Extraordinary Business

Imagine yourself in the wilderness 25 miles from the nearest outpost with no phone, no radio, and no way to contact the outside world. Now imagine that someone in your group is seriously injured and you have to make a decision to split up your party to go for help.

In mid-June I left for my annual trip into the Quetico Provincial Park located just north of Ely, MN. This year we had eight people with various degrees of experience camping and canoeing in our party all set to spend a week in the woods for a week of fishing and camping.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Quetico, it is a large park in Ontario, Canada made up of dense woods and hundreds of lakes linked by walking trails (portages) dating back to the Native American settlers. Your only way in is to canoe the lakes and then cross the portages carrying your equipment and canoes. The trails are not paved, and many are rugged walking paths lined with slippery rocks and down trees and vegetation. The trails can range from spots you can paddle through to distances over a mile in length.

For our trip, we had brought four canoes and seven packs with clothes, tents, food, and equipment for our stay. These packs weighed around sixty to eighty lbs a piece. The canoes were around sixty lbs. Needless to say, we get a lot of good exercise.

Traditionally, we usually end up at the same point in the park. We travel approximately 25 miles from the Canada border crossing eleven lakes and twelve portages. We leave early in the morning and usually arrive at our site sometime around six in the evening.

Most of our trip was rather uneventful. We spend our time fishing and relaxing at the campsite. This year the fishing was not as well as in years' past due to an early ice out and warmer water so I opted to spend more time relaxing than fishing.

It was the last day before we were to start heading back home. Our original plans were to have a relaxing last day on our site then paddle and portage to a point within site of the final portage where we would receive a "tow" back down to the outfitters where we left. (Tow refers to the john boats they use to transfer our canoes and packs down the lake. It saves about 15 miles of paddling.)

That afternoon as we were around the campfire, a member of our group slipped on a rock and got his foot caught between the rock and a root. As he went down, his leg twisted and caused his kneecap to pop out of joint. Those of you who had this happen to you, or have observed it should be cringing by this point. For everyone else, this is very painful since the kneecap is now located on the side of the leg instead of its normal location. Because of the way he landed and the nature of the injury, we were unable to move him due to the pain.

All of a sudden our world had changed. The fun was over and we now had a serious problem. It was about three in the afternoon and there was no way to move the injured party. None of us had experience dealing with a dislocated kneecap so we were unsure if we would be able to get his knee popped back into place. After several minutes of discussion, we opted to send three members of our group out to try to get back to the ranger station before it closed. We sent two of our best paddlers with one of our best ruddermen out with no more than the basics, paddles, and canoe in order to cross the portages faster and get to help in time. If we were lucky, they would be able to contact the rangers and have a float plane sent in to pick up the injured man. I remained back with the three remaining healthy members and the injured person.

Because there would be no way of knowing when our group reached the ranger station, we began tearing down the campsite and consolidating that afternoon. We took turns tending after the injured person and continually working his leg to try and relax the muscles with the hope of getting the knee back in place. Until the plane arrived, we had to remain at our campsite so the plane could find us.

We continued to do our best to keep spirits up and prepare for the trek out. As evening approached, we finally received some good luck. We were able to relax the leg enough to get the knee to pop back into joint... almost seven hours after the injury occurred. We splinted the leg and moved our group member to a more comfortable location. Unfortunately, we also began to realize that the chances of a plane coming that evening were minimal. At least we all would have a warm meal and all be able to sleep in a tent. As for the rest of our party, we were unsure what they were experiencing or if they made it back in time.

The next morning we were up early to finish breaking down camp to prepare for our trip out. Then we waited. At about 8:30 AM, we heard the sound of a plane in the distance. Within a matter of minutes we saw the plane approaching the lake. We saw the plane circle several times then disappear from site. Within a few moments we could hear the plane land, but could not see it because it had landed further down the lake. To our surprise, the plane took off and left the area. After several more minutes of waiting and no sign of the plane returning, we chose to start heading down the lake. At least the injured person was now mobile and able to cross portages. The decision to leave was not an easy one, but a necessary choice due to time constraints and our inability to know if the plane was going to return.

To make the situation more complex, the wind was now picking up. If you have camped in the Quetico area, you know the lakes tend to be long and narrow running from northwest to the southeast. Because the lakes were carved by the glaciers, they tend to be large and deep. In addition, the prevailing breeze often comes from the south directly up the lakes. This can lead to high waves which was no exception here. With wind gusts reaching between twenty and thirty miles per hour we were paddling the remaining three canoes, seven packs (now weighing between forty to sixty pounds) and gear directly into the wind. For an hour, we battled to a point halfway down the lake. We reached a campsite that was occupied by a group of boy scouts. At this point, wind gusts had picked up to between thirty and fifty miles per hour and we were unable to go further while towing a canoe full of packs.

The scouts invited us in and offered their help. As it turns out, they had a radio and could contact their basecamp to send help. This scout group had their own adventure as well. The group of nine had traveled about twenty-five miles further north and were on their way back when they had camped here the night before. We learned that this group was from the Houston, Texas area. They were a group of Venturers. In scouting this is geared towards young adults and is for both males and females. For almost every member, it was their first trip to this region, and many had never canoed on open water until this trip. Over our next twenty-four hours, we would get to know this group and make some new friends.

The group leader's name was Brian. He was a 10 year Marine veteran. He was here with his wife and daughter. Along with another adult and five other young men, they were preparing to head out. Brian radioed the base and gave the coordinates of the campsite we were now waiting on. We learned that the plane was grounded due to the wind and would not be able to take off until things calmed down. It would take a few hours before we would see the plane again.

The scouts' trip had taken its toll. With the distance, rugged terrain, and rough water they had sustained a few twisted ankles and bruises. However, Brian's daughter had a serious ankle injury and our injured person provided an opportunity to get their daughter out as well.

When the plane finally arrived, we could see the leader of our party in the passenger seat. We were relieved to see they had made it out safely and were hoping to also unload some of our equipment to make the rest of the trip a little easier. However that was not to be the case. Our group leader had to stay with our injured man to handle things back in town. And since Brian's daughter and wife had to go out as well, there was not enough room to take the extra packs. To make our situation more difficult, it was too windy to take the extra canoe on the plane.

As I watched the plane take off, I though about our situation. Here we were left with myself and three others. Of the four remaining campers, only two had significant experience canoeing on open water (it's not as easy as you may think) and only one person could swim well enough to save themselves (and that wasn't me). Now we had four people, three canoes, and seven packs with twenty-five miles to go and a goal of getting out by 9:00 AM the next morning. It was now approaching two in the afternoon.

We went on our way to take advantage of the slightly calmer weather with one canoe tied to mine. Sidenote: if you ever want a great workout, I recommend getting a buddy and loading your canoe up with two sixty pound packs THEN tying another canoe with four sixty pound packs to it and rowing it around for several miles. It equates to towing a full-sized chest freezer through the water no matter which way the wind is blowing.

Our trip was tough. With the amount of equipment we had, we all had to make three trips at each portage. Again this is over rough terrain and done in distances ranging from a couple hundred yards to approximately one mile. That equates to six total trips at each portage.

The boy scouts provided company during our voyage out. They were traveling the same direction as we were so we assisted each other on portages where we could. Because I had been traveling this route for several years, I was able to help our new friends find the unmarked landing spots for the portages. Many maps list the wrong entry points which can make a trip frustrating if you had never been there before. We continued to talk and get to know the kids a little better.

We fought the wind the entire way the first day and got a little over half way out by eight that evening. Our stopping point was a lake called North Bay. This lake is actually a smaller part of a much larger lake called Basswood. When I say smaller part, that can be rather deceiving. This inlet is rather large and often very windy. This particular evening was no exception. Large waves were rolling in as we paddled around the point and hit open water. Because of the wind and the time it would take us to cross this water, we chose to find a campsite. Close by, we saw our scout friends setting up camp. We asked to hold up for a while and later decided to ask if we could share their site. They graciously said yes. Now we were sitting by a fire with great company and something warm to drink instead of just setting up our tent and sleeping on a cold, dark site.

During our time with the group that evening, we learned more about the kids and their program. I was impressed by the way they carried themselves. Everyone seemed to have a nickname. Two of which I remember are Buddha and Crumbs. Their hospitality was amazing and credit goes out to their family and the counselors on the trip. We spent much of that evening learning about each other.

Early that next morning we parted ways from our new friends and began the second phase of our long journey home. Wind was a constant battle, but at least it was now either at our side or at our back. The trip that was supposed to end at 9:00 AM that morning actually was completed at 1:30 that afternoon when we crossed the final portage for our tow down the lake. Later we met up with the rest of our party and headed for Wisconsin.

Some of you may be asking why I was compelled to write this rather lengthy story about a vacation that turned into an adventure. And what on earth does it have to do with business? Well, I believe it has a lot to do with what leaders deal with every day.

As leaders we are constantly challenged with the task to cover great distances with fewer resources. There are many obstacles ranging from inexperienced staff, the wind of competition at our face, the rough trails of change. It is much easier to complain or just give up. But as leaders we need to focus on the next stroke of the oar instead of the end result. We also need to seek the help of others outside our group to make the trip easier. In the end, leaders are the people that realize these elements of success and maintain a positive focus not only for themselves but for the teams they work with.

I am proud to have a business that helps business reach those long distances by teaching them how to focus on taking that next step, putting the oar in the water for that next stroke with each one getting them closer to their goal. Most importantly, I am able to help others find their strengths and use them to focus on positive results. If you learn anything from this, walk away knowing that no matter how great the obstacle, true leaders find ways to overcome the things in their way and take their group with them.

So what kind of leader are you going to be?

Thanks to Crew 64 from Dayton, TX. Your assistance and companionship made what was already a long trip much shorter.