Why working in the outdoors in different from a legal perspective?

A guide for an outdoor company is in a unique perspective with his or her customers. This relationship can be used to resolve conflict, emotion and injured guests. 

When I work at a Grand Canyon river trip for OARS or any other company, I notice myself changing. By day three I have evolved from my lawyer self into my boatman self. I really like the boatman in me.

Whatever troubles I brought with me seems to fade by day three. Even more fun is to watch the guests on a trip also settle into their new self. They move from talking about work to talking about the canyon. Their goals for their families merge into their accomplishments, said with pride.

I sometimes refer to it as shedding my skin. I leave the stress behind. Sometimes I start to feel it come back the next to the last day of a trip, but even there I think it is more of getting ready to go back to the other world rather than stresses coming back. I look forward to getting out of the canyon and facing the challenges I left behind when I shoved off sixteen days earlier.

I find that rowing gear boats by myself is great. I do not feel the need to interact, to reach out and get feedback like I do when I’m working. Being alone is good. Being with people is good also, there is just no difference to me, and they both make me happy. However, here, alone is a very powerful word that instills concerns in mothers everywhere.

An article in the New York Times titled Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain supports this idea. One of the scientists in the article describes what occurs as “third day symptom.”

The article was written after a group of scientists from different disciplines took a river trip together. As they floated, rafted and hiked the river canyon, they all noticed changes in themselves. By day three the problems, they brought to the put in had were no longer pressing. The issues or problems were still there. The issues were just not that important any more.

The group also changed as a group. The group of scientists had “become more reflective, quieter, more focused on the surroundings.”One of the scientists even skipped coffee one morning, a ritual for him at home.

Now put yourself in this situation. Individually, and as a group you have changed. As a group you as a guide and your guests are closer. You are sharing knowledge, goals and ideas.

I’ve had customers tell me their life stories. They have a look on their face that says that all of the problems, accomplishments and failures in the past have little value in the canyon, so telling me, or anyone else there has no consequence.

The relationship between the people is difficult to describe. It involves a lot of trust, teamwork, interaction and enjoyment of the surroundings and each other. Whatever it is, it creates a different type of relationship between the people on the trip.

Now evacuate someone out of the trip for an injury. What happens?

· To the injured guest?
· To the injured guests’ family on the trip?
· To the guides?
· To the rest of the guests on the trip?

Does this interruption, the roar of the helicopter and the whirling of its blades break the relationships or just stun them?

I think they just break them. I’ve had this happen and I believe that the group comes back together. Not because they have to, but because they need to. The group wants that feeling back and wants to feel good and wants to feel safe. Those emotions are provided by the guides and the group.

Like CISD session (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or Critical Incident Stress Management) the group wants to know and wants to get rid of the emotions the incident creates. The group wants to go back to before the incident emotionally. Your job is to help them.

You can also help when you are out of the canyon or off the mountain. The person who was evacuated was torn from the group and went from happy and relaxed to injured and stressed in a millisecond. Add to that new people, new surrounds and thousands of questions, and you have a bad situation.

The injured person will want to know what happened, want to know what happened to the rest of the group, what happened to the trip. You should tell them.

At the same time, the remaining guests will want to know what happened to the injured person, t person who was part of the group, who was taken away. They have an emotional connection to that person, and that connection was stopped. You should answer their questions.

Who better?

Who can answer their questions? Who can connect them with the friends and new friends they left behind? Who can help them understand the system, the paperwork, and what may come next? Who can put a face on the company you work for?

By doing this but being there, by keeping the group together as much as you can, you will probably avert litigation.

Remember no matter what “It will still be there when you get back.”

 
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