There were many things I learned about myself while walking the Appalachian Trail. In addition, there were many things I learned about my team as well. My role in my trail group, the Porcupines, was captain. As a captain we are responsible for our group and making big decisions while on the trail. At first I didn't think I was the right person to do this job, but my field commander Mr.Duffy told me that I wouldn't be captain if I wasn't qualified for the job. From there on I knew what my job was and that was to get my team to the Delaware Water Gap and have fun.
Another thing that helped me realize I was the right person was the fact that my friend and I put the team together. My friend and I basically recruited people. We picked
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people that had at least one of the three qualities: fast, strong, and optimistic/funny. Why optimistic/funny you ask, because when the rest of the team is down you’re going to need someone to pick the team and you up so the walk is somewhat fun. So we ended up having a whole team full of optimistic people with three strong, including me, and five fast, including me, also someone who's really smart. To me we had the perfect team and we were the best team in our company to many others including some of the midshipmen My team and I went through many difficulties while on the trail. On the third day we got lost because we made the wrong turn, we turned into three dead ends and tried each one until going back and making the right turn. This changed a lot of people's minds about my team and I, since we were the last team in and we were about three hours late. I used this as motivation every other day and made sure we were first to get in. My team and I joke around a lot, but when it's time to get to business we’re a quick team and we get along with each other well. I think this it's because I'm not like the other captains I actually listen and don't just tell them what to do and get really strict about it. Although the one thing that really got on my nerves was the complaining, because, to me, it's like what is complaining going to do, but get other people in a worse mood. On the fifth day we went through some of the same things except there was an injured member of the team. While another member of my team was walking up hill, his pack caught onto a branch, and the branch whipped back and hit another member in the eye. The same member was having problems with his eye the night before at the campsite because he got his eye scratched by a spoon. Each time we walk on the trail there has to be either a medic, a commander(s), or one of the navy midshipmen. On the day of the injury we had our field commander with us, and luckily his friend who was a medic. It turned out it was most likely a scratched cornea, so while on a hill we made a eye patch to protect his eye from sunlight. Until his eye got less sensitive to light he was to keep that on for the remainder of the trail. For about 4-6 miles I carried his Pack so he wouldn't be feeling too much pain in different places. Amazingly the next morning his eye was a lot better, he could now open it and see out it and could carry his own pack. He was a very important part of our team, so I was very glad he was able to get better in the short amount of time he recovered. The other four days were successful and fun because the rest of the trail we were all comfortable and optimistic whereas that one day we were pretty down, and there wasn't much that could bring us up.
We joked around, sung, and rapped to keep each other up, and it was an effective way of keeping everyone happy. When everyone is happy and getting along we walked at our fastest speed and made great time getting to our campsites, and with that we could choose a place to set up tents, tarps, and start food early so we wouldn't have to do that much stuff in the dark. With the food, we had a meal 3 times each day except for the first day where we only had one meal, which was dinner. On the second day an instructor tried to help us cook and got our biggest pot burnt on the bottom which we were planning to use for our macaroni the next day, but instead we had to improvise and use a smaller pot and we made two separate servings.
Basically I learned that I had all the leadership qualities that I needed to get my team to the Delaware Water Gap. I also found many other qualities I had, like my willpower to get the job done, or my problem solving ability. All my true qualities came out during this challenge and they were needed to accomplish the goal. There were times where we wouldn't exactly get along with each other and I had to confront people, but we got over
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I noticed a few graves of people whom have died of the disease cholera (Document C). Some campers may need to
Bill Bryson uses his experience on the Appalachian Trail to show how different your expectations can be compared to the reality of the situation. Bryson believed that he was fully prepared for the hike and that it would be exciting but, in all actuality it was very difficult. He also believed that the hike would be stimulating for the mind but, at times it didn’t require a lot of thinking or attention. His experience and the background research he provided created an image for his audience so they could understand the point he was trying to make. These elements served as evidence in the book and was very effective because it was abundant and meaningful.
I am a runner. I was selected to be a cross country captain for my senior year and I had set myself a realistic goal of being one of the top five finishers at the state meet in the fall. I never had the thought that I could not do it; I knew I was going to be up there with the best. When the state meet came and I traveled with the team as captain, that race became one of the most memorable of my cross country career but not for the reasons I expected.
I'm Jeffery the oxe and I recently completed the Oregon trail. In the beginning we started in Saint Louis, Missouri. We were waiting on the field for my food to grow, then I would be free fed.
It was a very quiet morning and everything was very settled on May 5th, 1864 in the state Virginia, until a high powered Battle broke loose on a very open and vulnerable terrain that stretched 70 miles wide and 30 miles long. The battle ended just 2 days later on May 7th. By the end, over 3,700 soldiers lost their lives, of what was left over 4,000 were missing or captured. The 162,000 involved lives were changed for a battle that was found inclusive. What was this pointless battle called? Its known as “The Battle of the Wilderness”. This battle was between the Potomac, IX corps (Yankees) and the Army of Northern Virginia (confederates) .The Yankees were lead by Ulysses S.Grant and George G. Meade and the confederates were controlled by Robert E. Lee.
... campus but at camp too. Another exceptional display of leadership during the semester was by our cadre. Handling certain situations that arose over disputes between cadets or amidst the government shut down conveyed to myself the skills taught in ROTC like mental agility and innovation happen daily. For instance, configuring multiple plans to continue through with a fall FTX for the MSIII. Reinforcing my trust within my cadre to best prepare my peers and myself to excel both at camp and during our careers in the U.S. Army.
One wonderful ability that people have always been able to do is walk thousands of miles through tough terrain to get where they want/need to go. The exercise known as hiking was practiced all over the world, including the famous Appalachian Trail, approximately 2,184 miles long. The A.T. was “Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers”, as stated on the National Park Services website. The trails path runs along the Appalachian Mountains and through 14 different states stretching from Maine to Georgia. The formation of the trail went through several stages beginning with Benton MacKaye’s idea and planning of a super trail in late 1921. A committee was formed, followed by a conference which years later became the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The A.T. is a great trail to hike for the courageous individuals that are looking for a great time and adventure.
It made me a better person because as captain I had to accommodate everyone's request to try to come up with the best workouts. When the coaching staff was not there I had to get everyone together and organize then into what we were going to do. For example, since our Track coach had worked during modified days I had to take charge of both the guys and girls team and organize them until the coach came in. However, an area I believe I need a lot more improvement is a responsibility to education because in a way I gave up the second semester. I felt like i was way to overwhelmed with AP testing that after I procrastinate on my homework. It got to a point where I have a lot of missing and late work. As you can see I need a lot more improvement and am starting to again, I turning in my later work. An ESLR that I believe I have mastered is the characteristic of Critical and Creative Thinker appreciate originality and aesthetics in all the project that I have done. For instance, I once spent all night redoing a Scholar In Me Project because I thought the previous one was not as nice as it could be and I created a pretty impressive project. I created an apple tree with the apples being the research that i had done and a cropped picture of my face in Isaac Newton face, in the end I was pretty satisfied with my work. On the contrary, a
I knew my team wouldn’t get far without me being a leader. They liked to win championships, but didn’t have a championship mentality. So, I knew if I stepped up that could all change and we could have undefeated seasons, and go to the championship games and we did. Something my mom did, which was very huge was teach me how to be a better leader being more vocal, not being afraid to let them know they can do better, an encourager, but most importantly she taught me in order to be a good leader you must know how to also follow. Being a leader isn’t telling people what to do and I never forgot
...They learned how to work together as a team, and how to share ideas and think outside of the box. As the leader of the entire effort, I also met with the team members who did not stay involved with the team to understand what could the team or I have done different to make them feel closeness or cohesiveness with the others.
stood upon, was frightening. The only was to go was down. I took a deep
The following year the next drill team leader was to be picked. I knew I was ready for it. The Senior Army Instructor, Colonel Tommy Palmertree, held an awards ceremony. He kept the team leader as a surprise until the end. Of course, this kept me on the edge of my seat biting my nails in anticipation. Finally, Colonel Palmertree announced me as the following year's leader. He said I would hold the position as Cadet First Lieutenant. I knew that I had finally achieved my goal. I had become a great leader like Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Armington and Cadet First Lieutentant Dwight Lewis. I would lead others and influence them in the same way as they influenced me.
I awoke to the sun piercing through the screen of my tent while stretching my arms out wide to nudge my friend Alicia to wake up. “Finally!” I said to Alicia, the countdown is over. As I unzip the screen door and we climb out of our tent, I’m embraced with the aroma of campfire burritos that Alicia’s mom Nancy was preparing for us on her gargantuan skillet. While we wait for our breakfast to be finished, me and Alicia, as we do every morning, head to the front convenient store for our morning french vanilla cappuccino. On our walk back to the campsite we always take a short stroll along the lake shore to admire the incandescent sun as it shines over the gleaming dark blue water. This has become a tradition that we do every morning together
One of the most enjoyable things in life are road trips, particularly to the Colorado mountains. Getting to spend time with your family and friends, while being in a beautiful place, is irreplaceable. The fifteen-hour road trip may feel never-ending, but gazing at the mountains from afar makes life’s problems seem a little smaller and causes worries to become a thing of the past. Coming in contact with nature, untouched, is a surreal experience. My family trip to the Colorado mountains last summer was inspiring.
It taught me to encourage others and that positive reinforcement will always work better than punishment. It showed me that being a leader isn’t about being the person with all of the ideas or the most vocal person, but being the person that inspires others to be creative and help share their thoughts and to lead them in the right direction. Like many people, my personal experiences have shaped who I am. As a future educator, I want my students to respect me as a teacher, but understand that I will be there for every one of them, whenever they need me. I will not judge them; I will only encourage them to do their best.