Edge Newsletter
Hailey Anderson
Ivins, UT
Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism
Outdoor Engagement Track
Cotopaxi Questival
My project took place in Las Vegas, Nevada and the surrounding area. I put together a team consisting of four people to compete in a 24 hour Questival. The Questival is essentially a scavenger hunt where things are based on getting outdoors and being a good citizen. There are hundreds of different teams trying to complete as many tasks as they can before the end of the 24 hours so that they can win prizes and have a good time. The list of challenges is released 24 hours before the Questival begins so that teams can map a plan of attack.
To complete my project I had to spend time putting a team together, planning logistics (who would drive, money, and time), mapping out our challenges, gathering equipment/supplies, and participating in the actual Questival. Throughout the 24 hours my team was able to visit various places in Las Vegas, and ghost towns, as well as Lake Mead. We were also able to grow closer and accomplish things together that we wouldn't have been able to do by ourselves. After the Questival was over we spent time sharing pictures and prizes with each other, this helped us to evaluate and reconcile what we had accomplished in the 24 hours. We were able to meet people from all over and gain insight into locals thoughts on various challenges.
One of the beginning challenges I faced was putting together a team. I found people that wanted to participate, but majority of them changed their mind or forgot to pay and made other plans. So my team dwindled, but I think in the end it was for the best that there were not as many of us. The next challenge my team faced was the companies app we were supposed to be loading pictures of the challenges on was not working, this was frustrating because it made our desire to keep going very low. The other main challenge we had was getting a bolt stuck in our tire, this took a good majority of our time to fix. Even though we had all of these problems, my team had a great time accomplishing everything we did.
My project not only benefited my team and I, but we also did a lot of service during the 24 hours. The challenges were split up into sections like "community", "do good", and "adventure." Each challenge under these were beneficial to us or someone else. One of the challenges for example was to donate books to a library. Another one was to pick up trash on a hiking trail. One of my favorites was to give flowers to someone you meet. These all helped people in an immediate way or in a secondary way that they may never know.
Completing this projected helped me to see that if there is something I want to do I need to go for it. I do not like to think of myself as flaky, but I always come up with things that I want to do and find that I just do not do them because I think I do not have the time or I forget about them. Accomplishing this project gave me the drive to want to do more things for myself to make life more enjoyable. In a more professional sense, this project gave me skills that I can transfer to my future career. One of the main skills it gave me was teamwork. I worked with the same people for 24 hours without breaking into arguments or fights because we were able to communicate effectively and we were able to look at the other persons point of view. This project was very beneficial to me in many different ways.
From my reflection Journal:
"It's not about the journey, but the people you take it with."
"You can only accomplish what you want to accomplish."
Ivins, UT
Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism
Outdoor Engagement Track
Cotopaxi Questival
My project took place in Las Vegas, Nevada and the surrounding area. I put together a team consisting of four people to compete in a 24 hour Questival. The Questival is essentially a scavenger hunt where things are based on getting outdoors and being a good citizen. There are hundreds of different teams trying to complete as many tasks as they can before the end of the 24 hours so that they can win prizes and have a good time. The list of challenges is released 24 hours before the Questival begins so that teams can map a plan of attack.
To complete my project I had to spend time putting a team together, planning logistics (who would drive, money, and time), mapping out our challenges, gathering equipment/supplies, and participating in the actual Questival. Throughout the 24 hours my team was able to visit various places in Las Vegas, and ghost towns, as well as Lake Mead. We were also able to grow closer and accomplish things together that we wouldn't have been able to do by ourselves. After the Questival was over we spent time sharing pictures and prizes with each other, this helped us to evaluate and reconcile what we had accomplished in the 24 hours. We were able to meet people from all over and gain insight into locals thoughts on various challenges.
The inspiration to participate in the Questival for my EDGE project actually came from a friend. We were talking about the EDGE program and ideas we each had for our projects and while mine consisted of planting and caring for a garden hers was to participate in the Questival. I had never heard of the Questival so she explained it to me and I was 100% sold on the idea. I had no idea we would be able to participate in a scavenger hunt for school, I had a great time completing the Questvial and accomplishing a school project at the same time. I then spent time gathering people to make a team and everything else I needed to do to make it happen.
One of the beginning challenges I faced was putting together a team. I found people that wanted to participate, but majority of them changed their mind or forgot to pay and made other plans. So my team dwindled, but I think in the end it was for the best that there were not as many of us. The next challenge my team faced was the companies app we were supposed to be loading pictures of the challenges on was not working, this was frustrating because it made our desire to keep going very low. The other main challenge we had was getting a bolt stuck in our tire, this took a good majority of our time to fix. Even though we had all of these problems, my team had a great time accomplishing everything we did.
My project not only benefited my team and I, but we also did a lot of service during the 24 hours. The challenges were split up into sections like "community", "do good", and "adventure." Each challenge under these were beneficial to us or someone else. One of the challenges for example was to donate books to a library. Another one was to pick up trash on a hiking trail. One of my favorites was to give flowers to someone you meet. These all helped people in an immediate way or in a secondary way that they may never know.
Completing this projected helped me to see that if there is something I want to do I need to go for it. I do not like to think of myself as flaky, but I always come up with things that I want to do and find that I just do not do them because I think I do not have the time or I forget about them. Accomplishing this project gave me the drive to want to do more things for myself to make life more enjoyable. In a more professional sense, this project gave me skills that I can transfer to my future career. One of the main skills it gave me was teamwork. I worked with the same people for 24 hours without breaking into arguments or fights because we were able to communicate effectively and we were able to look at the other persons point of view. This project was very beneficial to me in many different ways.
From my reflection Journal:
"It's not about the journey, but the people you take it with."
"You can only accomplish what you want to accomplish."
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