Last weekend (September 2nd- 4th) we had a retreat for ISDSI students and staff at Doi Seket National Park. It was framed as a weekend of relaxation and camaraderie-building, but ended up being much more than I expected.
First of all, the amenities were much nicer than expected. My family kept saying we were "camping," but we actually stayed in these large houses with one big room and lots of beds. Like a big sleepover!
But we also had a lot of necessary instruction about first aid, safety, and leadership in the wilderness ("the back country") to help prepare us for expeditions. Some of the information was pretty intense—Ajaan Mark has innumerable stories he likes to tell to teach (scare) us about different illnesses and injuries, both urban and wilderness.
Most of the stories have little chance of occuring, but there IS a good chance that someone could have an injury while hiking. So, we spent a lot of time learning about protocols to deal different types of injuries. Not having any prior first aid experience, thought of having to deal with that was a little overwhelming. How could I help correctly help stabilize someone’s leg, back or head, build a litter, and help carry them out?
Thankfully, there’s experiential learning for that. On Saturday morning, we went for a little “hike” in groups… which ended up being a scenario in which one group member “injured” themselves and had to be carried out. Our group had the most difficult route: a steep inclining trail into the forest with little stream crossings that made the whole thing slick and mushy. But, we did it! We stabilized Roz’s leg and shoulder, built a litter (or two) to carry her out, and made our way back—including a full river crossing. Exhausting! While it was only a short glimpse of what that would really be like—a real evac if we were in the middle of a hike could take 2 days—it was reassuring to see that I could slip into the role needed in my group and contribute well.
Overall though, the most amazing part of the retreat was the Mok Fa Naam Tug (waterfall). That I can remember, I've never been to a waterfall, and I was blown away by its immense power. The strength of the water spray was like standing in the air flow of a helicopter or in the midst of gale force winds. As you got close to the center, the water hit like bullets.
We swam around, under, and behind the waterfall for about an hour, and then stood around just feeling it. It was the closest to a spiritual, meditative experience I've ever had while in nature.
A group of us also hiked up a trail next to the waterfall, so I was able to get some pictures closer up too.
Sunday morning before we left, we took a formal hike in groups with a couple of national park rangers. They taught us the names of some of the types of trees (different types of banana and bamboo, eucalyptus, etc), which was informative for future field expeditions. What I finally realized during the hike was that we were legitimately IN the jungle.
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