When my mom first purposed the idea of sending me to Minnesota on a trip with Ohio University, I was against it. I wanted nothing to do with something that was going to cut my summer two weeks short. She had been on me for a while though, and I needed to get involved with something in school. This sounded like the best option, and I eventually agreed to go. To be honest, what attracted me the most was getting three credits towards my fall quarter. I had been on many camping trips before, mainly in the United States and Canada, and I was confident that I would be able to survive comfortably. This was the first time I followed the Leave No Trace ethics though, which was a bit of an adjustment. I entered the trip thinking I was only going to achieve a physical skill, the ability to canoe, but by the trips completion I had achieved a whole lot more. I never could have imagined the amount of self-confidence I would acquire or the level of self-awareness I could reach on a canoeing trip.
If I were asked if I could navigate a team of individuals from point A to point B in the middle of the wilderness, I would have laughed at the thought. I pride myself on being an excellent team member by work well with others. I work hard to achieve any task asked of me, but in the same respect this was once one of my greatest flaws. I was only a team member, never a team leader. Being assertive and giving orders was something I used to fear. This was mostly due to my lack of self-confidence. I felt if I could not believe in myself, why would anyone else. One of the great experiences about the trip was it forced myself to step up and become a leader. I had no other choice. Initially, when one of my trip leaders, Kyle, would ask who wanted to lead the day’s expedition, I would never volunteer. At the end of the trip though, this was not the case. Being forced to step up and take charge, I became confident, and able to show my true qualities that make me an excellent...