For my minor at Longwood University I chose Leadership Studies to go into. One of the courses that I took was an outdoor education class focusing in leadership which helped us develop leadership through a variety of outdoor experiences and situations. Throughout this course we had two major trips we had to take to test what we had learned during our class period. We learned about leadership skills throughout a backpacking trip along with building and learning leadership traits through a rock climbing trip. This trip was meaningful to me because I learned my strengths and weaknesses and was able to push myself to finish and survive these two trips.

Rock Climbing Trip

During this trip we had to test our leadership skills that we had learned in class through being able to set up a belay, tie all of our knots to secure the climbing system, and trust our classmates to hold our weight while climbing down the rock wall. We put our knowledge to the test and had to trust other’s knowledge to have a successful climb for the weekend. We lived in the woods in Hammocks and had to make food and learn to survive through our own skills and the skills of others. During this trip I learned the strength of my own mind and tested my ability to trust the skills of others to have a successful trip.

Backpacking Trip

 Just like the Rock Climbing trip, we were taught how to be leaders in different situations and then given the opportunity to test them. For this trip we were instructed to get into “Hiking Groups” ranging from 4-6 in each group. We were all given a different leadership position within our group and then told to hike through the woods to meet at the same spot. Each group left at a different time from the same starting point and had to follow a map and compass to find the meeting location in the woods. We had to carry our back packs filled with our tents, clothes, food, water, and survival needs to help us throughout the weekend. Everything we were taught in class and were able to put our knowledge to the test.