lv~u '“m’v-uoi- "1 EFFECTS OF AN DQPERIMENTAL WILDERNESS SURVIVAL EXPERIENCE 0N SELF CONCEPT, PERSONALITY AND VALUES Dissertation for the Degree of Ph. D. MICHIGAN, STATE UNIVERSITY PAUL HERALD RISK II 1976 This is to certify that the thesis entitled mars OF AN EDCPERIMENTAL WEDERNESS SURVIVAL mums ON SELF CONCEPT, PERSONALITY AND VALUES i presented by PAUL HERALD RISK II has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph.D. degree in Fisheries. 8: Wildlife Major professor Date October 6, 1976 0-7639 t‘ “M.“ mmflux I"? t i 7 2"?“ {‘r ”23.? ‘7: JR.) «.1 e, m ’31:.— 9 L&?_ 3...”... BEARIES S J ‘rm-rx‘s \" RETURNING MATERIALS: Piece in book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES wi11 be charged if book is returneo after the date 3f;a:.tej heJow. “7;; g. r :7 ABSTRACT EFFECTS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL WILDERNESS SURVIVAL EXPERIENCE 0N SELF CONCEPT, PERSONALITY AND VALUES By Paul Herald Risk II There is an increasing interest in both education and recreation toward courses and experiences emphasizing stress and/or wilderness survival as a means for the promotion of improved self image and other character changes considered conducive to successful participation in society. However, many of the above feelings are intuitive and there is a need to quantitatively assess such experiences. This research was designed to measure self concept, personality and values before and after a 12-day experimental wilderness survival experience with the purpose of determining not only what alterations might be forthcoming but the degree of such. ' Eleven individuals, six male and five female, after a 10-week basic wilderness survival course, were taken to an uninhabited island in Lake Michigan. With only basic outdoor clothing, a minimal survival kit and none of the usual camping items such.as tents or sleeping bags, they were required to acquire from the natural environment all necessary survival needs including food, water and shelter. Two sets of pretests and two sets of post-tests were admin- istered at various times preceding and following the experience. Self Paul Herald Risk II concept was measured using the Tennessee Self Concept Scale; personality with the Sixteen Personality Factors Test (16 PF); values with Rokeach's Value Survey. Changes, in order to be considered significant, were required to exhibit a two-tailed probability of .05 or less. Variables which changed significantly on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale were: total positive, self satisfaction, physical self, moral-ethical self, defensive positive and general maladjustment. Significant alterations on the 16 PF occurred in relation to: affected by feelings vs. emotionally stable; sober vs. happy-go-lucky; trusting vs. suspicious; practical vs. imaginative; group dependent vs. self sufficient; relaxed vs. tense. Three terminal values on Rokeach's Value Survey--freedom, mature love and wisdom, changed while three instrumental values showing shifts were: broadminded, forgiving and polite. Participants also kept personal journals throughout the experience from which additional information was extracted to parallel the test data. Both the journal entries and discussions with students evidenced strongly positive reactions on the part of the group members. In general, test results confirm several positive changes in the test group. However, there are also questions regarding parameters which declined somewhat. Especially important will be additional inquiry into the post- trip societal reentry period which appears to present some difficulty to participants. EFFECTS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL WILDERNESS SURVIVAL EXPERIENCE ON SELF CONCEPT, PERSONALITY AND VALUES By Paul Herald Risk II A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Fisheries and Wildlife 1976 ii © Copyright by PAUL HERALD RISK II 1976 To my wtfie, Rosalie, who 6cm eighteen yea/ta 06 malt/tinge hat neve/L doubted and unfiaiblngty haa plwvtded he/L Love, auppoltt and wtgtng in all the efifiow and thtwugh at]. the At/Leaaea which have culminated tn tht'A dxlaaelttatton. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Particular appreciation is expressed to those eleven students who made up the “island group" and who, for ethical reasons, must remain anonymous. They adopted a new "dad" and without their patient cooperation during the entire experiment this project would not have been possible. The writer is also deeply grateful to Dr. Dozier W; Thornton of the Michigan State University Department of Psychology who devoted much of his very crowded schedule over the past two years to assisting in planning the experiment as well as selecting and helping with the interpretation of the test instruments and data. For her assistance in hours of coding computer input information and drafting figures, thanks is formally expressed to the investigator's wife, Rosalie. The patience and suggestions of Dr. Gilbert W. Mouser of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, chairman of the writer's com- mittee as well as the other committee members: Drs. Lewis W. Moncrief, Department of Park & Recreation Resources; Eugene W. Roelofs, Depart- ment of Fisheries and Wildlife; Milton Steinmueller, Department of Resource Development, have been of great assistance throughout the development and completion of the project. iv Several individuals from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are to be thanked for the help they provided from initial permission to use Garden Island through provision of radio equipment to detailed information on the survival site. These are: Dr. David H. Jenkins, Chief, Wildlife Division; Mr. Charles Shick, Wildlife Services Supervisor; Mr. Ralph I. Blouch, Senior Wildlife Executive; Mr. Jerry Duvendeck, Biologist in Charge, Houghton Lake Wildlife Research Station; Mr. Ned S. Curtis, Regional Law Supervisor, Region 11; Mr. Bernard W. Wagner, Fire Officer, Beaver Island. Special thanks goes also to Deputy Bill Welke, Charlevoix County Sheriff's Office, Beaver Island, who flew the ration drop. Appreciation is extended to the officers and crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Charlevoix who provided transportation to the island and back. They were a pleasure to deal with. Finally, most heartfelt thanks goes to Stan Adams and Francie Hinckley Smith, the other two staff members whose presence and skill meant more than words can express both to this investigator and the students who participated in the experience. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................... LIST OF FIGURES ........................ CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...................... Problem Statement .................. Related Literature .................. Implications ..................... Hypotheses to Be Tested ............... II. DESIGN AND METHODS ................... Participant Selection ................ Planning and Development ............... Clothing and Equipment .............. Emergency Plans ................. The Field Site .................... The Test Instruments . . . . ............. Administration of Tests ............. Tests Administered But Data Not Used ....... III. CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATIVE ................ Introduction ..................... On Survival ......... . . . ...... Day 1, Saturday, 17 August 1974 ......... Day 2, Sunday, 18 August 1974 . . . . . . . . . . Day 3, Monday, 19 August 1974 .......... Day 4, Tuesday, 20 August 1974 .......... Day 5, Wednesday, 21 August 1974 ......... Day 6, Thursday, 22 August 1974 ......... Day 7, Friday, 23 August 1974 . . ..... Day 8, Saturday, 24 August 1974--"Christmas Eve" . Day 9, Sunday, 25 August 1974--"Christmas Day" . . Day 10, Monday, 26 August 1974 .......... Day 11, Tuesday, 27 August 1974 ......... Day 12, Wednesday, 28 August 1974 ........ Group and Individual Food Acquisition ........ vi Page ix CHAPTER Page IV. RESULTS ......................... 127 Data Analysis and Discussion .............. 127 Tennessee Self Concept Scale ............ 128 Sixteen Personality Factors Test .......... 143 Rokeach's Value Survey ............... 160 V. SUMMARY .............. . .......... 172 Trip Sequence Profile ................. 173 Phase l--Anticipation and Anxiety ......... 173 Phase 2--Frantic, Poorly Directed Activity ..... 173 Phase 3--Preoccupation with Food Acquisition . . . . 174 Phase 4--Success .................. 175 Phase 5--Anxiety Reduction ............. 175 Phase 6--Profound Energy Drop ........... 176 Phase 7--Antagonism ............... 176 Phase 8--Group Cohesiveness (esprit de corps) . . . 177 Phase 9--"Fami1y" Feeling ............. 177 Phase lO--Holiday Anticipation and Exuberance . . . 178 Phase 11--Letdown and Depression .......... 178 Phase 12--Air Drop (Borderline Hysteria and Depression .................... 179 Phase l3--Departure Anticipation .......... 179 Phase l4--Departure ................ 180 Phase lS--Societa1 Re-Entry ............ 180 Hypotheses Tested ................... 181 Narrative Data Summary ................. 182 Pretest One (11 Weeks Prior to Trip) ........ 182 Pretest Two (One Day Prior to Trip) ........ 182 Post-Test One (End of Last Day of Trip) ...... 183 Post- Test Two (Six Weeks After the Trip) ...... 184 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS . . . . . .......... 185 The Findings ...................... 186 Design Changes and Other Considerations for Future Research ................... 189 Further Soc1etal Imp11cat1ons ............. 195 vii APPENDIX A. STUDENT HANDBOOK ..................... B. CONTINGENCY INFORMATION ................. C. MAPS OF GARDEN ISLAND .................. REFERENCES CITED ......................... viii TABLE 1. 2. 3. LIST OF TABLES Primary Source Traits of the 16 PF ............ Variables on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale ....... List of Rokeach's Value Survey Variables ......... ix Page 37 4o FIGURE 1. 1o. 11. 12. 13. 14. LIST OF FIGURES One individual's food intake--exerpt from student journal Total food brought in each day-—exerpt from student journal Individual protein contributions--exerpt from student journal Comparison of experimental group means from total positive scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale Comparison of experimental group means from self- satisfaction scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale Comparison of experimental group means from physical self scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale Comparison of experimental group means from moral- ethical self scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale Comparison of experimental group means from defensive positive scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale Comparison of experimental group means from general maladjustment scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale . . . Comparison of experimental group means from affected by feelings vs. emotionally stable scores on 16 PF . . . . Comparison of experimental group means from sober vs. happy-go-lucky scores on 16 PF ............. Comparison of experimental group means from trusting vs. suspicious scores on 16 PF ............. Comparison of experimental group means from practical vs. imaginative scores on 16 PF Comparison of experimental group means from group- dependent vs. self-sufficient scores on 16 PF Page 124 125 126 130 133 135 138 141 144 144 149 152 FIGURE Page 15. Comparison of experimental group means from relaxed vs. tense scores on 16 PF ............... 159 16. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "freedom“ from Rokeach Value Survey ......... 162 17. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "mature love" from Rokeach Value Survey ....... 164 18. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "wisdom" from Rokeach Value Survey ......... 166 19. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "broadminded" from Rokeach Value Survey ....... 168 20. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "forgiving" from Rokeach Value Survey ........ 169 21. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "polite" from Rokeach Value Survey ......... 171 xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Problem Statement Courses offered by a number of agencies and universities under the title wilderness survival are rapidly growing in number. This phenomenon has developed most rapidly during the past seven to ten years. There appears to be a feeling among those involved in such educational approaches that certain positive changes in behavior take place as a result of the stressful activities participants engage in. However, research designed to elucidate those changes and investigate their significance is still scanty. The purpose of this project was to develop a contrived stress outdoor educational experience lasting twelve days, patterned as closely as practical, after situations found in actual wilderness survival situations of a "lost hiker" type. The participants were tested twice before and twice after the experience to determine what, if any, changes could be detected in their personalities and attitudes toward the environment. Participants, selected at random from applicants having successfully passed either of two wilderness survival courses at Michigan State University, were taken by boat with only basic items to an uninhabited island in Lake Michigan to provide for themselves those necessities required to sustain life. In order to maintain stress levels throughout the stay on the island and the overall test period, only limited information was made available to the group regarding their actual stay.- In terms of basic survival training, the courses required as prerequisites for the experience are global in scope, patterned to a significant degree after that outlined in the United States Air Force Survival Training Manual 64-3. Subject matter and field experience includes: psychology of survival; discussions of actual survival experiences; edible and poisonous plant recognition and utilization; traps, snares and animal use; survival in arctic, tropic, mountain, desert and sea environments. While the goals of the basic courses include skill acquisition, they are also designed to provide information of interest to outdoor educators and a tool for them to use as they deal with the public in educational and interpretive settings whether in schools or park and recreation areas. Additionally, based as it is in the cultural and ethnic practices of primitive peoples, pioneers and explorers, survival enables students to gain an understanding of historic and anthropological facts in an innovative manner. Related Literature Very little research has focused on psychological stress in terms of its constructive utilization as a means in education for helping individuals gain emotional confidence. Although the military utilizes stress to "make men" of their trainees in basic training, there is only scanty reference in scientific literature directly relevant to the effect of stress in outdoor recreational or educational settings. The following review should help, however, in gaining an overview of information both peripherally and as directly as possible, related to the subject of this dissertation. Hans Selye (1956) is considered by many to be one of the foremost authorities on physical adaptational responses which are often referred to as stress responses. Selye postulates that a particular set of responses or syndrome characterizes stressful situations. He further states that this pattern "consists of all the nonspecifically induced changes within a biologic system." He goes on to establish that the state manifested by the syndrome is called "stress." Berlyne (1960) tells us that when a situation occurs which is perceived as threatening, the brain triggers a complex process controlled by the autonomic nervous system. For example, the pupil of the eye dilates and the retina becomes more light sensitive. We may turn our head toward the source of the stimulus. Some animals prick up their ears, the brain's electric activity is altered with alpha waves disappearing and being replaced by a more irregular, faster type of waveform. Blood vessels in the head expand while those in the limbs contract. The galvanic response (electrical conductivity) of the hands increases. For a moment, breathing is interrupted and pulse rate slows. Almost immediately, this is followed by an increase in respiration and pulse rate. This response is often called the Orientation Response (OR) or alarm reaction. It should be mentioned that this also happens as a result of nonthreatening stimuli and thus takes place many times a day. If the brain ultimately recognizes the stimulus as harmless, the OR is terminated. If the situation is not quickly resolved, however, a second condition called an Adaptive Reaction (AR) is initiated and involves 'the endocrine system causing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to be released by the pituitary and this, in turn, triggers the adrenal glands atop the kidneys to release adrenocortical hormones which cause further physiological reactions. It is not appropriate to go into great detail here regarding these physiological mechanisms but to merely point out that in situ- ations where the number of OR's within a given interval passes a threshold point, stress results. Selye states further that any situation capable of producing an AR is called a "stressor." Appley and Trumbull (1967) summarize some of Selye's work on stress by indicating that systemic stress is manifested by a "General Adaptation Syndrome" (GAS). In the first stage of this, often called the alarm reaction, there is a component designated as the initial shock phase in which resistance drops, followed by a countershock phase in which defense mechanisms become active. Maximum adaptation occurs during a second stage, a stage of resistance. If "the stressor per- sists . . . or the defensive reaction proves ineffective a stage of exhaustion is reached in which adaptive mechanisms collapse." In describing psychological stress, Appley and Trumbull, cited above, have discussed two sides of the picture--that of the stimulus and the response. This is of importance to the current research. They describe a stimulus as a situation which is "characterized as new, intense, rapidly changing, sudden or unexpected (including but not requiring) approach to the upper thresholds of tolerability." Even more important to research dealing with stress in wilderness survival situations are "stimulus deficit, absence of expected stimulation, highly persistent stimulation, and fatigue producing and boredom producing settings." In terms of response, emotional activity has been used to define the existence of stress. Appley and Trumbull (1967) state that this refers to "any bodily response in excess of normal or usual states of anxiety, tension, and upset, or . . . any behavior which deviates momentarily or over time from normative value for the indi- vidual in question. . . ." This includes such overt emotional condi- tions as “tremors, stuttering, exaggerated speech characteristics, and loss of sphincter control--or such performance shifts as perseverative behaviors, increased reaction time, erratic performance rates, mal- coordination, error increase, and fatigue." Basowitz, Persky, Korchin, and Grinker (1955), dealing with a study of paratroops said that "in future research . . . we should not consider stress as imposed upon the organism, but as its response to internal and external processes which reach those threshold levels that strain its physiological and psychological integrative capacities close to or beyond their limits." Cofer and Appley (1964) defined stress somewhat differently as "the state of an organism where he perceives that his well-being (or integrity) is endangered and that he must divert all his energies to its protection." Haggard (1949) said that an individual experienced emotional stress "when his overall adjustment is threatened, when his adaptive mechanisms are severely taxed and tend to collapse." In addition, and relevant to this research, he said that an individual's ability to tolerate stress and to master it has to do with the nature of his early identifications and his present character structure, and their relation to the demands and gratifications of the . . . stress producing situation; the nature of his reactions to the situation; his ability to master strong and disturbing emotional tensions; the extent to which he knows about all aspects of the situation, so that he is not helplessly unaware of the nature and source of threat; his available skills and other means of dealing effectively with it; and the strength and pattern of his motivation to do so. In connection with the ability to tolerate and master stressful situations, Janis (in Klausner, 1965), indicates that "arousal of vigilance before exposure to stress stimuli . . . enhances stress tolerance." He postulates that there is a sort of "emotional innoculation" against the disruptive impact of stressful events. Part of Janis' vigilance arousal may also be tied to a finding reported by Wilson (1941) in a study on troops suffering battle fatigue and hospitalization for this condition, that "the admission and acceptance of fear is a safeguard against breakdown in conditions of acute stress." He noted that combatants who entered battles convinced of their invulnerability, when suddenly faced with the actual conditions of warfare tended to be shocked into reality without sufficient preparation and thus were more subject to breakdown emotionally. Grinkes et a1. (1946) similarly stated in another study on combat troops that "men who remained relatively free of fear by denying danger at the outset of their combat tour were more likely to lose their security feelings in actual combat and develop psychological symptoms." He felt that some preparatory worry was beneficial. Significantly, Lazarus et al. (1952) tell us that there is very little information detailing the relationships between personality measures and reaction to stress. They go on to say, "it would be most useful to be able to predict which people will be adversely affected by a stressful situation.“ Appley and Trumbull (1967) suggest that it would be advantageous to have a "vulnerability profile" to enable prediction of individual ability to function under stressful situations. But, it is also evident from a number of researchers' results that various types of people respond to the same stressful situation in different ways. Lofchie (1955) learned that those who scored high on a Rorschach index of perceptual maturity "perfOrmed better on a psychomotor task under distraction stress“ than those who scored low. Katchmar (1953) using the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, showed that under failure stress conditions, "the anxious subjects did worse than the non-anxious." The concept of selectively exposing subjects to stress in an effort to improve self concept, confidence, will to live, and attitude toward peers and parents had its roots in the work of Kurt Hahn during World War II when "German torpedoes were sending young British merchant seamen into lifeboats and they were dying. Older seamen, under the same circumstances were surviving" (Outward Bound, 1968). Apparently, the more youthful individuals lacked something possessed by their older companions which limited their survival ability. It was theorized that the younger seamen had never really been stressed in life before and were therefore unable to cope. As a result of this theory, Outward Bound was developed in Great Britain in 1942. This program of stress oriented and confidence building experiences continued to grow after the war and the first Outward Bound program in the United States was initiated in Colorado in 1962. Experiences included daily bathing in icy mountain streams, stamina building physical challenges such as marathon runs, mountain climbs and ropes courses (obstacle courses) which could only be successfully negotiated with group cooperation. Clifford and Clifford (1967) in studying changes in various personality factors as a result of this type of activity found no significant change in the ideal self but a significant positive alteration in the overall self concept. At this time, research related directly to this project fits in- to four categories: (1) that dealing with rehabilitation of delinquent juveniles and others involved in criminal situations; (2) rehabilitation of potential high school dropouts; (3) rehabilitation of the mentally ill; and (4) educational experiences aimed at college students. Delinquent rehabilitation. Kelly and Baer (1971) report on the significance of wilderness survival activities in treating delin- quent youth. Sixty youthful offenders attended Outward Bound Schools and 60 others were "treated in a routine manner by the Massachusetts Division of Youth Service." They indicate that only 20 percent of the experimental group relapsed into old behavior patterns after one year of parole whereas of the group undergoing the traditional incarceration, the return rate was 42 percent. Kelly and Baer also conclude that "those delinquents who are responding to an adolescent crisis rather than to a character defect . . . profit most from . . . [a program of survival challenges]." Hanson (1976) reporting on stress (survival) oriented experiences provided for delinquent youth by Michigan Expeditions, a program of the Michigan Department of Social Services, indicates that those benefitting most from the program are those with a poor self image who can benefit from more responsibility and have an open attitude toward new experi- ences. They should also enter a new environment following the course, have some degree of ability in terms of goal setting and be "new to the system." That is, they should not be seasoned wards of the state. He goes on to say that those who are least responsive are those with a tendency to "con" their way through life, have been in the penal system for an extended time and are physically assaultive or aggressive. Nold (1974) is even more positive as he says, "most delinquent youth are teachable and have the energy and desire to learn, and adventure-centered wilderness training speaks to their needs." But 10 he emphasizes that careful planning and introductory sessions with the delinquent youth must be a part if the program is to be successful. Others, such as the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services in cooperation with Adlersgate Methodist Camp and Arkansas Research and Training Center are entering the field and as yet their results are inconclusive (Collingwood, 1972). Two other programs include: Project Wingspread, begun by the Phillips Research Foundation in 1974 for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and an initially promising program sponsored by the Urban League of New York City and funded under the Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1972 (Nold, 1974). ‘ Breed (1974) describes successes in programs sponsored by the California Youth Authority in assisting participants in becoming more "able to cope emotionally with the problems of life in the community" following a "26-day odyssey" in the Mojave Desert. The Authority has run numerous such survival oriented experiences and their response has been very positive. They further point up close, family-like ties which develop in the course of such prolonged stressful experiences with small groups in relative isolation. Potential school dropouts and underachievers. Stimpson and Pederson (1970) in a study conducted with underachieving high school students measuring changes in rated actual self, ideal self, others in general, mother, father, best male friend and best female friend, demonstrated significant changes in perception of actual self and parents. 11 Reporting on a three-week camping experience with delinquent youth, Collingwood (1972) declares that after the experience, counselors and parents reported significant improvements in physical, intellectual, emotional and interpersonal behavior. Likewise, Johnson (1972) indicates that following both a Boy's Club and a Boy Scout adventure program, group members had "increased ability to work with others (social functioning). and improved physical functioning." Thorstenson and Heaps (1973) dealing with the rehabilitative capacity of survival oriented outdoor activities conducted by Brigham Young University indicate that delinquents showed a positive change in the "overall level of self-esteem." They went on to say that signif- icant changes on each of the eight subscales of the counseling form of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale occurred. Specifically, students' level of self-satisfaction and personal behavior were enhanced. They were happier with their physical bodies and personal self in particular. They felt better about their moral and ethical position . . . and felt as though their family and social rela- tionships were improved. After the 25 days [of the survival experience] they tended to be less critical of themselves than prior to the expedition. Other studies in which similar results were forthcoming include Adams (1969) and Hoag (l97O).J Mental patient rehabilitation. While in some cases the rigors of the program had been attenuated, Jerstad and Stelzer (1973) report after working with patients from the Oregon State Mental Hospital that "31 of the 51 patients involved have been released from the hospital, including one individual who had been hospitalized for 24 years." It 12 is well to note that those with whom Jerstad and Stelzer worked were patients with severe mental disabilities and that their advancement was extraordinarily rapid as a result of the adventure oriented program. Barcus (1972) has produced one of the most comprehensive discussions of a number of ongoing programs utilizing survival experiences in a psychotherapeutic manner. From private communications, she relates that two psychotherapists in Salt Lake City, Utah (Joseph T. Smith, M.D. and Stanley Standahl, Ph.D.) use this type of training in therapy for disturbed adolescents. She cites Adams'(1969) work with adolescent patients at the Wyoming State Mental Hospital in a 30-day survival training program. Both the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and Cattell's 16 PF test were used. The results "indicated a trend" toward increased ego strength, conscientiousness, acceptance, adaptability, composure, and tranquility although these did not reach a statistically significant level. However, there was noted a significant decline in neuroticism. College students. The rather consistent increase in self concept and correlated factors led Howard (1970) to administer the Tennessee Self Concept Scale to 25 college students immediately before and after a 26-day survival course operated by Brigham Young University. Using the counseling form of the Scale, Howard showed significant positive changes on 13 of the 19 variables measured. Subjects showed improved self image in physical, moral-ethical, personal, family, and social self-concepts. "Self-satisfaction and self-esteem significantly increased." 13 As a matter of interest, Howard indicates that Brigham Young University requires college dropouts to enroll in one of the survival programs as a prerequisite for re-entry into the University. With this in mind, Moses and Peterson (1970) compared three means to improve grade point averages: (1) sensitivity training; (2) survival training; and (3) control--no special program implemented. The greatest initial increase after one semester of the program was in group one (+.76 grade points). The survival group scores increased .47 grade points and maintained that for three semesters. At the end of two semesters, the control group average had only increased .07 grade points. Miscellaneous research results obtained from Thorstenson and Heaps by this researcher but not published at this time indicate that there is some variability in the self concept changes to be expected and this seems to be dependent largely on the duration of the survival experience. Those experiences which approach 26 days or longer produce changes in a larger number of variables. For example, in a 10-day study (which would parallel to a degree the experience reported in this dissertation) conducted by Heaps and Thorstenson (1971), only three variables--identity, behavior and personal self--changed a significant amount. The real significance of changes such as these, of course, lies in their permanence. Only one research summary, at this point, has dealt with this factor. Heaps and Thorstenson (1974), using the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, found that at the .05 alpha level 14 they could detect a year following the experience significant changes related to those identified immediately after the survival experience. Those variables were: total positive; identity; self‘satisfaction; behavior; physical self; moral-ethical self; personal self and social self. Again, these were results obtained following a 26-day survival experience. Lastly, Thorstenson, Heaps and Hooker (1972) cite several important generalizations regarding their experience in relevant research. For example, Heaps indicates that many students returning from the intense experiences comprising the survival outings find that "during the first several months following their return . . . [they] experience a significant drop in the effectiveness of their psycho- logical and social functioning." However, "this is followed by a gradual and apparently difficult return to improved functioning." In fact, the data discussed earlier in this review indicates that the improvement alluded to surpasses not only the test norms but also the students' own earlier scores and tends to remain significantly high at least a year following the experience. He suggests that it would be beneficial to develop a "post-survival" experience to assist participants in the maintenance of positive changes. Relevant to this is a comment from Thornton (1976) in which he indicates that a typical response curve from those undergoing traditionally psychotherapy and sensitivity group training involves a significant drop immediately after the therapy with a slow but progressive enhancement in the weeks following and a plateauing at a level higher than test norms and patient scores before therapy. 15 Physical changes associated with the survival experiences show an average weight loss between 12 to 15 pounds, that hyperventilation is sometimes a problem during early physical stresses and that ortho- static hypotension (light-headedness when arising) "is a common phenomenon during the one week when the only food allowed is that which is obtained from the land" (Thorstenson, Heaps and Hooker, 1972). It is also mentioned by the same investigators that "flatulence (gas in the stomach or intestines), diarrhea, and early satiety are problems in approximately 5 percent of the [students]." There has been minimal problem with injuries or illness with such occurrences limited to "blisters, superficial infections, sprains, diarrhea and other problems [which] seem to be self-limited and easily handled in the field." In terms of this subject as it relates to the numbers of students handled, he says that "out of 500 students . . . only two . . . have received lower extremity fractures or serious sprains." Implications It is apparent from the research efforts just cited that contrived stress experiences in the outdoors elicit measureable changes in various personality traits. Further, there appear to be alterations in behavior patterns of participants which, even though not quantita- tively demonstrated by way of psychological tests, are apparent to observers such as peers and parents. Efforts toward elucidating the totality of such changes are at present scanty with a large number of 16 projects centered around Brigham Young University's 28-day survival training courses. There are many questions which need to be investigated. One of the most important involves the significance over long term of the use of such survival oriented experiences as an educational and personal growth tool. Whether the changes are exclusively positive and construc- tive, producing beneficial alterations in behavior must be examined. Perhaps there is some element of psychological risk involved which has not been addressed. The question of difficult societal re-entry periods following such experiences is one of special interest in terms of the effect such a crisis may have on those with what might be described as a fragile psychological makeup. The time period required to produce significant change is still unknown. Even the course structure varies with the group or agency and this may have quite important bearing on such modifications. For example, BYU's people are "on survival" for about a week and during the remainder of the 28 days are supplied with food and have the use of sleeping bags and other usual camping equipment. The improved self confidence which seems to be a result of such experiences, to be most beneficial, ought to have direct appli- cation to other aspects of the participants' lives. Some of the cited literature evidences that this is the case, but carefully controlled work must be carried out to determine what areas of life these changes impinge upon. 17 From the standpoint of physical effect, it will be important to determine how rugged the experience may safely be made. A guideline defining the point at which physical harm occurs in terms of health must be defined. Individuals are constantly faced with stresses in everyday life of one form or another and there is a great opportunity here to develop means which may be implemented to establish methods for coping with difficulties which all too often result in premature death from stress related illnesses such as heart disease. With the foregoing considered, exploratory as it may be, a major objective of this study is to contribute added information along the lines already discussed and to illuminate areas, perhaps hitherto unexposed and explored, which ought to be investigated. Hypotheses to Be Tested As has been mentioned, research related to contrived stress outdoor experiences is very limited. Work carried out at Brigham Young University and cited in the related literature section of this disser- tation has been addressed to areas similar to that undertaken by this researcher and it is from this that some hypotheses were drawn. In their work, these researchers, using the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, determined that students engaged in 28-day wilderness survival expeditions tested before and immediately after the experience showed significant alterations of a positive and constructive nature in nine of the areas included in the Tennessee Scale. These were: (1) 18 self-criticism, (2) identity, (3) self-satisfaction, (4) behavior, (5) physical self, (6) moral/ethical self, (7) personal self, (8) family self, and (9) social self. It was therefore hypothesized that the 12-day experience here discussed would also produce changes in the same nine areas and that these would likewise be in a positive direction. Beyond this, there were no definite hypotheses made. The test instruments were administered with the assumption that changes might be demonstrated but the research design was intended only to assist in determining what those changes might be and thus provide a focus for further work. CHAPTER II DESIGN AND METHODS Participant Selection Beginning in fall quarter 1973, announcements were made during courses taught by the writer describing the planned experience and outlining without great detail prerequisites and expected procedures to be followed. Students were told that the experience would be open for application to any who had completed either PRR 300, Wilderness Survival (a live course) or PRR 301, Wilderness Survival (a course designed for television). It was explained that data would be collected prior to, during and following the trip to determine what changes, if any, could be detected in student attitudes toward a variety of unspec- ified categories. The ambiguity was purposeful to minimize changes which might be caused by anticipation on the part of the subjects. The deadline for accepting applications was two weeks prior to the end of spring quarter 1974, to allow contact with interested students and permit the first meeting and pretest with those selected. At the time of the deadline, 49 students (18 female and 31 male) had applied. All 49 were contacted by telephone to determine their continued interest. Sixteen indicated they were no longer interested in participating. Reasons generally were related to occupational 19 20 responsibilities or other plans which had developed since their application. Others, for one reason or another, could not be available for all the meetings and test periods and were thus eliminated. In order to remain on the list it was necessary that the participants state their willingness to continue whether they were selected for the control or experimental group, be able to attend a briefing meeting during the last week of spring classes, take the pre- and post-tests at the prescribed time and take part in the field experience if selected. From the 33 remaining, 24 were selected using a random numbers table. Of these, 12 were women and 12 were men. These were contacted by phone and informed only that they had been selected. No information was released as to whether selection implied control or experimental. Once again, using a random numbers table, 12 individuals were selected for the experimental group and 12 others for the control group. However, this final selection would not be made known to the partic- ipants until the first pretest had been administered. Again, this was done to avoid biasing test results. The controligrpup. Although all 12 of those selected appeared for the first pretest, once notification was provided as to which group each individual would be assigned, the number of those who continued to participate began to drap. By the time of the first post-test, only four of the original controls were still available. Therefore, these four make up the entire control group. 21 The ages of those remaining ranged from 17 to 20 with academic majors including: chemistry, geology. fisheries & wildlife biology, and no preference. There were two freshmen and two sophomores. The experimental group. All 12 of those selected appeared at the first meeting. After notification of their roles, only one dropped out--a student who moved to Florida and found it impossible to partic- ipate. Since the move occurred just prior to the trip-~no effort to replace her was made. In the experimental group, ages ranged from 18 to 22 with academic majors including: forestry, entomology, park and recreation resources, environmental sciences, natural resources and environmental education, tourism, chemical engineering, data processing, and no preference. There were two freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors, one senior and one graduate student. Five were women and six were men. In spite of the fact that all participants had successfully completed one of the university survival classes, their outdoor experience in camping and related activities varied from extensive to very limited. Final selection and notification. On May 31, 1974, approx- imately 11 weeks prior to the scheduled departure for the lZ-day experience, all members of the control and experimental groups were called together in a classroom on the MSU campus. The purpose of this meeting was to administer various psychological test instruments. Prior to the testing, none of the 24 individuals were aware whether they had been selected for the control or experimental group. 22 Instructions were given to the group relative to the procedures to be followed in taking the tests. Following completion of the test instruments, the names of those selected to be a part of the exper- imental group were released. Reactions varied from great glee and excitement to comments indicating awe and shock. It was apparent that many of the controls were disappointed. A few of the experimentals seemed somewhat anxious when finally aware of their selection for the island group. Those in the control group were excused and the meeting con- tinued to explain more fully what the island participants might expect. They were each given a booklet (Appendix A) containing information relative to expectations of the staff toward the trip, permitted and prohibited equipment and emergency information. Introductory infor- mation as well as goals were explained to the participants. It was made clear to the group that the experience could be one that they would long remember as an important building block in their character and that, while it would be a very individually experienced activity colored by their own particular backgrounds and personalities, it would also be strongly tied to group dynamics. All information released to the groups, both control and experimental, indicated that the duration of stay on the island would be 14 days rather than the actual length of 12. The reason for this was to maintain stress and participation levels throughout the exercise. The experience of the investigator had indicated that groups in posses- sion of information accurately informing them of termination tended to 23 "let down" toward the end of such outings with the result that the last day or two were spent largely wasting time in the knowledge that the end was in sight and they could "coast." Planning and Development Clothing and Equipment Students were permitted to bring a plastic sheet or aluminized "Space Blanket" to use for improvised shelter and this, together with a single wool blanket, were not required to fit into their survival packet. They were not permitted to bring sleeping bags, toothbrushes, combs, hairbrushes, or razors. Neither could they have reading materials, radios, or cameras. Permissible clothing was rather flexible. Emphasis was laid on "reasonableness" as with the items in the survival kits. Students were urged to consider what they would ordinarily have with them on an outing or a day in the woods and to develop their clothing plans accordingly. Individuals were permitted to bring a survival kit of their own design but limited to approximately 144 cubic inches in size. It was suggested that it would be appropriate to use, as a container, a cooking utensil of the correct dimensions. About half of the group took this advice. Examples of two types of survival kits were provided in the information booklet. Great emphasis was placed on taking only "reasonable" items. This was defined as items which they might 24 ordinarily have along on an outing in the wilderness. Therefore, although the private aircraft life support kit included a hack saw, pliers and related items, students were told that these were unreasonable types of things to take. Since survival kits commonly contain such items, each member of the group was permitted to bring, in addition to the "hard" items in their kits, six sugar cubes, six tea bags or equivalent in instant coffee and six bouillon cubes. The sugar cubes represented only about 72 calories and the tea/coffee and bouillon none. In addition, and not required to fit into their kits, each person was permitted to bring four compressed meat bars and two packages of "Chuckles," a gum drop-like candy. The meat bars provided about 500 calories each and the "Chuckles" about 250 calories apiece for a total of 2,500 calories. No stipulation was made as to whether they were to conserve this, ration it throughout the experience or use it all the first day. Journals. In order to provide students with a means for reliving the experience later as well as to help staff evaluate the exercise, each participant was asked to keep a journal. They were urged to enter all thoughts they felt relevant, including such mundane information as their diet. All students were aware that the journals would be read by the staff and that exerpts from them might be used in subsequent research publications but that their names would be kept in strict confidence. 25 Emergency Plans Unknown to the student participants, a cache of items was available to the staff to allow for emergencies. Loaned graciously by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was a portable FM transceiver to permit radio contact with the fire officer on Beaver Island. In addition, a sleeping bag and emergency rations were available to assist in treating a participant who became ill but was deemed not sick enough to evacuate. Sufficient first aid materials were also available to permit treatment of injuries. ' It should be emphasized (see Appendix A for additional detail) that evacuation was planned only for serious injury or illness requiring a doctor's care. Each participant was aware of this and that knowledge undoubtedly contributed to heightened stress. Signal mirrors, pen flares (a device which projects a brilliant red star shell to 300 feet altitude) and orange smoke flares (military Mark-13) were also available as a supplement to or in the event of radio failure. Use of the island, which is state owned, was arranged through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A permit allowing the taking of wildlife had to be obtained from this source. Transportation to and from the island was graciously provided by the U.S. Coast Guard. Also, the Coast Guard had been thoroughly apprised of our plans including dates and times of arrival and departure. 26 Each participant received, just prior to departure for the island, a sealed contingency packet (Appendix B) containing detailed information about the presence of the radio, signal devices, location and reaction times of various Coast Guard facilities and instructions on procedure. These packets were ceremoniously sealed with wax and embossed with a symbol. Students were informed that they were to be opened only in case of major illness or injury ggd_the absence, for whatever reason, of all staff members. While the packets served the utilitarian purpose of emergency backup, they also performed as a means to establishing a certain level of uncertainty conducive to the development of a desirable stress level. Identification tags. Through the welcome cooperation of the Army National Guard, military "dogtags“ were made for each student and staff member. These metal tags were stamped with the student's name, student number, the statement "MSU Survival 74," and the telephone number of the Michigan State Police. Headquarters of Michigan State Police was aware of the exercise and had a complete list of names of the students together with emergency notification numbers of parents or next of kin. All participants were required to wear their I.D. tags around their necks at all times. Usually attached to the same chain from which their dogtags hung was a whistle. Although not required to be worn around their necks, each student did have to keep his whistle with him at all times as a means of signaling an emergency. 27 Travel away from base camp was permitted but except in the case of planned solos, students were asked to travel with a companion. Again, the emphasis on emergency preparedness at once helped the group to be ready for any difficulty and also heightened stress levels and was purposely planned for this reason. Charlevoix County Sheriff. Through the cooperation of the Charlevoix County Sheriff's Office, arrangements were made for Deputy Bill Welke, who is stationed on Beaver Island and is a pilot, to make a drop to the group on the late afternoon of the day prior to their pickup. A case of "C-Rations" was obtained for this purpose. Contained in the rations was a note informing the group of the return of the Coast Guard on the following morning. Health certificates. Prior to departure, each student was required to show documentation of a satisfactory health examination and current tetanus innoculation either from their own physician or the university health center staff. One of the participants was affiliated with the Christian Science faith and declined to procure either the health clearance or tetanus protection. In lieu of this, she was permitted to file a letter of intent stating her reasons and understanding of the potential this repreSented. Since her normal mode of handling illness or injury involved prayer, meditation and the reading of Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as well as the Bible, she was permitted to bring both the Bible and Science and Health 28 as an exception to the ban on reading materials. However, since this could provide her with mental exercise not permitted to others in the group and therefore allow her assistance in coping with stress not readily available to the rest, she pledged not to use either of the books unless illness or injury necessitated it. Staff, Stanley Adams, at the time of the experience, was Survival Laboratory Technician for the Department of Park and Recreation Resources at Michigan State University. His responsibilities included working with students enrolled in the department's survival classes both in the lab and the field. Mr. Adams is an ex-United States Air Force survival instructor with four years experience in that capacity and training in the full gamut of the Air Force's survival schools. He is also an experienced hiker, climber and camper with a number of years of experience. Frances Hinckley Smith was an instructor in the Department of Park and Recreation Resources with three years experience teaching with Brigham Young University's survival program. At the time of this study she was also State Director of a stress and adventure oriented program entitled Michigan 4-H Challenge, which she and the investigator were developing. The investigator was instructor and curriculum coordinator for environmental interpretation in the Department of Park and Recreation Resources. Responsibilities also include teaching the wilderness survival courses in the department. This he has done for 29 the past seven years. Mr. Risk has taught survival for approximately 14 years, been a mountain rescue specialist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office for four years and spent six seasons with the National Park Service as Ranger-Naturalist. There, duties included teaching and participating in wilderness survival and mountain rescue. Mr. Risk also has hiked and camped extensively in numerous areas of the United States and Canada. The Field Site Garden Island is part of the Beaver Archipelago and the second largest island in that chain. Located in northeastern Lake Michigan approximately 32 miles northwest of Charlevoix County and 18 miles west of Emmet County, the island is about five miles long at its longest point and nearly two miles wide at the widest, representing about 7.4 square miles of surface area (Phillips, Ozoga and Drew, 1965). The island was, from the distant past, inhabited by Indians of the Chippewa group. There were, in years past, a few isolated and struggling farms on the island. However, since 1945, it has been uninhabited, a major reason, together with the natural isolation pro- vided by an island, for its selection as the site for the experience. There is still a Chippewa Indian burial site near the selected base camp with burials ranging from very recent into the dim past and each: plot covered with a rustic "spirit house" in varying degrees of dilapidation. 30 While there are some sugar maples and beech as well as a few fallow fields in old settlement areas, the dominant vegetation includes white cedar, balsam fir, white birch and aspen with large marsh and bog areas. Many of the open field areas are covered with goldenrod and in August lush with tall grass. There are scattered areas of blackberry and raspberry patches which at the time of the field exercise only provided impediments to movement since most berry production had ceased. In general, large areas of the island are swamp and swamp/conifer woodland largely penetrable only with great difficulty. In years past roads and trails were maintained by the settlers and until eight or nine years ago, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources made some attempt to maintain these as travel routes for hunters, However, in the recent past little has been done along these lines with the result that movement around the island is limited to only a few main trails. Travel through other areas is virtually impossible except with greatest difficulty (see maps in Appendix C). Phillips, Ozoga and Drew also indicate 11 species of mammals living on the island: white-tailed deer, muskrat, beaver, deer mouse, masked shrew, chipmunk, red fox, coyote, snowshoe hare, little brown bat, otter. Two salamanders, the American Toad, the Leopard Frog, the painted turtle, Ring-Neck Snake, Common Water Snake, Red-Bellied Snake and the Common Garter Snake make up the remainder of the land dwelling vertebrates. The abundance of snakes (usually Garter and Water) and ease of seeing them has resulted in the name "Snake Island" being 31 applied by the locals on adjacent Beaver Island and the Michigan mainland. Seagulls, various ducks and other waterbirds as well as some hawks and a wide variety of song birds make up the island's avian population. The waters of Lake Michigan surrounding the island harbor bass, perch and other fresh water fish which are often somewhat temperamental and sporadic in their response to fishermen during the late summer. Inland bodies of water of which there are three of significance have some small panfish but their banks are boggy and choked with almost impenetrable vegetation making approach difficult at best. Due to the abundance of wetland, blackflies, deerflies, and mosquitoes abound and some areas produce them in unbelievable quantity. Weather. In late summer temperatures may fluctuate from mid 30's at night to high 80's during the day with a more common range being from the 40's and 50's at night to mid 70's during the day. Storms sweep across the lake with great vigor and thunderstorms with strong winds are common during the summer. However, the weather is usually quite pleasant with fair skies during the last half of August. The Test Instruments Through the consultation and cooperation of Dr. Dozier W. Thornton of the Michigan State University Department of Psychology, six test instruments were selected to be used in determining changes 32 during the study. Two of the instruments were administered to evaluate attitudes toward the external environment. In view of the fact that three of the six form a cohesive body of data primarily concerned with related factors, these are the only ones discussed in this research effort. However, all six will be explained to some degree below. The three examined in detail in this study are: the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF), and Rokeach's Value Survey. The 16 PF. Abbreviated 16 PF, the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire is published by the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing (Manual, 1962). First released for commercial publication in 1949, the dimensions analyzed have been meaningfully utilized for more than 30 years and some 10 years of research preceded the test's release. The test measures the subject's actual personality in terms of a set framework rather than determining, as the Tennessee Self Concept Test does, the subject's perception or assessment of their personality. The examination covers 16 "functionally independent and psychologically meaningful dimensions" (Manual, 1962). It is important to realize that the scales are, in fact, independent. Any given item (statement) on the test relates to only one factor, thereby relieving problems which would be involved in various dependencies. Further, the psychometric properties such as reliability and validity have been explored and reported for a wide variety of samples and conditions and the test has been developed from a pool of several 33 thousand items. Information is available through numerous publications on data from widely diverse uses including industrial, clinical, social and educational sources to assist those who may want to investigate this area more in depth by questionnaire. ' Several forms of the test are available and during the two pretests and two post-tests this investigator used Forms A and B alternately in order to reduce as much as possible a situation in which those being tested were able to remember responses given on a previous test. The A and 8 forms are designed for use by individuals who are 16 years old or more, literate, with an educational level at least that of a normal high school student. The test provides between 10 and 13 items (statements) for each of the 16 scales to be measured. There are three possible responses to each of the items in order to prevent distorting the distribution or developing examinee aversion by forcing them into a two-choice position. Examples of the type of items are as follows: 1. like to watch team games. I a. yes. b. occasionally. c. no. I prefer people who: a. are reserved. b. (are) in between. c. make friends quickly. Money cannot bring happiness. a. yes (true). b. in between. c. no (false). oman is to child as cat is to: . kitten. . dog. W a b c boy. 34 The examinee then darkens blocks corresponding to the choice he has made. After all responses have been completed, a template provided by the test publisher is laid over the marked response sheet and a raw score calculated. Using a scale also provided by the pub- lisher, these raw scores are then converted to "Sten Scores." Stens are standardized scores, the name of which is derived from "standard ten." The publisher describes these as follows: . . . Scores are distributed over ten equal-interval standard score points (assuming normal distribution) from 1 through 10, with the population average (or mean) fixed at sten 5.5. Stens 5 and 6 extend, respectively a half standard deviation below and above the mean, constituting the solid center of the population, while the outer limits for stens l and 10 are 2% standard deviations above and below the mean. Table 1 lists the sixteen primary source traits covered by the 16 PF. It will be noted that the traits form a kind of continuum with the opposing extremes forming the described trait. Scores fall along a range of 1-10 within the extremes. The test is untimed. Examinees may take as much time as required for completion, but the publisher suggests that educated readers usually take between 45 and 60 minutes for completion. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale. Designed by William H. Fitts, Ph.D. and published by Counselor Recordings and Tests, Nashville, Tennessee, the full name of the test is Tennessee (Department of Mental Health) Self Concept Scale. 35 Table l The Primary Source Traits Covered by the 16 PF Test Factor Low Sten Score High Sten Score (1-3) (8-10) . A .ReservedL detached, critical, Outgoing, warmhearted, aloof, stiff easygoing, participating Dull Bright Affected by feelings, Emotionally stable, mature, emotionally less stable, faces reality, calm easily upset, changeable E Humble, mild, easily led, Assertive, aggressive, docile, accommodating competitive, stubborn F sober, taciturn, serious Happy-go-lucky, enthusiastic G E edient, disregards conscientious, persistent, ru es moralistic, staid H Shy, timid, threat- venturesome, uninhibited, sensitive socially bold I Ibughsminded, self-reliant, Tender—minded, sensitive, realistic clinging, overprotected L Trusting, accepting conditions Suspicious, hard to fool M Practical, "down to earth" Inaginative, Bohemian, concerns absent-minded N Fbrthright, unpretentious, Astute, polished, socially genuine but socially clumsy aware 0 selfLassured, placid, secure, Apprehensive, self-reproaching, complacent, serene insecure, worrying, troubled Q1 conservative, respecting Experimenting, liberal, traditional ideas free-thinking Q2 Group dependent, a "joiner“ selfLsufTicient, resourceful, and sound follower prefers own decisions Q3 undisciplined selchonflict, controlled, exacting will power, lax, follows own urges, socially precise, compulsive, careless of social rules following self-image Q“ Relaxed, tranquil, torpid, Tense, frustrated, driven, unfrustrated, composed overwrought 36 To determine norms and standards as the test was developed, it was administered to a broad sample of 626 people including those from the ages of 12 to 68, from widely dispersed parts of the country. Approximately equal numbers of the opposite sex, Negro and White as well as various representatives of social, economic, and intellectual levels were used. The statements used in the test were selected from a very large pool of self-descriptive items. The 100 which now form the Scale are those on which a group of seven clinical psychologists who were employed as judges were in complete accord. Self concept is an important governor of individual behavior. A person who sees himself as undesirable, worthless and bad is very likely to act accordingly. Likewise, an individual with the opposite self-image may be expected to perform in accordance with this more positive description. Self concept may be used in clinical settings to assist in formulating therapeutic approaches. In settings such as the outdoor stress situations this researcher is dealing with, the self concept may be helpful in predicting how a person may respond as well as providing assistance in understanding in a quantifiable manner those changes which occur as a result of the experience. The variables examined by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale are listed in Table 2 together with the mean raw score for the norm group. 37 Table 2 Variables on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale Mean Raw Score Score Name for Norm Group True-false ratio 1.0 Self criticism 35.5 Net conflict -4.9 Total conflict 30.1 Total positive 345.6 Positive-identity 127.1 Positive-self—satisfaction 103.7 Positive-behavior 115.0 Physical self 71.8 Moral-ethical self 70.3 Personal self 64.5 Family self 70.8 Social self 68.1 Total variability 48.5 Column total variability 29.0 Raw total variability 19.6 Distribution scores 120.4 Defensive positive 54.4 General maladjustment 98.8 Psychosis 46.1 Personality disorder 76.4 Neurosis 84.3 Personality integration 10.4 Number of deviant signs 4.4 38 The test provides a series of 100 items or statements which apply to the variables measured. They are scattered throughout a statement sheet so that items related to any particular variable are not clustered. This helps to avoid biasing due to the examinee responding in a set way to all questions related to that variable. For each item, the response may be one of five: completely false, mostly false, partly false and partly true, mostly true, or completely true. This range permits a very wide response and thereby does not force examinees into highly structured patterns and as in the 16 PF it also serves to prevent aversion reactions. Examples of items are as follows: 1. I have a healthy body. 13. I am a friendly person. 17. I get angry sometimes. 40. I ought to go to church more. 74. I sometimes do very bad things. The reliability coefficients for the variables examined vary between .61 and .91. Tests are computer scored and analyzed by the publisher or may be hand scored. In this case, the results were sent to the publisher. Rokeach's Value Survey (Robinson and Shaver, 1973). The test is composed of two alphabetically arranged columns of values. There are 18 on one page and 18 on a second page. Those on page one are classified as terminal values or those which are preferable end states 39 of existence. The second group, or instrumental values, are those which define preferable modes of conduct. For example, several terminal values are: a comfortable life; a world at peace; equality; national security. Some instrumental values are: ambitious; capable; helpful; imaginative; obedient; self-controlled. Values are printed on gummed labels and arranged vertically along the right-hand margin of the page. Beside them is a column of 18 blanks. Subjects are asked to rank order the values from 1 through 18 in descending order of their importance. They may be moved back and forth until the subject is satisfied that they represent the best possible hierarchy in terms of their own value system. See Table 3 for the entire list. Rokeach, in developing the test sampled 50 policemen, 141 unemployed whites, 28 unemployed blacks, 75 Calvinist students, 298 students in a Michigan State University psychology class, and an unspecified number of other subjects. Administration of Tests Tests were administered at four intervals during the study. There were two pretests and two post-tests. The rationale for this approach was to examine the possibility that changes might be demon- strated to occur as a result of stress and apprehension associated with the time period approaching the actual departure and that other measure- able changes might be identifiable as time passed following the period on the island as stress levels progressively reduced. Table 3 List of Rokeach's Value Survey Variables Terminal Values Instrumental Values A COMFORTABLE LIFE a prosperous life AMBITIOUS hard-working, aspiring AN EXCITING LIFE a stimulating, active life BROADMINDED Open-minded A SENSE 0F ACCOMPLISHMENT CAPABLE lasting contribution competent, effective A WORLD AT PEACE CHEERFUL free of war and conflict lighthearted, joyful A WORLD OF BEAUTY CLEAN beauty of nature and the arts neat, tidy EQUALITY-~brotherhood COURAGEOUS equal opportunity for all standing up for your beliefs FAMILY SECURITY taking care of loved ones FORGIVING willing to pardon others FREEDOM HELPFUL--working independence, free choice for the welfare of others HAPPINESS HONEST contentedness sincere, truthful INNER HARMONY IMAGINATIVE freedom from inner conflict daring, creative MATURE LOVE INDEPENDENT sexual and spiritual intimacy self-reliant, self-sufficient NATIONAL SECURITY INTELLECTUAL protection from attack intelligent, reflective PLEASURE LOGICAL an enjoyable, leisurely life consistent, rational SALVATION LOVING saved, eternal life affectionate, tender SELF-RESPECT OBEDIENT self-esteem dutiful, respectful SOCIAL RECOGNITION POLITE respect, admiration courteous, well-mannered TRUE FRIENDSHIP RESPONSIBLE close companionship dependable, reliable WISDOM a mature understanding of life SELF-CONTROLLED restrained, self-disciplined 41 With this in mind, 11 weeks prior to the group's departure, the first pretest battery was administered. This was followed by the same battery given the day before the trip, the day following and six weeks after the experience. Instructions, to avoid introducing bias, were read to the group each time, using exactly the same wording. None of the tests were timed, so participants could take as much time as needed to complete the examinations. Generally, the last student was finished in about three hours. However, a large majority of the group completed them in two hours. While the experimental group took the tests in person, the controls received all but the first pretest by mail, completed them at home and returned them by mail. Tests Administered But Data Not Used Three tests in addition to those already detailed were administered but the data from them was not included in this study. They are mentioned here both to apprise other researchers of the entire picture in terms of data gathered and to explain the absence of their results in this paper. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale, 16 PF and Value Survey all have direct bearing on the subject's personality. They provide infor- mation regarding what the people in the study consider important in terms of their value systems, help to understand how each individual 42 perceives themselves--their self image, and what their actual personality characteristics are like. While one of the remaining three instruments has to do with attitudes, it only marginally approaches the type information described by the foregoing three. The remaining two deal with the test subjects' attitudes toward their external environment. Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL). Printed on 5)(7 inch cards were 46 adjectives which might describe an individual's mood at any particular moment. Such descriptive terms as: angry, drowsy, elated, nonchalant, lonely, helpless and defiant were included and the subject asked to mark one of four responses beside each adjective. Those choices were "vv," "v," "?" and "no." Respectively, they referred to responses which indicated that the term either: definitely described how they felt, only slightly applied, indefinitely applied or did not apply. The MACL was administered at the first and second pretests, the first and second post-tests and daily throughout the 12 day experience. Ordinarily, the cards were filled out about 5:00 p.m. when all the participants had gathered for the evening. These have not yet been coded and analyzed but were used in an effort to provide a continuous trace of moods throughout the entire period on the island. Semantic Differential. In the semantic differential, paired adjectives were placed on a score sheet. Seven spaces were left between each pair. Some adjectives used included: fast-slow, 43 safe-dangerous, ugly-beautiful, cold-hot. Then a list of test words was given to each subject. These terms related to factors or things in the outdoor environment such as: snake, swamp, rain, winter, island, rabbit. It was then required of the subjects that they place a mark at some point along the seven spaces to indicate how they felt about the particular item. An individual might score the word snake as close to the fast side of the pair, toward the dangerous side of tflgt pair, etc. The purpose of this was to be able to develop a profile of feelings regarding words selected as having relevance in the island setting of the survival experience. Environmental Q-Sort. In 0 methodology, correlations are derived between persons in contrast to R methodology where tests or ritems are correlated. The purpose of 0 studies allows individuals participating in studies to be categorized into types according to how they respond to the test items. In this case, 90 statements were developed which related to situations in the environment. For example: 1. I would enjoy winter camping even when the temperatures are as cold as 20 below zero. 40. I enjoy looking at vast, forested landscapes and mountain ranges, but I prefer to stay in those areas where there are other people and services. 59. I don't like snakes at all. They give me the creeps. 82. When I camp I generally like to have enough equipment to guarantee my comfort. 44 Examining each statement in the deck, subjects were instructed to place those they basically agreed with in one pile, those they had no strong feelings about or were unsure of in a second pile and those they felt they generally disagreed with in a third pile. Beginning with those in the agree pile they were then asked to place the three statements they most agreed with in a new pile, A; the six they agreed with next in pile B; eleven in C; and 16 in 0. Then the same arrangement was followed with those items in the disagree group. Statements from either the agree or disagree groups which still appeared to be ambiguous or neutral were placed in pile E. In other words, the groupings would then be as follows: A=3;B=6;C=ll;0=16;E=l8;F=16;G=11;H=6;I=3 It can be seen that this arrangement forces a normal dis- tribution. Finally, for scoring purposes, cards were given a weight according to what pile they were in: A=l; B=2; C=3; D=4; E=5; F=6; G=7; H=8; I=9. The coded information was then subjected to Q-Analysis to determine the clustering and individual types determined according to the way participants sorted the statements. In addition, by analyzing all pre— and post-tests together, the Q-Sort can show whether individuals shifted from one type to another as the testing and experiences in the outdoors proceeded. CHAPTER III CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATIVE Introduction In order to help the reader develop a feeling of what the experience was like and thus to foster a clearer appreciation for the data which follows, it is important to present, somewhat in summary form, a chronological narrative of the island experience. This narrative is a composite developed from the investigator's journal (tape recorded rather than written as were the student journals), thoughts and comments of the researcher and staff prior to, during and after the experience, discussions at various times with the participants and exerpts from student journals. While this material is largely a psychological research effort, it has some of the attributes of an anthropological or ethno/cultural report. Observations consisting of data only would be rather sterile and far less meaningful by themselves. To gain a clear understanding it is important to visualize the experience in its context as an on- going group effort--a kind of micro societal happening. These obser- vations are definitely important in perceiving and perhaps "feeling" almost intuitively the whole picture of what was a unique kind of experience. 45 46 Formally, the island experience convened at Charlevoix, Michigan, on Thursday, 15 August, with students providing their own transportation to that point. Reservations were made at a local motel for that night and the evening of our return from the island. Arrange- ments had been made with the local high school so that testing could be conducted in one of their classrooms both prior to and immediately after the trip. Thursday, 15 August 1974. By 1:00 p.m. all the participants and staff were at Charlevoix and checked in at the motel. About 3:00 p.m. everyone went to the high school where they received their dogtags, had their blood pressure and pulse rate checked and once again took the battery of tests. Then they were free to spend the afternoon and evening as they desired. They were urged to get to bed at a reasonable hour in order to prepare for the experience. Men and women were in separate rooms with two or three in each. Spirits were high with little or no observed indications of the stress which many undoubtedly felt and which was later admitted. The staff checked with the Coast Guard and verified our departure time of 7:30 a.m. the following morning. Friday, 16 August 1974. During the early morning hours we were awakened by the sound of rain and the day dawned to a combination of squalls, steady downpour and high winds. Clouds scudded across the sky and a call to the Coast Guard brought the information that the voyage to the island was at that time impossible. Winds were gusting to 50 knots with waves to six feet. 47 Students began to appear at the staff rooms with a mixture of responses. Some were very worried that we might try to travel to the island in spite of the storm. Others felt we ought to try, no matter what. They were told that no final decision had yet been made but that they were to get breakfast and be ready to embark on the boat at a moment's notice should the weather situation abate. So, their stress and anxiety remained high as repeated calls were made to the Coast Guard station. With no improvement in the weather by 1:00 p.m., the trip was scrubbed for that day and advanced to the following morning. Again, emotions expressed were varied. we're stranded in Charlevoix. The weather too rough to take us to the island. Now we can spend the day stocking up on food. . . . It was sort of'a disappointment not . . . going out on time. we had a great time laughing . . . bummed around town all day. . . . Everyone, I think, was just letting off their tension and worries. Today was the anti-climax of’planning for this trip. All that thunder and lightning and all that rain was just plain frustrating. I am amazed at the day's events-—more so with the feelings floating around--I came so close this morning to deciding not to go--perhaps closer than ever before. . . ..I felt lonely--fearful and hesitant—-but mostly so desperately alone. Rainy, dark days are not good for me. . . . 48 On Survival Day 1, Saturduy, 17 August 1974 Following clearing weather late in the afternoon of Friday and a spectacular red sunset, the morning broke clear and calm. The entire group overslept and a great deal of rushing around to get breakfast, check out of the motel and get everyone to the Coast Guard station resulted in a start at about 8:30 a.m. rather than the planned 7:30 departure time. The 14 of us were loaded, with our gear, on a U.S. Coast Guard 44-foot self-righting 1ifeboat--a unique vessel which is essentially keelless, round bottomed and has the impossible sounding capability of righting itself even if it capsizes and becomes inverted. However, its design also makes it a somewhat unstable craft as it is subject to rolling and pitching with the slightest irregularity of the water. ,Our trip took us first to St. James on Beaver Island, where at this point, the case of rations for the air drop was given to the Sheriff, and the Coast Guard picked up a dingy. From there we traveled to Indian Harbor at Garden Island. There are no functional docks in water deep enough to allow the Coast Guard vessel to moor, so it was necessary to row us and our gear ashore. During the brief stop at Beaver Island, the students took time to raid the local store for pop and candy bars at this, their last contact with modern conveniences. Debarkation at Garden Island was completed about 1:00 p.m. after our arrival of 12:30 p.m. 49 Again, entries in the student journals are interesting. The boat ride over was not as long as I expected, no need to get sick. we stopped at Beaver IslandF-one last chance at civilization and toilet seats. . Beat ride was great. The weather was beautiful, the lake smooth and no one got sick. The boat trip was too long. I thought we'd never set foot on the island. The ride was truly beautiful with bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Some of the students, having taken Dramamine for protection against sea sickness, slept most of the way over. Others perched on the deck and cabins of the boat, taking in the sun and the view. Although a few jokes were exchanged on the way over, for the most part the students were quiet and appeared somewhat thoughtful. The hours involved (about three) in the trip, underscored the distance from the mainland and the relative isolation of the site. But, quite possibly, the steady drone of the engines and the beauty of the calm lake and blue skies lulled some and took the edge off anxieties. However, it was striking to observe faces and see expressions and eyes reminiscent of photos of combat troops approaching the beach during wartime trips aboard military landing craft. During debarkation one of the students dropped his survival kit overboard and it was only through some rather dexterous handling of a boathook that it was recovered before it either drifted away or sank. 50 In groups of about four, students with their gear were loaded into the dingy and rowed to shore. During this process, there were some longing looks cast at the Coast Guard vessel in spite of many light and seemingly careless jokes. The intervals of time waiting for each boatload resulted in some unrest and students in groups of two or three had begun to investigate a short distance inland. As a result, by the time all were ashore, several of the participants had located a not altogether satisfactory campsite and were beginning to gather materials for shelters. At the urging of the staff they moved to a spot better situated in terms of access to water, shelter materials, less mos- quitoes, and fire some 300 yards away. Stan Adams and the investigator erected a parachute canapy as a large para-teepee over the area where the basecamp fire would be maintained. This became the focal point for group discussions, cooking, working on eating utensils (which were also not allowed to be brought along), eating and resting. Some students began working on a large group shelter while others constructed individual shelters. Staff members erected single shelters at varying distances from the group area. Tension varied within the group with little observable in the expressions or actions of the participants. However, journal entries again help in visualizing more clearly their thought processes. The group attitude is fair. . . . . we started a group shelter that wasn't a complete success. It needed more work and more organization. 51 constructing shelter was too long and drawn out . . . because we kept modifying it. Everybody kept disagreeing on what we should do. . . . But the last modification was great and we had a waterproof'house for the night. . A little organization would have helped-—with a little communication .-. . wasted a lot of’energy and some frustration. Landing on the island was overwhelming-~mostly I was in terror-~totally regretted ever coming. Shakes. Bees and high vegetation all were so threatening. I felt alone, insecure and physically uncomfortable. fielding tears back was no easy job. . . . Spirits seemed fairly good at the day's end. The weather held fine until evening. There had been some thunderstorms moving to the north of us most of the afternoon and finally the edge of one passed over with a great clamor of lightning, heavy rain and some small hail. At the shallow angle we had pitched the para-tepee a fine spray of rain came through and dampened the grass and people beneath. Nevertheless, by the time the storm broke everyone was in camp and therefore dry enough. By 10:00 p.m. the sky had cleared and the rain ended. There was still some lightning visible flashing in the distance to the west but too far away to hear thunder. The temperature in the campsite area was chilly but warmer by the lake shore which was only about 20 yards from the shelters. By midnight, after listening to it and watching the lightning, another storm moved through with heavy rain. With most energy devoted to shelter preparation, firewood gathering and other essential work very little time was devoted to procuring food during the first afternoon. There were, as expected, some very sour, green, small apples on the stunted trees near our 52 campsite and a large number of these together with 15 or 20 snakes were obtained. The snakes were both water and garter snakes and varied in length from two to four feet. While some of the apples were eaten raw, more of them were mixed with rhubarb which had been located along the edge of the old village site. A sugar cube from each student was mixed in and the whole concoction baked in the coals of the fire. Eleven teaspoons of sugar really does almost nothing to offset the sourness of such a mixture, but it was at least palatable. Well after dark various individuals sat around the fire under the chute roasting snakes although not all could bring themselves to this action and ate a bit of their meager rations instead. It is raining quite hard. But camp is set up and we're all dry and cheerful. Shpper--1/2 bacon bar, 2-3 gum drops and 1 apple. . Ate approximately 10-12 apples and an equal number of bites of snake. . . . . set five snares. Two for squirrel, three for rabbit feeling real well. . . . It started to pour. I looked over and a rabbit was sitting on a log. . . before I thought of’grabbing it, it was off'and running. It was almost in my lap and I let it get away! . Meat dish of'snake. . . . Shakes are so common that I even killed one which crawled out from under me as I am writing this. The meal wasn't a gourmet's delight but it fills you up. Shake tastes o.k. The snake was hard to swallow at first but became progressively easier. . . . The group attitude is fair. . . . I didn't think I would ever eat snake. It wasn't very good, but the salt was good and the meat did give you something to chew on. 53 There were a lot of snakes caught to eat but I just wasn't in the mood and I think ya have to be in the mood to eat snakes. After all, today was the first day I ever touched and killed a snake--to eat one too? Too much! During the twilight hours of the evening several of the men attempted to fish near camp but with no success. Day 2, Sunday, 18 August 1974 Due to a developing ear infection in one of the men the investigator took the radio to a secluded spot to avoid participants becoming aware of its presence and attempted to contact the fire officer on Beaver Island. No response was forthcoming but finally was able to establish contact with Michigan State Police post at Gaylord. They said they would make arrangements with the fire officer to monitor and wait for our call at 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Set-lines placed for fish yielded an unusual catch. During the early morning, a duck dived and swallowed one of the baited hooks. Our permit didn't allow the taking of migratory waterfowl which are covered by federal law but it was difficult to determine what else to do with such a situation. Hook removal would have resulted in such serious injury to the bird that its survival would be doubtful so it was utilized as food. Snares yielded no rabbits or squirrels. A group hiking west of the campsite saw a deer and placed two snares for it in a well traveled trail. Foraging parties brought in milkweed pods and wild leeks. These, together with the duck produced enough soup for each person to have almost a cup. 54 By evening all participants were beginning to feel the first effects of marginal sleep, energy depletion, mosquitoes and lack of food. The realities of our situation began to be apparent. As the day progressed, temperatures rose to about 85° and together with the moisture from the preceding evening's rain combined to produce very high humidity. However, by late afternoon and early evening, it again became very comfortable. It was interesting to note that in the morning everyone, even though somewhat groggy, seemed in good spirits. However, by midafter- noon this had deteriorated and they all seemed a bit depressed. Then by evening attitudes had again improved markedly. At this point in the experience the only real concern was the student with the ear infection. He had some tablets of tetracycline and having gone through similar difficulties in the paSt had begun to take this medication. One of the students, who also works as a nurse, examined the ailing individual and confirmed the investigator's assessment of an inflamed throat and slightly elevated temperature. Under the chute, flies had become a problem. Stable flies, a small, black, biting fly, predominated and seemed to have been attracted to any area where grass was crushed. Probably enough care had not been exercised in the disposal of refuse associated with the cleaning of the snakes of the preceding day and this would have contributed to the problem. In addition, some deer flies, which also bite with a vengeance, were beginning to appear. 55 The weather remained favorable throughout the night with no reoccurrence of the prior night's rain, although throughout the after- noon, evening and much of the night thunderstorms moved around the island with audible thunder in the day, combining with visible lightning at night. The and I”m at a loss out here. Looked like maybe no food . . . until came back to camp with a duck he caught on a fish hook. I’m purposely being slow and deliberate . . . to conserve energy. I didn't sleep too well and was chilled during the night. I feel slightly tired and my stomach is growling but all in all I feel good. we had duck soup . . . which tasted great compared to snake. . . . Had a small headache most of’today and last night but it feels better tonight after I ate. Slept lousy last night. I never got completely dry after wading . . . in search of’snakes. Once the fbod came in we all felt a bit better. experience continually supplied opportunities to explore techniques improve on the approaches used. I love learning all this new information. Sleeping was less than pleasant—-dry despite the rain . . . but cold, so very, very cold. Made a fishing rod and went to the dock-—but nothing happened--it's a discouraging feeling. I did kill a snake and cleaned it. I'am most shocked and delighted at the same time. This is a strange place. Late in the afternoon one of our worst fears was realized. A girl with a history of sting hypersensitivity came into camp to announce that in walking through the tall grass and goldenrod she had been stung on the hand by one of the multitudinous bumblebees in the area. The sting had occurred only a few yards from camp, but by the 56 time she came in her face was almost bloodless in its whiteness with discrete beads of perspiration standing out on her forehead, upper lip and chin, and a pulse rate of 160. She was obviously terrified. The sting site, on her little finger had a raised, whitened welt but little swelling. We had her lie down, administered a benadryl capsule, layed out the adrenaline ampoule and hypodermic syringe and waited. As time passed, it became apparent that no massive reaction was to be forth- coming and we all relaxed greatly. She dozed off and on and by dark was fine. Some of the students were severely limiting their intake of water, apparently unconsciously, and there was some feeling that the resultant dehydration may have been responsible for headaches some developed. Day 3, Monday, 19 August 1974 The ear infection we had been keeping close track of seemed to have become more severe with the student experiencing extreme pain and complaining of the beginning involvement of the other ear. Although the investigator tried several times to contact Beaver Island by radio at the appointed time and times thereafter, no response was forthcoming. Finally, signal mirrors were used to attract the attention of.a boat on the lake. We explained the situation to those on board and were pleased to find that the skipper was a medical doctor. He examined the ill student and indicated that he should be evacuated but that great haste was not called for, so he and his group 57 would fish for a couple of hours and then return to get our afflicted student. Since the ill student was 21 years of age, having no diffi- culty in moving about and had adequate medical coverage, none of the staff accompanied him to Beaver Island. Following his departure, numerous attempts were made to contact Beaver Island but not until the last day was it possible to make contact. Fatigue and low energy reserves were becoming apparent to all the participants. Comments were numerous expressing surprise at their inability to perform what would have normally been inconsequential chores. Indications were that after even minimal energy expenditures, prolonged rests were necessary to recoup the losses. Headaches, probably due to the combination of dehydration and low food intake coupled with lack of sleep were more common and each participant was advised to drink adequate water. Having allowed the group's actions and plans to more or less take their own course for the past two days, the staff determined to hold a critique session to point out where improvements could be made. Trapping had only been marginal and the campsite was rather messy with gear and food remnants scattered about. The resulting fly problem was acute. During the morning, the investigator took a group out to examine traps and suggest improvements. In addition, he set about a dozen in new locations and by afternoon the new locations had yielded two rabbits. One of the student snares produced a third. 58 Mr. Risk "dad" went out and set some snares and before dark had two rabbits. I was glad even if he did make my snaring ability look bad. A group was designated to clean up the camp and determine a place for all equipment. The refuse pit adjacent to camp was covered and a new one, farther away, was dug with instructions to cover all new material as it was dumped with a layer of soil to minimize its attractiveness to flies. About midmorning a group hiked to a cabin research site on the island where an Indian woman had been conducting a project on uses of plant materials and was preparing to leave the island. While they were there, the four women who went were talked into eating a meal with her and they brought back some biscuits and honey. The response of the group was less than enthusiastic and the feeling seemed to be that they had not really played the game fairly by accepting the food. Although some of those in camp ate a bit of the honey, most would not, and the biscuits were not utilized. Another group who had gone to the head of Indian harbor to fish had returned with 19 fish. During what was a very chilly night a number of people did not sleep well. One of the women, hearing noises in the brush, became afraid and arising, attempted to build a fire with little success. After some time she was in tears and Stan spent several hours with her after the fire was ignited discussing fears and frustrations and generally assisting her to find a means for coping with the difficulties she perceived. 59 At about 2:00 a.m. I was so cold I had to get up and start a fire. The night sounds frightened me and I was §9_scared and insecure. I couldn't find any tinder——so used some Kleenex, kindling to get a flame going. I was so cold and impatient--felt so paniced [gig] and mostly alone and afraid of'my inability to handle my feelings. Just as I got a small flame going Stan showed up out of the night, very firmly, simply started to take control of things. seeing him was unbelievably good—~I found'myself’relaxing--secure-- very childlike--but very good. . . . Stan was amazing, helped me get through things, even to laugh again and feel well. This kind of help was provided throughout the experience whenever stresses were perceived to be so severe that individuals were having serious trouble coping. The investigator and two others of the group had developed rather large blisters (1/4")<3/4") on their arms and legs. They were not extensive, occurring singly or in twos and threes and appearing to be a dermatitis resulting from contact with an unidentified plant. Throughout the experience these cropped up occasionally and subsided in about five days leaving a slight scar. Accompanied by little or no itching they were somewhat painful and a bit reminiscent of a second degree burn. By this time only the staff were still sleeping alone. The rest of the group had determined that it simply was warmer to share body heat and they were sleeping in a group shelter, sharing blankets and cushioned by a thick layer of boughs beneath. The weather was still holding and the absence of rain was welcomed by everyone. Temperatures during the day were reaching the upper 70's and lower 80's although the nights were in the upper 50's. 60 Clouds still moved around the island and occasionally thunder was heard in the distance. Awareness of weather patterns, wind direction and cloud movements had increased and weather was a topic of discussion more frequently. That evening, the meal was almost sumptuous, consisting of three rabbits, boiled, boned and mixed with diced milkweed pods and leeks and then, salted and peppered, placed in a pot in the coals to bake. Baked and roasted fish, apples and spearmint tea completed the repast. The evening also brought falling temperatures and a ground fog, dampening the atmosphere and everyone's blankets and clothing. The chill was penetrating and sleeping was quite difficult. Various projects were progressing as the ingenuity of the group developed. One of the men was constructing a small smokehouse using driftwood. This same individual, a chemical engineer, was working on an improvised slingshot/fishing arrangement using surgical tubing from his survival kit, a forked branch and a bobbin contrivance to act as a sort of spinning reel so that he could shoot the line. Conversations around the campfire constituted a great deal of the time used after dark. Staring deeply into the flickering flames seemed to be a stimulant to probing discussions and this particular night thoughts turned to the difficulty they all expected to experience in discussing what had taken place on the island. One of the students had been through an Outward Bound training program and another had gone through the National Outdoor Leadership School. They both indicated 61 not only that there were things that were difficult to express to those who had not been involved, but that they somehow lost something in the telling. They felt that those things were better simply stored in the mind and journal and utilized as a means for building one's own reserves and life styles. More of such thoughts would come later. Although fatigue was becoming an ever increasing factor, a perception of the beauty surrounding them was beginning to filter into journals and conversations. And there certainly was much to be observed and felt. The night before and this night, the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) put on a magnificent display with undulating bands of red and green light sweeping the sky across the northern horizon at times almost to the zenith. The silence was broken only by the slap of small waves against the shore and the sighing and fluttering wind in the cedars and aspens. . . woke up about 4: 00 a.m. . . . just in time for a beautiful display of’northern lights. The green light strips lit up the northern sky and moved across to the east. It was very impressive along with the occasional falling stars and the bright stars and planets . . . at 7:30 the sun was just coming above the trees. The whole meadow was sparkling with a heavy dew and was covered with spider webs. Every weed stalk seemed to have a strand of a web attached. It was very cold last night. It was extremely wet this morning, the dew made the spider webs show up. (I've never seen so many spider webs.) . . . I've noticed a dizziness when I stand up. I lose all peripheral vision for a short period of'time. I was shakey [sic] and weak. went to bed early--really tired. Northern lights were out-~amazing—-so bright. 62 Snares, now set in improved spots or replaced with others were beginning to bear fruit and pleased reactions were noted. we checked the snares we'd set and I was shocked to see we'd caught a rabbit, s9 pleased! When we returned to camp, taught me to clean the rabbit, actually it's not bad and I felt productive. . . . It was a good day and spirits were up; . . . I had a good day—-learned much and felt productive and stronger and’much in control. Day 4, Tuesday, 20 August 1974 Stress is beginning to show in a number of ways. Last night one of the men cut himself. The wound was not really serious, but it proved to be the catalyst releasing a lot of pent-up emotion. After standing disconsolately by the fire for a long time, he suddenly walked away toward the lake. One of the other students, seeing his depression, followed to help and found him crying by the water. His journal gives some insight: I hope for the remainder of’this experience I don't go through what I did last nite and this morning. It all started with being tired yesterday and cutting my thumb with my knife in a stupid accident of'carelessness. From that point on I just felt worse and worse until finally at supper I cracked. Paul saw and tried to stop it by telling me depression was normal, but I started to cry and left the camp area. I went down to the lake feeling depressed, hurt, and very, very much alone. I wanted off this [deleted] island so much. . . . I was standing there and someone called my name and there was . She helped a lot by just talking to me and showing that someone on this island cared. As she talked I felt better . . . but part of'my fighting spirit was gone. . . . And even right now I still feel it gone. This morning I feel so weak and tired. Although water intake now appeared to be more normal, food was still not coming in fast enough to stave off the usual effects and more journals and comments reflected these symptoms. 63 Today I would really like to learn more about snaring. Killing is very distasteful to me but so is starvation. So far, my snares have not been successful. I noticed that I am getting tired a little easier than yesterday and so took a lot of’breaks including a long one in the early afternoon. . . Befbre dinner I was quite weak and thinking a lot about home and good fbod. When I get up a lot of times I get light headed and feel almost like I'am going to pass out. Risk says it's not unusual . . . notice I get weaker after short walks and slow down my pace considerable. I felt really tired today. . . . I hadn't felt bad until today. When I woke up I felt fairly well because I slept well. But after I got up and started moving around I could feel the lack of’food. . Today I've had a definite drop in energy. well, day 4 and its beginning to Show. No one really had any get—up—and-go, including me. At least two of the participants, suffering from the overall stress of the experience began to enter comments in their journals critical of others in the group. Although, these statements were normally made with explanations following which showed the writer felt at least part of the problem was their own. (things that bother me that shouldh't). I am slightly irritated by when she comes up with answers and solutions to all our questions and problems encountered. . . . By writing the above rather than telling herself or anyone else, I avoid upsetting any group harmony and still "blow off'steam." I feel a little bogged down by , he's been down, feeling sorry for himself since yesterday, and has adopted me as his confidant. Although I understand how he feels and know how much he needs someone to talk to, I can't help feeling a little crowded and hassled, but it's o.k., it feels good to help someone. 64 With the depletion of energy, more time was spent in camp with travel occurring only when it was necessary. Projects such as carving spoons, forks and bowls began to be used not only to fill spare time and occupy idle minds and hands but also to provide utensils to assist in developing a more comfortable life style. There was almost the feeling that we were witnessing a time lapse moving picture of the development of humanity--a kind of micro evolution in speeded up form of the various developments which occurred as man left caves and advanced culturally. During the night a large log covered with a phosphorescent fungus (fox fire) was unearthed and brought to camp. Most of the students had never seen anything like it. . Found out it was a rotten log and Mr. Risk said it was fox fire, some kind of'fungus. I picked up a small log of'it and all the inner wood glowed a greenish glow. I took this piece back to camp and placed it by my shelter entrance. It's really erie [sic]. Flies continued to be a problem coming in ever increasing numbers. Their presence had now begun to attract hornets which were attacking and carrying them to their nests. It became necessary to use care in picking things up around camp and in selecting a seat to avoid accidentally crushing one and being stung. But, we all learned to take them in stride, a major victory for one of the women who admitted to being "paranoid" about flying insects. Even the young lady with the prior history of sting sensitivity paid little heed beyond that required of any prudent person. For a time it became a game to watch the hornets as they circled, seeking their targets 65 and then with a lightning movement, one would drop on a resting fly to sting it. It then would fly to whatever more or less stationary object was handy and alight to roll the now anaesthetized fly into a tight ball before flying away with it. Toward the end of the island experience one of these insect dive bombers carried its tranquilized cargo to the "paranoid" young lady's eyebrow where it landed, resting its back feet on her closed eyelid as it bundled the fly and then flew off. An indication of the alteration in her attitude since the trip began was the calm question, "it's a hornet isn't it? Well, it'll be gone in a minute." Prior to her contact with the bees, wasps and hornets encountered on the trip this woman was afraid to enter her back yard if she saw any bees around. By the end of the day, four rabbits had been caught and these with the usual milkweed pods flavored with leeks yielded a great amount of stew and one rabbit for roasting. If food had continued to be brought in at that rate, the trip would have been almost no ordeal at all. Caloric intake was probably running around 700 to 1,000 per day at this time. About mid-afternoon an aircraft appeared and spent quite a bit of time circling our campsite and caused the staff some anxious moments for fear our pilot had mistaken the directions and was pre- paring to make the food drop on the wrong Tuesday. The students did not know the drop was planned so only casual curiosity was evidenced. Probably it was either a private pilot curious about the multicolored, brilliant chute which formed our para-tepee or someone who knew of the exercise and simply wanted to fly over to see how we were doing. 66 During the night the wind came up and blew down the investigator's shelter. Gusts were probably running as high as 35-40 knots. Although energy levels were still low, more attention was being directed at the beauty around us. At least one student waxed poetical. I"m alive and feeling with as much intensity as I can. Red and yellow and pink and green Purple and orange and blue I can sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow Sing a rainbow tune. Listen with your eyes Listen with your eyes Feel everything you see. Listen with your eyes Listen with your eyes And sing a rainbow with me. Yes--now I can--more than ever before, I know I 922, It's so beautiful here--I can't believe it--I can close my eyes and feel and not be afraid—-the night is coming, and I welcome it--to feel and walk and walk and love with all my heart. . . . It's so amazing--the bees are sleeping--tucked under the goldenrod. A sliver of the moon is out now and just graces the sky. I was paranoid earlier at the thought of'doing a solo, and now I am anxious to do just that-—I am confident in myself; and have my fear under control--perhaps am ready to grow and learn as I can. The experience was opening new vistas to the participants and whether or not all those changes showed up on the test data, there is no doubt from their words and writing that they were seeing with new eyes and perceiving in a way different from before. 67 Day 5, Wednesday, 21 August 1974 In spite of the fact that one staff shelter blew apart during the past night, it remained very warm. It is doubtful whether the temperature fell below 70° all night and as a result most of the group slept better than they had during the whole first part of the trip. Food procurement was still progressing relatively well. Several students found nine crayfish in the rocks at the shore and brought them in to keep until supper. The pattern of food utilization had begun to change. Several of the students were losing their taste for rabbit stew and the decision was to: . use the heads, ribs and abdomens for stew and the legs for roasting. The heart, liver, lungs and kidneys are saved on all the rabbits and used in the stem. we have 4 rabbits for dinner (used for stew and cooking). . . Everyone seems to like rabbit roasted lots better than stew. At this stage of the trip, journals were becoming voluminous. Thoughts were beginning to find outlets onto paper and people's per- ceptions were far more sensitive. It has been very difficult to decide what to enter in this paper. The journals ought to be published someday in their entirety so that others could gain a clearer sense of the experience. Not only were thoughts introspective and related to personal experiences beyond this trip but many now seemed to be more closely examining the others in the group and considering their actions. 68 I'am growing, becoming less and less anxious about myself and becoming aware of'my influence on people. . . . I am slowly becoming less of’a child—-mostly because I am taking care of’dealing with myself; alone, and without support or a crutch to lean on. As the snares produced a more dependable supply of fresh meat, groups more often hiked to other areas of the island to explore and/or be alone. However, this kind of energy expenditure quickly demonstrated that they were not involved in any great surplus of food. Returned to camp at about 3 p.m., the walk back was great although my legs felt so weak. [The hike was about 45 minutes each way.] . And after the hike, she found that: . . after smoking apple leaves with straw, I swear I was buzzed, although I could have imagined it, that stuff is just like grass, at any rate, I was spaced, loved it, and dreamt crazy things. Occasionally, the stress and fatigue brought other, less desirable comments into the journals. I really think I’m no good for this trip or for me. My motivation to do anything has been mostly gone for the past few months. I thought this trip would help, but that idea seems selfish seeing as how this whole idea is much more of’a group effort than I'd counted on. I don't click in any group unless I want to, and I don't feel up to making myself’want to. . . . I only hope I"m not interfering with the rest of the group. I hate to be anything but selfLreliant. Food, especially fresh meat, was by this time coming in often enough that preservation was a problem. The student who had been working on a smoke house was about finished and plans were to smoke some of the rabbit. Rabbits caught the preceding morning had been placed in a cool hole in the ground with a covering of cedar boughs. 69 However, in spite of this, by the time they were used, they were covered with fly eggs which had to be scraped off before they were cooked. Flies, once confined to the area of the chute were now moving into the staff areas and the numbers under the canopy, in spite of careful housekeeping, were increasing day by day. And, of course, with them came the white-faced hornets. The flies are driving people nuts around the campfire. That would be one thing that could drive me off the deep end in time! I hate those [deleted] things!!! Various minor health problems continued to crop up from time to time. One of the girls became quite nauseated during the evening and vomited. But, she apparently felt fine afterward and there were no further ill effects. One of the men was developing a rash on his hands and forearms. The area was producing a bumper crop of poison ivy and that was a concern. However, he indicated this was not likely the case and told us that his hands had started itching within the past day or so and then only when he was handling rabbits. We stopped that by relegating his services to handling only rabbits which had already been skinned. The rash disappeared. Personal hygiene was also a problem. No one had bathed since arrival on the island and we all felt very dirty. Anyone passing us downwind, doubtless, would have been shocked. 50, several of the stu- dents and staff went to various isolated parts of the island and bathed. However, some of the journals indicate that there appeared at some of those times contraband soap. Most students did not take advantage of its use and journal entries indicated that even those who did failed to secure the full benefits. 70 . . went swimming before I went to bed. It felt great but I didn' t get all the soap out of'my hair and it feels like wax! went to Dane's Farm swimming . . . our pace has really slowed down. . . . Love the feeling of’getting rid of my clothes and washing down my bite-laden body. Does so much for my spirit. Throughout the day, the wind continued to blow, sometimes gusting to almost 45 knots. But, by late afternoon it had calmed to no more than 20. However, during this time, a sailboat, anchored in the harbor by a family hiking group slipped its anchor and went aground. We were all concerned that the pounding she was taking would result in serious damage, but after their return and considerable help from another vessel, she sailed away apparently unscathed. During the day, four more rabbits were caught and the evening meal, by survival standards, was sumptuous. This was especially true due to the addition of another duck which luck brought our way. And frankly, I hesitate to discuss the manner by which it was obtained for fear of disbelief. As we jokingly talked over this new acquisition in terms of omens, it became quite clear how primitive groups could see such things as having supernatural origins. (Who knows?) While hiking through one of the large open field areas near basecamp, the investigator was startled to see a hawk fly out of the grass. Curious, I approached the spot, the hawk still circling over- head apparently was reluctant to leave. There, on the ground lay a freshly killed duck which had obviously been taken by my aerial escort. Some brief thought was given to how badly the hawk might need this 71 energy source to get through the night and after discounting this as a problem, the duck was brought back to camp. Of course, by the time the story was retold several times around the campfire that evening, it had been embroidered and expanded so as to astound even the most staid listener! The hawk, incidentally, followed all the way back to camp, circling in the air, and there was not complete certainty on the part of the investigator that he might not try to reclaim it with a diving attack. However, the duck entered the soup pot with no interference from our feathered benefactor. This particular evening, in the discussions around the fire, conversation turned to a custom which is tied to summer resorts. Often, manned almost entirely by student help from widely dispersed areas, it is common in some of these to hold a "Christmas Party" on the 25th of August for those who would not ordinarily see each other during December. On these festive occasions, a Christmas tree is erected, a great banquet spread and presents exchanged just as though it was time for the usual celebration. The entire group jumped at this idea and indicated that since we would be on the island on Sunday, August 25th, that they too wanted to "have Christmas." That decision would have far-reaching effects. Almost with the first suggestion, spirits soared and excited plans began to be made for the festivities of "Christmas Eve and Day." From that time on, projects which might ordinarily have been spoons or bowls for personal use became oriented toward collecting raw materials from the outdoors and constructing, usually in secret, presents which 72 would be exchanged. Names were placed in a hat and each person drew the name of one of the students or staff for whom they would create a present. we drew_names for Christmas so I have to get busy and plan a gift. This Christmas deal was a good idea—-gives us something to look forward to. And we're going to have popcorn too!! we're hoping for either beaver or venison roast for the main course. [Popcorn was donated by a passing boat.] Christmas is but three days away. . . . That will give us something to look forward to. I drew Francie's name and I think I'll give her this spoon I drew blood for. we sat around the fire last night and planned Christmas. There are only 3 shopping days left. Group unity--a kind of esprit de corps--was beginning to take form. Rather than Mr. Risk, the investigator had become "Dad" to most of the group with Francie and Stan being assigned the titles of Aunt and Uncle, respectively. Tasks were carefully delegated to different subgroups and food was meticulously divided to assure no favoritism although at times comments indicated that some seemed to get a little heavy handed with the serving spoon when they were filling their own dish. (Things that bother me that shouldn't) 's foul language. '3 remark that it would be easier to live off’the land alone because it's hard to feed 14 people . . . in my opinion [he's] a little greedy at meal time. we all would like more to eat but sharing should be given top priority. 73 In spite of this remark, the writer, true to his established style, goes on to say, But I should add that [he] is bringing in more than his share of’the food so maybe he feels his action is justified. Even though at times personal peculiarities were beginning to gall a bit, the members of the group were learning to look past insignificant problems, moderate their own responses for the benefit of the group and look for the good in each other. The same writer who penned the criticism above and the critical comments regarding one of the women knowing too much wrote later this same day: I had a nice talk with today, down at the fishing hole. She's quite pleasant and interesting. I somewhat regret both of'my statements about her and but that's exactly how I felt at the time I wrote—themT' The constant wind during the day stirred up the silt on the lake bottom and securing clear drinking water became a problem. The usual dosage of water purification tablets was doubled to offset any possible increase in bacterial level. Of course, cooking water was no problem since the process effectively sterilized it. A hitherto unknown key-chain harmonica made its appearance at the campfire last night and the man who brought it is quite a virtuoso. It only has four openings, yet he is quite able to produce almost any tune and in the interim he whistles beautifully. 74 Day 6, Thursday, 22 August 1974 The day began gray and overcast with cooler temperatures. After the prior few days of extreme heat, the change was welcome. It remained cloudy throughout the day until about 4:00 p.m., when a brief clearing trend spread overhead with only remnant “mares tails" drifting across the sky. But, within an hour the sky clouded again with falling temperatures in the 60's and it began to mist. Food continued to be no problem with five rabbits caught during the day. (Four were in the snares in the morning, but one of those had evidently been there most of the night and was somewhat fragrant. It was cleaned and cooked immediately to preclude any further spoilage. The others were kept cool in the lake. One of the men who had tried and tried unsuccessfully to snare a rabbit finally got one today and his excitement gives a clear indication of the zeal with which the group participated in all their duties. At the same time, his comments reflect a bit on the attitude some held regarding the necessary killing. Hooray! I finally caught a rabbit in one of'my snares. It was a nice-Size one too. I discovered a very young rabbit in one of 's snares and killed it. The murder made me weak—in—the legs. I think I will try being a vegetarian when I get back to MSU. However, he never really worked at becoming the vegetarian he thought might be a good idea at the time. It was interesting to see the reactions of students who had eaten meat all their lives yet had never before been exposed to the processes required to supply that form of nutriment. 75 Food preparation was still undergoing an evolution as attitudes toward the food changed and attempts were made to expand variety by preparing our staples in different ways. In fact, quite a bit of ingenuity was used in cookery. The fish we rolled in catnip and put a slice of'apple and leek in for flavoring. The rabbits were baked in a closed pan with apple slices on top. The apples really gave the meat a different flavor. However, concern was still present regarding the continued supply of food. But I do have to keep concerned and do worry about where the next meal is coming from. It just isn't like home where you know where every meal is going to come from. I could eat ten times more food if it were available but it just isn't. And, imagination helped to add spice to the cooking even though the basics were essentially unchanging day to day. Dinner was good. Had roasted rabbit legs, also had some baked rabbit with apples. We pretended it was pork chops and apple sauce. The discovery of a source of hazel nuts allowed a major departure from the usual menu and was well received. Today we had . . . apple crisp. It consisted of’apples with chopped hazel nuts, covered with sugar. It tasted pretty good. [covered with sugar was somewhat an over- statement considering the meager sprinkle available.) Although the descriptions of the gourmet fare probably sounds as though food was in great abundance, in actuality, the quantities were very limited for each person during a meal. For example, a day's menu might have included the following: 76 Ate: bullion [sic] 1 cup, apple sauce. 1/2 meat bar 1 1/2 Chuckle, 1 bite of'rabbit and 1/4 cup of’duck. Two cups of innerdsoup [sic] (milkweed & liver & hearts & good stuff like that) 3 apples. Diet: 1 cup boullion [sic]; 1 cup apple crisp; 5 raw apples; 2 legs of'rabbit (roasted). Food: 1 gum drop, 1/2 cup apple crisp, 1 cup rabbit stew and 1 roast rabbit leg & 3 apples. Added up, the total diet for a day therefore is considerably less than 1,000 calories even on a good day such as this one. Weight loss was beginning to be apparent in baggy pants and belts taken in a notch or two or three. Energy depletion was no longer doubted by anyone. Not only was it difficult or impossible to perform chores requiring significant energy outlay, but dizziness, loss of peripheral vision (tunnel vision), and brief blackouts were common for all who, after sitting or lying, attempted to stand too rapidly. In at least two instances members fainted, although in both cases they were women who had compounded the energy problems by beginning their menstrual periods. I'am experiencing dizziness and blackouts regularly. When I stand up it's quite an unusual sensation. Everyone seems a bit punchy. congratulate me, I pulled up my belt 3 inches today. Now I know I've lost some weight. Been feeling weak and dizzy with no energy to spare. The reduced food intake showed itself in attitude changes during the course of the day. Generally, people awoke in the mornings somewhat lethargically but with a fairly positive attitude. However, 77 if there was nothing for breakfast or lunch, attitudes declined throughout the day as energy was used. Often midafternoon found most of the group dozing and few people traveling away from the base camp area. Journal entries were generally made at this time of the day and comments now had begun to show a great deal more thought with very long entries, examining in detail, a thought or observation. By evening, everyone congregated under the chute and either helped with or impatiently waited and watched the preparation of supper. Almost immediately, spirits rose and story telling and joking occupied the evening after dark until people began to trickle away to go to sleep. At times, these campfire sessions became almost hysterical as fatigue caused completely ridiculous statements to generate an entirely disproportionate response, leaving us all literally laying on the ground laughing uncontrollably and gasping for breath. Not eating til dinnertime . . . is really depressing--no energy for the daytime. After dinner with something to eat, I feel lots better. Also the prejudice against rabbit was growing as more and more people refused to eat it. For a time there were several people who, although they would not eat any other part of the animal, developed a craving for rabbit livers. The investigator was one of those. I"m tired of’rabbit stew and roast rabbit with apples. It's almost hard to eat, despite hunger, but it fills a void to be sure. For the first time, it appeared that nerves were getting a bit frayed and there were more personality conflicts arising. These often didn't get into the journals but were definitely present. It is 78 interesting to note, however, that this represented only a temporary stage and passed rapidly with the group once again knitting together nicely. The group this afternoon seemed a little hostile and sarcastic toward each other. I think nerves are a little shot today. I think I'll last but I would like to get ofT'the island. My tolerance threshold is low so I've stayed off’alone to avoid any problems. It's been a long, slow day, tolerated, not active or enthused in the least. It bothers me a little that there is so much kidding around in the group. . . . Nature brings me to a serious consciousness. . . . I'find it necessary to isolate myself temporarily from the group and thus avoid their distractions and interruptions. The general camp conditions had by this point improved greatly in terms of sanitation and organization, and during this day, perhaps due to the overcast and lower temperatures, the fly problem had abated greatly with a concommitant reduction in the number of hornets. Interestingly, yellow jackets made their first appearance about this time. There had been adequate enticement from all the raw meat in the past days but for some reason they had stayed away. Now they rep- resented a minor hazard especially while cleaning rabbits since their activities involve cutting a tiny round piece out of the meat to take back to their nest. They were virtually fearless, alighting directly in the body cavity of rabbits being butchered and even climbing onto blood-drenched fingers in their zeal to secure bits of food material. But, even with this, the students were learning to tolerate and work within nature's limitations. 79 I"m no longer a bug swatting fanatic. Bugs are part of nature, too, maybe an unpleasant part, but definitely a part. I never thought I could tolerate all these bugs and bees and spiders and snakes, but you learn to live in harmony with them and everything is fine. I have lost my fear of those things now. And, this same student went on to expound on her overall feelings relative to life and attached special significance to the observations in terms of survival situations. I came to the realization that unless you're happy where you are you probably won't be happy. Because you will always be searching and not enjoying. Sb I think even in a real survival situation I would look for something to be happy about. Maybe I”m too optimistic but it is just easier for me to be happy. Christmas preparations were rapidly progressing with every journal commenting on the search for materials and the careful con- sideration of presents which would have the most meaning for the recipient. It was reminiscent of pioneer days when all presents were handmade and represented a little bit of the maker. And, in doing so, they probably had far more meaning than those plastic, mass produced items we so often exchange during holiday occasions. From time to time, boaters had landed on the island--occasion- ally either meeting our foraging parties or stumbling into our camp. Their response generally was one of mixed shock, surprise and sometimes a definite feeling of disgust, especially after we compounded our very disreputable appearances with stories of snake dinners and butchered rabbit. One woman, after being cautioned about allowing her small and obviously pampered dog to run loose in an area studded with snares, 80 sniffed distastefully and, looking down her nose at the investigator, informed him that "[she] had pegs: heard of such a thing" and stalked pompously back to her rather grand boat. By this time, most of the group had grown to have a somewhat proprietary feeling about the island and especially the area immediately surrounding the campsite and tended to regard visitors as trespassers. Sure to completely destroy any chance for a common ground were comments on how tired, dirty, etc., everyone looked. One fisherman who anchored offshore did call to us to let us know that the student who had been evacuated with the ear infection was still on Beaver Island and was attempting to secure transportation back to the camp. We had tried numerous times to contact Beaver Island's fire officer during the past days but had been unable to do so and this was the first information on the student's condition we had been able to obtain. Day 7, Friday, 23 August 1974 In spite of the overcast and somewhat forbidding appearance of the weather on the preceding day, it did not rain during the night, and everyone was thankful for that. It was quite cold during the night and most people experienced some difficulty in sleeping with the result that on arising, the group appeared to be more groggy than usual, if that is possible. The temperature during the day never increased to 70° and the wind rose to gusts from the southwest up to about 20 knots in a way reminiscent of the day the shelter blew apart and needless to 81 say caused some concern. However, by evening, it had calmed considerably and all the shelters withstood the blasts. Snaring had become only marginally Successful with a mere two rabbits brought in on this day. However, a third duck was available as it wandered into a rabbit snare placed along the beach and strangled. For a group intent on protecting migratory water fowl, we certainly were taking a toll on their numbers! Conversations and journals were beginning to turn more and more to food. Debates ranged across the entirety of past eating experiences and individuals indicated that they were beginning to have dreams in which food was the central theme. Weakness continued to be a problem together with reduced physical coordination. All members of the group were cautioned to be on their guard to avoid sudden movements which might precipitate a blackout or fainting spell resulting in a fall into the fire, on a knife or in any other potentially dangerous setting. They were also cautioned that weakness and fatigue were likely to predispose them toward accidents of other types and that great thought should be given to all activities and care taken to avoid problems. I‘m even weaker today, and just walking is a struggle, so I've slept a lot. . . . I"m irritable too, I guess because I"m tired. . . . I feel very weak right now but in surprisingly high spirits. Got up and staggered around a little bit. . . I just want to take it easy. [But] . . . I”m too weak to take it easy. 82 A discussion on the decrease in trapping success was held, and it was determined that we had probably trapped out the area we were in and that the snares ought to be relocated. Otherwise, the decline would probably continue at an increasing rate. During the morning, one of the women decided that since she had not taken part in the butchering and preparation of any of the rabbits, it would be a good idea to learn. So, she began to work on one of the animals which had just been brought in. After skinning, she opened the body cavity and commenced to remove the internal organs. At this point, the liver was examined by one of the other students who noted that it had a speckled appearance and brought it to the investigator. The tissue both on the surface and internally displayed yellowish-white spots. Rabbits suffering from tularemia (rabbit fever) often develop a spotted liver and this was an immediate concern. The concern was doubled by the fact that the woman who had performed most of the skin- ning and butchering was our Christian Scientist. Perhaps it betrays a basic lack of faith on the part of the investigator, but the thought was inescapable that if this student developed tularemia she would not seek or accept medical aid. The disease is transmitted from rabbits to man most commonly through open wounds on the hands of those engaged in cleaning the animal and, of course, this young lady had a cut on one finger sustained while she was carving a spoon a day or so earlier. Treated with antibiotics, it is easily controlled, but untreated, it can be fatal in a significant number of cases. Needless to say, the staff stress levels rose considerably. 83 We carefully washed her hands with soap and water and she permitted us to treat the cut with merthiolate. We all quietly hoped that the rabbit was not infected or that the student would not develop symptoms. Stan then completed the cleaning of this rabbit and from that time on, all rabbits brought in were opened by one of the staff for a liver examination before students were permitted to handle the animal. Since the animal posed no threat once cooked, the animals were still used for food. Only two of those subsequently caught had a liver other than normal. Also, from that time on, all students were watched carefully to ascertain their continued health and none of them developed any symptoms. They were also counseled that if, on their return home, they developed any symptoms of headache, general malaise, aches and pains and fever that they should notify their doctor of their recent contact with wild rabbits. To compound our concern, one of the students hiking near camp during the same afternoon came across two dead rabbits lying along the trail. Neither of them showed any signs of physical violence and this naturally cast doubt over the health of the entire rabbit population. By now, several of the students had determined that they absolutely could not stomach rabbit. This was interesting from the standpoint of the stories of POW's especially during the Korean and Viet Nam conflicts who, supplied with sufficient but monotonous and unfamiliar food, simply reached a point where they could not eat and 84 began to waste away. Forced feeding merely resulted in nausea and vomiting. During the afternoon, Bill Welke, the Deputy Sheriff pilot from Beaver Island flew low over the campsite twice and then circled a few moments. Again, the staff was concerned that he might have been preparing to make a drop on the wrong day, but he evidently was only looking over the area to determine our location, check on our safety and prepare for the drop during the coming week. Earlier it was mentioned that Garden Island was almost covered with poison ivy and we were worried about students coming into contact with it. The problem never materialized in terms of the students, but the investigator, at this point, developed an area of rash on the underside of his left forearm which finally became a rather ugly mass of coalesced blisters, ultimately drying up and was almost gone by the end of the trip but presented a challenge to self control for a time due to its itching. After the cool and overcast previous day, the flies, hornets and yellow jackets were back in even greater numbers. Mosquitoes had not been a serious problem in the camp area. Each member of the group had insect repellant and a head net. Out of camp, however, it was common to enter areas where deer flies and mosquitoes literally formed a seething gray cloud around exposed skin. But, even if their numbers were relatively low, they still posed a problem to sound sleep. Sometimes students becoming overconfident from an apparent lack of mosquitoes on retiring, fell asleep without their head nets. 85 Some regretted that indiscretion by being aroused from their sleep after a few bites, or worse, upon awakening in the morning to find themselves completely covered with welts. Day 8, Saturday, 24 August 1974-- "Christmasl-I’ve‘r The night's low temperature was 51° and again few slept well. The fire was kept burning most of the night and from time to time one or two pe0ple would get up, spend some time by it to drive the chill away and then return to the group shelter to try to sleep again. Everyone but Stan and the investigator had congregated in the community shelter to share warmth in an effort to get some rest. But, those on the outside of the group, always cold on one side still had a difficult time. The morning dawned partly cloudy with a northwest breeze. Clearing in the afternoon brought the temperature to the lower 70's. Continuing its steady decline, the rabbit catch for the entire day amounted to only a single animal. But, that seemed to be a mixed blessing. A number of the people were completely nauseated at the thought of more rabbit or cooked apples and simply chose to go hungry rather than attempt to eat any. However, Frances and one of the men never seemed to have trouble eating anything. Frances continued to produce a supply of soup which the group thought of as beyond reason, made up largely of heads, feet and other ordinarily disposed of parts of whatever animal or bird had been caught. This, she and the student ate with great gusto. There is no doubt but that this is the kind of attitude which results in survival when the chips are really down. 86 One of the factors influencing the general disenchantment with rabbit was that over the prior several days most of the rabbits brought in were thoroughly infested with ticks, their ears literally coated on the insides with a solid layer of the engorged arachnids. To compound the food problems, fishing had become entirely unsuccessful. For the past few days not a single fish had been caught either on set-lines or by individuals fishing with hand-lines. Food intake was made up largely of golf ball sized, sour, green apples and milkweed pods and even these were losing their appeal. Health questions once again came to the forefront as one of the women awoke with a sore throat, discharging eyes and a runny nose. The investigator's throat was also a bit raw but the general concensus was that this was very likely due to the irritation of sitting around a very smoky fire the night before. Apparently, this was correct in that the complaints cleared up spontaneously with no further ill effects. Shortly after noontime the student who had been evacuated to Beaver Island returned, having gotten a ride back with a group of Navy Sea Cadets. His reception was a mixed experience which will be pursued further later on. The major concern was that shortly after the Sea Cadet boat anchored, they sent a hiking party ashore which included their skipper and another adult. The two leaders, together with about a half dozen of the Cadets, came into camp and talked for a time. From them, we learned that two days before, one of their boys had developed a high fever and a red rash on his chest. 87 He had been taken off at Beaver Island where the doctor diagnosed the problem tentatively as scarlet fever. Following this, a second boy came down with the same complaints and was likewise taken off the ship and hospitalized. By that time the doctor had decided the etiology of the disease was unknown--not scarlet fever. This was only of passing interest until some time after the hiking party left for the far side of the island. A group of three boys from the ship came ashore to tell us that another had become ill, was "burning up" with fever and they needed to get their leaders and return to Beaver Island. Knowing little about the hiking party's destination made it unreasonable to search for them so the boys on board commenced to blow 'the vessel's whistle in blasts of three as a distress signal. Ulti- mately, they returned, the ship weighed anchor and sailed away. But, our worry was then twofold. Not only had members of the crew, exposed to the ill Cadets entered our camp and exposed our people but also our returned patient in riding back with them had been definitely exposed for quite a period of time. Once again, the staff and students had to simply sit back and wait to see what, if any, symptoms developed as a result of the encounter. Fortunately, nothing developed. The return of our recuperated student brought other diffi— culties. He had spent the past five days in and out of the doctor's office, some of it flat on his back in the local hotel. The people on Beaver Island had extended themselves far beyond anything required, 88 even, in the case of the manager of the hotel loaning him $50 until his father could wire money. He had been spending his time on intensive antibiotic therapy which initially had been prescribed only in a rather vague hope that it would catch an infection the doctor thought had progressed into the mastoid bones and might very well require surgery. However, he did respond well to the drugs, obviating the necessity of more-stringent measures. During the five days he had been resting in bed, he had been eating full meals repleat with many milk shakes and therefore was not the same person who had left the island five days before. To him, the rest of the group looked terrible. He could simply not understand why we were not all running around clubbing rabbits left and right and he had no hesitancy about letting us know how poorly he felt we looked and that we were obviously lazy. This was not an appropriate way to win the hearts of the rest of the group and there was a great deal of murmuring and a number of barely audible suggestions as to what he might do with all his ideas. Especially, he failed to understand or at first even support the idea of "Christmas." To have arrived on our "Christmas Eve" would probably only have been timed more poorly by an arrival on "Christmas Day." He loudly laughed and ridiculed the whole idea and there were those who felt it might be a good idea to see how long it would take him to gujm_back to Beaver Island. . And who should return but , our long lost sick patient. Really surprised to see him--mixed feelings. It's going to be hard for him to get back . . . in the group. . . He's the same old [guy]--our tempers just aren't the same old tempers. 89 . . He just doesn't seem like one of the group. It doesn't. . . help for him to go on and on about what he did. . . . What annoys me is his apparent attitude, as if he's superior to us, he doesn't understand our lack of enthusiasm and activity. It's as if he's going to save us all. I truly resent that, he can't begin to conceive of what we've been through out here and how we view things. . . He finds the idea of Christmas most amusing, and actually laughs at our efforts, he just has no idea. The investigator, later in the day, had a talk with him and it appeared to help. It was apparent that there would have to be give and take on both sides. But, it was necessary for him to try to avoid doing and saying things which would grate on the others. Ultimately, he did once again regain a position in the group. But, it only began to happen as he tired and became hungry like the others. In actuality, there is some doubt as to whether the group ever accepted him in totality. It seemed that “Christmas Eve" had been designed to test the stress tolerance of the staff as well as the students. During the day, three of the students had hiked to the end of the island to a deserted homestead. One of them had left the group and the plan was to rendez- vous at another location on the island's north side later in the day and from there to hike back together. The planned rendezvous never took place. The one student took a wrong turn and ended up in unfamiliar territory. The sun was going down and after waiting for almost two hours at the rendezvous point, the other two returned to basecamp with the discouraging information that they had lost one of their party. 90 It was too late to launch a search that night, but plans were taking form for a party to commence the following morning at daybreak when the lost student, still rather shaky from the experience, walked into camp. He was greeted with a welcome fit for the prodigal son. Although, following this, "Dad" sat the three of them down and soberly discussed the situation. There was no doubt that they had all learned valuable lessons from the experience. To the lost student, especially, the problem had been a significant one. The others had the map, compass and matches. He was not prepared to spend the night away from camp. After a seemingly endless trail, I reached the schoolhouse Clearing. That was the only thing I had recognized, but I . . . finally reached camp. . . . The experience put a little scare into me but I kept my senses and didn't do anything stupid. Quite probably his “little scare" was a bit understated, if his pale face and relieved expression were any indication. Certainly, we were all greatly relieved. Encounters with outsiders reached a peak during this day. Fishermen, hikers, a group of Catholic Priests, the Navy Sea Cadets and pleasure boaters who moored in the harbor contributed to this and resulted in much discussion. Generally, those who came treated the group as though they were an interesting but somewhat undesirable oddity. 0n the other hand, the group tended to respond to the visits in a somewhat cold, reserved manner, resenting what they felt was an unwarranted invasion of our privacy on an island they had begun to feel 91 was their personal property. Questions and comments perceived as lacking in sensitivity caused group members to quickly erect a com- munication barrier and this, as it was noted by the visitor usually resulted in rapid termination of the interaction. This reaction is one the investigator has observed and experienced on backpacking trips away from civilization and seems to have its roots in a feeling of superiority on the part of those involved in the stressful experience. Additionally, it quite possibly is also related to the same feelings in those outsiders encountering the somewhat "scruffy" participants of the outdoor experience. What- ever the reasons for it, the effect was clearly in evidence and seemed to grow stronger throughout the island experience. . . All of'a sudden this plane lands on the water . . . and docks at the DNR cabin. Pretty soon these creeps came rowdying up my beach. I wish we could get away from people altogether but oh well. They're gone now and again I'have the whole place to myself. What was really irritating was all the tourists today-- the sea cadet captains were a real drag when they came into camp with their jokes (yuk, yuk) and comments on how we don't look very enthused. . . . It would be a lot pleasanter if’people would just stay away from our island!!! I find myself'possessive of’the island, and come close to resenting other people visiting here, it's become a per- sonal place, home actually, and I"m protective of it. During the early evening a discussion developed connected with the difficulty of relating to others outside the group. We talked about the problem of sharing the experience with acquaintances, friends and loved ones and that many were afraid attempts with acquaintances would be doomed to failure. Several expressed the idea that they hoped 92 their friends would use sensitivity in probing for answers because its lack would be detrimental to the friendship. Loved ones and interactions with them formed a topic of great concern. It was generally felt that even in those cases, it would be difficult to help them understand and feel some empathy for the expe- riences but that in the case of these it would be worth the effort. Otherwise, the experience might provide a wedge driven between the participant and the loved one. In addition, the entire group seemed to be taking most things in stride by this time--with the exception of visitors. Lack of food was observed stoically and they then went on about other chores in unconcerned fashion with comments like, "well tomorrow we'll probably get more.“ In addition, campfire discussions showed an awareness on everyones' part of the need for each other and the realization that food gathering, cooking and other camp chores could only be carried on efficiently if each person shared the duties. While there still were some raw edges on peoples' nerves, generally each of the members was learning to overlook small differences and cooperate in their efforts. And, of course, this day was "Christmas Eve." The middle of the afternoon the investigator and three of the students located and cut a “Christmas" tree which was then given a place of honor at the parachute. 93 Dad and and some of’the others had cut [the tree] and helped decorate it . . . with white baneberry, solomon seal [berries], hawthorne [berries], choke cherry, goldenrod, high bush cranberry and white shroud line. An aluminum feil star was placed on the top . . . and the gifis wrapped . . . in birch bark . . . were [under it]. As already mentioned, the previous days had been spent gathering materials for presents and all had been waiting more and more impatiently for the arrival of "Christmas." As darkness fell we all gathered under the chute and by the light of the fire began to sing Chirstmas Carols. At dusk the tem- perature was already down to 50° and perhaps befitting the “season" was one of the coldest nights spent on the island. However, the singing and spirit of those present warmed us all. we sat around the campfire and sang Christmas songs as it got colder and colder. It actually felt like the real Christmas--which always makes me feel a little nostalgic and a little blue. Christmas Eve we all sat around the fire and sang Christmas Carols. Great fun. The spirit of Christmas was within us. That's a good feeling to have when it isn't actually Dec. 25. I was really moved by the experience. It seemed almost as if’it were actually Christmas. Everyone joined in and I felt very close to all of'my new friends. It seemed more like Christmas than the real thing. Everyone was singing and having a good time. we sang . . . around the fire. . . . so often I had to hold back tears. I felt lonely, and too I felt a deep comradship with those there. we've been through a lot together, and perhaps know a side of each other no one else does. It was warm and secure and strange too. . It's good to be alive. By the time we all retired, spirits were buoyant and all were looking forward to the next day--"Christmas." 94 Day 9, Sunday, 25 August 1974-- "Christmas Day" During the night, temperatures fell to 48° and sleeping was again difficult at best. Low caloric intake coupled with insufficient covering during cold nights do not combine to produce much warmth. There is no doubt that increasing the quantities of food eaten would have helped the group stay warmer at night. But, primitive groups (and it seems that this group may by this time almost have qualified) must have had some of the same problems and the lessons learned helped to gain a feeling for the realities of village living by North American Indians. Following a clear dawn, the sky filled with clouds as had been normal for the past several days but, as usual, became broken for most of the day and cleared entirely by evening with temperatures climbing to the mid 70‘s. In terms of food, it will be remembered that over the past several days snaring had been less and less effective with only one rabbit being brought in the day before. But, suddenly each group returned with one or more rabbits until six, the greatest number of the entire trip, were being prepared for "Christmas" dinner. Referring again to primitive people, the feeling would have been strong that such abundance on a sacred day of celebration was an omen of good portent. In fact, in this not so primitive setting those sentiments were openly expressed, only partly in jest. While everyone moved in slow motion, unable to muster enough energy to do anything rapidly, spirits were as 95 high as they had been so far during the trip. There was a great hubbub and hustle as people scuttled about putting last minute completion touches on presents and placed them under the tree. As mentioned previously, one of the students had recognized that “Christmas" would be on Sunday and now suggested that we ought to have a church service with "Dad" delivering a sermon. For a moment, the idea seemed frivolous and then the entire group, giving it a bit more thought, decided that indeed it would be appropriate and desirable. After carefully assessing the group's feelings the staff gave the go- ahead with the stipulation that the members take an active part. All said they would be happy to. Shortly after noon, the entire group, with "Dad" in the lead trailed across the meadow near the camp to what had become to most of us a special place for solitude and introspection, the old Indian Cemetery. The maples which towered over the site produced a deep shade and the spot, steeped as it was in history and tradition, lent not a feeling of morbidity but rather one of reverence and solemnity. One of the students gave a beautiful opening prayer and led by another, we sang "Joy to the World" as an opening hymn. This was followed by a reading from our Christian Scientist student's Bible and a short talk by "Dad" on the values of such an experience in terms of personal and group growth and understanding. Then for about half an hour, most members of the group shared with us their feelings about the experience as it had progressed so far. We were all touched and not a single Journal failed to comment on the strong favorable impression the meeting had on them. 96 Then a closing hymn, I'Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" was sung, followed by another heart-felt prayer in benediction, the text of which, recorded in the speaker's journal is herein given. Our heavenly Father, we are gathered here today in your behalf. we trust that you have seen and listened to what has been done and said. we thank you far allowing us to be here together and for watching over us thus far. we ask for your continued spiritual strength and guidance through the remainder of our stay on Garden Island and ask that August 30th be not the end but a beginning. we pray for the safety, protection and well being of those less fertunate than ourselves. we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. To attempt to describe in other words the thoughts of the students would take something away from them and probably the best way to comprehend is to merely read their words as they recorded them in their journals. . Church services were held up in the Indian cemetery-- we all trooped up there and it was really special. Beautiful little get-together and a time to realize all that this experience . . . means. Dad conducted services in the Indian graveyard today, it was very touching. I really believe that this is a great group of'people. . . . It was a great sense of’brotherhood . . . and I am glad we could all be there . . . all these friends here really do feel close to me now like brothers and sisters. we have all become very close on this trip and our Christmas and church service shows this. we have all learned to get along and to function as one in a com- munity and to have fun when we had just the bare minimum. I didn't know what to expect for a service but now I can say it was very inspiring and unique. The songs, prayers and expressions of feelings brought tears to my eyes a couple of’times. 97 we sang and had prayers and Dad gave a little talk. . we were almost in tears. Pessimist that I am, I practically cried. It was a deeply moving experience. If any set of experiences did, this particular day and its events pointed up the growing closeness of the group. Certainly, there are well-documented examples of grave difficulties arising in colonies and outpost stations during mOre primitive times and perhaps, given more time, some of these same kinds of things would have developed on the island. But, the benefit in terms of this particular group is that they did not have serious problems. Rather their interaction and cooperative meeting of the stresses imposed was serving to weld them together in ways even they did not fully comprehend. [we] began talking of'. . what the time has meant to . . us. Of the growth and change, and the values we have learned, and how lucky we really are. Dialogue was geared to the group, and many personal feelings were shared. I fbund myself’crying and realizing too of'my own growth. People spoke of growth, and love, of’fears and joys, of‘independence, and of success. As Francie said, now we know the difference between ”can't" and "won't," and perhaps as mentioned, this may well farm an important part of our life's values. It was a personal time, one I'll recall in feelings and not in words or descriptions, a feeling to be remembered and treasured fer a lifetime. I know one thing this trip has renewed in me, and that is the joy of'simple pleasures. This is the greatest bunch ever assembled on one island. I had looked at our group before, but not so deeply. In reality, we are just one big happy family. 98 There is no doubt of the importance of keeping the mind occupied in a real emergency. Too much free time only provides an opportunity to dwell on the negative aspects of the problem. In the case of this group, the focus which "Christmas" provided was very uplifting, almost therapeutic, for their attitudes. Individuals who, only a day or two before, walked about with haggard, expressionless faces, minimizing movement as much as possible and eyes with a distant, lackluster stare now were positively ebulient. Their movements, by the time services were over had become more animated, their expressions more vital. Even their conversation was possessed of greater expression and inflection. Photographs taken of various individuals two days prior show terribly fatigued, scruffy faces with no enthusiasm. Only the need to function showed through in an almost grim determination reminiscent of battle photos. Those same people, photographed on "Christmas" look almost as alive as they did just prior to departure on the dock at Charlevoix. After returning from the cemetery, the investigator passed out presents from under the tree and one at a time around the circle. each person opened his or hers. Again, the photographs made during this time are greatly enlightening while the narrative only struggles to express the nuances and overtones of emotion which were so evident. A great amount of work had gone into the presents together with much planning and thought to be sure that the recipients received something meaningful. 99 Examples of the presents are as follows: A complete deck of playing cards constructed by carefully soaking apart the thin laminations in pieces of birch bark, trimming them to size and marking them with a ball point pen. They were thicker than a normal deck but received with much gratitude. One student, after having hoarded them throughout all the temptations of slim food days, gave away their last package of Chuckles. A laboriously shaped stone tomahawk was another carefully constructed gift. Contained in a birch satchel made by hand stitching with plant fibers another student received a rabbit-foot charm with duck feathers and a neckcord made from cedar fiber along with some dried spearmint leaves for tea. Monogrammed wooden spoons, charred and carved bowls and hand carved rings were some of the others. "Dad" received a string of 13 sumac beads 3/4 inch in diameter with a larger "big wheel in the middle." The l2 represented each of the participants and other members of the staff while the "big wheel in the middle" was "Dad." That necklace resides in a place of honor in the investigator's office. The remainder of the afternoon was spent anxiously awaiting dinner which was more food than we had seen for some time. Roasted hazel nuts, baked apples, steamed and roasted rabbit and popcorn from a visitor gift served to fill everyone for the first time in days. Even those who had develOped a definite aversion for rabbit seemed to be recovering their old appetites and consumed all that was placed before them. 100 In spite of the comments made earlier about some taking too much when the servings were dished out, this problem had ended and by this time in the trip there was scrupulous care taken to assure that each person received exactly as much as the next. This was not out of a protective attitude to prevent hogging the food but rather out of concern, felt uniformly through the group, that everyone receive enough. And, as will be noted later, this attitude carried over on the trip back and at subsequent meals. Along with their stoic attitude about food, the group also had found that they were able to take most things nature had to offer with- out becoming concerned. And, this is reflected vividly in one journal. This experience has really made me feel like a part of nature. When it rains you sit and wait until it's over. When it's dark you go to bed or sit around the fire rather than turning on a light. When it's cold, you cuddle rather than turning on the heater or electric blanket. And he went farther to re-emphasize the unity and feeling of family which was so prevalent. we've all been working hard, sharing the work, with no one person standing out as being lazy or unwilling. In our family it's "all far one and one far all." If we have feod we eat, if'not we don't. If it rains we're all in the same boat. No one has an advantage over the other. . . . He goes on to say: This food we share is an example of'our family-like sharing. has caught 5 rabbits today, but will share with us all. Today as we shared our gifts it also brought out our family image. 101 And, finally, another student sums up the composite of physical reality and the feelings of all. It was a good Christmas. . . . I washed the dishes for dinner. (I was very tired.) Day 10, Monday, 26 August 1974 The previous night, two of the students decided to go out on a solo experience. One of them, taking only a rain coat and blanket, started out for the Indian cemetery and the other went to the shore of the lake. It was interesting to note that as various students prepared to solo and were essentially given complete freedom to choose their locations that there was a direct relationship between the staff assessment of their self-confidence and their chosen distance from the base camp. For example, the student who camped in the cemetery had, throughout the experience, demonstrated complete calm and compe- tently carried out all responsibilities with great assurance. He was about one-half mile away, too far to hear his whistle. To the second student the island experience had been a little more than she was prepared for and there had occurred a great adjustment as she grew with each passing day. Her solo site was only about 200 yards away, although shielded from view. The waves striking the beach effectively drowned out sound from our area but we still could have heard her whistle. The evening had been clear with a brilliant two-thirds moon but sometime after dark, a southwest wind began blowing thunderheads into the vicinity of the island and by 3:00 a.m., thunder and lightning were very evident and moving our way. 102 At 4:00 a.m., with tremendous vigor, the storm broke over the island. Lightning, flashing almost continuously, was accompanied by ear-splitting crashes of thunder, some so close that there was no gap between the flash and the boom. Rain came in torrents and the wind lashed the camp area, threatening to tear our flimsy shelters apart. The investigator, donning his rain gear and carrying an extra poncho headed up to the cemetery to check on the student there. The lightning flashes coming so close together had an effect like that of a strobe, causing trees, grass and shrubs to flicker in and out of visibility like an old fashioned moving picture and created a definite, unpleasant sensation of vertigo. Crossing the meadow rapidly to minimize time spent in the open and in spite of the dizziness, the instructor found the student hunched into a ball under his raincoat, wrapped in a blanket. At first there was some hesitancy to approach for fear of startling him, especially in this particular location. His name was called several times but it was soon apparent that he could not hear over the sounds of the storm. So, the investigator gently shook him. Surprisingly, he didn't jump or scream and when questioned indicated that he preferred to stick it out, a decision which really shouldn't have been given a second thought in his case. The poncho was left with him and the second student along the beach, was contacted. Although she had moved her location to one a bit more sheltered, she too resolved to stay the night and since her site seemed secure and she was dry, the investigator went back to his own shelter to sleep intermittently as the flashes of lightning and loud crashes of thunder continued until daybreak. 103 The rain continued on and off until 9:l5 a.m. when there was a brief, partial clearing followed shortly by renewed overcast. The whole area was soaked and the rain having come with such intensity had even sprayed through the parachute canOpy until the area around the fire circle was thoroughly soggy. However, with the first light of dawn a few of the students made some half-hearted attempts to ignite and maintain a fire. Mostly they produced smoke and after some time they returned to their shelter. Although the wind continued to gust, pro- ducing whitecaps on the lake, by late afternoon the sky again cleared. Compared to "Christmas Day," the mood of the group had undergone a complete reversal. Complete exhaustion seems to be the best way to describe it. The storm of the early morning hours had shortened every- one's sleep and probably the heightened activity associated with the festivities of the preceding day had used a great amount of their already severely depleted energy reserves. At any rate, almost all slept the better part of the day with only occasional trips to the latrine. With light, the two soloists returned to camp, wet but thoroughly satisfied. This was especially true of the girl who had camped by the lake. She was very proud of herself for having stayed despite the worst storm we would see during our stay. And, her pride was justified. She did well. But, generally, rest and recuperation were the order of the day. 104 It's 6:30 [p.m.] now, I don't think I've been awake more than 2 hours all day. The furthest I've walked was to the dock and back to get water. . . . Today . . . I layed around and did nothing. I've felt very weak and didn't even want to go get water. Some, however, secured enjoyment from the storm. It rained, thundered, and lightninged beginning about 4:00 a.m. and I enjoyed every minute of'it. The south end of'my tube tent and blanket got thoroughly soaked but I still was pretty warm. And in spite of everything, his thoughts turned to that which was usually uppermost in each person's mind--food. I still haven't figured out why the rain came in as it did. As I lie here writing there are several small lakes on the fioor of'my [shelter]. Tbo bad there aren't any trout in them. Checks of the snares late in the day yielded only one rabbit. The charmed supply of the day before had ended. Once more, food sup— plies had reverted to their low ebb and it became more apparent that changes would have to be made in trap locations. By this time, our returned ear patient indicated that he was feeling more like a part of the group. "Christmas" had been somewhat of a strain for him. A present had been made for him only late in the day and although the group seemed willing to accept him into full fellowship at that time, he appeared not to know how to make that transition and seemed somewhat withdrawn most of the day. But, now he had begun to feel weaker and probably felt that in his mind he could justify an attempt at reentry. His spirits were improved and all seemed to accept him well. 105 It seemed that either the staff or the student involved or both were about to be tested again. The student with the history of hypersensitivity to stings indicated she would like to go on a solo. But, she selected a spot quite removed from camp, and the staff were reluctant to let her be that far away in case something else should happen. We all knew that the chances of her being stung a second time were very slim, but still nobody wanted to take a chance. 50, selecting a closer spot, she gathered her gear and left camp. Within 30 minutes she was back. As hard as it is to believe, she had been stung by a yellow jacket on the lobe of her ear. Once again laying her down, we went through the now somewhat familiar routine of administering a Benadryl capsule, placing the injectables near at hand and waited. Once again, no serious reaction developed, much to the relief of all involved. By evening, the sky was again clear and a moon almost three- quarters full, was up, casting light brilliant enough to read by. Several of the other students evidenced a desire to solo, and they were permitted to find locations. As each did so, a staff member went along to determine where they were. Then they were left to their own devices while the staff person returned to camp. Solos are a unique experience. Although everyone knows that there really isn't anything to fear in the woods in this part of the country, there still appear to be residual tatters of various childhood fears which prey around the edges of the mind and cause some insecurity. 106 Once these feelings can be conquered, the experience provides, as almost nothing else can, an opportunity to be with oneself and allows time and the proper atmosphere for examination of values, priorities and plans. I sure feel good inside that I did my solo. The only real scary thing about it was my scary thoughts, which I kept putting out of'my head until I didn't fear any more and then I realized what a neat experience it really was. I feel funny when I step outside of'my shelter but when I am sitting on my bed by the fire I feel great. . A fire has something magical about it which causes a person to sit by it hours on end. It is security, warmth, and comfort. Although some would have liked to do a solo, their tired bodies simply wouldn't cooperate. I had planned on it [a solo] but I don't think I've enough energy to get up and walk away from camp. Even my pulse and blood pressure went way down today, lower than ever. . . . I can really notice my weight loss now. Others confidently went about the business of setting up their solo camps and found that: the moon is just beautiful and it is so peaceful and nice here. The only thing that bothers me now is the lightning I see to the south. I just hope it stays there. It is different being alone and the only person to talk to is yourself'which can be boring. And, the woman who had camped the previous evening along the shore of the lake had time to ruminate about the experience in her journal. I was surprised to find myself'at ease, not afraid of’ things around me. No monsters or bears, just me and the world and it was a good feeling. . . . Those hours 107 around the fire were personal moments, time for self reflection and evaluation. Time, too, to enjoy the night, and time to think of'friends and home, of’days gone by and of’days to come. But then came the storm and more immediate problems had to be solved. She quite competently rearranged her shelter in a slightly different location and stayed throughout the night. She even surprised herself as evidenced in her journal entries. Normally I don't tolerate rain and wet well, I can get myself'very worked up and miserable in seconds, yet last night I simply had to face the fact that I was probably going to be wet and'miserable, but I wasn't going to die, it wouldn't last forever, so I'd do the best I could and handle things in the morning. The day ended with renewed overcast, gusty winds and falling temperatures. Day ll, Tuesday, 27 August 1974 During the night, although the temperature fell to the upper 40's, there were only a few insignificant sprinkles of rain, so every- one was able to remain dry. A number of the students went on solo experiences so there were fewer people in the base camp area. Morning came with clear skies and a southwest wind at about 15 knots. It became comfortably warm and later in the afternoon there was some development of fair weather cumulus clouds. One of the students awoke with a headache, nausea and various aches and pains. She had taken medication during the night to attempt to quell the problem but to no avail. After some discussion, the staff decided that she was probably suffering from a combination of causes 108 including low energy levels, the fact that she had not slept the previous two nights and an emotional letdown following the festivities of "Christmas." Knowing that our air drop was scheduled for afternoon, the group had been asked to remain in camp for a fictitious meeting to be held at 1:30 p.m. During the morning, the investigator was finally able to establish radio contact with the fire officer on Beaver Island who confirmed that the drop, to be made by Deputy Welke, would occur at l:15 p.m. providing the weather was favorable. The group had a feeling that something was in the offing, but there was no indication as to the reason we had asked them to remain in camp. Some were quite frankly disturbed by it, since they had planned other activities including hikes to other parts of the island. . . . Found Dad wouldn't let anyone go to the other side of the island . . . supposed to have a meeting at 1:15!! . something was up but no one knew what--I was guessing maybe an early boat to pick us up but Dad said no. we are supposed to have a meeting about 1:30 so we have to stay around camp. Everyone was anxious to go somewhere but Dad said he didn't want us to. Dear Dad: I was looking forward to a hike and was a bit upset when you said you didn't want us to go . . . but I guess it's for a good reason. I don't know what this meeting is about, or why we couldn't have it later tonight. In general, the group awoke very groggy. There was only minimal movement with those who had been out on solos returning. Laziness seemed to be the order of the day with most of those in camp dozing and a few others down by the lake shore merely taking 109 in the sun and writing in journals. There was very little interest in the reason for the 1:15 meeting with all simply taking the change of plans in stride and waiting to find out. Precisely at 1:15 Bill Welke's plane appeared at treetop level, flying from Beaver Island. He circled once and then, heading east disappeared from view. On this eastward pass his altitude had increased some. When he first appeared, Stan and the investigator ignited two Mark-l3 orange smoke flares and commenced to yell for the group to come out in the field. However, most of them simply stared dazedly at the aircraft and made no move to respond. A few, beginning to understand that the plane was circling to make a drop began yelling, "a plane, a plane," and ran into the field area. Unfortunately, when the aircraft disappeared, he had made the drop and only one student saw it. The plane was too high and too far from the campsite when it occurred. As a result, a preliminary search of the field failed to turn up the rations. Then, organizing all the students into a long line with about 12 foot intervals between them, we combed the field first west to east and again failing to find the box began to search north to south. In only a few yards, the rations were located and accompanied by many curious questions, we carried them to the staff area and Opened them. Inside were not only a c-ration meal for each student, but also a note which read: 110 Greetings from the President of the united States. This is to inform you that this is the first installment and an indication of the food you will be getting for the next two years. Enjoy it and give my regards to your drill instructor. --See second sheet fer more information. The second sheet resulted in absolute chaos. In actuality this is a present from the Banta Claus Search and Rescue service. There will be a rescue boat to pick you up in the morning. Late comers will be abandoned. There had been a cheer when it was determined that the box contained food, but when the notes had been read and they found they would be picked up the following morning, two days earlier than we had told them, the raucous scream which followed was deafening. The emotion of the occasion welled up beyond control. Many had tears in their eyes, one literally sobbed uncontrollably and all were so jubilant that it was hard to realize that this had only been an exercise rather than a real emergency. . Everyone exploded in a big hurra [sic] and busted out with emotions. was crying and we were all at our happiest moment on the island. I was so astonished I almost cried. Then we broke into the food. I thought I was gonna die I ate so much! I have never been so shocked and amazed, or so excited and h0peful in one instant and tears were the expression of those feelings. The package was CLRation dinnersl! Grreatl! But the best part--and most emotional--was the note enclosed-— the rescue boat will meet us in the morning!! That meant so much in so many different ways that I had a hard time not crying. Silly yes?! But I sure felt like bawling. 111 The intensity of the emotional response was astounding. Yet, after the initial shock and cheer, comments came out which indicated that there were mixed emotions. While all seemed glad to some degree that the experience was coming to a close, there were still those who wanted it to go on and all felt a nostalgia about its termination. And even at this time of apparent plenty, the group still took great pains to assure that each person had enough and was able to sample the variety of food available. I was given first choice and took sliced beef'and potatoes, also had in it crackers and cheese, fruit cake, and’misc. items such as coffee, gum, TP [toilet paper], sugar, salt, etc. At any rate, all the food circulated so we all had a taste of'just about everything from eggs to peanut butter to cake, and we ate till we were full, absolutely ull! The feelings afterwards were beautiful, full and lazy, hopeful, excited, joyful, sentimental, but all feelings became . . . deeply personal. I had a hard time holding tears back, and thought too that I would explode with joy. In some way though, as strange as it may seem, I felt a little sad to leave, in many ways, in important ways, this island has been both home and growth, two treasured items. Following the drop and subsequent gorging of themselves, some of the students, realizing that this would be the last entire day on the island took advantage of the remainder of it to hike either to places they had not seen or those they had and wanted to lock in their memory. . went off'to Dane's with . we talked of'many feelings, and reminisced of’the days passed by. went skinny dipping, felt so good. Loved the place and tried to capture and hold it forever. Treasured the walk back again trying to remember everything to treasure forever. 112 Although much work to dismantle camp and remove evidence of our activities still remained to be done the following day and there still would be the long boat ride back to Charlevoix, this day essen- tially marked the end of the trip. We all seemed prone to want to examine the past days' occurrences and the meaning of the experience. The entire expedition was more than any of the students had expected. One student simply said in his journal: I really can't believe we're going home. . . . I can't believe this is all happening, it seems like a dream. Everyone stayed in camp for the night, aware that this would be the last evening together and desirous of sharing the last bits of the experience. The journal entries as well as conversations around what would be the last campfire of the trip evidenced that a great amount of introspection was taking place. All the participants were amazed at the closeness of the bonds which had formed. The family concept had become real and it seemed only right to address the investigator as "Dad" and Francie and Stan as Aunt and Uncle. If academic neutrality is desirable in the recording of such observations, it was very hard to maintain especially during the writing of this document as the descriptions both from the investigator's taped journal and the students' written ones refreshed old memories and called up a resurgence of the emotions of those days on the island. Truly, the experience was one in which the emotions played a very significant part. 113 This is the last night. How strange. I'm not really elated, I think sad is a better word. Sad to leave a place where I learned how to remember and to learn again. This is a place where I learned a great deal about myself and’my fellow man. I think I've even learned to trust again. Hopefully, hopefully. The island itself once again comes into the forefront of thought. . . we'll all be kind of'possessive about this island after we leave here. It seems that we have had much greater experience here than any other people . . . since the last people that inhabited this island. It is a very special place for me. Only time and more data gathering on similar experiences will tell how really significant such an educational activity is in terms of life values. But, most all expressed their own assessment of its value to them at that point in their lives. It has been the start of'a new outlook on life, I”m sure. The start of'a much more adventurous life also. And, questioning her motives at that moment, the student went on to query herself. I guess I"m searching for an ending that hasn't come yet. I hope an end may never come to the new outlook I have. I’m anxious to get home and find out if’I’m really different. . . . Then, looking about her, she noted what all people find once newness and unfamiliarity give way to knowledge and confidence. This place looks different somehow. It looks like a home. It looks familiar and good. And still another student whose attitudes were somewhat different only the day before said: 114 Already, I can get nostalgic about this island--our island and our group's experiences. I‘m so happy with the group and how we fitted together and lived together under these situations, I feel like I've got some true friends. Day 12, Wednesday, 28 August 1974 During the night the temperature fell to the mid 40's. It was the coldest night of the trip and by 4:00 a.m., people were discussing arising to ignite the fire. About 4:30 some finally did and within a half hour all the rest of the group had gotten up and . joined those at the circle. The full moon illuminated the area with almost daylight brilliance. There was no wind and the sillouettes of the trees standing tall and stately to the west of the camp seemed to be towering sentinals. At various times during the evening, members of the group left the fire to walk quietly along the beach or across the bright meadow east of the campsite area. Conversation was subdued and we all felt strongly that this last night must be lastingly engraved into our personalities. As the moon set in the early morning hours, the stars stood out in stark relief capping the beauty of the earlier moonlight with a delicate touch. It sure is beautiful at [this] time of the day--the stars were, well, indescribable! Mars was just appearing on the horizon and everything was so peaceful yet crystal- sharp. All the participants had come to realize that the experience had been one of the most meaningful in their lives and this day's journal entries, when transcribed, stretched to three and four single-spaced typewritten pages. 115 As the sun appeared above the trees east of camp, the meadow, draped with hundreds of orbs of spider webs and spangled with miriads of scintilating beads of dew seemed to symbolize a fitting end to the exercise. The small bay adjacent to us was covered with a low-lying layer of fog and as the sun's rays touched it, it seethed and swirled, slowing rising and dissipating. Radio contact with Beaver Island confirmed that the Coast Guard boat would leave Charlevoix by about 8:30 a.m. with an arrival at Garden Island close to noon. In spite of the early hour, shelters were dismantled and gear stacked near the pick-up point. There was no worry about storms as the sky was a deep blue with no wind. The lake was as quiet as a millpond, showing not even a ripple. One of the students, in her zeal to clean up the area placed a huge arm load of evergreen boughs on the fire. They were old and dry, having served as mattress material for the whole time, and they immediately flared up with a tremendous plume of flame. The instant it touched the parachute canopy the nylon melted and a hole almost four feet across developed. She was quite chagrined, especially since the whole group good naturedly razzed her about it, and the investigator asked her to pose for a picture. I was successful in burning a large hole thru the parachute when I threw a heap of'dry pine boughs on the fire--I still can't believe I did it, talk about feeling badly, and stupid, and getting razzed about it, including a picture. I'll never live that event down, thank heavens it wasn't costly to Stan. 116 But there was no real harm done. The chute, subjected as it had been to the smoke of 12 days of campfires was deep gray and would not have been used again. Stan salvaged the suspension lines and the canopy was later split between two of the students for a momento. Once the canopy was down, the area appeared almost naked. We had not realized how significant the presence of the white, orange, brown and olive drab chute had been. But, its absence left a void which removed the old feelings of familiarity. Our campsite didn't seem quite to be "ours" any more. The area looks so strange, abandoned. All snares had been removed the afternoon before to prevent acquisition of food we wouldn't be able to use. The knowledge that this was the last day completely ended any concern with food, chores or food procurement. Spirits were high, although nowhere near the effervescence and elation of the preceding day when the air drop occurred. While everyone was happy to be going back, there is no doubt that we all had reservations too. The experience had been an intense one and civilization seemed very distant. Our ties were to the island, the requirements imposed there and to each other. About 11:00 a.m., the drone of the Coast Guard boat's engines could be heard far out on the lake. However, the approach to Garden Harbor has to be made carefully with much maneuvering to avoid shoals, so we knew that it would be some time before the boat hove into view. 117 We were all very impatient and the waiting seemed to stretch interminably. About noon the boat was sighted, still several miles out in the lake. A Mark-l3 smoke signal was ignited and we began to flash the vessel with signal mirrors. AlmoSt immediately, they responded with a blast of their whistle followed by a salute from their siren. We all cheered, clapped each other on the back and did a little dance around the beach. 1 A full thirty minutes elapsed before the boat anchored offshore and lowered the dinghy. The same crew who brought us out manned the boat and it was a happy reunion. As before, students with their gear were rowed to the boat and boarded. Francie and the investigator were the last two off the island and on reaching the boat, the class gave us three cheers. It was extremely moving. With a roar. the Coast Guard vessel's engines came to life and we began to slowly move out of the harbor. No one spoke as all eyes clung to the last views of what had become our home for the last 12 days. I have the strangest feeling about leaving the island. I"m going to miss the island. . . As we finally sailed away from our island home. we all looked over the island fer the last time and I have to admit I felt a little strange. we all had worked together and I felt like I was leaving behind some part of me. The boat . . . finally got there. . . . The day was so beautiful and the island looked great—-the lake was absolutely like glass. I really had mixed feelings about leaving that little island—~there was no doubt 118 that I wanted to but still, that island was home for 2 weeks and already, I'd acquired a lot of'memories associated with it. Again, our trip took us first to St. James on Beaver Island so that the Coast Guard could leave the dinghy. During the ride over some of the students found a box of food below deck that the crew had brought along in case they had to be out longer than they planned. With their permission, we all pitched in. Two of the girls stayed below making peanut butter sandwiches, carefully dividing peaches and assuring that everyone had some of the repast. There were also cold cuts, ham, "real" apples, potato chips, cupcakes, spice cake and peanuts and before long, the only thing remaining in the box were a few crumbs. We had brought a few of the best apples with us from the island--those which we found to be delicious and sweet and offered them to the crew. They tried them and grimaced inquiring how in the world we could have eaten anything so sour. Quite apparently, our tastes had undergone some modification during the stay on the island. During the stop at Beaver Island, we all once again visited the small grocery store and the students bought various things they thought they craved. However, most of them found that they neither had the capacity for quantities of food nor the tolerance for some kinds. One of the girls who had, before the trip, been accustomed to drinking twelve (I) Cokes a day, bought one and rapidly drank it. Needless to say, it didn't stay down. As an interesting note, she still is not capable of drinking much Coke. 119 Even the pavement beneath our feet had a strange feeling after walking only on grass, sand and earth for 12 days. Although rather difficult to describe, it felt unyielding in a peculiar way and made walking seem quite awkward. Comments in the journals indicate surprise toward both food and pavement. I felt a little stuffed up and'my stomach felt strange. said he felt bad too because he had eaten so much. . . . But we were both feeling better before we got to Charlevoix and no one threw up. The stay on St. James was prolonged by waiting for one of the Coast Guard officers who was returning to Charlevoix with us, and we didn't end the trip until about 6:00 p.m. The ride back was smooth and pleasant but many were still undergoing what might be described as withdrawal symptoms. The closer the boat gets to Charlevoix the sadder I feel. Docking at Charlevoix, we were met by a reporter from one of the local papers. She has been confined to a wheelchair for years yet has one of the finest spirits I've ever seen. And, best of all, the first question she asked the group showed just the kind of awareness and sensitivity they needed at the moment. "What was the most meaning- ful thing that happened on the island?" All minds must have clicked in unison as the whole group blurted out, "Christmas!" Of course, this required some explanation, but in the end she understood and wrote a fine story about the experience. We couldn't have asked to have been met by a better person. 120 . . A reporter met us on the docks which was kind of'fun--she was such a warm and enthusiastic person. . . . This same student, evidently beginning already to adjust to the return, had a resurgence of vanity. I really looked my worst and had my picture taken the rho—st of my whole—life! There was one occurrence on the return trip which had some of the elements of tragedy. One of the girls, riding near the stern, had been writing in her journal. She finished, tucked it into her life jacket and went to sleep. Upon awakening, she discovered it was gone. A careful search never did locate it. Apparently it had slipped out of the jacket and fallen overboard. Having spent hours writing her feelings and thoughts, the book was a part of her and her sadness was great. Tears welled up in her eyes and for several hours she was quiet and withdrawn. Even days later, the subject would cause her eyes to dim and it was obviously very painful for her still. Food was the most important item on everyone's mind. All the participants had been warned that overindulgence might very well result in nausea and some of those who were carried away in their zeal at Beaver Island had already found this to be true. In spite of this, we all decided to patronize a local ice cream parlor and most of the group ordered the largest banana split imaginable, with five scoops of ice cream and all the usual toppings, nuts and whipped cream. 121 We then returned to the motel where everyone underwent the almost forgotten experience of a hot shower, soap, tooth brush and comb. Some shaved, others, planning to maintain beards did not. I used up a bar of’soap and brushed my teeth twice, it tasted so good. Man, a soft bed and warm water sure feels good. YOu never appreciate what you have until you are without it. Showering was most pleasing, I was §g_dirty, and warm water and soap and shampoo and a towel became treasures. Felt so good, so warm'and clean and relaxed, so good! After cleaning up, we all went next door to the restaurant for supper. The experience was interesting. Dishes, silverware-- all seemed alien. A number of students commented that it was odd to have cooked food appear before them with no effort on their part. The whole atmosphere was strange. Looking around the room we noticed that others, outside the group, lacked expression in their eyes and faces. They seemed only to be partly alive. It was funny hearing music and not having to fight the fiies for our fbod. Had a little dinner, food sounds and smells so good, but so little goes down well, and then seems to make me ill. Time will erase that, and I'll enjoy making the change. After the meal we all returned to the motel where the psychological tests were administered. The group was very tired ' and the tests seemed to last forever. The last one was completed about 1:30 a.m. Already, changes were being noted in the way we responded to each other and the surroundings in general. Tension, probably 122 growing as a result of the changes made necessary by civilization was creating a few difficulties and was undoubtedly compounded by fatigue and the arduousness of taking the examinations. was cackling about her sweat shirt. She's the only person here that I felt like I would ever get mad at. I wanted to yell at her when I was trying to do my test, but I didn't. I just kept it to myself. 0h, [deleted]!!! Could have put my fist down her cackling throat. Her ire was not limited only to one individual, however. Contrary to her feeling that this student was the only one she thought she could develop anger toward, it also spilled over to include another. When we got up this morning and I went and got cookies and looked around. She makes me feel pretty darn worthless sometimes. She makes so much money. I guess mine will come when it's supposed to. Evidently, in some cases, reversion was already taking place and forgotten were the statements about the relative insignificance of things other than necessities. The staff noted that once the group was cleaned up and in semi-dressy clothing they tended to behave somewhat differently and responses to each other were a bit restrained. This was noted by at least one student in a journal reference pertaining to our final departure for home. .I really thought our goodbyes would be a little different but they were really cool and not too much sorrow. However, the trip culminated successfully. We brought back the same number of students we started out with and there were no serious illnesses or injuries. 123 The day had ended with another spectacular sunset and after a good night's sleep in real beds, each carload went their way home. Group and Individual Food Acquisition While most of the students maintained a tally of their food intake during the experience, one in particular did an excellent and detailed job of compiling not only his own food intake (see Figure 1) but also carefully noted the total amount of food brought into camp daily (see Figure 2). The listing also identified which participant was responsible for each contribution of protein--that most important energy source (see Figure 3). In order to maintain the anonymity of the student participants, they have been identified here only by number. Individual caloric intake probably varied widely due to personal preferences. The individual list here provided was the product of one of the men whose capacity for exotic repasts was surpassed only by Francie Smith, the staff member who will be remembered for her enthusiasm for soup prepared from duck heads and feet. As a further aid in understanding the relationship of food to energy, it will be helpful to realize that the average weight loss during the 12 days on the island stay was 10.5 pounds per student with a range of 7 to 13 pounds. 124 Fridgy, Auggst 16 [Charlevoix] 1 hot pork sandwich potatoes milk perch, claws French fries root beer 1 bowl shredded wheat 2 cups coffee FriggzI August 23 [Garden Island] 1/2 Wilson meat bar 5 apples 2 cups weak coffee 1 cup duck casserole (1 duck. cup hazel nuts, sliced apples) - 1 cup bouillon 1 cup tea Satugggy. Augugt l7 [Charlevoix G Garden Isle.] orange juice cereal 2 candy bars 1 cup of pop 1 sugar donut [Mainland] SaturdayI August 24 [Garden Island] 5 apples 1 cup rabbit stew (1 rabbit. leeks. milkweed pods) 1 cup milkweed pods 2-3 Natrix (water snakes) [Garden Island] 6 apples 1 cup apple sauce. pin cherry, rhubarb Sunday, August 18 [Garden Island] 2 cups wild raspberries 1 pair of frog legs 1 Wilson meat bar 1 cup duck soup (milkweed pods. 1 duck, leeks) 1/2 of a fish 2 cups spearmint tea 6 apples Sundgz, Aggust 25 [Garden Island] 1 Chuckle 3 apples 2 rabbit legs roasted 1 small box popcorn 2 small handfuls of roasted hazel nuts MondayI August 19 [Garden Island] rabbit stew (milkweed pods. 3 rabbits, leeks) 2 cups speannint tea 9 apples 2 baked fish Monday, August 26 [Garden Island] 2 cups weak coffee 8 apples 1 Wilson meat bar leeks 1 cup bouillon Tuesday, August 20 [Garden Island] 1 cup apple sauce. sweetened with honey 1 cup wild raspberries 9 apples 1 large bowl rabbit stew (3 rabbits. milkweed pods--full of broth) Tuesday, August 27 [Garden Island a Air Drop] 1 rabbit foreleg 6 apples 1 package Chuckles 1 box rations: ham and eggs, fruit cocktail, four peanut butter and crackers, assorted mouthfuls of other rations) Wednesday, August 28 [Garden Island, Coast 1 package Chuckles Guard and Charlevoix] 1 cup bouillon broth WednesdayI August 21 [Garden Island] 2 cups bouillon broth 6 apples 2 hind legs of roasted rabbit 1 1/2 cups of rabbit stew (rabbit parts, leeks, milkweed pods) 1/2 cup wild raspberries 1 cup tea 1 cup bouillon ThursdayI August 22 [Garden Island] ‘7 apples 2 small strips of fish 2 front legs and rib cage of small rabbit 1 package of Chuckles 2 cups of tea After Coast Guard Pick-Up [Coast Guard] 1 1/2 cold meat sandwiches 1 Hostess cupcake 1/2 Hostess spice cake 1 peach 2 handfuls roasted peanuts l candy bar [Beaver Island] 1 Coca Cola 3 handfuls roasted peanuts 15 Brachs assorted candies 1 small package Dorito corn chips 2 swallows Hichelob beer 1 hot roast beef sandwich [Charlevoix] onion rings, French fries 1 large banana split Figure 1. One individual's food intake-«xerpt from student journal. (Measurements are only estimates-mus cup measure in most cases are very small cups.) 125 August 17: August 18: August 19: August 20: August 21: August 22: August 23: August 24: August 25: August 26: August 27: August 28: 15-20 snakes pin cherries, apples quart raspberries hen mallard 5 bass milkweed pods, leeks spearmint frog legs d—l 3 rabbits 22 fish apples honey 4 rabbits milkweed pods, leeks rabbits black duck fish rabbits fish apples 1 black duck bowl hazel nuts 000‘ &—'h 1 rabbit milkweed pods bowl hazel nuts 6 rabbits apples 1 rabbit 2 rabbits apples Rescue Day--tear down camp Figure 2. Total food brought in each day-- exerpt from student journal. 126 Rabbits Fish 12 Me 1 sucker Student 6 5 Student 1 4 Student 2 5 bass 2 Student 3 l sunfish Student 4 1 Student 4 4 bullheads 1 Student 5 1 Dad 16 bass 26' total rabbits 1 sunfish Group 1 perch Ducks 34 total fish 1 Student 1 1 Me _1_ Dad 3 total ducks Figure 3. Individual protein contributions--exerpt from student journal. CHAPTER IV RESULTS While the preceding chapter deals almost exclusively with subjective information often colored by emotions, this section should cast a clearer light on changes from a more objective viewpoint and serve to provide a more unbiased basis upon which to assess the experiences described. Data Analysis and Discussion Data were coded and punched on computer cards so that analyses could be carried out by the Michigan State University CDC 6500 computer. The Paired T-Test portion of an integrated system of computer programs entitled Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to determine significance of changes observed. In this test, instead of selecting observations for two groups independently, the observations are paired. Thereby, a reduction of extraneous influences on the variables can be secured. In other words, by testing the data in pairs, subject to subject variability is reduced. The computer printout from this test yields the means for both variables in the pair, the standard deviation of each mean together with its standard error. Then a difference of the two means is calculated with the standard deviation for that difference and the 127 128 standard error. A correlation coefficient and two-tailed probability for the correlation is determined. And last, the t value, degrees of freedom and two-tailed probability for that t are calculated and displayed. In all the calculations and determinations for the experimental group, it was assumed that a change was significant if the probability was equal to or less than .05 which would require a t value of $2.228 or greater with 10 degrees of freedom. For the control group, changes were deemed significant at a probability of .05 but with only four subjects, the degrees of freedom were 3 and an appropriate t value was 13.182 or greater. Tennessee Self Concept Scale Data from the experimental group showed significant changes in six variables. In none of these did the control group demonstrate any significant change. These variables were: total positive, self satisfaction, physical self, moral-ethical self, defensive positive and general maladjustment. Although the number of the group scores are, at various points in the testing, both above and below the mean raw score for the norm group, none of the study group means are outside the normality ranges established by the test developer. To assume that the point determined by the published mean raw score for the norm group was in actuality a ranking above and below which those taking the test must not deviate without demonstrating abnormalities would be erroneous and lead to incorrect deductions. 129 Total positive. The total positive score is actually a composite of three indicators: identity, self-satisfaction and behavior. Fitts (1965) in his Manual for the Tennessee Self Concept Scale states that the identity score indicates how the subject feels they 35g, while the self-satisfaction rating describes how they fggl_ about the way they are and the behavior level is a measure of what the subject ggg§_or how they act. He goes on to say that the total positive score is the single most important rating in the Scale. It reflects the overall level of self esteem. He says, "people with high scores tend to like themselves, feel that they are persons of value and worth, have confidence in them- selves, and act accordingly. People with low scores are doubtful about their own worth; see themselves as undesirable; often feel anxious, depressed, and unhapPY; and have little faith or confidence in themselves." The range of normality for the total positive score is 318 to 422 with a mean test score for the norm group of 345.6. As can be seen from Figure 4, during the two pretests, the survival group mean was a bit lower than 345.6 but still within the normal range. At the time of the first post-test the group mean had risen and at the second post-test increased even more. Responses noted in these scores are to be expected not only from prior research findings of other investigators but also from observations of and discussions with participants in this study. 130 360 - 355.8 355 - Mean 350 - Test 345 ' Score 340 - 335 ~ 330 Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One wo One Two Figure 4. Comparison of experimental group means from total positive scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 131 The stability of this variable during the two pretests would tend to indicate that participation in the testing leading up to the island experience would have nothing about it likely to alter the group's perceptions on factors contributing to this score. The change from 341.7 at the second pretest to 351.0 at the first post-test, while not statistically significant, does point out the beginning of a trend and some evidence that the experience had an effect on the overall level of self esteem. Statistically speaking, the change indicated in the comparison of the second pretest and the second post-test was significant. Apparently, the six week interval between the return from the island and the last test enabled the participants to examine themselves critically and re-assess their position with the result that this indicator gained in an important manner. This is rather typical of what is sometimes referred to as a therapeutic curve, although more commonly, there is a drop immediately after the experience and then a resurgence to a level significantly higher than both the test norm and the scores prior to the exercise. Self—satisfaction. As noted above, this variable is one of the three which make up the total positive score. It is a measure of how the individual feels about the self he perceives in the identity category. Since neither the identity nor the behavior scores were modified to a significant degree, alteration in this score was responsible for the change evidenced in the total positive ranking. Essentially, it says that the participant group felt that they were more satisfied with themselves after the island experience than they 132 had been before. The absence of change in identity and behavior connected with this indicates that the subjects felt they were still the same person, behaving in the same ways but that they now perceived themselves and their behavior in a more favorable light. The normal range for self-satisfaction is 86 to 145 with a mean of 103.7. Higher throughout the testing than the published norm but well within the normal limits, the mean scores of the group demon- strated a progressive increase from pretest one through post-test two (see Figure 5). The significant changes took place between pretest one and post-test one as well as between pretest one and post-test two. We see that there is a change from 105.8 to 109.6 between the first two pretests. Although this is not statistically significant, it does provide an indication of a developing trend which is far more pronounced at the two post-tests at which point the comparisons between the first pretest and both post-tests are significant. The tasks imposed on the participants from the physical requirements of satisfactorily handling camp chores to successfully coping with physical and physiological stresses such as cold and hunger as well as psychological pressures of unfamiliar surroundings and insecurity would be expected to create a rise in the self-satisfaction score as they successfully met these challenges. Evidently, within the six weeks following the experience, the group had come to the conclusion, perhaps after comments from others, that they had participated well in something that most people find entirely alien to their way of thinking. It is quite common to elicit 133 120 - Mean 115 Test 110 Score 105 100 95 Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 5. Comparison of experimental group means from self- satisfaction scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 134 statements from those who have not been involved in such experiences which show they feel such an undertaking would be far beyond their capabilities. This kind of reinforcement would be important in forming the terminal assessments of their own activities by those who were on the island. It would tend to improve the subject's impression of their worth. They may feel, "I may be the same person, but I never before realized how great I am--I do just fine." Physical self. The subject's view of their body, state of health, physical appearance, skills and sexuality all enter into the physical self score. Having reached a low at the time of the second pretest, this score changed markedly in the experimental group by the second post-test as shown in Figure 6. Although below the mean for the norm group of 71.8 throughout the tests, the group's scores are still within the range of 62 to 83 given by the test publisher as the outside limits of normality. Vari- ation from norm group's mean simply indicates that the survival group perhaps represent a different type of individual than those in the original test groups from which the test norms were developed. The important consideration here are the alterations in the experimental group scores which occurred over the period of the experience as well as the positive trend established from the first pretest to the last post-test. 135 70.1 Mean 55 ' Test 50 - Score 55 _ 50 * 45 Pretest Pretest Post—Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 6. Comparison of experimental group means from physical self scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 136 Most of the activities on the island were, to some extent, physical in nature whether it was wood gathering, hiking to the other end of the island, or simply checking their trap lines when exhaustion and depression dictated there were probably better things to be doing. Further, a large part of the island experiment dealt with learning new skills in order to successfully meet the tasks necessitated by this unique setting. Some of the journal entries quoted earlier in the paper demonstrate the group's pride in learning new skills and putting them into practice. The necessity of pushing themselves beyond what they may have perceived as limits earlier should have given them new respect for their body's capability both from the standpoint of stamina and health. Most people have the idea that without sufficient sleep and food they cannot function. This was shown to be a myth by the obviously successful enterprises conducted by all the group. The low mean, changing almost not at all during the first pretests again points up the fact that during the pre-trip phase of the experience, physical challenges were practically nonexistent and gains began after the island experience. Statistically, significant change was noted by comparison between the second pretest and the second post-test. Again, this points up the process which evidently takes place during the time following re-entry into society and the opportunity to compare their assessments of the experience with nonparticipants. 137 Moral—ethical self. Fitts (1965) explains that this score relates to the self from the standpoint of "moral worth, relationship to God, feelings of being a good or bad person, and satisfaction with one's religion or lack of it." Normality on this factor may range from a low of 62 to a high of 82 with a mean score for the group of 70.3. Again well within the acceptable limits (see Figure 7), the group mean at the time of the first pretest was a slight amount lower than the 70.3 normality mean. It fell again at the second pretest and rose at the first and second post-tests. Significant change occurs between pretest two and post- test two. While not spectacularly displayed in the accompanying figure, the changes are, nonetheless, important and indicate growth in the groups' perception of themselves regarding this parameter. There are several considerations in this score. Evenings sitting around the campfire tended to lend themselves to introspection, discussion of values and relationships and powers beyond the physical. Moral and ethical concepts were often subjects of these conversations. There is another subject quite pertinent to the area of morality and ethics which not only was pursued by members of the group but addressed by others questioning participants and researchers. It dealt with the interaction between male and female participants in the experience. As was noted earlier in the chronological narrative, cold nights precipitated a move by all but two of the staff into the larger group shelter and comments indicated that when the cold became oppressive, the group simply "cuddled'I more in order to share body warmth. 138 80 ' _ 73.2 75 71.4 Mean 70 r Test 55 - Score 60 _ 55 - Pretest Pretest Post—Test Post-Test One Two One wo Figure 7. Comparison of experimental group means from moral-ethical self scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 139 Questions regarding this expressed in either a cavalier manner or with overtones of "tongue in cheek" risque, elicit a very cold response from those who were on the island. The feeling of group esprit de corps--of "family" which developed so profoundly in the course of time on the island--was strong. Relationships between male and female participants acquired the characteristics of brother and sister and in discussions with the group, the feeling was expressed that any so-called "hanky pank" would have, in their eyes, smacked of incest and was the furthest thing from their minds. There also is the purely physiological fact that individuals on severely reduced dietary intake progressively lose both the desire and capability for sexual activity. Furthermore, all participants were keenly aware that the experiment was a unique one and we were all under the careful scrutiny of the University administration. Moral problems could likely have jeopardized any future outings of this nature. Finally, the experiences of "Christmas Eve" and "Christmas Day" were strongly oriented toward spiritual values and emphasized one's relationship to the Creator. Journal entries highlight feelings of the experience and both these and their comments indicate that those days represented some of the richest parts of the time on the island. Activities of this sort tend to promote an increased sensitivity in those participating to all things but especially those which are intangible, whether it is simply the beauty of their surroundings or their relationship to God and religion. 140 It is believed that all these factors and perhaps others less clearly noted and understood were operational in the course of the stay on the island and contributed markedly to the change in this score. Defensive positive. There are two measures of defensiveness in the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. The first, or self criticism score, measures more obvious characteristics while defensive positive is closely related to more subtle tendencies. It is sometimes used to identify those who have a negative self concept in spite of an overall self-concept score which may be quite high. Often these are people with psychiatric difficulties and this variable was developed to dif- ferentiate this group. In other words, a high score here may indicate a positive self description which is really due to defensive distortion and a low score a grave lack in even a slight degree of self esteem. A low of 33 and a high of 72 characterize the range of per- missible scores for defensive positive with a mean for the norm group of 54.4. Figure 8 shows that during the first pretest the group mean was almost identical with this, beginning to climb slightly by the second pretest and still more at the first post-test. Comparison between the first pretest and second post-test indicate significant variance and therefore a slight distortion from reality. This, however, is not entirely unexpected. The group members were involved with an experience which to many of their friends and families was not only strange but seemed quite undesirable, even ridiculous and such a manifestation could show up even during the 141 60 _ 59.7 55 - Mean 50 ' Test 45 - Score 40 . 35 ~ Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two Two One Figure 8. Comparison of experimental group means from defensive positive scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 142 period between the first two pretests with the result that those in the group would begin to develop defensiveness in order to justify not only to others but also to themselves their participation. Although the change between the first two pretests is not significant, it does give some insight into the general trend of this score. It is not surprising that the test results indicate the most abrupt change in the final post-test. As has been alluded to, the period immediately following experiences of this nature seem to be difficult for the participants. There may be a problematical period of re-entry during which returnees struggle to readjust to society. This period sometimes takes several months and is usually followed by a marked rise in self-concept scores. The upward deviation in the defensive positive score may be a direct indication of this struggle. General maladjustment. This scale is inverted. That is, a low score for this parameter indicates high maladjustment whereas a high score denotes better adjustment. Both this scale and the defensive positive are designed to indicate aberrations which may be significant from a psychiatric standpoint. This scale was designed to assist in identifying and differentiating psychiatric patients from nonpatients without establishing the type of disorder. For the purposes of this study, rather than an indication of serious mental disorder, it may be an aid in defining the group's 143 response to the various stresses they faced at different stages of the experiment. The norm or mean raw score for the norm group is 98.8 with a range of 87 to 114. The statistically significant change occurs at the second pretest when the score of 93.8 differs greatly from both the established norm and the score for the last post-test (see Figure 9). It should be pointed out that the second pretest, occurring the day before the island experience, takes place at a time when anxiety and anticipation reach high levels and the lower score may demonstrate the group's response to that tension. Certainly, thoughts expressed in conversations and recorded in journals indicate that there were varying degrees of concern. At least one student indicated that she came very close to dropping out at that point. Others may have felt similarly. Even the staff members were quite tense in spite of prior experience with such expeditions. Both the first and second post-tests indicate an increase in adjustment and this would be, from the investigator's viewpoint, a reasonable change to expect. Sixteen Personality Factors Test While the Tennessee Self Concept Scale measures the individual's perception of himself, the 16 PF provides an indication of the person's actual personality rather than their perceptions of pre-conceived image of themselves. 144 100 - 96.0 96.7 97'2 Mean 90 ' Test 35 - Scores 80 _ 70 . . A . . Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 9. Comparison of experimental group means from general maladjustment scores on Tennessee Self Concept Scale. 145 Test norm. As indicated in the initial description of this test instrument, the raw scores, using a system provided by the test publisher, are converted to “stens." This conversion is carried out using a system which relates the "stens" or standard tens in a manner consistent with the group taking the tests. For example, for high school students different "stens" would be calculated than if the test group were adults not in school. In this case, the group was made up of college students and an appropriate conversion scheme was used. The population average (or mean) is 5.5. Variations above and below 5.5 are used to determine whether a particular change in score moves the result toward one side or the other of the factor pairs. As in the Tennessee Scale, there are six variables which, at the .05 significance level, show changes during the island experience. These appear only in the experimental group with no corresponding or conflicting alterations in the scores for the controls. The six areas or factors are: (1) affected by feelings vs. emotionally stable; (2) sober vs. happy-go-lucky; (3) trusting vs. suspicious; (4) practical vs. imaginative; (5) group-dependent vs. self-sufficient; and (6) relaxed vs. tense. Factor C: Affected by feelings vs. emotionally_stable. Persons scoring low on this factor tend to have difficulty tolerating frustration and unsatisfactory conditions. They are often quite changeable and plastic. According to the publisher's test booklet, they “evade necessary reality demands, are neurotically fatigued, fretful, easily emotional and annoyed, active in dissatisfaction, 146 having neurotic symptoms such as phobias, sleep disturbances, and other manifestations.” High scores usually indicate those who are "emotionally mature, stable, realistic about life, unruffled, possessing ego strength, better able to maintain solid group morale." Scores on this factor initially were very close to the population mean indicating a healthy balance between the two extremes (see Figure 10). But, by the second pretest, the score had fallen to slightly, but still not significantly, lower than this. At the first post-test, the score had dropped sufficiently to become statistically important. Apparently, upon returning from the island, those who, before the experience had been balanced in respect to this factor were somewhat more affected by their feelings and less capable of tolerating frustration and conditions they did not approve of. It is interesting to note, however, that by the second post-test six weeks following the return, their score mean had once again reestablished itself nearer to the population average although it was somewhat weighted toward the stable side. Probably, the most important change to discuss here is that which occurred at the first post-test when the mean score of the group had dropped below 5.5 and also shifted significantly from prior scores. Following many of the discussions on the island regarding the difficulty which might be encountered on their return, the participants would have been understandably anxious about their reception by friends and others. They were, more or less, "wearing their hearts on their 147 Emotionally Stable 8.. 7 . population mean Mean Test Score Affected by Feelings Pretest Pretest Post—Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 10. Comparison of experimental group means from affected by feelings vs. emotionally stable scores on 16 PF. 148 sleeves." In addition, the atmosphere of the expedition had caused a kind of dissolution of the protective shell we all carry with us to isolate ourselves from the noise and chaos of normal societal activities. Members of the group talked of the shock they felt at cars moving rapidly, people hurrying to do things felt to be entirely unimportant and the level of unpleasant noise present. All these factors likely combined to make members more easily annoyed and more active in dis- satisfaction with what they witnessed upon returning from what had become a kind of sanctuary from the realities of life. Had this score persisted into the second post-test, it would have been cause for some concern. But, the test mean for the last test, as noted, had re- established itself more toward the stable, calm, realistic side of the factor pair. Factor F: Sober vs. happy-go-lucky. Restraint, reticence and introspection are often traits found in the low scorer in this factor. They could sometimes be described as "dour, pessimistic, unduly delib- erate, smug and primly correct." But, this person is usually considered "sober, dependable.“ A high score may be received by those who are "cheerful, active, talkative, frank, expressive, effervescent, carefree." They are often elected into leadership positions but may be "impulsive and mercurial." Starting somewhat above the 5.5 mean (see Figure 11), the scores tended to rise significantly between the first and second pretests, drop back toward the first score at the first post-test and then rise again 149 Happy-Go-Lucky 9 ‘ population mean 8- Mean 7.- Test ....... Score 6; __ 5. 4r- Sober Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 11. Comparison of experimental group means from sober vs. happy-go-lucky scores on 16 PF. 150 at the last test. Differences between pretest one and pretest two, pretest two and post-test one, and pretest two and post-test two, all were shown to be significant. Thus, the group appeared to be more "devil may care" the day before they went to the island, somewhat more introspective the day they returned and after six weeks to have regained a good deal of their care-free attitude. The change which is indicated between the first two pretests may reflect the tension felt as preparations for the actual departure for the island were completed. In fact, it may be an overcompensation reaction instituted in an unconscious effort to overcome feelings of fear and anxiety as the trip drew closer. Falling back to almost the same level as the first pretest immediately after the trip could show several things. The group, having functioned for 12 days in a very stressful endeavor were, as they readily acknowledged, sad at leaving the island. Feelings were strong that they had participated in something which likely was one of the more meaningful experiences of their lives. Since the first post- test took place the same night they returned, they would have had not only these feelings clearly in mind but also would have been very fatigued and this may well be a factor in their more sober response. The higher score at the final post-test is difficult to explain unless they were again trying to compensate for re-entry problems by assuming a more carefree attitude. However, it is not significantly higher than their first pretest score, so it may have no real bearing. 151 Factor L: Trusting_ys. suspicious. The publisher indicates that the individual with a low score here tends to be “free of jealous tendencies, adaptable, cheerful, un-competitive, concerned about other people, a good team worker" while the high scorer may be "mistrusting and doubtful." He may also be "involved in his own ego, self- opinionated and interested in internal mental life" as well as "deliberate in his actions, unconcerned about other people, a poor team member." This factor score remained almost at the population mean for the first three tests and then at the final post-test changed strongly toward the trusting side of the factor pair (see Figure 12). Hopefully, the indicated final change is indicative of the fact that the group had adjusted to re-entry in society and from their positive experiences with others on the island had come to the conclusion that people could be trusted more than they believed before the experience. However, it would be interesting to investigate further the reason that the score changed almost not at all at the first post-test. It would seem that the positive interpersonal activities they had just completed would show up here too. Further investigation of this factor would be in order. Factor M: Practical vs. imaginative. A.low scoring individual usually tries to do the right thing and is very careful in practical matters. They are often concerned with detail, somewhat unimaginative but remain calm in emergencies. 152 Suspicious 8 - 7- Mean Test 6 5,3 5.4 5.5 population mean Score Trusting " ' Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 12. Comparison of experimental group means from trusting vs. su5picious scores on 16 PF. 153 The high scoring person may be an unconventional, Bohemian type who is not very concerned with everyday matters, self-motivated, imaginatively creative, concerned with only essential factors. However, they may completely lose contact with some pe0ple and with physical realities. Generally rejected by groups, their inner-directed interests sometimes cause them to become involved in unrealistic situations and expressive outbursts. In the interim between the first and second pretests (see Figure 13), changes occurred which became apparent as a significant increase in the imaginative direction. This was tempered somewhat at the first post—test but significantly asserted itself at the second post-test. At the six week test following the experience, the group was somewhat more unconventional, concerned more with essentials and imaginatively more creative than at the first pretest. The possibilities included in the description of the factor pairs apply both to constructive and destructive aspects of personality whether they relate to one side or the other of the pair. In this case it is likely that the thoughts and plans related to the impending departure tended to cause the group to develop some imaginative tendencies of a creative nature. A great deal of individual thought was undoubtedly devoted at the time of the second pretest to how they would cope with the largely unknown situations to be encountered on the island and this may have been reflected in their mean test score. / Imaginative Mean Test Score Practical Figure 13. 154 population mean Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One wo One Two Comparison of experimental group means from practical vs. imaginative scores on 16 PF. 155 The increase noted in the final test may not be as positive as the other two. Faced with difficulties of relating to nonparticipants and seeking a means for overcoming this obstacle, the group may have decided to devote themselves only to matters which were essential. One of the factors which may operate in people who score high here is that they may have some difficulty with rejection by groups. In this case, the rejection may not have been so much by the groups as a mistakenly perceived slighting on the part of the participant. Again, this would be interesting to investigate further in tests conducted up to a year or more after the expedition. Factoer: Group-dependent vs. self-sufficient. The individuals scoring low on this factor generally like to work and plan with others. They look for and depend on social approval and admiration. This often carries over into a situation in which they lack individual resolve and simply go along with the group. They are not really joiners by choice, rather they need group support to provide confidence. High scores are associated with those who are temperamentally independent, accustomed to going their own way in decisions and actions. Public opinion is not one of the most important factors in their deci- sions. These persons do not dislike people, they just don't need them. The first pretest mean (see Figure 14) is slightly above the population mean but not enough to be significant showing the group to be leaning a bit toward the independent side of the pair. By the 156 Self-Sufficient 9.- 3 _ 8 0 Mean ' population Test mean Score 6 ' I) """" “5T"- Group-Dependent ' - = v Pretest Pretest Post—Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 14. Comparison of experimental group means from group-dependent vs. Self-sufficient scores on 16 PF. 157 second pretest this has changed markedly as the island venture looms large and the pattern is toward group dependency. Immediately following the island exercise, the group mean shifted strongly toward independence and then six weeks later back toward the population mean. Whether the test responses relate to feelings regarding only the group on the island is important in examining the data. It is quite likely that they apply more to feelings toward society in general, although this may be somewhat ambivalent. For example, it would be reasonable to assume that the low score occurring at the second pretest was more reflective of feelings about the upcoming island experience and the need for each other. A great deal of discussion during pretrip meet- ings had focused on the need for group cooperation and division of labor and this message may have been bearing fruit at this point in the meeting. On the other hand, it may be that the rather high score at the time of the first post—test is evidence of a kind of defensiveness at the prospect of facing an unsympathetic and nonunderstanding society when they returned. With this attitude, the individuals in the group may well have determined that it was "safer" to maintain a certain aloofness, depending more on their own personal reserves. Perhaps this feeling is similar to that expressed in the test item description in that they did not dislike people--they just didn't need them. 158 Factor Q2: Relaxed vs. tense. Those scoring low here are people who might be described as capable of taking all things in stride. They are "sedate, relaxed, composed, and satisfied.“ However, oversatisfaction may in some cases lead to laziness and lack of experimentation. A high score may be associated with a "tense, excitable, restless, fretful, impatient" person. While they may be tired, they can't slow down and relax. Generally, they are not satisfied as mem- bers of groups with the "degree of unity, orderliness and leadership." As might be expected, the first pretest is slightly toward the tense side (see Figure 15), but surprisingly, by the second pretest this score has dropped. Then, faced with re-entry into society, the score on the first post-test again leans significantly toward the tense side and six weeks after the experience drops strongly into the relaxed mode. Neither of the two pretests really shows any indication that this personality trait had shifted before the trip to any significant degree. However, by the first post—test an important change was noted as the group mean indicated that in general they were more tense and anxious. This again bears out the assumption that re-entry into society was of concern. Perhaps, "of concern" is not exactly correct in that it may more clearly indicate only the tension felt at the clash occurring in relation to their island imposed tranquility and the some- what noisy and chaotic circumstances found at Charlevoix. In actual fact, it is likely a composite of the two effects. 159 Tense 7 _ 6.6 population Relaxed Pretest Pretest Post—Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 15. Comparison of experimental group means from relaxed vs. tense scores on 16 PF. 160 It is very interesting to note that at the time of the final post-test the mean has shifted significantly toward the relaxed side. It is quite far below the mean for this personality factor and would indicate that at least in this respect they have managed to take things in stride and even have developed an ability to relax and maintain composure which is a great improvement over their response prior to the experience. Rokeach's Value Survey_ The scale in this test is inverted. A low score means that the person placed the particular value high on the scale. For example, a ”1" would mean that value was placed first in the hierarchy, while an "18" would mean the bottom of the list. No norm is established for this test by Rokeach. It is in actuality a serial listing and suffers from one major defect. As each value is placed, others must necessarily fall in around it. In fact, the individual, given free choice, might have placed two or more values at an equal level. But, there are no means provided for clustering of this nature. So, there is some interdependency inherent in the test. This, necessarily, is a relative rather than an absolute scale. Since no norm is set, it is the change in the hierarchy which is of interest and evaluation must of necessity be rather subjective. Six of the values varied in a statistically significant manner during the course of the four tests. Again, the level of significance is .05 or less. 161 Three of the identified values were terminal, that is, they refer to preferable and states of existence. Three were instrumental, referring to preferable modes of conduct. However, it ought to be held in mind that although the distinction of terminal and instrumental values is useful, there still are difficulties associated with the fact that terminal values may at times be a means to attaining other values. For example, "loving in a mature way may be seen as the instrumental means to happiness" (Robinson, 1973). The three terminal values changing were: freedom, mature love and wisdom. The three instrumentals were: broadminded, forgiving and polite. While it might have been desirable for all these to have increased in importance as a result of the experience, this is not the case. Freedom was the only one which gained in rank with the other five being considered less important or reverting back to the same position as at the first pretest. To examine the changes associated with each may be enlightening. Freedom (independence, free choice). As is clearly indicated in Figure 16, this value was about seventh in importance at the time of the first pretest. By the second pretest it had advanced to fifth. In respect to the first pretest, it advanced significantly at the first post-test to approximately fourth and by six weeks after the experience was approximately fifth again. 162 Mean 5 Test 6 Score 7 Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test w Two One T 0 One Figure 16. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "freedom“ from Rokeach Value Survey. 163 The alteration of the relative position of this value seems to be similar to responses observed in those who take part in extended camping and backpacking experiences. Freedom, both in terms of inde- pendence from the constraints of society and the ability to make choices unencumbered by imposed restrictions grows in importance in the expressed feelings of those involved. Probably, the enhanced importance of this immediately after and six weeks following the expedition reflects not only the above thoughts but also the desire to be free of the restrictions the participants feel pressing in upon them as a result of "culture shock" imposed by their return to the real world. It would be necessary to re-evaluate this over a more lengthy period to be able to tell whether the effect would be attenuated by time. But, it seems likely that a significant amount of time would be required. It is often noted that "distance makes the heart grow fonder." Perhaps nowhere is this more pronounced than in the hiker or climber who, as time goes on, forgets the pain and exhaustion involved and tends to enshrine the activity in unrealistic glory. Perhaps the members of the group likewise put the stress and difficulties out of their minds to a great extent and longed for a return to what their somewhat distorted memories recalled as an almost utopian existence. Mature love_(§exual and spiritual intimacy). The placement did not change significantly (see Figure 17) from the first pretest to the second pretest or from then until the first post-test. But, 164 Mean Test Score Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test w One Two One T 0 Figure 17. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "mature love" from Rokeach Value Survey. 165 at the last post-test it dropped from a level which had hovered around ninth to one at the eleventh position. It is very difficult to assess the reasons for this change. Pure speculation might suggest that by the time of the last post-test, the participants had concluded that their newfound independence and ability warranted the assumption that they did not need love as much as before. In examining some of the factors in the other test instruments, there is some suggestion that this may be a likely deduction. Beyond this, it can be seen that the next value, wisdom, had shifted to the ninth position in the mean and since that is closely related to the prior ranking of mature love, there may be an inter- active relationship involved. Wisdom (a mature understandingof life). The means for both pretests were identical (see Figure 18), but at the time of the first post-test the level had risen from seventh to fifth. However, after six weeks the importance of this value had dropped to ninth. It is interesting to note that immediately after the island experience, the group seemed to feel that a mature understanding of life was somewhat more important than before. This is another example of a situation which ought to be studied more in depth and over a longer time period. As has been noted, the position of the value essentially remained unchanged during the first two pretests, rising somewhat at the first post-test. The 166 Mean Test Score Pretest Pretest Post- Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 18. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of Wisdom“ from Rokeach Value Survey. 167 almost precipitous drop associated with the last post-test is another puzzle. Again, speculation yields a suspicion that the reference to life in the value description may have been subconsciously appled in a broader sense to society as a whole. Since the period after the trip may have been a somewhat traumatic one, there might have been a turning away from anything which seemed to imply closer interaction with those making up the amorphous mass of the general population. Broadminded (open-minded), From the graphs, it could be said that almost no change occurred throughout the experience. However, compared to the other three tests, this value dropped significantly at the first post-test. The drop observed at the first pretest (see Figure 19) can perhaps be related to a stereotyped idea of the expected response to the experience by others. This was very likely reinforced by the encounters on the island with those occasional boaters and fishermen who met the group. As was indicated in the chronological narrative and exerpts from the group's journals, their response was not always what might be hoped for and it is likely that the members expected similar difficulties from all they met. Forgiving (willing toApardon others). Starting at the sixth level at the first pretest (see Figure 20), this value dropped to eighth at the second pretest and then significantly to almost tenth by the first post-test. Six weeks later it still had only regained one position and was about ninth. 168 Mean 4 4-3 .......... Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 19. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "broadminded" from Rokeach Value Survey. 169 Mean Test Score 11 Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 20. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "forgiv1ng" from Rokeach Value Survey. 170 It is the opinion of this researcher that a number of observed changes in the results are caused by the assumption on the part of those tested that the test items are related to society in general. This may be especially true with respect to this variable. All indications both from observations and journal entries would lead one to believe that forgiveness was very much in evidence on the island. Yet, the results here indicate that there was a progressive lessening of the perceived importance of this value throughout the exercise. Certainly, this is an area where additional research is needed in order to resolve these questions. Polite (courteous, well-mannered). While it was considered of very low importance throughout the study, this value did shift significantly (see Figure 21) at the last post-test in relation to its position in the first and second pretests. However, apparently at no time did the group feel this value was of great importance and six weeks after the experience indicated it even less so than at the start of the study. There once again seems to be no strong reason to expect the change indicated in this value. But, the investigator is concerned about the interaction Of all the variables in this test. Ideally, it would be useful to have an instrument testing these same values in which cluster analysis was possible in order to provide independence on a factor to factor basis. 171 13 ~ Mean 14 - 14.2 14.1 Test 15 - Score 15 t Pretest Pretest Post-Test Post-Test One Two One Two Figure 21. Comparison of experimental group means for ranking of "polite" from Rokeach Value Survey. CHAPTER V SUMMARY As discussed earlier in this dissertation, the problem being investigated here lends itself to analysis and discussion from two different but inextricably interrelated viewpoints--the first sub- jective and the second objective. In view of the fact that the objectives of this study were directed both at a few specific areas and also were broadly exploratory, it is necessary to present here a summary of both observational and quantitative behavioral information. This is particularly true since the selected test instruments may not have been sensitive to the entire range of variation present in the island experience. Therefore, a kind of profile of the exercise will be presented. The progressive analysis or examination of activities and situations making up the 12 days on Garden Island tend to revolve around approximately 15 phases. While these were somewhat recognizable as the time progressed, they became far clearer and more coherent in retrospect as the journal entries of the participants were examined and combined with the results of the psychological test instruments. 172 173 Trip Sequence Profile Phase l--Anticipation and Anxiety Beginning perhaps during the days preceding the arrival of the group at Charlevoix, this phase was quite obvious in exaggerated speech mannerisms, general bravado and overplayed humor witnessed during the afternoon of arrival and during the day preceding the actual departure for the island. It not only was observable in the actions of the par- ticipants but also was apparent in some of the test data which indicated heightened anxiety during the second pretest. Some of the previously cited journal entries clearly evidence this. This anticipation and anxiety stage continued as the group boarded the boat and departure for the island took place and was evidenced in the "long range" stares and introspective expressions observed in the students as we traveled toward the island. Phase 2--Frantic, Poorly Directed Activity Perhaps “shotgun activity" would be a good way to describe the onset of this part of the trip as the group, stillquite anxious and apprehensive, were rowed to shore on the island and unable to contain their nervous energy, broke into several subgroups, scattered onto various parts of the adjacent clearing and made sporadic attempts to gather materials and establish camp. Tension, evident in dissatis- faction with shelter development and organization, remained at a relatively high level as groups and individuals, with no clear plan or systematic approach, continued until almost dusk to start shelter 174 construction, trap development, fuel acquisition, fire building, plant collection and other projects deemed important at that moment. Perhaps it is well to mention at this point that the phases often tended to blend into each other. It was not a case where one ended and another began like clockwork. For example, the second phase just discussed smoothly merged with the third as the first morning arrived. Phase 3--Preoccupation with Food Acquisition The rain of the first evening satisfied all that the shelter situation was well in hand and no longer the crisis condition they had at first perceived. With this knowledge, anxiety and nervous energy were turned to the need for food. Concern was quite high that it must - be quickly obtained and a continued source secured or the trip was in jeopardy. There is no doubt but what this was promoted by some of the pre-trip information in which staff emphasized the importance of not wasting time since energy reserves would soon be depleted with reduced food intake and that all physically taxing activities ought to be carried out early in the experience. This stage or phase continued for almost three days and again is reflected in concern over lack of success in trapping and the beginning of dizziness and weakness from low caloric intake. Conversation around the fire in the evening was often involved with new alternatives for food procurement. 175 Phase 4--Success Brief, euphoric, but definite, this stage was pronounced only the first day that rabbits were successfully trapped. Seemingly, far more importance was assigned to the procurement of meat than plant materials since there had, from the start, been no difficulty in finding milkweed pods and green apples. Although the success phase was definitely observable as a major component of only one day, it was still a factor each time rabbits or fish were caught. There was almost a tone of relieved surprise during the early stages of the trip when protein was obtained as a result of our efforts. Phase 5-—Anxiety Reduction As early as the fourth day of the trip, uncertainty began to erode and journal entries dealt now with the beauty of the surroundings, something participants had been too preoccupied to notice previously. From this point on, there was a progressive lessening of concern over food. Now, rabbits were either in the traps or they weren't and as the days progressed, concern about this and environmental extremes waned with the realization that the group could go on functioning even at reduced energy levels. However, even by day six there still were comments which exhibited worry about where the next meal was coming from. 176 Phase 6--Profound Energy_0rop By the fourth and fifth days all the participants were marveling at the effects of food shortage and the resultant dizziness experienced when arising or making sudden head movements. It seems strange that this did not elicit an increase in concern for food availability. But, the participants seemed to observe these symptoms with academic detach- ment and even humor. However, activities requiring travel were curtailed and time spent resting increased. Phase 7--Antagonism It may well be that this stage should have been superimposed on the prior one, since it commenced almost at the same time. However, the onset was not entirely synchronized and it therefore will be viewed as a separate entity. Quite possibly, frayed nerves and evidence of group members developing resentment toward each other had their inception in fatigue, since it was about the fifth day when group members were noticing growing exhaustion and weakness that comments began to appear in the journals evidencing the lack of tolerance for some of the participant's personality characteristics and habits. This too was rather short lived and by the seventh day most of the antagonistic responses had disappeared both from journals and tone in conversation. There is no doubt that some who were most affected took pains to avoid the extension of hostilities and this limited what might otherwise have become a serious problem. 177 Phase 8--Group Cohesiveness (esprit de corps) In spite of some minor irritations, the group had, since their arrival, worked well together and grown to realize that success was closely tied to cooperation. This realization, together with other less well understood factors dictated that by the seventh and eighth days a definite feeling of unity was becoming manifest. Of course, it was about this time that the group first began to talk of "having Christmas" and the resulting unification of purpose had a definite effect on the spirit of cooperation and concern for each other. It was also at this time that a pronounced feeling of propri- etary rights to their island domain began to assert itself and members, as they drew closer, began to exhibit overt resentment toward outside visitors to "their" area. Phase 9--"Family" Feeling Placed purposely in a separate category, this development was significant. Reaching full development about the seventh day, there had been sporadic moves in this direction for a considerable time by those who had begun to call the investigator “Dad.“ There is no ques- tion but that it is related to the previous phase of group cohesiveness but it varies so strikingly in intensity that it deserves to be consid- ered apart. As cited in earlier research, this is not an uncommon development in groups under contrived survival settings but it was, nonetheless, impressive and worth comment. While some of the other phases appeared, peaked and dissipated, this and group cohesiveness continued to strengthen throughout the duration of the experience until 178 even those who at first had felt reticent to refer to the investigator as "Dad" lost this inhibition. Phase lO--Holiday Anticipation and Exuberance Once the idea of “Christmas" was established, a feeling of great anticipation ensued providing a channel for thoughts which might otherwise have been directed toward more depressing aspects of the experience. Activities commenced toward acquisition of materials for presents and all looked forward to the actual “holiday." When “Christmas Eve" and "Christmas Day" arrived, spirits were as high or higher than they had been at any time during the experience. There was no evidence that the excitement shown had any overtones of anxiety induced over-reaction. Rather, there was a genuine feeling of happiness and excitement tempered only by the reverent and introspective responses triggered by the spiritual orientation of the hymns sung at the fire on "Christmas Eve" and the service at the Indian cemetery on "Christmas Day." Phase ll--Letdown and Depression The day following "Christmas“ was certainly not one character- ized by great activity and exuberance. Rather, all the group, perhaps having consumed too much energy the previous day, spent most of the time in camp. This phase was as pronounced in its negative aspect as the positive component had been the prior day with its holiday atmosphere. 179 Phase 12--Air Drop (Borderline Hysteria and Depression) On the day before leaving the island, when the aircraft dropped the C-Rations to the group and the note explaining their imminent pick- up was disclosed, pandemonium broke loose. Laughing, yelling, slapping each other on the back, they opened the rations and for the first time since the trip onset, ate their fill (and perhaps then some). But, within hours of this great burst of excitement, the general feeling was subdued-~depressed--as the full realization developed that they were about to terminate the experience. This was not surprising in terms of time, energy and emotional investments involved in their participation. However, it is significant to realize how volatile the emotional responses in this type of stress-oriented experience can be. Phase 13--Departure Anticipation Different than the anticipatory responses associated with the day before arrival on the island, the group now seemed possessed of both a nervous energy to get under way and at the same time felt a great desire to return to various places on the island which had gained meaning to them in the course of their stay. There were numerous attempts to "lock in memory" places, views and experiences. The excitement felt with the realization that return home was close was diluted by nostalgia for an island which had become home and toward which they felt a strong yet tender attachment. 180 Phase l4--Departure The great cheer greeting the Coast Guard's arrival to take the group off the island did not truly reflect the entirety of their feelings. And once aboard, filled with snacks from the crew's lunch and settled for the trip to Charlevoix, mbst of the participants felt rather depressed. Expressions regarding the significance of the I experience were numerous and it was a rather subdued group which finally disembarked at the Charlevoix Coast Guard Station. Phase 15--Societal Re-Entry Characterized by increased defensiveness and a degree of maladjustment as exemplified in their psychological tests, the group nevertheless exhibited a greatly improved overall self-concept and self-satisfaction together with an improved feeling regarding their physical and moral-ethical selves. They were at the same time, less stable, more affected by feelings, sober and introspective. Feeling rather independent and not really sure that they wanted to subject themselves to the rigors and chaos of society, the group separated at Charlevoix. Even six weeks after the experience, they still exhibited high defensiveness and general maladjustment scores although those factors mentioned above which had evidenced a positive shift were still rising. Once again somewhat carefree, other scores had begun to shift toward test norms. A more detailed summary of the test data follows. 181 Hypptheses Tested As mentioned in earlier portions of this paper, it was hypothesized that nine variables would change as a result of the . island experience. In fact, only three did. The original nine were: self criticism, identity, self satisfaction, behavior, physical self, moral-ethical self, personal self, family self and social self. Only self satisfaction, physical self and moral-ethical self changed significantly. Therefore, the hypotheses relating to these three are upheld while those dealing with the other six factors are rejected. In summary, the data indicate that the group, following the experience evidenced an improved general self esteem and were more willing to accept themselves as they stood. They also perceived themselves more positively in terms of physical appearance, health, skill ability and sexuality. Together with this occurred a higher assessment of their moral worth. They felt as though they were "better" people with a more satisfactory relationship to religion. At the same time, they tended, especially toward the end of the experience and during the period six weeks afterward, to be somewhat unrealistically defensive and just prior to leaving for the island were to a significant degree maladjusted. 182 Narrative Data Summary Pretest One (11 Weeks Prior to Trip) Although lower than the mean score for the norm group, the members' overall self concept is within normal limits showing that they were in general satisfied with themselves but capable of improve- ment. They exhibited no particular maladjustment or overly defensive position and felt themselves to be as moral and ethical as the next person. They were neither trusting nor suspicious, but showed a healthy balance in this parameter as was also the case in the relationship of stability and instability. They were somewhat, but not significantly more happy-go-lucky than sober, a bit on the imaginative and creative side and feeling somewhat independent although somewhat tense. Freedom, broadmindedness and forgiveness tended to be in the upper third of their value survey. The need to be polite was scored very low. Pretest Two (One Day Prior to Trip) While there was, at this time, no significant change in the total positive score, their self satisfaction score was beginning to improve. Their maladjustment score had dropped a bit indicating some improvement and they were very slightly more defensive. Their moral- ethical and physical self scores indicated no real change. Although not statistically significant, there nevertheless appeared a slight drop indicating more sensitivity toward allowing 183 their feelings to govern actions and along with this was a significant rise toward happy-go-lucky. They were still neither suspicious nor trusting, but balanced in this although they were progressively becoming more creative and imaginative as the trip loomed larger. Highly significant was the change in their attitude toward group dependency which was far stronger, having moved away from the more confident stance of independence. Interestingly, their tension seemed to have abated quite a bit. Freedom had shifted to a more important level and the group seemed far less likely to demonstrate forgiveness. Post-Test One (End of Last Day of Trip) Total self concept was now greatly improved having surpassed the test norm significantly. Self satisfaction, one of the components of the overall concept score had likewise significantly improved as had the concept of their physical and moral-ethical selves. They were considerably more defensive but somewhat better adjusted. Less stable and more affected by feelings, they were also more sober and introspective. Their trusting vs. suspicious scores had still not changed significantly. Just as imaginative as the day prior to the trip, they were far more independent, seemingly not needing others--a situation which would alter markedly by the last post-test. And, they were more tense than at any other time in the experiment. Freedom's placement had risen to its highest point along with a significant desire for wisdom. They were, however, less broadminded, forgiving and polite. 184 Post-Test Two (Six Weeks After the Trip) The group's self image at this time continued to increase as did their self-satisfaction and concept of physical and moral-ethical self. While their defensiveness was still rising, they were becoming better adjusted as shown by their general maladjustment scores. Far more stable than at any other time in the tests, their old "devil may care“ attitude was beginning to re-assert itself and they were growing to be far more trusting than before. They continued to grow in imaginative, creative ways and displayed a score very near the norm in terms of group dependency vs. independence as they apparently began to successfully fit back into society and their relaxed vs. tense mean showed a very satisfactory drop to slightly but not significantly below the population mean. Although their scoring of mature love, wisdom and politeness had again dropped, they evidently considered broadmindedness and forgiveness to be more important. It must be held in mind that these are indications of the gggup_feeling as represented by test data which are actually means. It is questionable to attempt to apply these same statements and summarizations to any individual within the group since the data is by its very nature a composite or average of all the individual feelings. Indeed, it may at times clearly describe certain individuals but it is inappropriate to assume this in all cases. CHAPTER VI CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Research of this nature is perhaps more difficult to draw conclusions from in several respects. Results occur in both quantita- tive and subjective form from the standpoint that the test instruments produce numerical information relative to selected variables while the researcher also is able to make an almost endless variety of observa- tions of behavior. Both kinds of information are of value in their ability to not only answer questions regarding previously established hypotheses but to direct inquiry into avenues not originally considered. In addition, there exists a continuum with reference to the strength of these conclusions. Information derived from well estab- lished and widely used standard psychological tests tends to be quite reliable subject only to errors imposed by poor inferences on the part of the researcher. At the other end of the continuum are purely speculative assumptions made by the investigator and based solely on observational facts not corroborated by data. In full knowledge of the shortcomings of approaches along the entire spectrum, conclusions of a number of types will be discussed here. However, every effort will be made to differentiate for the reader among the various sources whether intuitive or objective. 185 186 This study has been largely exploratory in the hope that it would help to illuminate areas relative to stress-oriented educational experiences which should be investigated further. In addition, it also was designed to answer some specific questions regarding personality characteristics of participants. The Findipgs It has been shown that, at least in the case of the 11 people in this experiment, positive shifts in overall self concept can be demonstrated to occur following the experience. Those who participated also grew significantly in their satisfaction in terms of their physical and moral-ethical selves together with the acquisition of a better feeling of acceptance for the way they perceive themselves in general. However, the 16 PF, a test which is likely to indicate changes only when there have been very significant stimuli, shows that there are at times during the experience some alterations which could be consid- ered undesirable. The fact that they became somewhat less stable and more affected by feelings could be good or bad. If it indicates a more sensitive individual, a more aware, participating person, then this may be considered a constructive change. On the other hand, if this is an indication of neurotic instability, it could be unfavorable. And, it is important to realize that value judgments relative to the "goodness and badness" of the perceived changes must be made in terms of the overall functionality of the participants in their peer groups and society as a whole. 187 Of particular concern are the progressively dropping scores on the Rokeach Value Survey indicating that the group may have been less capable of extending politeness, broadmindedness and forgiveness to others. Comments and journal entries indicated that most of the participants learned that they needed fewer "things" in their lives to be happy. They evidenced some surprise that their emotional well being was not tied to physical possessions. And, along with this, came the development of a stoic attitude toward environmental extremes of temperature and moisture as the group learned to take these things in stride. In conversations with members of the group following the study, it was indicated that this was still a functioning factor in their lives. One of the more striking was the young lady who had learned to control her fear of stinging insects. Two important factors which appeared were the group's general growth in their awareness of natural beauty and specific parts of the environment. Clouds and their movement became of great interest and were noticed far more than before. Of course, there may have been additional motivation induced by the fact that clouds could have been harbingers of stormy weather. On the other hand, there were numerous other indicators of a growing awareness and appreciation for the natural beauty which surrounded them. It appeared that those who spent the time on the island learned to have a clearer and more understanding appreciation of the rigors of life in a primitive society, realizing that life in an Indian village 188 was not entirely pleasure. At the same time, they became aware of the fact that the efficiency of those earlier inhabitants made it possible for them to devote some of their time to leisure pursuits such as music and dance as well as various craft projects which our group found only a minimum of time for in their search for the basics of survival. The obtaining of rabbits and other forms of meat brought also a clearer perspective on man as a carnivore and became not only the subject of discussions but also found its way into journals. No longer will it be as likely for members of the group to take entirely for granted beef and other meats neatly packaged in the store. They have reestablished a feeling for the relevance of the source of that meat, something that was a little shocking to some of them at first. Further, it was important to note that they attached a great deal more importance to the acquisition of meat than vegetable matter. Some of the most important lessons learned may have been the need for others as they realized truly that "man is not an island . . ." but is dependent largely on others in this specialized society for their very survival. In terms of mutual trust and cooperative attitudes toward others this may be very significant. The ”family" aspect mentioned in the research is one which ought to be investigated further not only in terms of its affect on unrelated individuals but also for its potential in working with family groups as a method for strength- ening ties therein. 189 Design Changes and Other Considerations for Future Research Participants in such research are fully aware of the fact that they are engaged in a test program and no matter how much care is exercised to establish and maintain stress at a particular level, there is still the firm knowledge on the part of the participants that the staff will not knowingly permit harm to come to the group. Perhaps staff camp ought to be entirely removed from the location of the group under test in order to reduce the security factor imposed by their presence. In addition, there is some question about the objectivity of staff personnel who are as deeply involved in the stresses as the test group. This investigator would be the first to acknowledge that he was emotionally involved throughout the experience and even during the transcription of journal references and the writing of the chrono- logical narrative included in this work, there occurred a strong emotional "replay" which brought a resurgence of many of the feelings experienced during the island expedition. However, objectivity is assisted by the very nature of the test instruments used in that they are minimally biased by this and it is more difficult to impose value judgments on the scores. It is also helpful to be doing this work two years after the fact so that observational information can be examined and conclusions drawn with a minimum of bias. Certainly, in this study, many attempts were made to assure that stress was present to some degree during the experience from the first contact with the group to the end of the test period. Care was 190 exerciSed to limit knowledge of emergency preparations and to firmly establish in the minds of the group the difficulty of evacuation. However, the presence of rather numerous visitors to the island from fishing and pleasure craft offset this feeling. Comments of the group indicated that they would rather have been in a more isolated spot to avoid such contact. In the future, an island not as subject to visits may be selected or the site on Garden Island shifted to the north side where such encounters can be minimized. An island site was used because of the psychological isolation factor imposed by such a setting in opposition to that of a wilderness area simply deep in the forest of the Michigan Upper Peninsula. But, this type of site may also be considered in the future. In the case of this study, the actions of the group were largely unstructured, allowing a great latitude for the members to determine the course of their days. Only after two or three days in which the staff observed mistakes in procedure was any attempt made to alter the group plans. Subsequent studies may include a closer examination of this aspect of the expedition. Selection of participants from groups of volunteers having completed one of the two survival courses at Michigan State University imposes an automatic bias. Little is known regarding these people other than their majors and various demographic information. Perhaps only particular types of individuals enroll in the courses, further biasing the results. It would be of interest to select from a wider group, not requiring survival education as a prerequisite in order to more nearly normalize the sample. 191 Further, the sample size in this research is very small. This is due not only to limited volunteers but also to staff ceilings making it impossible to take larger groups. Trips ought to be repli- cated enough to determine whether the changes noted can be duplicated. In this way, the validity of the experience could be more critically assessed. One of the questions posed by this study regards that of the actual causes of the perceived changes. The variables, as has been stated, are many and there is need to narrow their range. In partic- ular, the question arises as to whether alterations were caused by the stress imposed upon the group or merely were due to the uniqueness of their experience. In other words, could similar or identical modifi- cations in self concept, personality and values have been demonstrated by an experience lacking in stress but very different from the partici- pants' usual life styles? A means for examining this might be to place another group on an adjacent island for the same time period but provide them with tents, sleeping bags, adequate food and all the other expected items of a camping experience. A comparison of the two groups' test results and journal entries could be enlightening. To carry this one step further results in examination of the possibility that the special attention received by the group was as important in the results as the stress they experienced. Could per- sonal meetings with the experimenter on a daily, in-depth basis, have accomplished the same thing at the University, without the necessity of taking the group to the island? 192 The wording of the handbook given to the students at the outset of the study was, as can be noted by reading it in Appendix A, somewhat strongly biased and would tend to clearly indicate to the group what kinds of changes would be expected. While this may be completely appropriate in the case of a therapeutic exercise in which certain changes are striven for, in the case of a research group it perhaps ought to be written in more neutral terms. The therapeutic aspects of programs of this type are of great interest and these too represent an area of fertile research interest. If encounters of small groups in isolated wilderness areas are as important as both this research and other work indicates, then there are additional reasons for the preservation of wilderness sites and their utilization in the development and enhancement of mental stability and societal well-being. An area worthy of further investigation would be that of trip duration. The question of necessary length is still unanswered. Per- haps 12 days is not the ideal time span for such an experience. Should shorter or longer outings be planned? Would they accomplish the same or different ends? Thorstenson and Heaps in previously cited projects conducted in connection with BYU's survival courses have subjected their people to conditions requiring their obtaining food from the land for periods of just a week and the experience described in this research required the group to do this for 12 days. In a recent telephone con- versation with Dr. Thorstenson, he indicated surprise that we were able to demonstrate significant changes in so short a time. But, it is the 193 feeling of this investigator that the alterations were largely due to the fact that our group was severely stressed for a longer period. This is another factor which needs to be looked at carefully. How long and under what conditions should groups be subjected to this type of stress? And, do different types of people respond to the situation in different ways? References cited earlier in this research indicate that this is so and additional work is needed to determine a manner in which profiles with prediction capability can be developed to not only provide some idea of how successful a given individual may be in the encounter but also to allow the development of experiences which may more closely meet the needs of a variety of participants. Part of the answer to this may be in the development of a scale of anxiety and personality types so that those selected for the research can repeatedly be similar. This is not altogether impossible in that appropriate scales could be used together with Q-Analysis to determine types of individuals according to other sets of criteria and thus test groups very similar in nature could be selected. Over the course of several years of survival training, the investigator had developed a feeling that, in general, women were more able to function in such training than men. They often tended to be more experimental and likely to try new things as well as seeming to be inherently better organized. Observation of this test group bore out the idea that the women were better organized, but not that they tended to be any more experimental than the men. However, the reasons 194 for the organizational conditions of both men and women ought to be investigated more thoroughly. Research of this type also suffers from the standpoint of numerous uncontrolled variables. The purpose of the project was to synthesize to some degree conditions which would be encountered in an actual survival situation in the outdoors. But, there really is no definite listing of such conditions and if there were, the only way to assure that only those variables and conditions were operative at the time of the experiment would be to conduct the study in some type of controlled environment chamber in a laboratory. This in itself would impose restrictive situations not conducive to answering the questions. But, any research conducted in the outdoors by necessity is involved with a multitude of stimuli which will be perceived by those on the experience in different ways. Perhaps another part of the answer may be to expose groups to only narrowly selected Stimuli in laboratory conditions in order to determine more data on responses to particular increments of the out- doors. For example, extremes of temperature, sounds, humidity, odors and isolation. Physiological stresses could very easily be studied in the laboratory. One of the most important questions brought to light is that of the societal re-entry difficulties experienced by the group. There are probably measures which can be taken to minimize this and these ought to be determined in order to hasten the time required for participants to utilize their newly found interpersonal skills. 195 Probably one of the most important weaknesses of this study was the lack of follow-up at least a year later to determine the status of the various measures after sufficient time to allow for the "re-entry syndrome" to be worked out. If work done by others is applicable here, many of the less desirable indicators may, within a period of weeks or months, have swung back toward the positive side of the scale. This should be a subject of continued research. Even at this point, two years after the initial study, it would be of interest to retest the group and ascertain what, if any, of the parameters have significantly changed and which have remained stable. Further Societal Implications The experiences, observations and data accumulated as a result of the island experience are varied and will have different implications to each reader. This is good, in that one of the purposes of any research is to indicate directions for others to proceed in the endeavor to establish means for using information uncovered. The various aspects of this research have caused this investigator to examine several areas in which the results have application to problems and situations faced by most of us on an everyday basis. With the exercise of some degree of license, it is appropriate here to examine some of those hypothetical applications as they may impinge upon human behavior. A theme which is recurringly before us in both technical and lay literature as well as via the mass media of television and radio 196 is that of the family. There are those who suggest that much of our national strength lies in family ties. At the same time, there perhaps has never been a time when those bonds were more threatened. Divorce is now commonplace and seems to this investigator to be taken almost as the treatment of choice rather than attempting to mend the weak- nesses which rend the relationship. The experiences of the island strongly point up the development of a particularly intense unity within the group even to the point of assigning the terms of "dad, aunt and uncle" to staff members. That development is still noted today as members of the group, seeing the investigator on campus often greet him with a loud, "Hi, Dad!" It is important to consider that perhaps the most important catalyst which was responsible for the formation of such feelings of harmony and unity was stress. But, it was stress uniformly applied to the group rather than to any one person. Often, the kind of stresses families are faced with and which create tears in their fabric are those in which each member suffers alone, unable to share or discuss his or her problems with the others. Perhaps it is time to investigate the feasibility of conducting such stress oriented activities for family groups to teach them once again how to function together. In bygone days when this country was largely made up of farmers, families worked, played and suffered together with the result that from adversity grew strength. Historically, the same thing can be seen in the develOpment of Christianity and the unification of the United States during the Second World War. 197 . The same divisiveness present in families is today rather evident in the make-up of the nation. This is a country of loners generally convinced that they need only their own reserves to succeed. It became obvious very quickly to the island group that the only way they could succeed was to stop "running off in all directions" as a group of individuals and coordinate actions toward common goals. Lincoln was very accurate when he warned that to divide was to conquer during the Civil War. Perhaps it is time to require such a course for all students in an effort to teach cooperation. Classes in government don't seem to be effectively accomplishing this. Politicians certainly give little evidence of the spirit of unity as they strive with every effort to crush their opponents. Even the emphasis of athletic events, whether group or individual, promotes the philosophy of being the best fullback, best forward, best long distance runner. If a team benefits, it is incidental to the individual glory all too frequently. There are a few efforts in the direction of teaching teamwork under stress which have been attempted by schools, but it is time to consider a broader approach. To carry this idea a step farther, we are all aware of today's racial conflict. Different races and ethnic groups, unable to under- stand and often unwilling to i£y_to comprehend the ways of each other resort to violence. The island group, living similarly to more primi- tive people were able to gain a clearer insight into the existence 198 which the American Indian and others had in the past. The deprivation faced by the group showed them that material possessions were unim- portant in the development and maintenance of security and happiness. Both the experience with the life style and deprivation of another culture could be used in teaching better cross cultural understanding and could be especially valuable if the groups in the stressful undertaking were ethnologically and racially mixed. And, if anything was learned by those on the island, it was the temporary nature of situations. The phrase "and this too shall pass" is too frequently forgotten at times of adversity. As a result of this, there has been an increasing rate of suicides in the face of stresses which the victims perceive as too severe to tolerate. Intervention centers have been formed in most large cities to try to talk potential suicides into reversing this terminal course of activity. How much better would it be to teach, beginning with the very young, the temporary nature of discomfort and psychological stress by selectively subjecting them to it and teaching methods for coping. The key to successful use of stress experiences, as this investigator views it, is to stress to success. In other words, stress the participants short of their breaking point and then help them to find a way around the problem. To place the group in a situation where they either succeed or fail and permit failure probably accomplishes exactly the opposite of what is desired. This is especially true with those who already are somewhat "fragile" psychologically and may have entered the program as a means for gaining some measure of self respect 199 following a long history of failure. To stress to success could have tremendous potential for recreating human beings, if it is empathetically carried out by those with the necessary sensitivity for others as well as the skills of the outdoors. Another factor which should be considered in terms of the significance of this type of experience is that of diversity. It has been proposed by some researchers that our society is presently following a pattern rather devoid of variety. And, most people would agree that jobs and family activities often tend to fall into a routine which is described best as uniform and boredom producing. Even the educational institutions have, to a large degree, fallen into the production of standardized and largely noninnovative curricula. Watt (1972) has suggested that diversity is needed for a number of very well known ecological reasons, such as spreading the risk of a single disease wiping out the population, provision of energy and diversifying its sources. But, he goes on to suggest that more importantly, diverse experiences are needed in order to maintain mental stability. Data and observational information point up the fact that this type of experience may be one of the most significant of educational endeavors available at the present time. It impinges upon one of the most important components of humanity, that of the emotions and, at least in these preliminary investigations, seems to show great promise in creating what education has long held to be one of its main reasons for being--that of developing a whole individual, a citizen of the universe. As difficult as it has been for mankind to live on this 200 globe in peace during the recorded history of the species, this type of encounter with ourselves and others may form an important means for the establishment of awareness conducive to the development of harmony and cooperation on a grand scale. The implications are many and perhaps some statements in this section will be considered too grandiose and thus inappropriate by some. But if researchers fail to aim high, they may only continue what Watt (1972) has referred to as "Man's Efficient Rush Toward Deadly Dullness." And lastly, there is the opportunity for individuals to learn to know themselves. Time spent alone in the outdoors could be used to promote an introspection conducive to beneficial growth. People who don't like themselves are quite often not going to like or function well with others. So, it is the view of this researcher that growth and development must proceed, both as they relate to the group and to each member of the group, until the individuals are welded into a work- ing unit and see themselves as a larger part of not only a peer group but a community, a country, a globe and a universe. Then and only then will it be truly possible to discuss environmental ecology in the best and most accurate sense. And only when people learn to respect the rights of themselves and others can they really see the universal interrelationships of all living and nonliving things. APPENDICES APPENDIX A STUDENT HANDBOOK 201 ADVANCED WILDERNESS SURVIVAL PRR 480 Summer 1974 STAFF: Paul H. Risk, Coordinator , Department of Park and Recreation Resources Stanley 0. Adams Survival Technician, PRR Frances Hinckley Instructor, PRR 202 TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A YELLOW WOOD, AND SORRY I COULD NOT TRAVEL BOTH AND BE ONE TRAVELLER, LONG I STOOD AND LOOKED DOWN ONE AS FAR AS I COULD TO WHERE IT BENT IN THE UNDERGROWTH; TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A WOOD, AND I-- I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELLED BY, AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. --Robert Frost Today you embark on the "less travelled" road. Your experiences will be unusual. Perhaps they will form a core of your life's values. There is no doubt that there will be times when you will doubt the wisdom and reasoning which have led you this far. Persevere. Remember that it matters not whether you stand on Garden Island or the heart of a large metropolis. SURVIVAL IS AN ATTITUDE . . . May we welcome you on the road to the cultivation of such an attitude. 203 INTRODUCTION KEEP YOUR WHISTLE WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. BLOW THREE TIMES IF YOU NEED HELP. BLOW TWO TIMES T0 RESPOND TO SUCH A SIGNAL. You have been selected above numerous applicants for this Advanced Wilderness Survival experience. You are physically fit and the experiences planned should pose no threat to your health or life. They are patterned, however, to simulate, within the range of reason, the situations associated with an actual wilderness survival problem. Although it is understood that you will learn many techniques related to hunting, fishing, trapping, and general outdoor lore, these will only be the beginning. More important, you will be introduced to both the outdoors and yourself in a manner such that you can more clearly appreciate both. In addition, there will be numerous opportunities for interpersonal communication with other members of the group. These will serve to mold the party into a working community. Daily comment and critique sessions will be held to assist in the development of the most operable situation possible. These will not take the form of gripe ses- sions or times at which to vent destructive steam. They will, instead, be the foundation of a cooperative learning experience for all. No overt attempt will be made on the part of the staff to direct your actions during the 14 days we will be on the island. The only excep- tions to this will be in the case that your action appears to threaten lives or health. However, we want your action to be directed toward the development of a functional rou of 12 people; not toward a division into small self interested c 1ques of a smaller number. Such separation will not be permitted. Each trainee will be expected to keep a journal. This is to be updated each day. The purpose of this is to permit you to enter information you feel is significant regarding your experiences. In addition, we want to know what you ate, how it was obtained, how much there was. What did you build today? How? Are you enjoying yourself? Why? Why not? How do you feel about the other members of the group? Why? At the end of the experience the journals will be collected. Please do not let this limit your responses. Your help in maintaining a candid approach to your journal will not only assist the staff in planning future experiences, but will aid other trainees in understanding their own feelings and responses. Entries will be kept in strict confidence. After a time the journals will be returned to you. 204 Your briefings prior to the trip will include examination of vegetational distribution maps and aerial photographs of the island. However, in order to preserve some sense of unfamiliarity, these maps will not be given to you until after the 14 day trip. At that time, maps will be made available for inclusion in your packet. Although most of the activity will be group oriented, it will be permissible, in fact, recommended, for small groups and/or individuals to leave the group for the purpose of exploration or solo experiences in the environment. The only exception to this is that $010 swimming will not be permitted. The buddy system will be strictly adhered to in swimming. Any small group or solo separation from the main group must be cleared with the staff and a suitable travel plan and estimated time of return established. Solo experiences are highly recommended. The members of numerous American Indian tribes considered solo experience necessary in their development and often spent extended periods alone, frequently in a fasting condition. Whether or not you opt to take advantage of a more extended solo experience, you will be required to select some location on the island, away from the group which is "yours." Each day spend at least (it may be longer) 30 minutes at your place. The time you spend there may be during the day or at night. However, it is recommended that at least one of the isolation periods be during the hours of dark. Each time you visit this spot, try to see or experience something different. A new bird, a bird song, a new flower, patterns in tree bark, a cloud, insects, sounds, odors, the sky. Sense something new, a new thought, a mental perspective. This time is for introspection and the cultivation of an intimate and personal familiarity with the land. Use it well. THE SILENCE ROARED: I STAGGERED BACK AND HEARD MY VARNISHED EGO CRACK. --Anonymous Write your thoughts, observations and feelings in your journal. 205 GRADING CRITERIA-- You are ppi_competing against your fellow trainees. Your grade will be assigned based upon evaluation by the staff of your ability to function and improve. The experience of the trainees varies greatly. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to assign a grade based upon the absolute skill with which an individual approaches tasks. Rather, evaluation of improved abilities will be important. Innovation and ingenuity as well as perseverance and personal growth will be paramount in the evaluation process. From day 1, your situation should progress through a constant series of improvements. Your skill as a trapper and fisherman, should improve. Your knowledge and understanding of the environment should continue to develop. Shelters should be in a con- stant state of modification and improvement. Your situation can be improved indefinitely and you are not even approachipg the limits until you have hot and cold running water, showers, indoor plumbing and heated beds. In addition, depth and perceptiveness shown by your journal will be taken into consideration in the grading process. The inclusion of "frills" or "prohibited" items which indicate a desire to thwart the basic purposes of the exercise will also be taken into consideration. 206 GENERAL GUIDELINES The Advanced Wilderness Survival Course (PRR 480) will commence at Charlevoix, Michigan at 8:00 a.m., August 16, 1974. The group of trainees and staff will meet at the city dock and board a Michigan Department of Natural Resources 50 foot, all steel, diesel powered high speed patrol boat (PB-2). The entire party will then be trans- ported to Garden Island, a trip a little more than two hours. We will debark from the PB-Z in Garden Island Harbor and the survival activities wi begin. The PB—2 will return (barring inclement weather) on the afternoon of Friday, August 30, 1974 to return us to Charlevoix. We will be attempting, within reason, to provide you with a parallel of an actual survival experience. If you use your reason and plan along these lines, many questions will answer themselves. If in doubt, ask. In concise form, the aims and objectives of this Advanced Survival experience are as follows: PURPOSE: To provide a realistic personal encounter with the natural environment, patterned after an actual survival situation. GOALS: 1. To gain a clearer understanding of the involvement in time and effort of a primitive hunting/gathering society in their procurement of food, water, shelter, and fire. 2. To examine closely one's personal responses to a somewhat stressful outdoor situation. 3. Through experience, to develop confidence in one's outdoor abilities. 4. To assist in the development and/or enhancement of an understanding of those intangible components associated with outdoor experiences. 5. To provide a uniquely intimate encounter with the wilderness as a basis for a better comprehension and perception of the place such wild land has in the complex weave of man/land relationships. 6. To provide the largely urban oriented trainee with a perspective building contact with a distinctly nonurban setting. 7. To pull together in an ideal laboratory many of the collected facts of various natural sciences and put them to use. 207 You will be permitted a wide leeway in terms of what physical items may be brought to the experience. The following information is provided to assist you in planning. 1. 15. A whistle must be carried at all times. Fasten it around your neck with a lanyard which will not support your weight. (We don't want you hanged by your whistleTT_ Wear your identification tag at all times. All survival gear (except items noted below) must fit into a packet no larger than 144 cubic inches. This is about 6"x8"x 3". It need not be rectangular. You may bring one blanket (wool or aluminized plastic). This need not fit into your survival packet. You may pp; bring a sleeping bag. You may bring a plastic sheet or tube tent to use for shelter until a primitive one can be built. You may pgi_use it for the duration of the trip. This need not fit in the survival packet. Pocket knives are permitted and may be carried on the person. They need not fit into the survival packet. No hatchets, axes, or machetes will be permitted. You may pgi_bring any changes of clothing. Normal underwear; hiking boots with 1 pair wool and 1 pair cotton socks; work pants or jeans; cotton or wool shirt (long or short sleeves); sweat shirt or sweater; nylon parka shell; wool knitted cap are examples of reasonable clothing. With the exception of the few items recommended in the General Preparedness Kit, you may not bring supplementary food. You may pgt_bring comb, haTF—brush, toothbrush, or razor. You may ppi_bring swimming suits. Women may bring sanitary napkins or other related items. You may pgi_bring a camera, radio, portable TV, or reading material. If you smoke, you may bring up to 2 packs of cigarettes. The items (with the exception of prohibited ones) you select for your 144 cubic inch survival packet are largely left to your own discretion. The following two pages will give you some suggestions. You may either follow these recommendations or adapt to your desires. Do not bring any other signaling devices than the whistle. These will be provided by the staff if needed. 208 PERSONAL SURVIVAL KIT Pocket knife 1 large, 1 medium sew. needle Small compass 6 miscellaneous flies Matches (waterproofed) 12 miscellaneous fish hooks Whistle 3 large safety pins Signal mirror 20' #20 copper or brass wire Heavy duty aluminum foil 18")