Translation:

Not available.

Interpretation:

While driving the one thousand mile journey that is Baja’s Highway one, I saw this blank sign. In my road-weariness , I made the connection between the emptiness of this sign and some poor risk management recent wilderness expeditions.

The term "Risk Management" can be empty to our participants. It can conjure up thoughts of insurance or compliance activities that have a very limited, historical focus on minimizing known risks. 

"Risk Mindfulness" is forward-looking and integrative. Rather than seeking to minimize or eliminate risk altogether, Risk Mindfulness supports the notion that building habits of awareness can help improve our observation of ourselves and the environment around us.

Mindfulness is paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the moment and without judgement. 

Can developing a habit of Risk Mindfulness minimize and mitigate accident?

While the emphasis on metaphor and mindfulness is my own, I rely heavily on the NOLS publication: "Risk Management for Outdoor Leaders A Practical Guide for Managing Risk Through Leadership." Footnotes to come...

Translation:

Maintain the calm in order to think better.

Interpretation (Literal):

Panicking affects our ability to think critically and exercise good judgment. Staying calm helps us think better.

Tool: 

Paul Petzoldt, legendary mountaineer and founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School, used to say that the first thing you should do in an emergency situation — once you know it’s safe — is smoke a cigarette. Proverbially, anyway. Take 10 deep breaths as if you were smoking a cigarette. 

Breathe. Project calm. Find a an everyday metaphor that helps you stay mindful.

Translation:

Better late than never.

Interpretation: 

Schedule pressure is one of the most pressing and common subjective hazards in decision-making.

 "Summit fever can afflict any outdoor leader or participant on adventure-education courses. And it can lead to trouble.Toward the end of a trip or a long day, you may be “smelling the barn.” You’re eager to get there and unwind. You’re almost there, so you push a little harder, move a little faster, allow your group to spread out, let down your guard and potentially make a mistake." 

This sign appeared to me on morning, in the hazy four o'clock weather check customary to sea kayaking experiences in Baja.

We had been stuck on the same beach for 6 nights. El Norte's winds had pinned us down on a sandy bluff that had driven us to insandity. Low on food and water, a student stated, "I'm not sure if the waves are getting smaller or I'm just wanting to go more." This sign highlights the subjective hazards such as schedule pressure. Being mindful about your underlying motivation to move faster or get to your vehicle can help you recognize that it could be dangerous.

Tool:

"Better late than never" is a good prescriptive or preemptive mantra for a team that sets a fast pace hiking, seems to be overly encouraged by extrinsic motivators.

Translation: 

Respect, don't mistreat or obey the sign.

Interpretation(s):

The irony of this sign is as rich and non-nonsensical as a Zen koan. If you haven't been respecting the signs, why would you respect a sign that told you to respect it? 

However, it's useful to keep this sign in mind in the wilderness. Known decision-making traps like Confirmatory Bias (ignoring observations because they don’t fit a known pattern or desired result) and Illusory Correlation (assuming an isolated event is representative of a pattern or class of events) incorporate observations (signs) into our decision.

In a Baja sea kayaking example, if fishing boats are getting off the water, pelicans have stopped flapping their wings, and cat's paws are turning to whitecaps—these are signs. Respect them.

Risk Mindfulness involves taking perspective and analyzing whether or not our filters or biases are impacting our ability to absorb objective information.

Tool: 

A common tool used to help outdoor leaders maintain situational awareness is the “risk-management triangle.” In the center of the triangle are the human factors; on the triangle’s three sides are the significant environmental factors.

NOLS has adapted the risk-management triangle for different activities like sea kayak expeditions. Risk-assessment tools can help you maintain situational awareness but only if you can maintain your mindfulness.

Translation:

Don't throw garbage

Interpretation(s): 

The Leave No Trace element here is obvious; as professional campers we aren't careless and know to be responsible for our own garbage and dispose of it properly. However, I also read this one as don't talk trash or throw our words around like carless campers do garbage. Careless communication can be a subjective hazard.

If not called out as garbage, bad information, imbedded in a thought process may influence ideas. This is known as Information Cascade. Sometimes group members may offer information that may look analytical, but is really garbage based on personal choices (Mind-Set-Bias) Accepting plausible but unproven information as the basis of a decision (Unproven Assumption Bias). 

On occasion, team members may offer greater detail in the particular presentation of their communication, placing emphasis on that evidence (which could be garbage). Lastly, sometimes team members will offer garbage communication because they want to be accepted by the group (Acceptance Bias). 

Tool: 

I encouraged participants  to be responsible for the interpersonal 'basura' they create. Much as we are learning to reengineer our waste in valuable commodities (i.e. pvc into fleece) we must learn to re-engineer our gut reaction trash talk and turn into productive and valuable feedback. 

Translation: 

Cow

Interpretation(s):

Be aware! There could be a large ungulate on your path of travel. However, due to the static nature of signs and the (relatively) dynamic nature of cows, I have never seen cows at these signs. Instead of ignoring the posted warning, I use them as (cow)bells of mindfulness.

An opportunity to regain focus and clear my mind of of distracting clutter. These cubist cows, Picasso's sketches of bulls, tetrahedral bovines are harbingers of awareness like the parrot on Pala in Aldous Huxley's Island. 

I like to keep my mind focused while driving, these signs help.

Tool:

Make good judgement a habit. When you see signs that would normally give you pause or hesitation, but currently do not apply-  Be mindful. Picture the the likelihood versus consequence graph as it applies to the decisions you are currently using. Picture the graphic below while making decisions, the more often you use this thinking, the more habitual it will become.

Translation:

Bumps and dips aead

Interpretation(s): 

On the path of travel there will be obstacles. Cliché? Yes, but these axle-wrenching speed bumps are not all created equal. Due to some variance in municipal codes, speed bumps can vary in their height. It is often a surprising reminder that you have made a decision based on past experience and not data-drawn from observation. This decision making trap is known as "consistency bias." Making choices consistent with an earlier decision, despite evidence suggestion a different choice may be better.

If you catch yourself in on top a "speed bump" that has snuck up on you, you may hit the brakes and maintain your suspension which will jostle you dramatically. But if you pump the brakes and then just before passing the bump accelerate you will be lifted over the obstacle with less rattling. This is congruent with our occasional need to speed-up as opposed to to slow-down when the elements have forced our hand. 

Tool: 

Even if the decision isn’t ideal you may need to accept that it’s the best under the circumstances and move forward without hesitation.

Translation:

See well in order to serve and produce better

Interpretation(s):

Take time to take perspective.

Take a step back and look around to see what is actually happening (vs. what you think is happening). This will help you determine what the real dangers are so that you can make a game plan. What are the subjective hazards in this situation? What are the objective hazards in this situation? And through that algorithm, what is the accident potential?

Translation:

Dangerous Curves

Interpretation(s):

Baja 1 is filled with dangerous curves, the type of curves that the driver cannot see the road ahead because it disappears beyond a cliff or drops out of sight. While driving I have noticed that there is no correlation between curves marked dangerous and unmarked curves...often the most dangerous are the ones that are not marked.

This is also known as Familiarity Bias: Believing a familiar situation is safe or controllable and ignoring evidence that this situation is different. 

Another observation is that the ability to take a turn is predicated on the vehicle I am currently driving. Not one I have driven before or the vehicle that a driver ahead of me is operating. This is known as Social Proof:  Assuming that because others did it, it’s a good choice.

When driving my 1989 Toyota Pickup loaded down by kayaks and powered by a wimpy 4cylinder engine it is also a reminder that I can't take the turn that at the speed that the gigantic semi-truck behind me would like! (Acceptance Bias)