Complex Problem Solving
Published July 21, 2011 | 
Yeah we’re playing those mind games together
Projecting our images in space and in time
Yes is the answer and you know that for sure
Yes is surrender you got to let it go
- Lennon
I know many of you expect me to post photos from the various great lakes symposiums each year. Well, I finally have 107 Door County Sea Kayak Symposium pictures ready. This was an interesting symposium season for me personally this year, especially the last two where I actually only did one class with one student. No kidding. At Door I spent the whole of the event doing day trips. Not a bad way to spend your time actually. In the course of three days I paddled each side of the peninsula and the tip from Death’s Door to Washington Island. Suffice to say, out of the 107 pics, very few are from the actual symposium!!
The complex problem mentioned in the title is not really about the poor guy in the picture who was creating some new and amazing paddle combinations at the Werner tent, but simply wrapping my brain around 2 weeks of travel, 2 symposiums and the feeling like I’d spent the whole time wandering in the abyss. Guiding trips is a blast. It’s personal, social, introspective and extroverted all at the same time. Still spending all your time “out there” does leave you feeling like you hadn’t actually attended a symposium at all. I have to remind myself that I was actually there. Door? Oh, yeah.. that’s when we were out jumping four footers into a nasty wind on Death’s Door! Yeah, that’s the one! It’s a very different experience doing trips than jumping from class to class and talking until I lose my voice.. Not bad, nice really.. just different.
In the next few days I post more pictures from the trip and of course from the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium as well.. where, although I only had a single student in one class, I did actually spend more time in the fray. 
To see the gallery thumbnails click here to go to my Flickr Gallery or you can just watch the slide show here. If you are in a picture and want a copy, just ask!
5 Responses to Complex Problem Solving
Looks fun, Derrick. I’ve never gone to a symposium. When I was in retail, I did demo days, but never a symposium. At some point, I’d like to either guide trips at one or teach navigation or something like that at one. I agree with you that guiding is a blast (that is until you take over 750 people out in one season — my record). It’s also challenging and unpredictable. You just never know who you’re going to get and what their experience will be. I guided mainly first-timers, and it made me see sea kayaking through beginner’s eyes every day I went out on the water.
That’s a good point. It’s great to get out on day trips with paddlers and actually see them in action. I spend so much time teaching, that it’s important to keep a focus on WHY I’m teaching and to remember that what we’re teaching are more that simply exercises. The downside, is that I’m a very paranoid paddler when guiding. I know we all say safety first, but I probably take that a bit too seriously. It’s hard for me to really be at ease when I feel responsible for a group. It’s fun but with lots of glances over the shoulder.
The day we had wind and 3-4 footers with a couple open crossings I was certainly experiencing a bit of quite stress…
I know the feeling. To alleviate that feeling, I try to stay in the middle of the group, but between them and the shore (or obstacles) and just enough away from the “pod” to easily see them all, so I’m not glancing over my shoulders all day. It tends to slow the pace, but it’s lots more interactive, because it’s easy for them to paddle over to me. It also helps me to keep the group closer together. I worry about two types on guided trips: the ones that want to be out in front and the ones that fall behind. Being in the middle keeps me close to both and I can always shout or whistle to get the ppl out in front back. (Of course, I talk about staying within conversation distance and cover whistle blows before going out. That usually keeps everyone together until the turn around point.)
To help ease the stress, I keep us out of anything that I think is going to cause a problem, and I always keep everything controlled to the point that I know if something goes wrong, I can fix it just fine. It’s getting past that point when you should start stressing and acting to get things back to controllable situations. Even if that means turning around. If I’m stressing, the group should probably be napping on shore.
I’m sure you do something similar. I haven’t done as much guiding as I used to do in the last couple of years. I miss the daily parade of new people, but it’s also nice not guiding two day trips a day.
Was the GLSKS poorly attended overall, or just the scheduled classes? The symposiums here in WA this year have been yawners too, at least from the class attendance point of view. Just wondering what it’s like in the heartland.
Numbers are certainly down this year all over. I’m told the numbers at GLSKS were OK. I think we ran into some logistics problems here and there.