Congratulations to those of you who accomplished your goal of boiling one pint of water within one hour. Some of you did not achieve your goal, and I want us all to take a little time to consider this fact. The Pyrofest activity has (as all experiences do, I believe) given rise to an opportunity to reflect and learn. Whether you experienced success or "failure" I would like you to visit the following link, read the article posted there, and then consider and address the following questions regarding our experience:
http://lifecoachesblog.com/2006/06/07/nlp-101-there-is-no-failure-only-learning-experience/
1. What was the objective of the Pyrofest activity?
2. Was it accomplished?
3. What are three factors that prevented you from completing (or allowed you to complete) the task?
4. After reading the article, would you call not achieving your goal a "failure"? Why or Why not?
5. Explain your feelings about accomplishing or not accomplishing the goal of the assignment.
6. Were you ready for this task?
7. Was it too difficult? Explain.
8. While the objective of Pyrofest may have been to complete a specific objective, what is the primary goal of the entire program?
9. If you now consider the overriding goal of the program, was Pyrofest a "failure"? Why or why not?
10. Is it possible to actually complete an assigned task, but still fail? Explain.
11. Is it possible to not complete a task, but consider the effort worthwhile? Explain.
12. If you were to do this task over again, what would you do differently?
13. Identify another task in your life you have left unfinished.
This is due at the beginning of class (9:00) on Friday morning, Nov. 7. Please also remember that your take-home quiz on Chapters 2&3 is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
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7 comments:
Samantha Sutton
The objective of the pyrofest activity was to demonstrate that we know how and can start a fire with wet wood. I think some or most of the class demonstrated that they could do this activity, however I wasn’t that part of the class. I had the fire going, and had water boiling, but it was too little water so I had to restart it and I didn’t have enough time. The reason I didn’t complete the activity is because I forgot my mess kit. I had a big bag filled with bark and twigs, and some fuel. I also gathered more fuel before I started my fire just to be on the safe side. Well I got the fire going without a problem, but then I didn’t have a pot or water, and everyone was still using there’s. So I just waited until you said we had eighteen minutes left, and then I just figured it was too late so I threw everything I had into the fire to use it up. Then a few minutes after that Dana let me use his pot and I got water boiling, but I needed more water. So when I started over I was out of wood and time. Well I don’t think it was a failure, I mean I did do what needed to be done, even though it wasn’t good enough to get a grade for it. At least I know that I can do it if I needed to. Well I feel pretty shitty about it because if you didn’t boil the water to your standards then it’s an automatic failing grade, but what bothers me is I did do it. Yes, I think I was ready for this activity. I had the paper done, brought in my wood, but forgot a pot. It wasn’t too difficult; it was just unfair to everyone who forgot one part of the assignment. So it’s like doing the paper and collecting the wood, and even building the fire was just a waste of my time if I’m just going to fail it anyways. I think the goal of the program is to demonstrate you can do what’s needed from you in this field of work, and this program is designed to push you to your limits, and do a variety of adventure recreation activities to find out what your passionate about. And knowing this goal I still feel the exact same as I said before. Yah it’s possible to complete the activity and still fail…that’s what I did. I don’t know if it’s really worthwhile to complete a task and still fail unless you learned something from the experience I guess. If I were to do this over again, I would remember to bring a pot. I can’t really think of a task in life that I haven’t accomplished. Well I guess I need to get a job, and I keep putting it off. However I was just waiting until I got my car back from my mom though.
Dana Marble
The objectives of pyrofest was many fold, for the most part they were met.
First the insturctor needs to know the capability of each member of the group. The only way to do this is to have each student demonistrate his or her level of proficiency. Without question some had prior experince building fires. In other words it wasen't a level playing filed. This is the way of life in general.
Difficulty is an arbitrary issue, of ocurse some found it difficult and some found it easy. Those with prior experince were better able to plan and prepare.
The true objective here is preparedness. Anything can happen when we are on the Appalation Trail. The possiblities are endless, a major snowstorm combined with an injury could put the whole group at risk. The more members of the group that are capable of starting a fire inder abverse conditions the better.
As for those who could not start a fire and boil water the exercise should still be considered a success. They know ther is room for improvement and they also know the basics, so even if they cannot boil water they can help in other areas such as gathering wood or birch bark.
Those that are capable can help those who those that are not, this is where EB comes into play.
As far as improvement goes even those who met the challange can learn from watching the others. After all life in general in just one learning experince.
I think the point of pyrofest was to learn to make a fire using limited lighting implements and only what we find on the ground which in some cases is wet. If it was something we couldn’t do already well it was good practice, but the event in itself was something to practice for. In order to complete the task I wanted to make sure I had all the materials ready from tinder, kindling and fuel. I wanted to make sure the wood that was wet was scraped off, or the fuel split to expose the drier inside. I also made extra in case my fire started to die before the water boiled. I also think the lid helped keep in some of the heat helping it to boil a bit faster. Had this fire not worked I would be able to use my experience as a way to figure out what I did wrong.
I feel relieved I was able to accomplish the fire, because I was a little concerned I wouldn’t be able to. I built a fire using only what I found outside and a match, after a couple days of rain. Most of my materials were pretty well soaked. I gathered and prepared and boiled in an hour and a half. If it had rained like before, I might not have gotten it done in an hour. Under the weather conditions we had that day, it was a good day to burn. I thought it was ideal for fire starting. I guess we all learned something, whether or not we accomplished our primary objective. The exercise gave us some experience in the skill of fire building, so pyrofest was not a failure, it served its purpose. I think it is possible to complete an assigned task , but miss the point of the exercise. If the task isn’t examined after completion, it may never be put to memory, and so it failed to accomplish what it was designed to do. Of course I have heard that students in a four year University only remember about 30 percent of what is learned in their time their. I know most students are probably only interested in about 30 percent of what is shoved into our craniums, its too bad they couldn’t charge you 70 percent less for tuition.
I think the effort put forth for change, or the completion of a task is always worthwhile. This makes me think of the force of entropy a natural force that pulls all of nature into disorganization, or disintegration right down to the molecular level. If we don’t use our minds they turn to mush, or help us very little, if we don’t clean out our cars they get very dirty or messy. Even our bodies resist the force of entropy by surviving, which takes work, so we use the energy from other organisms. In death or cells no longer continue to work in an organized manner, they just decompose to their constituent parts. It is the force of entropy we are working against to create some kind of goal, order, or organization and this will always take the effort of something or someone. If I were to do this again I would try some different ways of propping my pot over the fire, or a different method of starting the fire.
I wasn’t known for completing much of anything in school, not academics, but sports, plays, hobbies, school itself. I got tired of being that person that always seemed to start something and left it unfinished. But I don’t really consider those things important anymore. I’m having a hard time thinking of something; oh wait I have been meaning to go skydiving for like the past three years, it hasn’t happened yet. No that doesn’t work. Okay, I bought a downhill bike like 2 and a half years ago. I wanted to race since my first and last slalom race at Sunday River at the age of fifteen. The announcer called me “cooking Ken Stevens“ as I flew down the mountain on account of my messy handwriting on the sign up sheet. I placed 15th of fifty teens and adults. I started slowly getting the equipment after the bike, but didn’t get to ride much. This last year I started training for skill and fitness, wrote up a good program, and bought all the remaining equipment. This is something I have invested in and has not come to completion yet I plant on actually getting to some big events by next year, they are a lot of fun if your racing or not.
I believe that the objective of the pyrofest activity was to be able to make a fire in different circumstances. I believe that I accomplished my goal of getting a fire going. I got it going and kept it going and ended up with a really good bed of coals. The only thing I forgot to do was bring a cup to be able to boil my water in. Obviously I would have been able to boil water with my fire because I kept it going really well. I don’t think I failed. I made my fire just forgot my cup. I feel that I accomplished my goal and that I would have had a great boiling cup of water. I was ready for the task just forgot my cup. I don’t think this was difficult at all. Infact i thought it was a lot of fun.I believe that pyrofest is a good thing for students to do. I didn’t think I would be able to get my fire going with wet wood but I got it going on the first try and kept a really good fire going.I don’t think you fail any assigned task. I would not do the task over again because I believe that I accomplished it and proved that I could get and keep a fire going with wet wood.I don’t think ive left anything unfinished I always finish something that I started.
I think the objective for the pyrofest was to see who can boil a pint of water in an hour and with damp wood. I was not able to keep my fire going it started but I could not make it bigger or last longer, some people though did really well I think. The three factors that prevented me from completing were not having enough kenlin, the wood was wet, and I did not have enough fuel for my fire. I don’t call what happen a failure I can learn be mistakes and fix them so they go right the next time. My feelings for not accomplishing the task are that I should have done better with making sure I had everything I needed for this. I was not ready for this because we didn’t have it shown to us that well. It wasn’t too difficult I just didn’t do it the right way. The goal for this was to show how we are at starting fires and being able to keep them going. Pyrofest was not a failure it was a learning experience and some just need to practice more so when we go out for or trip we will be all set with fire starting. I just it depends on if they did what they were supposed to do and did it correctly. Yes because you can fix what you did wrong and get it right the next time. If I was to try this again I would practice more and get more supplies. The thing that I have left unfinished is my photo album I have no idea when I will finish it I want to but I have other things to do.
Brad Gordon
The objecte of pyrofest was to show that we knew how and could start a fire with a single match or no match with damp wood. It was occomplished with a flint and steel but didn’t get the water to a boil. The 3 major factors I made sure I used was good ventilation for the fire plenty of tinder and kindling to get it going and larger sticks for the fuel to keep it going. I did manage to get the fire going and keep it going but failed to get the water to a boil but it’s because without a lid for the pot it didn’t keep the heat so all I could get was fish eyes instead of a rapid boil. I don’t think of it was a failure just a learning experience for next time or when it becomes really needed to boil water. I believe I was ready I spent the 2 days before searching for hemlock birch and spruce for my 3 main woods used the birch and parts of the spruce bark as my tinder and worked my way up in size of the twigs and branches. No it wasn’t difficult did get frustrating though when the water wouldn’t boil. Think the objective wasn’t just to get the fire and water going but learn proper ways to do so and to try and see different ways 1st hand so if the need to use them ever truly comes up. Pyrofest was actually pretty fun even though I am a pyro but either way I learned a few different ways to set up the tinder and kindling to help them catch faster and easier. Kind of because I did get the fire going and new what I was doing but without the lid to the pot I couldn’t get the water to boil so even though I failed to I still knew what I was doing and what I was missing. The people who didn’t complete it I believe still had fun either way was a good experience and just fun to get out of class and burn stuff. If I had to redo the task I would do everything the same just think more into what I would need to actually boil the water and remember a lid for the pot. There is a lot of tasks unfinished in my life and im always ready to try them and learn more about them, some im sure id get agrivated with and others would have a blast but in all bring them on.
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