No book or class or lecture can truly teach you the meaning of leadership. For me, experience, particularly my experience as a guide for Outdoor Adventures, has taught me how to be a strong leader. Guiding Yosemite Backpacking Pre-O was a defining moment in my time at OA and USD, as well as in my leadership development. It was my first time guiding a backpacking trip so I was facing a learning curve along with my participants. I think this trip as a whole was incredibly defining because of all that did not go according to plan and that we had to adjust and be flexible for. There were issues with the permits that made us change routes before we even started hiking, multiple storms that affected our plans for hiking and camping each day. It taught me a lot about respecting the power of nature and being able to change plans constantly. One moment in particular came on the group's attempt to summit Mount Hoffman, and off-trail excursion leading us up above May Lake. It was a cloudy morning as we awoke at
May Lake, as usually expected in the mountains, but it was early on in the trip and group morale was high. I had a lot on my mind that morning (the weather concerns, new route plans, worries about how the group was bonding), but I was waking up in one of my favorite places in the world, so I couldn't contain my smile. We took the morning slowly, making pancakes for breakfast and eventually packing to head out on our hike. My fellow guide Adam,
our seven participants and
I followed social (off-trail) paths up the side of an
exposed, rocky, slippery mountainside. Everyone was excited for the sweeping views of Yosemite Valley and the sense of accomplishment that awaited us at the summit. However, Adam and I remained focused on the approaching storm clouds, dark and thick looming above. We could feel the air getting moister and the sun disappeared. I also cringed as I watched participants reach the bottom third of their water bottles when we still had to finish the hike up and all the way back down. Adam and I met quickly as the temperature dropped. We ultimately decided that the impending thunder storm and dwindling water supply were greater concerns than our desire to summit Hoffman. We let the group know that we did not want to be hiking on an exposed slippery ridge line during a thunderstorm (lightning strikes, falling, rock slides, etc.). To say that this was an unpopular decision was an understatement; I can still remember the looks of disdain and disappointment that were sent my way. It was in this moment however that I learned my working definition of leadership (since it will always evolve in different situations). To me, on the side of that mountain nearly out of water with raindrops already falling on my head, leadership meant making the right decision for the group and their safety, regardless of that decision's popularity. It gave me a lot of confidence too, knowing that I could do what I knew was right and step up as a lead decision maker. This decision, as well as a few others about climbing rocks and swimming in rushing rivers, gifted me the nickname "Mrs. No" for the duration of the trip. Eventually, the participants understood our decision as the lightning storm began literally as we took our first steps back in our campsite. We got set up in our tents with snacks and card games to wait out the storm. I only hid inside for a few minutes, then Adam and I chose to sit out in the rain and embrace the beauty of May Lake, completely unplanned. I embraced "Mrs. No" and rather enjoyed it as I saw it as a reflection of risk management and self confidence.
Sarah enjoys a cup of hot tea near Slim Lake in the Easter Sierra.
USD Outdoor Adventures