experience Sailing with a crew-trekking exceptional
[article I wrote for the magazine AmbienteInFormazione, quarterly magazine of the Italian environmental guides, released in September 2010 on No. 3 - Year 12, pp. 8-11]
[The Moored] happens that takes one year to organize, in collaboration with the Lands of the Mistral, one of your new proposal: the sailing and trekking, which you have chosen the island of Elba as a place to establish the first absolute.
A proposal to its year zero, you have not tested thoroughly, in fact you have not tested at all, but tickles the idea of \u200b\u200bcombining sea and mountains and move on them in the most natural way: using the elements and legs; inland excursions, and overnight trips around the island by boat sailing.
happens that, to publicize the initiative, all your contacts to send the invitation to participate and the first to respond are a group of friends with a feature not common: they are three blind and three partially sighted people, their carers. The proposal attracts them: they love hiking and the outdoors and want to try for the first time the experience of sailing. They want to do a whole week, you've set program only for the weekend, but think back to when, when you put them in between the contacts list, you were sure, without any tangible reason, there it was they would take part.
What happens is that, knew this, showing - through clenched teeth with ill-concealed fear to go really - the possibility to the skipper, Mario Bogo, your friend
long time, hesitating only a moment and then says (with a wire voice, as not to feel
to his own ears his words): "I'm."
What happens is that the days fly, no time to rearrange ideas, to understand where we start with such a situation, and it's time to set sail. Think, looking for some reassurance, that after you have them together on a trip together once before, in fact, four of them were, the other two that have been added but do not know them. She had gone well, you had an idea that people, smart people, tough, accustomed to much greater difficulties than a long dirt road in the sun and a couple of easy fords. But you were two guides, and this time you will be alone on a trip with them all. What is more, know the location the last time, instead of the Elbe know any route you would have served, including official and alternative programs to cover the weekend. But now, to make a whole week, even according to the whims of the weather and the sea, forcing always more than a change of plans (and here, to tell you yesterday, the beauty of this type of proposal), with a group like this, you should know your pockets as the island ...
[Freedom: How else can name?]
What do you do then? Forget everything and send upstream losing the opportunity to perhaps one of the best, if not the most beautiful and intense human and professional experience since you started the business guide?
happens one day in July that will decide that.
And before you run out of the routine of small boats and embark on adventures in particular, certainly more profitable in every respect, we try - beyond the necessary technical acquisitions - to understand who we are in relation to a group, what we want to be and what we are willing to sacrifice to get there. Inoltriamoci short in a serious reflection on the run .... [Mark Faction, before the coming of the wolf, Città di Castello, 2006, Mount Meru Publisher, The Notebooks dell'Aigae, p. 21; ed]
[... the importance of knowing the knots!] are no definitive exit from the routine of conducting small boats - you can not get out of it if you want to live of this work - but this was certainly a special experience very rewarding from the human point of view, in which I embarked (the term is more than adequate in this case ...) without thinking too much about but with the sole objective to successfully complete the week by appealing to all that I learned in these six years of business and, most importantly, the desire to do so - as always - who also accompanied my
had been a unique experience, probably unrepeatable.
This experience was in many ways an 'limit' - but all in all if I am here to write it feasible - and was reflected randomly just a day after a meeting between Guide in which I participated and which was discussed on whether or not to lead excursions into territories unknown even to the Guide itself.
Many guides are unwilling to lead groups in places where there has been no order to ensure its feasibility. E ', of course, a legitimate choice that depends on four factors is fundamental: first, the type of initiative in place (many of us are working only with day trips), the second by the knowledge one has of the group that is conducting (in the 'day', is almost nothing), the third, the presence or absence of a network of well-marked paths, clear the ground and in this paper (In central and southern Italy is a lottery), and the fourth - and most important, on which every one should think to himself - in short, the real responsibility that we want to assume the leadership of a group (see who we are in relation to a group, what we want to be and what we are willing to sacrifice to become).
However, each chooses to operate in that area. I believe that, for many reasons, both good preparation to be able to choose a bit of 'adventure' from time to time with the group in tow. Quite the contrary, therefore, of acting with reckless. So here's my story 'special experience' - ignoring the many emotions felt during that week, as it is indescribable the sea who has never been able to see in his life - and, since we are on the organ of the Association of Information Guide, taking advantage of the space allotted to illustrate how I have personally dealt with the technical point of view the critical situation arising from the conduct of this type of group that might be useful to someone else in the future, too eager to take 'adventures' of this type.
["... feel the boat in full sail on the water slide would silently ..."]
Abstract: Although none of us 'blind' have any idea what it means to live a life without the possibility arising from the principal of our senses, the term 'blind' is clear to everyone. Not so that of 'low vision'. The category of low vision include a circle, unfortunately, very large people,
that are not very shortsighted, as it would immediately think, but which have some important limitations in terms of field of vision, perception of contours and / or distinction of Lights and colors, situations often, unfortunately, degenerative over the years.
Blind and Visually Impaired, as a group, are people for whom even that half a meter separating the catwalk, for the most unstable of the boat to the dock when the boat is moored, immediately becomes a major obstacle to get off the ground and, as such, requires a lot of attention for his passing and effort, but for us it is a simple jump: hop!
That said, it is important however to say that this was a really great group, made up of people who will stop at nothing and that in many ways it was easier to accompany them that a group of 'Sunday tourists'!
[Vela-trekking to the beach to the mountains!]
Coming to the point: the first trip we've done is probably Elba
one of the most challenging of the island not only for this particular type of use (trail is very steep and rough terrain with very slippery path, sometimes in counter-slope). And 'one of the routes that I already knew and we did it for his first as a test for all in anticipation of the next day. As I predicted, for conditions that are difficult, we can not bring it to conclusion: given the obvious difficulties of the group in some places, two thirds of the way, below the summit of Monte Castello, I opted for the waiver to continue. The group was in agreement with me that there are some constraints (and, I mean, not the 'limits', which is exceeded) in the lives of us all that there is no need to force and that sometimes makes us able to give the greatest wish to continue. In the most challenging I had set up training in order to put behind me the blind participant with less experience and, below, alternatively, a partially sighted and blind with, in the queue, the longer able to see the visually impaired. All in single file with one hand on the backpack, which preceded that and I marked it up with some sort of accompanying commentary to describe the myriad of obstacles, small and large, we were placed in front of "stone on the right ... Thorn left ... care: low branch, chiniamoci a bit '... riser ... Now a stretch from the bottom comfortable ... stone left ...». This has not however prevented the points really challenging, especially in descent, that I should do 'ferryman' of each other to overcome short distances. At the end of the day, you can imagine, I was upset, but imagine the feeling of profound joy that, together, we were doing. The critical
certainly more evident to all who are reading, and therefore the greatest responsibility that I have set myself is that I was alone on a trip with them. Any failing of my ability to see, for example caused by head trauma with loss of consciousness for a fall, the entire group would have seriously difficulties. In such cases, I thought of putting (partially) addressed by a thorough initial illustration of what equipment was available to the group for emergencies in my backpack would find a well stocked first aid cabinet, the waist was carrying the radio (which have learned to use before you leave), with which we were in constant contact with the boat skipper, the latter was adequately informed by us daily on the route path and timing percu, if we had breached a certain threshold, would be allowed to alert the rescue, and, of course, I gave them all the useful phone numbers, from the skipper to the police. In our backpacks also always carried a quantity of water and food more able to comfort the group,
need for several hours. And then ... I advised them to pray a lot, if such an eventuality
...
[Listening to the landscape]
For me, during excursions can not deny that I was given also to
(few) special visual of the two 'not impaired' - are still people who live their autonomy in everyday life - and yet the thing that kept me in apprehension in those days was the possible need for rapid evacuation from an area due to fire. In fact, not be fully independent with 6 people in a Mediterranean forest, nearly a fuse that can flare up in a split second, during the week
hottest year ever, is undoubtedly the greater risk that I ran. I assure you, however, that it was worth it.
["... the tactile recognition of the different types of plants ..."]
It would also still space to talk about the sensory experience of environmental interpretation made during the trips, as For example: the recognition Touch the different types of plants and rocks, listening to the call of the raptor in the distance and the identification of groups of wild sheep and wild goats depending on the origin of their bleating. Or, again, the perception of the surf to shore intensification of the scents of lush Mediterranean island and cut the air when the gulls flew near the boat ... Equally
still much more to tell, all the life boat for example
and their personal relationship with the sea: the thrill of diving in open sea
for the first time, feeling the boat glides silently over the water to sail explained ...
A weekend before us goodbye Thank you very much. We, for our part, we thanked a lot of them: they showed us in every circumstance
what is the courage to live every day with joy, starting from their own, individual situation and really showed us what the Trust, with the capital letter "f , that is, faith, and therefore the expectations.
I got a lot in that week and I am grateful for that. I put a lot at stake and I had an answer something of inestimable value.
The real voyage of discovery is not visiting new lands but to look with new eyes Proust said. I agree.
[The northern coast of the island, the Mont Tabernacles] 
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