Chapter 7- Nature and Background of Outdoor Recreation

Recreation is derived from the French word recreare means to be refreshed

Outdoor Recreation- organized activities done during one’s free time for his/her own personal reasons,
where an interaction between man and an element of nature is present.

Clayne R. Jensen (2006): A Day can be divided into three parts

1. Existence Time- the time spent for biological needs like having a meal, sleeping, and other personal
care.
2. Subsistence Time- the hours spent for economic purposes such as going to work, chores, and for
students, hours spent in school and school work.
3. Free Time- is all the remaining time after is all the remaining time after

Philippines is rich in natural The Cloud Nine in Siargao, a tear-drop island in

resources. It has been listed in The Surigao Del Norte, is home to the 9th best surf
World Factbook as having the fifth according to the list released by the travel
longest coastline in the world. website of the Cable News Network.

What are the different outdoor recreational activities?

Land Water Air

Mountaineering Swimming Parasailing
Trekking/Hiking Snorkeling Skydiving
Camping Diving Paragliding
Backpacking Surfing
Picnic Canoeing
Bird-watching Kayaking
Orienteering Whitewater Rafting
Canyoneering Sailing
Rock Climbing Fishing
Bamboo Rafting

What are the benefits of outdoor recreation?

Fun and pleasure are perhaps immediate answers of the majority. However, studies have shown that being
close to the natural environment is healthy. The outdoors has positive effects on the general wellness of an
individual. Wellness encompasses the general state of a person (physical, social, psycho-emotional, and
spiritual) and in the end contributes to a better quality of life.

Physical Health Benefits

The outdoors is a great distraction from gadgets. It helps people to be on the move. It gets their heart
pumping and their bigger muscles at work. Such movement expend energy, promote cardiovascular and
muscular fitness and improve the function of the immune system. In fact the activities done in outdoor
recreation may range from average to vigorous levels of intensity. Many people have documented the benefits
of staying active that include reduced obesity, reduced risk of disease, enhanced immune system, and
increase life expectancy. The following is a guideline taken from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and American college of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

General Physical Activities Define by Level of Intensity

Moderate Activity 3.0 to 6.0 METs* Vigorous activity Greater than 6.0 METs*
(3.5 to 7 kcal/min) (more that 7 kcal/min)
 Walking at a brisk pace of 3-4.5 mph  Walking- 5 mph or faster
 Hiking  Jogging or running
 Biking with level terrain or few hills  Climbing briskly up a hill
(5-9 mph)  Backpacking
 Recreational Swimming  Mountain climbing
 Snorkeling  Rock climbing
 Aquatic aerobics  Rappelling
 Water skiing  Mountain climbing
 Canoeing (at less than 4 mph)
 Surfing (board and body)
 Sailing
 Kayaking on lakes or calm water
 Fishing while walking along the
riverbank
 Horseback riding
*the ratio or exercise metabolic rate
One MET is defined as the energy expenditure for sitting quietly, which for the average adult approximates 3.5 ml of
oxygen uptake per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. For example, a 2-MET activity requires 2 times the metabolic rate
energy expenditure of sitting quietly.

Psycho-Emotional Benefits
Katcher & Baeck, 1987; Stillgoe, 2001
Engaging in outdoor recreational activities helps people to rest, relax, destress or un-wind, and feel
revitalized. On fact, some research showed that too much artificial stimulation time spent in purely human
environments can cause exhaustion and loss of vitality and health.

Nature has its own way of positively distracting a stressed mind and calming it down. As Kuo and Sullivan
(2001) explained it, “natural setting and stimuli such as landscape and animals seem effortlessly take our
attention, allowing us to attend without paying attention.” This alone helps reduce stress, depression and
anxiety.

Social Benefits
Outdoor activities are ways for families to become closer. They can be “family bonding activity”.
Spending time outdoors also allows one to meet and interact with others who share the same passion for
outdoor recreation.
Outdoor recreation also promotes stewardship. Activities done outdoor help make people realize the great
things nature provide thus, people’s feeling and connection with nature motivates them to take care for the
natural environment and advocate for its preservation.

Economic Benefits
People who have relaxed body and mind tend to be more productive at work.

It has been rewarding for the local folks as ecotourism in the country created jobs and other economic
activities which have, one way or another, contributed to the economic growth.

Spiritual Benefits
Positive outdoor experiences can stir up spiritual values. Being one with nature brings certain calmness
within a person. It strengthens an individual as it heals, rejuvenates, and soothes the body and soul.

What are the important things that should be remembered when participating in an outdoor
recreational activity?

THE LEAVE NO TRACE SEVEN PRINCIPLES

Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare

 Before going to a place, check if your planned activity is permitted. Make sure to know the rules,
guidelines, and safety procedures they have set. Some places require certain permits or clearances.
 Make sure you have the needed equipment for your activity and the skills needed to undertake the
activity.
 Plan how to cope in case emergency arises.
 Check the weather forecast and be prepared for changing weather conditions.
 Learn when areas are most crowed and try to avoid those times.
 To minimize environmental impact and for safety reasons, keep group numbers small.
 Repack food to minimize waste.
 When trekking, maps and compass must be used to avoid markings or leaving of marks on rocks and
the like.

Principle 2: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

 Walk, run, bike, or camp on established tracks, rocks gravel, and dry grasses.
 Avoid walking on soft surfaces like soft plants. You might be trampling on a young tree.
 Use existing trails or campsites, no need to build a new campsite that will alter the environment.
 To avoid erosion, walk in single file I the middle of the trail.
 Avoid places where impacts are beginning to show.
 When camping, keep the campsite small and discreet.
 Camp at least 200 feet from lakes and rivers to protect the waters.

Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly

 “pack it in, pack it out” means everything you brought should be brought back with you. NOTHING
should be left.
 When camping, cat holes are dug (6-8 inches deep) for human waste and covered with soils, weeds
and leaves at the top.
 Dishes should be washed 200 feet away from lakes or rivers and use biodegradable soap. Scatter
strained dishwater.

Principle4: Leave what you find

 Examine archeological structures, old walls, and other heritage artifacts but do not touch, nor leave
marks on them.
 Leave nature as you found them. Do not take any plant, rock, or marine animal with you.
  Avoid introducing non-native plant or animal.
 Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impacts

 Use lightweight stove for cooking; campfires can cause lasting impacts.
 If fires are permitted, use fire rings or mound fires that are already set-up.
 Keep fires small and use only sticks from the ground that can be broken by hands.
 No burning of plastic and other substances that emit toxic fumes.
 Burns all wood to ash and make sure fires and completely out, scatter the cool ash.

Principle 6: Respect Wildlife

 Observe wild animals from a distance and they should be avoided during sensitive times (mating,
nesting, raising the young.
 Do not feed wild animals or birds.
 Protect wildlife and protect your food as well by storing and securing the trash well.in case you
decided to bring you pets, make sure it is allowed and you can control them.

Principle 7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

 Respect people who live and work in the countryside.
 Respect other visitors
 Allow the sound of nature prevail, not your noise or your radio.
 Be courteous; yield to others on a trail.
 Camp away from trails and other visitors.

Chapter 8 – Aquatic Activities

The Philippines having more that 7,000 islands, is abound with natural water forms which can host
numerous aquatic activities. Water has special characteristics that provide a unique environment for activities
and good workout. These characteristics include buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and enhanced cooling.
 Buoyancy: upward force of the water on an object. This is the reason why boats and people float on
water.
 Hydrostatic pressure: the pressure exerted by the water at equilibrium due to the force of gravity. In
other words, it is the weight of the water pressed down on an object.
 Enhanced Cooling: characteristic that transfer the heat away from the body much quickly than air
given in the same temperature.

SNORKELING

- Is peeking through life underwater by swimming with the aid of a snorkel and mask. Through
snorkeling, one can observe the underwater attractions for a longer period of time.

Trivia: spitting inside of your mask can keep it from fogging up.

Snorkeling helps the overall fitness.it works out the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, ankles, hip flexors, core
muscles, and shoulders while swimming. Above all snorkeling builds greater lung capacity it is also a good
cardiovascular workout as it increases heart rate and strengthens the heart muscles.

How did snorkeling begin?

Hollow Reed (3000 B.C.) Skin divers of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean used hollow reed to breath
while submerged in water as they collected sponges.

Animals Skins were Filled with Air (900 B.C.) An ancient bas-relief dating 900 B.C. depicted divers in Assyria
using animal skin filled with air to lengthen their stay underwater.

Diving Bell (300 B.C.) Alexander The Great encouraged the development of the first diving bell, which was a
cauldron designed to trap a pocket of air when it was lowered into the water. This instrument allowed divers
to take breaths without needing to go all the way up to the surface to gulp air, but is also limited their
mobility.

Eye Goggle from Shells of Tortoise (1300s) the shell of a tortoise was used to develop a gadget to protectthe
aye as well as to see more clearly in the water. The shell was sliced very thinly until it became translucent
then polished for vision clarity. It was then used by the Persian divers.

Hollowed Tube and Sketched of Webbed Swimming Gloves (1400s) Leonardo de Vinci proposed and created
the first contemporary snorkel, a hollow tube designed attached to the leather-headhelmet of the diver,
allowing to breath even when the face was submerged underwater. He also had a sketch of thewebed
swimming gloves, an idea that led to the modern day fins.

Wooden Padles (1717) Benjamin Franklin came up with an idea of using wooden paddles attached to the
hands and feet to help swimmers swim faster.
Modern Fins (1912) Modern fins were invented by Frenchman Louis de Corlieu.

Basic equipment in Snorkeling

A. Mask- the mask serves as the viewing device in appreciating the world beneath the water. The nose
being enclosed in the mask will have its special function in equalizing pressure during dives.
B. Snorkel- A piece of equipment that makes it possible to breath at the surface while the face is
submerged in water. The snorkel is basically composed of a tube, also called the barrel, and a
mouthpiece. The tube end sticks out of the water while the mouthpiece goes in to the mouth.
C. Snorkeling Fins- fins are wider and thus have a larger surface area than the feet, and therefore they
encounter more water and produce more resistance, thus works better than the bare feet.
D. Snorkel Vests- are small and inflatable, which provide more buoyancy while floating on the water.
E. Skin Protection- in order to protect the skin from the heat of the sun, one may use a good
biodegradable sunscreen or a long sleeve rush guard. This will also provide jellyfish sting protection.
F. Swimming Cap- a big help in keeping hair out of the snorkel and the face as well. It will also help in
preventing the scalp from burning on a sunny day.

CANOEING AND KAYAKING

A great way to explore the rivers, lakes, canals, and other bodies of water is through the use of a boat.
Canoeing and kayaking are two floating crafts that may take anyone to places in the water that are even
difficult to access by any other means.
Kayaking and canoeing both require a paddle for repulsion and steering.
Kayaking Canoeing
- Kayak has a covered deck - Canoe is wide open
- Kayakers extend legs and are seated low - Canoer sits on a raised seat or kneels on
- Uses double-bladed paddle the bottom of the boat
- Uses a single-bladed paddle.
- Used for hunting marine life (in the early - Used for transporting goods (in the early
days) days)

- Kayaks or “gajak” meaning “man’s boay” or - The word “canoe” originated from the Carib
“hunter’s boat” originated from the Inuit word “kenu” which means dugout.
and Aleut tribe of Arctic North America.

What are the health benefits of paddling?

-Improved cardiovascular fitness

-Stronger muscles and muscular endurance particularly in the back, arms, shoulders, and chest.
 Development of the torso and leg strength as the strength to power a canoe or a kayak comes mainly from
rotation the torso and applying pressure with your legs.

SCUBA DIVING

Scuba is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus or SCUBA. Scuba diving is a
diving method where the diver uses a regulator as the breathing apparatus and a tank with compressed
air which enables the diver to breath normally underwater. With these equipment, a diver can explore the
waters for a longer period of time and at greater depths.
Scuba Diving require a certification or a c-card for one to be allowed to dive or even rent a scuba
equipment. In order to do so one must take a course with a recognized diving organization.

The following timelines outlines the evolution of scuba diving (US Navy Diving Manual, 1993)

Scuba Diving Equipment

1. Dive Mask creates air pocket to have a clearer view of the underwater life.
2. Snorkel is a breathing tube allowing you to inhale and exhale through your mouth.
3. Regulator lets you breath underwater. It connects to your tank and delivers air to your mouth.
4. Buoyancy Control Device helps control the position in the water column. If the air is added in an
internal bladder, then one rises toward the surface. By removing air from it, one sinks.
5. Octopus is the back up regulator.
6. Weight belt used to counteract buoyancy.
7. Submersible Pressure Gauge shows how much air is left.
8. Scuba Tank contains pressurized air.
 9. Fins provide the propulsion that makes it possible to swim with lesser effort.
10. Scuba or Wet Suit provides protection from the coldness of the water and from other elements.

How to communicate underwater?

CHAPTER 9- MOUNTAINEERING ACTIVITIES

Did you know?

Romeo Roberto “Romi” Garduce was the first Filipino to climb the 7 summits of the world.

Britannica defines mountaineering as a sport in attaining or attempting to attain high points in mountainous
regions, mainly for the pleasure of the climb.

HIKING AND TREKKING

HIKING is done on man-made road or well-made trails and basically shorter in distance, which sometimes
only takes a day or two to cover.

TREKKING- Becomes more rigorous such as it is done over a variety of terrain and takes longer time to hike
and thus entails more days and nights in the outdoors.

Trail Class international Classification Scale

1. Walking (easy stroll)

2. Hiking along a path or rugged terrain
3. Scrambling (using hands for balance)
4. Climbing easy cliffs but with enough drop off-
beginners should be roped.
5. Using free hands as climbing method
6. Very difficult and needs to use artificial method.

Hiking essentials: backpack, footwear, trekking poles,

Basic Skills in Hiking

a. Setting hiking pace- the hiker sets the pace to make the body feel good. The heart, lungs and legs
become the monitor whether one is within his/her pace.
b. Establishing your rhythm- is the pace one can maintain for a long period of time without requiring a
break.

CAMPING

2 TYPES OF CAMPING

Frontcountry Camping- also called as “car camping” is camping on planned camp grounds where it is close to
a vehicle, with certain amenities such as bathrooms and stores. This is like camping on school grounds and
on local parks.

Backcountry Camping- is the opposite, where no amenities are readily available and motorized vihicles cannot
reach camping site.

Essential things to bring in camping

1. Clothes clothes are the first line of defense so that the body can maintain an appropriate core
temperature. The layering of clothes is as follows:
Layer 1: Base Layer or Skin Layer- this is the clothing next to the skin. Cotton is best for warm and
hot conditions.
Layer 2: Insulating Layer- the insulating layer, worn over the base layer, helps you to retain heat by
trapping air close to your body.
Layer 3: Wind and/or Rain-Barrier Layer- the outer layer, someties called shell, is your protectionfrom
wind, rain, or snow.
2. Sleeping Bag and Pad- provides warmth and comfort for a good rest at night.
3. Tents- give protection from the rain, wind, and bugs. It also adds warmth, comfort, and a sense of
security.
4. Cooking and Eating Utensils- lightweight stove, cooking pot, spoon, fork, knife.

Where do we get our water?

Frontcountry Camping- water is usually either brought by the camper or may be provided through plumbing
or pump.

Backcountry Camping- it is important that the campsite has a nearby water source from rivers, streams,
lakes or springs otherwise you will need to bring your water.however the water from these sources needs to be
purified first for precautionary measure.