Heading to Alaska

At Overland Summers, expectations are high. From day 1, it is drilled into us college-aged trip leaders that we are responsible for other people’s children. This is no small deal. This summer, as I backpack, sea kayak, and raft in Alaska, I have to remember that parents have trusted me with the thing in the world that is most important to them:their children. Therefore, safety always comes first.

For the next six weeks, I’m leading outdoor wilderness trips in Alaska with students who have just finished 11th and 12th grade. I will work with 2 peer co-leaders, and we will be the only staff on these trips. The office and full time staff members are available 24/7 for any problems that arise, but on a day to day basis, it’s just us. Before departing, all leaders are required to attend 10 days of training in Williamstown, Massachussets. During training, we sat in seminars about logistics, meals, group dynamics, inclusivity, and more. We became lifeguard certified and learned how to drive a 15 passenger van. For the final days of training, we were split into small groups and sent on 4 day backpacking trips along the Appalachian trail. This was a great way to practice our wilderness skills and experience a taste of how a trip should function.

The culture at Overland is full of trust. Full time staff wholeheartedly trust us summer trip leaders and our judgement calls. They have made it clear that they will have our backs no matter what. They trust us to make the best decisions possible given the circumstances of whatever situation we may find ourselves in. With this trust comes great responsibility. Overland has high expectations of leaders, and they are unwavering in these expectations.

The strengths of Overland’s attitude towards leaders are that they they (we) feel like we have real meaning. We are each such an important part of this summer, and there is no doubt that the work I am doing is meaningful. I get to have a direct impact on kid’s lives. As leaders, we feel empowered to make judgement calls and be ourselves with both our campers and the higher level staff.

On the flipside, there is a strong weakness I have noticed during training that has been felt by many leaders. There is a strong emphasis at Overland that the campers come first. This makes total sense. The trips are for the kids and their families are the clients. We’ve had several seminars and trainings about student well being and mental health. However, it has felt like the well being and mental health of the leaders has been neglected. It is not spoken about in concrete terms, just a broad “make sure to take care of yourself”. To use the classic bucket metaphor, it is hard to fill others’ buckets when your’s is empty. This is a highly rewarding, fun, exciting job, but it is also a draining one. Being “on” 24/7 for 3 straight weeks at a time is draining. More training and tips on caring for ourselves during the summer would have been extremely helpful.

I’m writing this blog while on the flight to Anchorage. I know this summer will be so rewarding, and also the most tiring and intense thing I’ve probably ever done. I’m so excited for all the experiences and lessons it will bring!