South Island is sweet as!

Wellington was pretty cool but I realized I'm not into big cities anymore and was ready to hit the south island, taking the ferry to the south island was pretty crazy very different then the Washngton State Ferries it was like 7 stories high coplete with a cafeteria and a sperate bar that looked like an old scottish bar it also had upper decks outside to see all the islands which was pretty cool being able to see the green islands with the clear blue water. After the ferry ride I knew I was going to love the south island. The ferry was about 3 hours long but I didnt really notice since I slept most of it. After the ferry we drove to Picton and had lunch it was a cute little town that I def would go back to then we drove to Nelson which is a cute town next to the water mostly sand flat though its where we all were going to go skydiving but it was pretty expensive so we decided against it and we all just did our own thing, I just shopped around town and hung out in a park and read a book for awhile, Nelson was our chill day and prep day before sea kayaking to Abel Tasman National Park which was amazingly awesome and stunningly beautiful we sea kayaked in and got to see penguins which was cool the water was really choppy coming in though which made it hard work getting there. We stayed in an area called Anchorage in Abel Tasman and the beach was amazing the white sand and the clear blue water that was amazing to swim in. We walked to this river that was called Cleopatras Pools that had a natural slide in it, it was pretty sick I have to say. Also at the end of the beach there was caves and we got to see the glow worms again which were cool. After staying in Abel Tasman for a couple of days we backpacked out which was gorgeous along the coastlineafter backpaking out of the park we did a quick turn around to Paynes Ford where we went rock climbing for a couple of days and camped out at this place called Hang Dog which is an awesome campsite for rock climbers and walking distance to Paynes Ford. The rock climbing there was awesome the rock was limestone and awesome to climb natural holes to hold onto. Rock climbing was definently a challenge for me, the first rock I climbed I did so fast and it was easy no problem then the second one I did, I didn't trust myself I could do the first step but the second step I didnt know where to put my hands and didn't trust my legs to push me up just everything. I had to stop for awhile my mindset sucked and I just had to belay for people instead, I learned to do all the knots though and belayed for people and even leven got an introduction on lead climbing and got to lead belay for people which was pretty cool. Later that night I was talking to Taylor and she told me that theres 3 emotions that we go to and it's envy, anger, and fear and there is always one you lean towards more and I would definently have to say I lead towards fear, I'm afraid of looking stupid in front of the others, I'm afraid of failing, I'm afraid of alot of things and it really has stuck with me and made me come to a realization that I need to face my fears and try to conquer them, there is nothing to be afraid of, if I fall my belayer would catch me, if I fail atleast I failed trying and really to never give up keep trying dust my knees off and try again. After Paynes Ford we headed to Kaikora (where we are now). Today we were supposed to go dolphin swimming but we we are on the coast and there was a pretty gnarly storm today so it got cancelled but we get to go tomorrow at 530 in the morning better then coffee I must say jumping into the ocean at that hour. This trip so far has been amazing words cant even begin to describe it, I have learned so much about myself and about outdoor adventure and look forward to learning more about it.



OAL 275

The first Tao I chose was was #8 Water because it will help me develope my leadership style to work in any setting with no complaint and to be responsive it motivates me to work this into my being and to start "acting" like water, to more freely and fearlessly and to deal with any scenerio without any complaint.
The second one I chose was #26 Center and Ground, the part that really hit me was " I know where I stand, and I know what I stand for: that is ground." I found this very motivating I feel like staying grounded in even the most scariest moments is your responsability as a leader.
The last passage I chose was #27 Beyond techniques which I find a big part in my motvation and development of my leadership to be able to jump off the ledge and flap your wings, to take all that you have learned and to put it to work.

OAL 250


 It is always interesting reading the waivers that you sign basically signing over your life but it needs to be done with all the law suites that happen regarding Recreational activities, that being siad all recreational activity has risks. There is risk in doing it yourself and some liability and risk for those acting as guides or assistaing the outoor adventureer. A major lawsuit (ro v San Huan Moutnain Guides) may affect guides, their liability and their insurance expenses and thus livlihood. Two principles going through court right now. Wyoming Principle, after the state whose judges have upheld it holds that instructor misjudgment is part of the inherent risk of any outdoor activity. The other is the California Principle, because it's gathering steam in that trend-setting state maintains that an instructor bears a heightened duty to protect his students from harm. Those ideas came into direct conflict the moment Pete Ro died.    HE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM IS THIS: foreknowledge. Successful risk management requires not just the best gear and guiding smarts but a clientele that has been briefed to the point of information overload. You can never be certain about an outcome but you can be fully prepared. "You have to understand the risks in order to make the best safety decisions," says Daryl Miller, 58, head of mountaineering operations at Denali National Park  Nobody likes to give the death talk. It takes guts to harsh the pretrip high, to tell a roomful of people who've signed $5,000 checks that, if something goes wrong, they could die a slow, painful death in the middle of nowhere. But as Miller has found out, it's the most honest advice a guide can give a client. "One of the things I tell all climbers is that people who fail to recognize and respect the elements will lose their life," he says. "The wilderness is unforgiving. It doesn't care about your résumé."  Lawsuits like Sunday v. Stratton Corp. and Ro v. San Juan Mountain Guides may work in a similar way to actually deepen the outdoor experience in America. By making us acknowledge the risks we can expect to encounter, they force us to reckon with the basic question of outdoor adventure: What are we willing to risk and what do we hope to gain?Good quote from the reading is:  "The real art of risk management is knowing how to have that candid exchange without freaking out both sides," says risk consultant Preston Cline. "The point is to protect the clients by not lying to them. And if you tell them it's safe, you're lying to them."


OAL 362


How do you feel about the presence of water taxis in Abel Tasman NP? How do you feel about the many bolted routes at Paynes Ford? Regarding the Dolphin encounter, how do you view the human impact on the dolphins and the marine environment as well as the dolphins/marine environment impact on the humans?

I had trouble with this question, I dont want to prevent anyone from going to see a National Park by any means so if you have a disability why should you be prevented from seeing something so amazing? But then there was this couple who camped right next to me and they had hired a guide who set up there tent for them and made all of there meals for them  and it was so annoying to watch, you come in on your white horse (water taxi) and bring a slave along ( guide) to do all your dirty work. How are you about to change this awesome outdoor adventure into a day at home? It is such a disconnect to me. In that case I feel like there should be no water taxis, if your going to do something in the outdoors take full advantage and the environmental side of it if you can walk into the park or sea kayak in why pollute the water with your gas guzzling boat? With Paynes Ford and dolphin swimming I think its fine, not all of the limestone rocks have bolts in them and its way more eco friendly then an water taxi and its an outdoor sport its not just being "lazy". I think dophin swimming would be bad if the dolphins were in a tank but there not, there in the ocean and we have to boat to them and then jump in and swim away from the boat to swim with them, the water taxis I start to have a problem with, just talking to Brandon, Crystal, and Adam we talked about how the National parks are now just jammed packed and it starts to lose its beauty and signifigance when we start to over run the park, when were there WE should come second and the park should be first is what I think but its a really good discussion question and I feel like everyone should think about it regarding National Parks.