Never Lost - Just Exploring

Never Lost - Just Exploring
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Lead to learn – The Following Syndrome

Over the course of many trips, both in a car and on my motorcycle, I have finally realized that being the leader or running alone is a much better way to experience the travel as one passes through any geography.  There are significant advantages to being a follower, however being the lead increases travel passion.

Being a single rider (traveler) is akin to being a Lead rider as the process of leading oneself engages fully with the process due to its potential impact should something go badly. A lone traveler must be focused and engaged on the travel process to assure the trip works as planned.

The process of following; either a single leader or as a part of a group dynamic has many advantages over being a lone traveler. The group features company, people with whom to talk, and the comfort of knowing if trouble arises, there will be someone there to help. The group ride has many of the same features as following a single leader and for the purposes of this post, they will be synonymous. Having someone else lead is easier and offers the follower an opportunity to really become a sightseer while rolling down the road. The follower has only to keep track of where they are in proximity to the leader. By casually monitoring the leader, the follower is free to dedicate attention to the passing landscape. The follower has very little responsibility as compared to the leader. Simply ..to follow…!

The leader conversely has tremendous responsibility to either the single follower or the group. The leader must plan the route, and continually monitor the progress to ascertain the plan is properly executed. The leader makes decisions in route as the planned activity is shaped by weather, problems, and other outside factors.  Keeping the follower or group in tow, and adjusting plans to accommodate others personal needs , like comfort stops, or hunger pangs, the leader must constantly make adjustments to the plan, and weigh the consequences of any changes as it affects the days ride; all the while compromising with the follower. Further the leader hopefully has some knowledge to share with the follower about the local area, particular area features, or even topography. When doing this via motorcycle it adds another layer of chance – weather!

However – the LEADER has the great pleasure of experiencing the travel in a way a FOLLOWER cannot. The leader’s full engagement with the travel process lends itself to a better experience and a greater learning environment. Because the leader must be completely attentive to the process of travel; the route plan, the stops, the unexpected; the travel itself becomes more intense. The leader is more keenly focused on the process minute by minute and place to place than when compared to the relative safety of being a follower.  Because of this “hyper-awareness”, the leader (or single) traveler notices and remembers better everything the group encounters along the way. The vistas of beauty are more intense, the problems a bit more severe, the food a bit more enjoyable and the sights more memorable. The focus required to be the leader (single) forces that person to live in the moment and feel the fullness of the  experience.