Boxing Referee

**Rick** · 01-11-2008, 06:32 PM

We have a number of guides and former guides on here. I can't imagine being a guide is just about wilderness knowledge. You had better be a pretty good judge of character with a sprinkle of great arbitrator mixed in.

Any time you have a group of people together you stand the chance of any two of them not getting along. I was wondering if any of you have had a situation where you had to become a referee between two of your customers and how you handled it.

**RBB** · 01-11-2008, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

We have a number of guides and former guides on here. I can't imagine being a guide is just about wilderness knowledge. You had better be a pretty good judge of character with a sprinkle of great arbitrator mixed in.

Any time you have a group of people together you stand the chance of any two of them not getting along. I was wondering if any of you have had a situation where you had to become a referee between two of your customers and how you handled it.

Just like anything - depends on the circumstance. I was pretty young when I started guiding, and still young when I went on to other things. Many of the groups I guided were youth groups of one sort or another. They were usually pretty easy to deal with unless their adult chaperons were a problem. With the adult groups - dealing with them could be more of a problem. People who can afford a guide are usually successful in some line of work or business, and because they are good at what they do - they tend to think they are good at everything, and here you are - a kid - trying to tell them what to do.

I don't recall any trips where there were issues between any two of the party to the point where I felt like I had to get involved.

Gotta learn to read people. Most of the time, you just go with the flow and remember they are paying the bill. Still, there were things I wouldn't put up with, like littering, over fishing, or over hunting. I also made it clear that my title was "guide," not "house servant" or "upstairs maid." I'd usually cook, because I'm pretty good at it, but beyond that, I'd let them know I expected them to carry their weight with camp chores, fetching wood, and cleaning up. Most people have no problem with this, but I remember one guy expected me to roll up his sleeping bag every time we moved.

I would do some extra work around camp, but it seems like leading by example is the best way to deal with this issue. Kind of shames them into helping out.

Some people you can reason with, some people you can intimidate. Worst bunch I ever had - I could do neither. I finally told them if they didn't knock it off, I was leaving and they could find their own way home - and I meant it too! When they finally left, one of them told me they'd never have me for a guide again. I advised them they could count on it.

Not often you run into such childish behavior among adults.

Alcohol consumption is often a problem. One of the worst problems was on a trip north of Atikokan, we had a guy who was about a .30 for most of the trip. Dumped the canoe several times, becoming a danger to himself as well as the rest of us.

Finally the rest of his buddies had just had it with him, after he stumbled over another guy's gear and broke an especially expensive fishing rod, and when he passed out, they hauled him out to a little rock island opposite our campsite and tied him, sitting mostly naked, to a tree there. When he woke in the morning, he was "fit to be tied (pun intended - it got lot of use during that trip)." They other guys poured out all of his expensive booze and made a pact that no one would share any or theirs for the remainder of the trip. They cut him loose, once he'd sobered up, and read him the riot act. He'd been pretty well eaten up by mosquitoes. This incident, the party involved exhibited behavior so outrageous - the correction was applied by the problem party's peer group and did not require me to step in - which was a good thing.

Sure made for kind of a nasty trip though, and was one of the reasons I quit guiding except on an intermittent basis. There is only so much babysitting you can do for someone who is in another canoe.

**LadyTrapper** · 01-12-2008, 10:32 PM

Excellent advice by RBB...fortunately our clients have been of the good 'ol boy type to date.

**Nativedude** · 01-12-2008, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

We have a number of guides and former guides on here. I can't imagine being a guide is just about wilderness knowledge. You had better be a pretty good judge of character with a sprinkle of great arbitrator mixed in.

Any time you have a group of people together you stand the chance of any two of them not getting along. I was wondering if any of you have had a situation where you had to become a referee between two of your customers and how you handled it.

It has never been a problem between 2 clients. I have run into the "rambos" that come out to harass (usually me) and constantly make statements like; "well I read" or "I heard" about different topics that I am teaching, and they do it right in the middle of my demonstration/explanation.

My reply to them is; "well, if you already know all there is to know, then why are you here?" I make it clear that they are free to hike back to the base camp and leave any time they choose, and there will be NO refund!!

That has only happened a few times, but it is very annoying!!

**canid** · 01-12-2008, 11:53 PM

sorry, that was me.

/me hangs head.

**Smok** · 01-13-2008, 01:03 AM

well you read all about it on that web site you know the one, what was the name, wilder then, no no that is not it ,what was it wilderness-survival that was it THEY KNOW IT ALL