CAS Project

What did I do?

On March 22nd-23rd, Silvia and I went camping in Central Pennsylvania with the goal of creating a documentary on first-time camping. We demonstrated how to set up camp, navigate a trail, check for ticks, and cook food at a campsite. In the documentary, I narrate many of the instructions on how to camp, from camping skills I learned growing up. The video worked well, as this camping trip was also where I showed Silvia a lot of those skills, so it was very natural to turn my explanations for her into explanations for the video. Our filming lasted two days, and we edited the video and created the dialogue over the past few weeks.

My responsibilities

During the project, I demonstrated the steps of first-time camping. I focused primarily on pitching camp, driving, and paperwork requirements -- the practical advice that can be hard to find elsewhere. Silvia filmed the majority of the documentary, although I spent a lot of time gathering b-roll that was useful for voiceovers during the documentary. Silvia also did the bulk of the narration on hikes and activities.

My thoughts and feelings

I was at first very excited to go camping, although I was a little nervous about the weather, and going camping this early in the year. Nonetheless, Silvia was very enthusiastic, so we went anyways. It turned out not to have been the best decision, as temperatures dropped below freezing on our second night and our tent got coated in ice. Additionally, the March campfire ban hadn't yet been lifted, which eliminated one of the most fun parts of camping -- and a key source of heat. Ultimately, it was an interesting and informative experience, but not one I am excited to repeat. In the future, I will keep my camping to the warm times of year.

Analysis

All that said, at the end of the day, we were successful in creating a comprehensive documentary about camping that demonstrates all the steps for a camping trip. This is in part because of my expertise in camping activities and because Silvia did a great job filming all of the most important steps. We were unsuccessful in building a fire because of the campfire ban, which impacted our project because we could  not film one of the most quintessential parts of a camping experience: cooking dinner and s'mores  over the campfire. We also struggled to stay warm and resilient without modern technology, which shaped our project because we demonstrated how to survive without these amenities. 

Addressing challenges

To address the cold, we dressed warmly and exercised vigorously so we could warm up. Silvia also cooked food that would keep us warm and full, like sausage and eggs, and I adjusted the tent's ventilation configuration as well as the sleeping bag arrangement to keep heat inside. Another strategy we took to address the challenge of navigating an unfamiliar area was picking up free maps from welcome centers at state parks and using a map on the highway to track our route. In my opinion, we did not adequately address these challenges, as the cold was nonetheless pervasive and made spending any amount of time outdoors absent daylight miserable. Additionally, Silvia struggled to use paper maps since she didn't have any experience with them, which meant that I had to periodically stop and check the maps myself instead.

Skills

By creating this documentary, I improved upon my camping skills and learned a lot about cold-weather camping -- including the necessity of calling off a trip during a campfire ban. I also improved on my communication -- both to the audience and with my camping partner. Ultimately, I think that this served as a good trial run for the road trip that Silvia and I will be taking this summer, driving to Jasper, Yellowstone, and back in six weeks, including about three weeks of camping.

CAS Connection

Our project embodies all three pillars of Creativity, Activity, and Service. We exhibited Creativity by producing a documentary about camping, which we edited to make aesthetically pleasing. We practiced Activity by hiking and spending time outdoors, explaining how it is best to hike on old rail trails as a beginner and how to track a forest trail. We performed a service by publishing a detailed video on camping, which we plan to publish and share on Internet forums when people have questions about Pennsylvania camping.

Collaboration

Silvia and I worked as a team when we planned out the documentary, deciding which activities we would do and film. I think we had good communication skills throughout this process, as we remained understanding and talked about our disagreements instead of settling for miscommunication. Some of the benefits of working with others are that they bring up things that need addressing, such as how to identify a good hiking trail on a map, or how to use a paper map in general. However, collaborating comes with downsides, such as disagreements  on what and what not to include in the documentary. I saw the documentary as a practical guide, keeping it under 10 minutes, while Silvia wanted to include many more nature clips. We compromised and kept it to 15 minutes.