OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

BEING FIT

In 2003, a young man named Aron Ralston set off from his home in
Utah to go hiking on his own. He did not inform everyone, including his
parents or the park authorities where he was going. As he was hiking, he fell
through the ground and was lodged in between the rock. He spent five days
trying to free himself from the rock, and eventually amputated his own arm.
In the Philippines, a recent field trip to the Madlum river in Sta. Maria,
Bulacan brought out disaster for certain participants. This area is common
destination for tourists, weekend warriors, and educational trips.
Unfortunately, lack of planning and guidance left two students dead.
Even the hardiest outdoorsman can be susceptible to injury or danger
in the outdoors. Proper planning involves creating an emergency plan to
inform others of your whereabouts and safety procedures in case of any
hazards in the outdoors.
This chapter discusses proper planning for the outdoors. This includes
risk assessment of outdoor recreation activities and for your own health and
fitness and creating a program for yourself.
Stages of adventure
You will feel that participating in an outdoor activity would be considered an
adventure.
• Any outdoor journey can be categorized into four stages: play,
adventure, frontier adventure and misadventure.
• Questions to ponder
• What is it about the outdoor that tantalizes us?
• Why do thrill seekers and adventurers search for the next
big high?
The outdoors invite a different thrill or rush within us. Participating in
outdoor activities give us a sense of natural high that would be difficult to
experience otherwise.
Participating in outdoor activities require us to make sound decisions
and learn about ourselves in the process. The outdoors expose you. It shows
you your limitations and at times pushes you outside your physical and
mental boundaries.
Every outdoor activity requires a lot of planning. Planning involves
being physically fit to take on the challenges of the outdoors and by
understanding the risks involved.
The government of Canada issued a brochure for the travelers who
plan to go outdoors. In the brochure, travelers are advised to remember the
three t`s and follow these easy steps:
1.) Trip planning – make informed decisions;
 2.) Training – reduce the risks; know and stay within your limits; 3.)
taking the essentials – change your behavior.
Process Question!!
• Why is it important to know one`s readiness for physical activity?
Outdoor Recreation
• Is any activity that is pursued outdoors during leisure-time.
• This can range from simple activities such as jogging in the park with
our family, to the more extreme such as mountain biking, caving, or
camping overnight in the mountains.
• The outdoors activities provide us with a while new range of activities
present for us that we are unable to do indoors.
• It opens up our mind to new possibilities and allows us to appreciate
nature.
• The outdoors serve as our classroom that teaches us how to
understand ourselves better and how nature connects with us.
• Participation in outdoor recreation activities can be used as a tool for
learning experiences.
• Living in the cities means that venues for outdoor recreation may be
hard to access. There are limitations: lack of time, lack of facilities, and
fear of the unknown.
• Outdoor recreation places us outside our comfort zones and in the
process of participation, we learn to respond these challenges and
learn more about ourselves.
• Planning outdoor activities considers several variables: your skill and
fitness level, the skills and fitness levels of other participants, the
weather, the territory (terrain), and the type of activity you`re going to
do, among others.
• Outdoor recreation activities require social interaction.
• It is dangerous to participate in some outdoor activities by yourself.
• You are more exposed to danger if you do these activities on your own.
• Because outdoor recreation activities is somewhat a team building that
you will learn how to place your trust on your teammates and together.
• Challenge initiative provide venues for teams to process information
together, understand social interactions, and practice problem solving.
• By participating physical activities with the group strengthen your
relationship, and you are able to bond with each person within the
group.
• Leadership is one of the attributes that will appear during some of
these activities. This leader can even be you!
To wrap up!
 • This lesson introduced you to the concept of active recreational
activities and how they can contribute to improve one`s health through
regular participation.

Phases of Trip Planning

- Pre-trip
- During the trip
- Post trip
Pre-trip
 Prior to trip departure, always get the latest weather forecast, and tidal
or wind charts. Groups should be established before setting out so that
you can plan the equipment and food distribution, as well as
transportation and accommodation arrangements if possible.
 Once groups are established, assign roles and duties for each member
of the group. This allows you to recognize who among the team can be
leaders and who can have smaller roles within the group.
 Each group should be oriented on what to expect for the trip. Each
group is responsible for their own food, equipment, and first aid kits.
 Discuss possible group signs or signals that you can use during the
trip.

During The Trip

 Make sure that all members of the group are accounted for before you
start your activity. The group should implement a buddy system. It is
recommended that a physically weaker member of the team be
partnered with a stronger one. The pace of the group should be at an
appropriate pace. Slower members of the group should stay up front,
while the faster or stronger members bring up rear.
 Regular rest stop should be taken to catch your breath, eat and drink,
plan for next leg, or appreciate the scenery. Maintain reasonable
spacing between persons and between groups.

Post-Trip
 At the end of each trip, provide an evaluation of the trip or activity that
you did. Written and verbal feedback from the group is accepted.
Wash, dry, and return any borrowed equipment. Pack all the things you
brought with you.
 It is advisable to have checklist for this to make sure you do not lose or
forget any item going back.
 Lastly, provide a venue, such as a dinner or a gathering, to meet up
where you can talk about your experiences.
 As outdoor activities are typically more challenging than a usual sports
or exercise program that you participate in a day, it is important to
make sure that your body is capable of handling these demands.