. Then you will ask how you can solve the safety issue that has been presented. For example, if you ask what can hurt you and someone says holes in the ground, you would then ask how to solve that issue. You would lead the group to the conclusion that you have to be careful while walking around and be mindful of your surroundings.

2. Then ask again and work through the scenarios that have been noted. You want to hit the big topics that will hurt you throughout the weekend. Be mindful of the activities of the weekend. For example, you would not need to discuss life jackets on the rock climbing campout.

3. Keep people on topic though. Conversation can get into meteors and dinasaurs, etc. Bring them back by noting the seriousness of the conversation.

4. Safety and First Aid capability. Introduce mentor safety team. Announce that HATS provides one or more first aid kits for the campouts, and introduce any graduates of the HATS Wilderness First Aid course, and the pin on their hats. If campers have specific medical issues that directors should be aware of, such as allergies, please have them stop by after the meeting.

Breakout Session

Get everyone in a small circle and talk about how to do the breakout questions. First, we want to talk about one of the most important times in the HATS weekend, the breakout questions. We want to explain how to do this, i.e., knee-to-knee, sunglasses off, staring eye-to- eye. Also, we want to make sure everyone knows how to do this and why. Then, we ask them to get their chairs and actually do the breakout questions. Breakout Questions:

1. Daughters/sons, tell your dad about a time when a friend or peer tried to convince you to do something that was a poor choice and what you did to handle it. Dads, tell your daughter/son about a time when you were in high school that a friend or peer tried to convince you to do something that was a poor choice and what you did to handle it.

2. Question for both dad and daughter/son- What is the thing that has taken the most courage for you to accomplish through the HATS program and how did you encourage yourself to do it?

3. Dad, ask your son/daughter, who do you look up to as a leader in your life and what qualities do they have that make them a good leader?

4. Tell your daughter/ dad a time when there was a lack of leadership at school/work and what was done to fix it. What was the ending result?

5. What is a significant responsibility you will take on in the next six months and how will you go about handling it?

Anatomy of a Ghost Story

A Ghost Story is a story usually told to evoke an emotional response, sometimes of fright, sometimes of humor or a combination of the two. The ones that have stood out in my time have been ones that incorporated a heavy element of the truth and a slight bending of the truth to evoke the emotional response.

To tell a compelling Ghost Story, we have noted that starting with an account of a tale based on reality and weaving a minor element of the supernatural lends credibility to your story. For

14 instance, if wanted to tell a ghost story about my trip to the Smokey Mountains, I would start with an actual trip that I took. I would talk about the trail that I hiked and the things that I saw and people that I met. Use as much real details that adds real substance to your story. Then you can start to weave a supernatural event into that story by introducing a mysterious element, that people can sorta believe now that you started by telling a story about a real-life event. As you weave these elements into your story, please note that you want to make the story believable, but at the same time unbelievable. It is a hard thing to do, but take your time while weaving those elements to make your story truly spooky.

Here is one my son came up with on his WLA Campout…..

My dad and I took out boat out to Lake Palestine, just next of Tyler, TX. We were with our whole family and my aunt and her family and my grandparents. We were going to have some fun tubing and we just purchased a knee board and were going to try to learn how to use it. We arrived Friday evening and while grilling outside, we met a couple of the neighbors in the cabins we were renting. Got to talking with them a little and made a new friend. When we woke up Saturday morning we were going to take a little dip in the lake in the swimming area on the lake. While we were there, we saw our neighbors again and talked to them and a guy that was also accompanying them. Just a little about this guy…. He was very skinny and you could probably count all his ribs and his dog was just as scrawny. We told them that we just purchased the knee board and wanted to learn how to use it. The scrawny guy said that he was very skilled with a knee board and would be happy to teach us.

Without seeming rude and declining the offer and our desire to learn to use the board, we said sure, we would love that. Later that morning, we met him and his little dog on the pier next to our boat. He asked if he could take his dog along. We were a little weirded out by this request, but reluctantly said yes. We went out and he showed us how to get on the knee board and ride and make turns, etc. It did not take long for both my dad and I to learn. It was fun. We all took turns, even the scrawny guy took a turn. He was really good and made us look like amateurs. We had a good time on the lake and pulled back in later that afternoon.

The next day, we were having breakfast on the back porch of our cabin and saw our neighbors again. We asked about the guy that was staying with them and wanted to thank him. They said that they did not have anyone staying with them and that guy was just hanging out at the swimming area.

OOOOPPPPPSSSSS. I guess we just assumed that they were together when we were at the swimming area.

Well anyway, we had a great time and packed up and were moving to check out of our cabin. We hooked up to boat and my dad and I went in to settle up the bill and buy snacks for the ride home. My dad paid the clerk at the counter and turned and looked at me and I had a blank stare on my face as I was looking at a bulletin board. He asked me what was wrong. I pointed……………..

It was a newspaper article with a picture of the scrawny guy and his scrawny dog with the caption noting that they had passed away last month in a boating accident.

As you can tell, this story actually happened to us. We took this stranger on our boat, but the only "strange thing" that he weaved into the story was the last paragraph and a half. We just left the keys in the cabin as instructed and of course, there was no article noting the scrawny guy had passed away. However, by telling the story with the detail that he told it, it made the entire story believable.

Winter Camping Preparation By HATS Senior Directors

In HATS, we rarely cancel a campout due to weather. We do have some campouts in January and February, which can be cold. The Wilderness Leadership campout, in January of 2017, on the DeWitt Ranch near Marietta Oklahoma, had a low temperature early Saturday morning of three degrees Fahrenheit. That is cold! However, the Wilderness Leadership group is fairly experienced and we were able to camp in this weather with no serious issues. Here are some tips for camping in cold weather.

What to wear:  Clothing for cold weather camping is all about layers. Here is an example of effective layer combinations for very cold weather camping:  Heavy synthetic socks and high quality hiking boots (Keen, Merrell, etc)  Long thermal underwear pants, long zip off synthetic pants, ski pants or rain gear pants  Long sleeve synthetic shirt, synthetic sweat shirt, fleece jacket, down jacket  Buff around neck and over ears  Wool knit cap  Glove liners and fleece gloves

Almost all of this clothing is synthetic cloth, which is important in winter camping. Don't wear cotton for winter camping. Cotton can get damp with perspiration and then it has no insulating ability at all.

Synthetic will still provide some warmth when damp, though the efficiency is a bit reduced. Therefore it is important to adjust your layers with temperature variation. As the day warms up, you can remove layers, and then put them back on as it cools off in late afternoon and evening. If it is raining or snowing, you will want an outer layer that repels the moisture. There are lots of options for this, from garbage bag arrangements to Frog Toggs to sophisticated Gore Tex rain gear. The main thing is that you are prepared to stay dry. Being wet and in the cold is not a good combination. If there had been snow on the recent Wilderness Leadership campout, a ski jacket (or other heavy jacket) could have been substituted for the down jacket. If it had been raining (would have required warmer temperatures), Frog Togg jacket and pants (or other rain gear) could have been substituted for the ski jacket and pants.

Keeping warm while sleeping:

If you talk to three experienced campers, you will get three different variations on the keeping warm while sleeping theme. The good news is that there are many effective options. Here is a setup that was effective during the Wilderness Leadership Campout:  Used smallest possible tent (2 man backpacking tent)  Pitched a large heavy tarp, brown on one side, reflective on the other, over the tent.  Purchased at Home Depot, pitched reflective side down  Slept on full body length RidgeRest foam pads  Doubled up on sleeping bags, 35 degree mummy bag inside 20 degree mummy bag  Wear two pairs of dry socks, with Hot Hands hand warmer between the layers on each foot  Wear long thermal underwear pants and shirt, gloves, Buff and wool cap

Other teams on this campout used propane heaters in their tents (be careful of both carbon monoxide poisoning and fire hazard!). Some experienced campers advise wearing little or no clothing inside sleeping bag. Others prefer some clothing, such as tight fitting thermal underwear. But there is good general agreement among experienced cold weather campers that more clothing than one snug layer leads to colder sleeping.

Keeping water and other gear from freezing:

There were several methods used with good effect to keep water from freezing on the Wilderness Leadership campout: 1. Put water containers within a five gallon bucket. Wrap a survival blanket (very thin, light, reflective, metallic blanket) around the bucket, and put it in tent vestibule right beside tent, or under fly right up against the tent. 2. Put water into an ice chest and use the insulative ability to keep cold out rather than keeping the cold in. 3. Some campers recommend boiling a half liter of water and pouring it into a half full 1L Nalgene bottle. Then put this down in the foot of your sleeping bag. This will both help keep you warm and keep your water from freezing. However, if you do this PLEASE make sure your water bottle DOES NOT LEAK. 4. Lighters and fuel canisters can be kept in the tent beside sleeping bags. Contact len cases and solution can be kept in doubled up zip lock bags at the bottom of your sleeping bag.

Other tips:

Heaters such as Mr. Heater Buddy are worth their weight in gold if it is really cold. You can use these to heat up the inside of the tent before going to bed. You can also set it just outside the door of the tent while bedding down. Most people turn these off before going to sleep. Heaters can be used while preparing meals and do a good job of cutting the cold. Cost is $50-$80 dollars depending on the model. But the expense will seem negligible while it is warming you up on a

17 cold campout. Be careful, though. These heaters get hot enough to melt items that get too close. HATS camper casualties have included Nalgene bottles, plastic utensils, rain gear, and even a tent that caught on fire. Be extremely careful if you choose to leave your heater going inside the tent while sleeping. Ensure that there is adequate ventilation and that the heater is of a type that automatically shuts off if it is tipped over.

Conclusion: It is possible to stay warm, dry and comfortable in nearly all of the conditions that will be encountered on HATS campouts. Follow the recommendations of experienced campers. Use common sense. Being able to manage all of the possible adverse conditions and stay comfortable brings a lot of camping self-confidence.

Leadership Games

Balancing Bus

Object of the Game: To get the entire team off of the balancing bus without any one side touching the ground. The entire team stands on the balancing bus and is given 10-15 seconds to balance it and then begins to send team members to jump/step off of the "bus" The entire team may not jump off at once If one end firmly touches the ground the entire team gets back on the bus, and starts over After a few attempts allow them several minutes to strategize If you have 2 teams, after every attempt the teams switch places between strategizing and attempting the bus. Skills Used: Clear Communication, Teamwork Debrief: Who came out as the natural leader in your group? What did your team do differently at the end than in the beginning? What did it take to accomplish this task?

Rope Swing

Object of the Game: To get the entire team onto the wooden platform by swinging on the rope from the raised platform Each team member swings to the platform one at a time, Members cannot touch the ground off of the platform if they do, whatever limb they used to touch the ground is the one that they "lose" Ex: if they step onto the ground with their foot they must stand on one foot for the rest of the round. If one person falls off the platform, you have to start over. Skills Used: Prior planning, Working together Debrief: How did you determine in what order you would go? What worked and what didn't?

Low Ropes- "V"

Object of the Game: To get from the narrow end of the ropes to the opposite end only by using the rope to stand on, and leaning palms against their Father/Student. 3 dads stand bent over (kind of like turtles) in the middle of the V, the rest of the group stands on the outside of the ropes palms out like a buffer to catch the 2 people if they fall 1 dad and student pair stands on the ropes and lean their hands together, while pushing their hands to each others for balance they slowly walk along the ropes as they slowly spread out from each other Skills Used: Communication, Balance, Asking for what you want Debrief: What worked and what didn't? Working together is hard enough, but what does it take to get the group to moving into a single direction? Could you have done this

Low Ropes- "Z"

Object of the Game: Get the entire team from one end of the ropes to the other without touching the ground Without using other objects you must hold hands with your teammates and by slowly walking along the ropes you must get to the other end. You are allowed to use the trees in which the ropes are attached to for balance. And you are not required to hold hands the entire time When any one person falls off the ropes the whole team returns to the beginning and starts over Skills Used: Clear Communication, Balance Debrief: What kind of strategies did your team use to get to the other end? To the people who fell off, how did you feel when you fell off and your team had to start over? How did it change your communication? How does that change your drive to finish?

Elbow Tag

Each Dad and daughter link elbows in a circle. There is a chaser and a chasee. The chaser can go in any direction outside the circle. The chasee can only go in the direction that they start. If they change directions or shortcut through the circle, they're penalized becoming the chaser. The chasee runs around the circle and hooks in to a person's elbow, making that person the chasee. If the chasee is tagged by the chaser, they switch places and the new chaser must tag the chasee. Debrief: You enable others to act by your actions.

WAH!

Life Lesson: It's good to have fun, but you have to pay attention and move quickly. Game Directions: Circle up, dads and daughters alternating. In this Japanese Samurai game, the leader starts with

19 his hands placed palm-to-palm (sword-like) above his head, steps forward and sweeps his hands in a downward motion at a person across the circle while saying, "Wah." That person then mimics the same motion, only moving their hands upward and also says, "Wah." Then the two people to the right and left of that person immediately put their palms together and do sideways sword strokes toward the person, screaming "Wah." Then that person looks across the circle and begins the Wah challenge again. If anyone does not move in the right direction, or they hesitate too long, they are out of the game. The leader can determine who is in and who is out. The last four standing win the game. Ideally, you would several going at once and then the last four in each group would do a "Wah"-off. Debrief: Sometimes you just have to have some fun and finding new ways to do it is fun as well.

Lead By Rope

Materials – need 2-3 lengths of Rope @15ft long (Duck tape Rope can be used if no rope available??) Each group is given a length of rope and all parties are blind folded except the leader or each group. All parties are to grasp the rope and follow the leader. The leader leads their group through tree lined area or maze set up by just leading the group by the rope. Leader is to keep everyone following him/her safe and on course Leaders talk to their team and explain their route and what to watch out for and things that they are experiencing or going to experience – For example, everyone look out for this low branch, etc. Debrief: Leaders have to be able to lead a group that might not be able to see the whole picture.

Walk Differently

Materials Needed: 2 surveyor flags per group Break into bandana teams. Set up lanes for each, about 6 paces. Have each team stand at one end, and one dad/student team at a time have teams start walking down the lanes. Each team has to walk differently from the others. When all of the teams have completed the first walk, then they reverse and go back to the flag they started at, each walking differently yet again. The object of the game is to see how many times your group of dad/daughter teams can walk the flag lengths differently. Each time is one lap. Goal is to find out many laps they can do with everyone walking differently. Scoring example: One group of 6 teams walking 6 lengths should have a total of 36 different walks. Debrief: Was it easy to find new ways to walk? Can you see yourself walking like a way that you have seen? Sometimes you have to be able to walk differently to get out of your daily routine.

Evolution

Objective of the game: Evolve through the stages by winning at rock/paper/scissors. Play: There are six stages (Egg – crouched position with your hands to your side, Chicken – arms flapping and chirping like a chicken with knees bent, Eagle –arms swung out like wings and flying, Monkey – arms scratching your armpits and making a traditional monkey howl bent over a little, Man – walking upright, King – walking upright and pretending to hold a staff) Everyone starts in the crouched position (egg) and looks for another egg. They play rock/paper/scissors (best 2 out of 3) and whoever wins evolves up to a chick and the egg stays an egg. Then the chick tries to find someone else that is a chick and plays rock/paper/scissors. The winner moves on to a Eagle, then Monkey, then Man, then King and wins and can step out play area. The loser of the rock/paper/scissors game moves one step down. For example, if two monkeys are playing and the winner goes on to be a man, the loser steps down to an eagle. If you are an egg, you stay an egg as that is the bottom level. Debrief: No matter how much you try to read someone, it is still just a luck game Some people just get carried away with the animals they represent Is it more fun to win and sit out or keep playing?

Ball Toss

Object of the Game: To get the greatest # of balls flying through the air at a time The entire team forms a circle facing the center Leader hands a ball to a person in the group, this person will choose someone in the circle (not the person next to him) and will toss the ball to them. The ball will travel around the circle until everyone has touched it and it gets back to the starter. If a ball hits the ground, start over completely. After the group has done this a few times, the ball being sent in the same order every time, the leader hands a second ball to the starter, and then a third… If the group ever really struggles allow them a min or so to strategize Eventually build up to 5 balls moving at once, each when it gets back to the starter is removed from circulation. Skills Used: Clear Communication, Teamwork Debrief: Who came out as the natural leader in your group? What did your team do differently at the end than in the beginning? What did it take to accomplish this task?

Climbing Wall

Object of the Game: To get across the wall The leader should have the entire team line up at one side of the wall One at a time, the students will climb up one side of the wall and work their way across the wall (ex. From right to left) while their fathers spot for them

After all students have crossed the wall, have the team line up again. This time with the students blindfolded. Students will once again cross the wall with their fathers spotting them and providing them with directions Skills Used: Clear Communication and trust between dad/son and dad/daughter

Debrief: Using clear communication to instruct son/daughter how to navigate the climbing wall and trusting your dad to give you instruction to provide coaching to cross the wall blindfolded.

Zombies v. Humans

Explain the game: Create a square with flags, cones, or mentors. Explain that there is one zombie, and everyone else is human. Zombies groan and hold their hands out in front of them. If a zombie touches a human, that human becomes a zombie. Zombies and humans take turns moving; they can take two steps in any direction, large or small. (No leaping) The leader will announce "zombies move" and "humans move" alternately. The game ends when only one human is left. Play the game: Have everyone move into the square, and just wander around. The leader says "freeze", and then chooses one person to be the Zombie. Remind everyone that Zombies always hold their hands out in front, and groan. Announce "zombies move". Once they have finished, announce "humans move". Continue until only one human remains. Now, announce that the human has discovered a cure! Now, every zombie that is touched by a human turns back into a human. The game continues until everyone is a human. Debrief: Ask the participant students what they learned; what worked? What didn't work? Ask the Dads. Give an example of a situation at school where you decide not to go along with a group, and reach out to one person and ask them to join you. Then the two of you can ask one person, and so on. This quickly spreads, and changes the group. You can change your group, your class, your school, your city, your country. And it all starts with one person. In fact, HATS started with one person, Kipp Murray, and thousands of Dads and Daughters and Dads and Sons have participated!

Amoeba Tag

Object of the Game: To gather the entire group into the amoeba Choose one person in the group to be the starter, with every person who is tagged they join the “amoeba.” They join hands with the other people in the amoeba, and the people on the ends continue to tag people. The Amoeba isn’t allowed to tag while they are disconnected, and only the people on the ends can tag. The last person who is still not connected to the amoeba is the starter for the next round

Skills Used: Working together, non-verbal communication Debrief: How many leaders are there in the Amoeba? How do you get everyone to go toward a common goal? Build consensus?

Hula-hoop Game

Object of the Game: To get the Hula-Hoop around the entire circle in the least amount of time. The entire team joins hands and forms a circle facing the center Leader takes a hula hoop and puts it between the hands of two people so that the hula hoop hangs on their hands. When the leader starts the timer, the group sees how fast they can get the hula hoop to pass around the entire circle without letting go of the person next to them. Skills Used: Clear Communication, Teamwork Debrief: Preparation for action. You have to be ready to accept the hoop and you have to be adjust your self to the person you are giving that hoop to.

Golf Ball Drop

Object of the Game: With a person blindfolded, communicate effectively so they can catch a ball with their eyes closed. Have the group break apart into dad/student teams Students blindfold their dads, and have the teams sit Give each team a golf ball, and practice with the student holding their arm straight out (towards their dad while sitting down) and dropping the golf ball into their dad’s hands in the dad’s lap. Skills Used: Clear communication, trust. Debrief: If we can tell someone that we will do something and do it regularly, that person can trust that we will do the same in the future. If you tell your son or daughter that you will be home to spend some time with him or her, and you arrive late for 2-3 nights, how can he or she count on you? However, if you show a history of doing what you say, they will trust you will do what you say.