Bronze Training trip - Group 2 (12/5/04)
After a weary bronze training expedition, Stefanie Varnham gives us her feedback on her experiences....On Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th of May 2004, my group and me went out for our bronze Duke of Edinburgh training expedition. We all had to be at my school bus park for 9.00-9.10am, which is about normal time that school starts so it wasn?t too bad. It was trying to get my bag on that was the problem, and when I finally got it on I had to take it straight back off to put onto the school mini buses! Now that caused a few smiles.
It took about two hours (with breaks) to get to where we were walking from. Groups A and C started their walk from Linn of Dee and Group B (which is my group) started at Linn of Quoich. On the way to our campsite, my group stopped for a break once and also stopped once beforehand for our lunch.
Our group was the second group to arrive, and once we got to our campsite, all I wanted to do was sit down but if I did that I wouldn?t get back up and feel like I couldn?t be bothered, so straight away my group and me had to put up our tents?. The girls managed pretty well but the boys were a different story! We all had so much fun just watching the boys trying to put up a tent and we still laugh about it now. Even though we had our tents up, it still wasn?t a good idea to sit down and relax, as we had to get our stoves ready for our dinner. I shared a stove and tent with Carolyn Stirling.
A few hours had passed, and we all had to get into our groups to discuss what we did and how we think we paced ourselves, our teachers were also there to listen and give pointers for our next walk. Our group got a very good comment and a few laughs out of it aswel.
After we had eaten and had a little rest, all the groups gathered together around the water and bridge and we all played a game of charades. I?m no good at that game, so when it came to my turn I had Alyson Clarke help me but Alyson did most the acting out, not me! And to top it up I tripped into the water edge in front of everyone, and everyone started to smile and giggle at it.
We then played a few games, which I never even heard off before, which were all team efforts.
At about 11pm we all went for a walk in the forest, but some girls went back to the campsite after a few minutes. This was a great way to just talk with your friends without interrupting the people wanting to stay.
Duke of Edinburgh isn?t about being the best and showing of to others, but it?s about having fun and being able to be with your friends and getting to know people you don?t really know. And it was Wednesday night that I realised this.
In the morning my friends and me all woke up at about 4-5am, the sun was already out.
We had breakfast and packed up all our stuff as soon as possible to then get going on our way. Our group set off first, a few boys from the other groups came with us without their bags before they set off themselves in their own group.
My group only had a few breaks of what I can remember. We stopped at a beach for about 30-40 minutes to have something to eat and rest. It wasn?t long after that, that we made it to the mini bus. We were the first group to arrive; we then went to Linn of Quoich, which is where we had started of at, to pick up the other groups, which had not yet arrived.
Once we had met the other groups we made our way back home. I don?t remember much on the way home, as I was asleep most the way, the only bits I remember is looking back at some of my friends who were asleep.
When we were about halfway though, we stopped to go to the toilets and to get an ice cream. We also swapped some bags and people over. Once I got back onto the mini bus I fell straight back to sleep, and I was asleep until we arrived in Perth. We got back at about 5pm.
I?m so happy and glad that I did it, because it just goes to show how much will power we all must have, even though we don?t notice it. We all worked as a team and learned new things which I never knew before I went out.
No one will make comments about you, or judge you if you need to stop because were a team and we look out for each other.
Were all different in our own special ways with different personalities, and that?s what kept us going. I would defiantly suggest for friends to join in.
I can?t wait till my next expedition!
By Stefanie Varnham 3B1
Login
Upcoming Events
-
21FebPHS Careers Fair
5pm to 7.00pm in the concourse..
Search
Can't find what you're looking for?
