today I gave a little back to the community and guided a forum member around some of my local trails..
I have been lucky enough to be guided by some very experienced and amiable fellas (crispybacon and trailmonkey) and so I decided that I would borrow some of their guiding tactics..
I explained where we were heading and what we hoped to achieve.. stopping before each descent to explain the nature of the descent and to warn of potential hazards.. we made friendly chit chat and engaged in a little banter and shared a few appropriate anecdotes.. We also stopped at vantage points to admire the stunning scenery and views and point out things of interest..
I decided at this point to add a couple of my own ideas for making the day more enjoyable..
point 1.. Zen Meditation..
I encouraged patience and a zenlike calm in my guidee by making him wait for his overweight and constipated wheezing moaning tour guide to sweatily and swearily push to the top of every slight incline.. redfaced and panting I would groan and hack my way up the rocky trails, slipping and stumbling at every opportunity..
My guidee was an excellent student and only begged me to stop complaining once in 2000ft of vertical ascent..
point2.. transcending earthly bonds..
Spurred on by his natural ability for acheiving enlightenment I tried to inspire him to take his riding to the next level.. As I led him down one of the most technical high speed descents in the whole of East Dartmoor I planted my front wheel behind a sturdy rock and dived over my handlebars.. attempting to head down the rest of the trail in the style of superman using the hightened sense of awareness we had achieved to overcome gravity.. I can only imagine how confident he felt as he witnessed my graceful landing.. so I did it again on the next trail too, choosing some convenient bracken to land in..
He had a great day and learned his way around an area notoriously tricky to navigate.. and left me in the carpark enthusiastic about his return..
I share this tale with you in the hope that others will be inspired to try new teaching methods and enjoy the wonderful sense of satisfaction that guiding can bring..
