When the voyageurs paddled the rivers and lakes of Canada in the
1700's and 1800's they had a member that they called
'Bourgeois.' The Bourgeois was responsible for decisions during
the trip. It was he that decided when and where the group would
stop for the night, what time they would rise in the morning and
how long they should paddle for the day.
Unless you're a group that has paddled together for a while,
you'll probably come to the conclusion that every trip needs a Bourgeois. A group of friends that easily
comes to a joint decision while sitting around the kitchen table
will often find the decision-making process more difficult while
they are out on a trip. Paddlers can sometimes let their best
judgment be influenced by fatigue, bravado or trip conditions.
For example...
- What happens if some
members of your group want to stop and set up camp a little
early because they are tired, wet or cold? What happens if
they want to sleep in late one morning? Will this affect the
trip schedule?
- What if some of our
paddlers want to run a stretch of whitewater and others feel
more comfortable portaging? Will there be pressure on
everyone to do the run?
- How about if the
fishing fanatics in the group want to stop for a few hours
to try out those new lures that they brought along on the
trip? How will that affect trip schedule, and the other
paddlers that couldn't care less about fishing?
- What would happen if
we woke up in the morning to find the lake covered with
whitecaps and a stiff wind blowing? Will some members of the
group want to sit out the bad weather and others want to go
for it anyway?
Consensus is not always
easy to reach when we are problem-solving under such conditions.
For that reason, it is important to have once person designated
as the trip leader ... your Bourgeois. Right or wrong, he or she
will make the final decision about any matter that affects the
group during the trip. This does not mean that we will have a
dictator running our trip - making decisions always involves
discussion and attempting to reach consensus.
The time to appoint a trip leader is during the planning stages
of the trip. This person should obviously have some degree of
experience in trip planning. More importantly, we should pick
someone who has the proper personality. We need someone who is
calm and rational and able to make sound decisions while under
stress and pressure; and to put these decisions into force in a
diplomatic manner. All participants should agree about the
choice of the trip leader and agree that his or her decisions
are final once the trip is underway.
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