Thursday, March 8, 2012

PAD2O Gatineau Park XC Ski Trip



What an amazing day. On Tuesday, the Grade 10 Outdoor Ed class headed to Gatineau Park for a day of XC skiing. The weather was an amazing -2 C and sunny. It was a great opportunity to test our skiing skills on the nicely groomed trails.

We started our trip at Camp Fortune and worked our way, via the #4 and #14, to Ridge road (#1), which is the main ski artery that runs through the park. Following the #1 we climbed a number of hills, and enjoyed a few small downhills, to Huron Cabin for lunch. The weather was so nice that the majority of students chose to sit outside and enjoy the many birds that seemed to be excited for the spring like conditions.


After lunch, we headed to Champlain Lookout for a wonderful view of the Ottawa River Valley. The best part of this is that we were at the highest point of the day and most of the afternoon was skiing downhill. It was amazing to see how much the skiing abilities of the students improved over the day. Although some may have been challenged by the distance and some by the terrain, they all did great and fun was had by all.


18 comments:

Miranda Lindsay said...

On Tuesday we headed out to Camp fortune for a day of CX skiing. Prior to that day, we spent a number of days out in the field practicing our different techniques of skiing and how to go uphill. The night before the trip I got all my gear ready all the right clothes, some snacks and a lunch. I was ready to endure the day no matter what happened. At first I didn't want to go on this ski trip because I didn't think I was too good at skiing, but once we got there it turns out that the trails were easier to ski on and to add on top it was a beautiful day! The day started off a bit chilly but warmed up as it went on.

We all got onto the bus awaiting the day, it wasn't too long of a trip up to Gatineau but something funny that one of my friends had said “so are we skiing up there?” then another person said “yeah, if you want to ski up to Gatineau!“ aha. We all got off the bus and took our skis and started down the trail. It was quite easy once you got the hang of it all.

We took our time, talked a little, fell a lot, helped each other up the hills, and went down some hills. It was time for lunch at Huron cabin and we decided to eat our lunch outside, enjoyed the nature and the chickadees, as well as some chipmunks. After a while our bodies started to cool off after not being active for a while, so we got chilly and went inside to a nice warm cabin, until we were off again. We all gathered outside for a group picture and were on our way back to the parking lot. I think this day was very fun and I would most defiantly do it again.

Graham McArthur said...

On a warm Tuesday morning we jumped on a bus and headed off to Camp Fortune for a day of XC skiing. We spend about a month learning all the different techniques of skiing and how to get uphill. I was so excited to go that I got all my stuff ready at about 5pm the night before, I was ready to go right then.

Sitting on the bus I couldn’t wait to get onto the trails but I had no idea what it was going to be like out there. I was scared that there was going to be a lot of people on the trail and I was scared for them because well lets face it our class aren’t the best skiers. I was afraid that I was going to make a fool of myself on the hill. But when I got out there I just did all the things that you taught me and it wasn’t that bad.

It was a day full of fun, falling and laughing. By the end of the day it was so warm outside that we were able to eat our lunch outside and enjoy all of mothers’ nature’s things to offer. We ate and watched all the different birds fly up to the feeder and eat, it was quite remarkable. After lunch we all gathered for a couple pictures and then set off again. It was a very fun day and it is something that I would love to do over and over again.

Anonymous said...

WINTER SKIING REFLECTION Part 1 of 2

On Tuesday I was not really excited about the cross-country ski trip because I sucked at skiing and I do not very last long in long term activity’s and thats exactly what happened at the trip.

I wanted to be fully prepared for the trip so I didn’t look like an idiot. So I got my lunch, my clothes, and my spare clothes ready. Unfortunately when I got there I realized that my skis were not taped properly and I had to get Jordan to tape them again which he later asked five bucks for and I said no over a million times. Then I realized I did not have a water bottle so I had to go get one from the vending machines. When I bought the water bottles people were already going to the bus so I rushed over to get my stuff and ran to the bus. Unfortunately once again I realized that I forgot to put on my ski shoes so I had to put my other shoes in my bag. By the time everybody was on the bus I realized I had all my homework and books in my bag making it really heavy which I was actually kicking myself for that. Luckily Mr. Brower said I could keep my homework in his wife’s car which I was so glad, but right before he brought my stuff to the car he showed everybody what I brought which I was really embarrassed about but he probably did that so I would not go and do it again.

When it finally came to actually skiing I was doing pretty good. I was ahead of a lot of people and I was not getting tired at all. It was also fun to see Travis fall a lot. Going down hill was the best in cross country skiing I was going like a pro and I was doing sweet turns as well. At one point I caught up to travis right before he went down a big hill and he said “ so long christian” and right after he said that he fell down and I said “ so long Travis which was probably my favorite part of the whole trip.

At one point we reached a huge hill and we had to go up it. It was so annoying because no matter how much I tried my skis kept slipping even thought they were as diagonal and dug in as possible. At one point when I was sticking my poll in the snow it went right through revealing a huge hole and I got so petrified of that. Another problem with climbing the big hill was that a lot of people were behind me so if I slipped everybody behind would fall down with me. When I finally reached the top I felt so good but then I found out we had to go a bit more to get to the cabin.

Anonymous said...

Winter camp reflection part 2 of 2

When I finally got the cabin I was full a sweat and I went inside to dry off. I sat with Thomas, Jordan, and Jenny at the table. It felt so nice to take a break and dry off. I was so happy too because my sweater can be worn both ways so if one way was too sweaty then I can just wear it the other way which I did.

Before we left people were going to the bathroom and when Travis went to go he slipped right in front it which was hilarious. We were also taking a group picture before we left and we had to wait for Miranda to get out of the bathroom which was just a garbage bag. Thank god I went before we went on the bus.

We then skid for a bit more up hill and we reached a view spot at the top which was gorgeous. All my friends agreed that all the tiring struggles were worth getting here. Also when Thomas went to go see the bottom part of the look out we started throwing snow balls at him and I hit his head on the mark. We then took another group funny picture at the lookout and Travis slipped right before he took the photo so it looks so funny.

The rest of the way was the hardest part of the trip because it was just long hills that went up slowly so it was torture. My arms were so tired that every time I was pushing forward they gave out so I did not know how long I could go before they completely give out, but I was not giving up and I kept going, and once I got to the long hill down I was about to collapse but I was still able to have fun and I saw Travis speeding down like a bullet which was about the time I was picturing him hitting a tree at high speeds. After I got to the bottom of the hill we went on the bus and were finally going home well I did have to get my homework back from Mr. Browers wife’s car.

If I could do that trip again (which I don’t) I would practice more on my skiing so I would use less energy and get less tired. I would not bring my homework to the trip and I would have put on a thinner jacket because my thick ones were to hot. But I would still keep my insulated jeans because they were dry the hole time and even though a lot of people were saying to put on snow pants, I still would not because I prefer my pants. What I learned from this trip was that I am out of shape and I need to work out more because I am taking outdoor ed again and I if I don’t I am going to be that guy who is sliding down the hill knocked out.

All in all the trip was very tiring but I felt so proud of myself on what I accomplished that I was actually excited for the ski trip next year ( for about 6 seconds though :( ) Also I was extremely jealous of Mr. Brower because he was going up and down the hills like it was nobody’s business and I thought he was a superman for a while. This trip will be one of the most memorable trips in my life and I will not forget about it any time soon.

katherine95 said...

On Tuesday, March 6th, we went out to Camp Fortune for our ski trip. This ski trip was for the grade ten class, but I went on this one. Mr. Brouwer said that this one would be easier than the grade eleven one, and i'm not the best skier so I decided to go on this trip. I was worried because I did not know anyone on this trip, so I didn't think I would have as much fun as I could.

It turned out that it was more fun than I thought it would be. Last year, I remember going on the exact name trail. This year it was easier because i've gotten more practice since then. We skied up to the Huron cabin for lunch, and I decided to eat inside even though I was a little over heated. I thought before the trip that I might want a warm lunch, but I decided not to bring one which was a good idea. All of the uphills were a bit hard for me since I am not a very good skier, but I got used to it over time. I did not wear my coat most of the time because of all the moving. After we ate lunch, it was mostly downhill which was more fun for me.

Overall the trip was fun. I think I might have been able to handle the grade eleven trip, but this one was still fun. I would like to do this trip again in the future.

Thomas Hubert said...

On Tuesday our outdoor ed class drove up to Camp Fortune for a day of XC skiing. I had been looking forward to this day all week, because I had really enjoyed the XC skiing we did in class. All the practice we did really payed off. I remember the first day we went XC skiing in class i fell so many times, but I eventually got the hang of it, sort of. So the day before I was already ready with my clothes at school. I have a pair of Gor-tex pants that i wore for skiing that are waterproof warm and light, so I think they were the perfect pants for this trip. I also brought from home a pair of ski goggles and a huge water bottle, so I had no problems on the hill.

When we got to the hill I was really excited because I'd been to Camp Fortune before for snowboarding, mountain biking, and now XC skiing. Unfortunately for me the day before i wasn't at school so i didn't wax my skis for the trip. I was lucky though and i was sliding pretty well despite the old wax. When we started going uphill I thought it was never going to end. My goggles got foggy so I just took them off because I didn't need them yet anyways. When we finally got to the downhill part I was pumped and so eager to go. I bombed down the hill really fast, then after a corner I saw Peter lying in the middle of the track. I was like "CRAAAAAP!!!" But i pulled off an expert move and dodged him easily. I was more surprised than Peter probably was that I didn't hit him! Every downhill i had fun going down after that, until Jordan tripped me on one. When we got to the steep uphill I was like: "There's no way I'm going to be able to climb that." But I was surprised to see how much my skis dug in and gave me grip. I actually got up fairly easily, then I went up to the Huron cabin for lunch. I had a really good sandwhich and a bunch of snacks. I put all my garbage into my lunch bag and set off once again on the trails, after taking a few pictures. When we got to the lookout I remembered being there when I came to Camp Fortune for mountain biking. It was an awesome view, then we took a few pictures and set off for the last time. When we got to the last downhill, I was ready to go fast because the rest had been pretty slow, so i bombed pretty much the whole way. At one point Travis came from behind me and yelled " LOOK OUT!!!" I thought he was coming fast so I moved to the side and tripped. I had quite a bit of speed going from skate skiing so when i fell on my pole it hurt quite a bit. And to top it off, Travis just glided past me, he wasn't even going that fast!

When I got to the bottom I was greeted by Travis yelling SLOW DOWN!!! I slowed down and he thought I would keep going into the snow banks. Then we got all our stuff, boarded the bus and headed for home. If I could do this again I would do it without a second thought. This was a great trip and I can't wait to go XC skiing next year!

Anonymous said...

On Tuesday March 6th there was a cross-country skiing trip and it was on an amazing day. We as a class had lots of practice up to this trip. We learned different techniques and how to go up hills. It was a difficult start and then became better as the day went on.

I learnt that you have to be in shape to be able to do well in cross-country skiing because there were not a lot of spots to take a break at. This came into a factor because the start of the trip was mostly uphill which lead to a lot more work then expected. I also learnt that energy is one of the most important parts to doing well in cross-country skiing. If you do poorly conserving your energy you will not be very good at this. I learnt that if you skate ski you will make it from point A to point B a lot faster then doing a traditional ski. Skate skiing is good if you are good at skating on skates because you are using the same motion.

What I enjoyed the most was how relaxed the day was because no one was yelling at each other and it was all for fun. Nobody in the class could tell someone they were doing something wrong because it was mostly a first time for everyone.

What were challenging for me were the hills because it was difficult to maintain a consistent speed. The hills were one of the harder parts to conserve your energy on. Another challenging part was when you were trying to make turns going at a higher speed if you couldn’t find an edge to turn on or find a track to follow.

The least challenging was the flat parts and the downhill’s because you can maintain a consistent speed and it didn’t require you to use a lot of energy. The rolling hills were also easy cause if you lost a bit of speed on an uphill you can gain it back during the down hill.

What I would do differently is I would use skate skiing a lot more due to the fact it was much easier. You were able to cover a lot more ground at a faster rate.

The weather was great which made the trip a lot more enjoyable. It was a great experience and I would do it again.

Sarah Jenni said...

After 45 minutes on the bus the group arrived at Camp Fortune ready for a great ski trip. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. Everyone was in a good mood and we had a lot of fun!

We started with climbing a hill, after only 5 minutes I was already too warm. I took off a layer and thought that my extra pair of gloves and my hat will not be useful for the trip.
I used my race skis for the trip. I was surprised to see that it was hard to skate because the snow was sticky and soft. After a time I got used to it and I could go faster. Some people had difficulty to get up the first hill and I thought that I would need to wait a lot during the trip. I was wrong, everyone got better through the day and the group went fast. I found the hills really hard during the morning and I felt pain in my legs. I was happy to see the cabin to take a break and eat food. I ate outside with a few friends and we observed the birds. It was nice and warm but I got cold because I was sweaty. My friends and I joined the others inside for the second part of lunch and my gloves dried above the woodstove. After taking a group picture, we put our skis on for the afternoon. It was much easier because the path was mostly going down and we arrived quickly at a lookout where we had a great view of the land. I found everyone was nice and encouraged each other. For the second part of the afternoon I took a different path from the group. I was skate skiing with Mr. Brouwer’s wife and we had a path going up and down in the forest. I was tired going up but I kept my speed because I did not want to make her wait. I really liked this path; it was narrow and the downhills where fun! We joined the group and continued on to the big road. We arrived to the parking and waited for everyone. I was freezing as soon as I stopped moving and I wanted to eat something. I did not have warm clothes to get changed and my lunch box was empty. Next time I will be sure to have enough food and clothes for the end! The ride home was really uncomfortable because I was shivering so much with cold.

I really enjoyed this trip and met new people. It was a lot of physical effort and it makes me realize how much energy you need to ski all day. I will definitively repeat this experience again if I have the occasion. Thank you Mr. Brouwer for organizing this trip.

Meghan Bryson said...

Tuesday march 6th was our outdoor's big x-country ski trip! We had been preparing for it the previous weeks and we were all very excited for a good day ahead of us.

It was a long bus ride up there but once we arrived, the weather was beautiful, the conditions were great and we were excited to start the day! The beginning of the day was mostly all up hill and pretty tiring. I was planning on skate skiing most of the day but for some reason I wasn’t getting the hang of it and it got me a bit frustrated. The uphill skiing was becoming pretty tiring but with many breaks every kilometer or so it actually went by pretty quickly, especially when motivating one another!

We skied for around an hour and a half or so and then got to stop at a cute little chalet for lunch. It was a nice break and we all really enjoyed and cherished our time to sit and rest. I ate some energizing food and was prepared for a great afternoon with a lot more downhill and flat surface skiing rather than the uphill we had just finished.

We got going and only skied a few hundred meters before stopping at a beautiful lookout. We stopped for about 15 minutes and it was hard leaving the amazing spot but once Brouwer told us we had a long downhill, myself and many others were definitely much more motivated to get going! When we got going on the downhill, I finally started to figure out the skate skiing technique and continued that for the rest of the day.

The skiing got much easier as we got closer to the end and you could definitely see improvement in peoples skiing as the day went on. I found that our class was great with encouraging one another and patient with the people who were more at the back of the group. That definitely made the day much more enjoyable and fun!

We finished in pretty good time and all felt very accomplished once we got to the end on the hill. Once we found out that Mr.Brouwer does that trail a few times a week and in the quarter of the time we did it, the excitement we felt after finishing dwindled.
Overall, the day was fantastic! We got a good workout, spend some good time with friends, and got to experience many beautiful views from Champlain lookout. I would most definitely do this trail again and was really happy we had such a great day!

Meghan Bryson said...

Tuesday march 6th was our outdoor's big x-country ski trip! We had been preparing for it the previous weeks and we were all very excited for a good day ahead of us.

It was a long bus ride up there but once we arrived, the weather was beautiful, the conditions were great and we were excited to start the day! The beginning of the day was mostly all up hill and pretty tiring. I was planning on skate skiing most of the day but for some reason I wasn’t getting the hang of it and it got me a bit frustrated. The uphill skiing was becoming pretty tiring but with many breaks every kilometer or so it actually went by pretty quickly, especially when motivating one another!

We skied for around an hour and a half or so and then got to stop at a cute little chalet for lunch. It was a nice break and we all really enjoyed and cherished our time to sit and rest. I ate some energizing food and was prepared for a great afternoon with a lot more downhill and flat surface skiing rather than the uphill we had just finished.

We got going and only skied a few hundred meters before stopping at a beautiful lookout. We stopped for about 15 minutes and it was hard leaving the amazing spot but once Brouwer told us we had a long downhill, myself and many others were definitely much more motivated to get going! When we got going on the downhill, I finally started to figure out the skate skiing technique and continued that for the rest of the day.

The skiing got much easier as we got closer to the end and you could definitely see improvement in peoples skiing as the day went on. I found that our class was great with encouraging one another and patient with the people who were more at the back of the group. That definitely made the day much more enjoyable and fun!

We finished in pretty good time and all felt very accomplished once we got to the end on the hill. Once we found out that Mr.Brouwer does that trail a few times a week and in the quarter of the time we did it, the excitement we felt after finishing dwindled.
Overall, the day was fantastic! We got a good workout, spend some good time with friends, and got to experience many beautiful views from Champlain lookout. I would most definitely do this trail again and was really happy we had such a great day!

Anonymous said...

For 2 weeks before the trip, we practiced cross-country skiing, on the soccer fields and paths behind the school. I think that these practice sessions were really helpful for everyone. I missed a few days of skiing at the school but when I was there I tried my best to catch up.

For our cross-country ski trip, we went to the trails at Camp Fortune. We got there in the morning an started skiing right away! It was cold at first but once we started skiing, it warmed up fast. At the start, I was struggling a lot and having a hard time moving without falling down. Before lunch was when I really started getting the hang of it, but after lunch I was able to move faster without falling down as often. We stopped a few times to look at the scenery and we took a lot of pictures of the whole class each time. Some of the trails we difficult, especially the ones that were up hill the whole time. Going uphill was a lot of work but it was worth it when we got to the top, because then we got to go downhill for a while. Going downhill is fun because you don't have to do as much work and you get to move really fast, but you also have to have control or you will fall.

The ski trip to Camp Fortune was really fun even though I wasn't looking forward to it at the start of the day. At the end of the day I had a really good time and so did a lot of others! Overall, cross-country skiing is a really fun time but I still prefer downhill skiing.

David Gonzalez-Kozlowski said...

The couple of weeks we spent learning about skiing and the actual ski trip was very interesting for me. I learned a lot some things I didn’t expect to learn like what snow pants were. From the moment I heard we would be skiing I was excited until we actually stepped into the skis. As I recall the snow kind of crept up on me the layers slowly piled up and I didn’t realize until we started skiing. I stepped out with my skis in hand not knowing what to expect and looked out across the back fields of the school and everything was covered in white I had never even stepped in that much snow let alone ski in it. I kept punching big deep holes in the snow with my boots and being amazed at how deep it was. Then came the hard part actually using the skis It took me maybe 10 minutes just to put them, and when I started moving I kept falling and getting twisted over the next few days I fell less and less but was still in the back when we went on trails. Then came the true test the actual ski trip to camp fortune. I went in not knowing what to expect. My biggest goal was to not get left and lost we hoped off the bus put our skis on, this time it took less than a minute and off we went on a trail me following up in back. It was a nice trail I learned I could ride in the tracks and not fall to far behind. There were some times that were troubled like going uphill but that became the easiest part towards the end. The hardest part was going downhill. Trying to remember the position me and the poles were suppose to be in and feeling like I was going so fast I couldn’t stop until elderly people were passing me. By lunch time I had only fallen on purpose maybe twice and I was a bit tired after a nice break we started up again on a monster hill I admit I cheated going up this hill and took my skis off but when I got to the top there was a very nice view on the edge of a cliff I hadn’t realized how high we were. The most fun part of the day was the last downhill slope I just sat in my skis and rode the whole way down.

Anonymous said...

I've always loved XC skiing, having grown up doing it, but not having the chance to get on skis for the last few years. I was excited to start up again. The morning of the trip proved to be a bit colder than I expected, and we all stood around shivering, anxious to get started and warm up. The beginning was okay trying to get a feel for the trail and the snow we would be on. I tried to skate ski a few times but that didn't turn out so well, so I stuck to Classic for the majority of the day. The hills started to get harder the closer we got to lunch, and I was getting a little tired. Lunch was a welcomed break.

After we set off again I wondered where we were going next, when I saw Champlain look-out I got excited. I had been here in the fall for another field trip and remebered the view to be breath taking. It did not disapoint, now that the leaves where out of the way you could see for miles and miles.

The way down was really fun, (and a lot easier than trekking hills) and I got the hang of skate skiing alot easier. all you had to do was propell yourself a litle and grvity did the rest, we even had the chance to race.

Over all the trip was really fun and I felt I was well prepared which added to the experience.

Janic said...

Two weeks prior to the ski trip we practiced classic and skate skiing. We also learned how to climb a hill with skis using the herringbone and side step techniques. For our cross country ski trip we went to Camp Fortune as a class field trip with Mr. Brouwer and his wife. The day started off chilly, but after a few minutes of skiing we got our blood pumping. We got there in the morning and didn't stop skiing until lunch. In the beginning I was struggling quite a bit, but after about an hour I started to get the hang of it. My friends Miranda, Jenny, David and I were always the last in line but it didn't bother us. We had to climb a huge hill and it was very difficult but after we got to enjoy skiing down hill. The day went on further until it was time for lunch. We all gathered up at a lodge and ate our lunches. Before it was time to start skiing again we took a few group pictures to remember this lovely day. After lunch we skied to a beautiful look out point. Miranda and I took a few pictures to remember the beautiful scenery. After that the day went on a we skied for a few more hours until we hit the parking lot to meet up with our bus. I didn't know how to break and I ran into a huge pile of snow, everyone started to laugh at me but I wasn't embarrassed because it was actually pretty funny. In the end the cross country ski trip was a success and I ended up having a lot more fun then I had previously intended.

Anonymous said...

On the day of the Cross Country skiing trip, I remember that I was feeling a bit discouraged because a lot of people were better skiers then me, because I had never skied before other then the few times in class. But I also felt pretty excited because even though I suck, I was excited about the fact that I got to learn something new that I didn't know how to do before. But I was scared that I was going to fall off a giant mountain or something, but once I got there I settled down and got used to the rhythm.

The hardest part was probably going up the super steep hills, or some of the awkward turns on the downhills. But other then those, I did just fine. I remember once I got to the log cabin I was so happy to get to sit down and eat, but once I did its almost like I wanted to get right back out there and start skiing again. I really started enjoying it half way through the trip more then I thought I would, and the last hour or so was just pure downhill so that definitely made the day. I was also happy that It was pure sun the whole time and it wasn't wet at all, making for a very easy day in the middle of the winter I could wear my sweater and not be cold.

The trip went exactly as I liked it to, so I had a great time. Although I'm not the greatest skier of life, I did have a fun time with my classmates outside in the nice weather of the month, at a place that I've never been to before. I have never been to any sort of skiing or snowboarding trip, so that was really fun. Some things I really learned how to do was actually be able to control myself in a downhill environment. I did not know how to do this prior to the skiing trip, so it was interesting the first time I did it, I actually did it completely fine without falling which was great. But then when it came to the weird turns in the tracks I found that I started to fall more as I didn't really know how to turn the greatest. I also learned how to ski better overall. Prior to the trip I was kind of shabby but by the end I was decent!

Some great moments on the trip were when I was on top of the mountain and looking down upon the valley, and it was a great scene mid way through the day. It was also great to know that after that it was a downhill all the way. While on top of the mountain me and Graham and Firas jumped off a small piece of the mountain into some snow which was pretty fun. Then after a bit of messing around on top of the mountain, we took a few group photos that were pretty funny. In one Travis actually fell which made for a hilarious picture.

If I could do this trip again I think I would've practiced more before going on it as the start was a bit messy, but after a bit I got the hang of it. I found that all my gear was just fine and that it was just my skill of skiing that I was lacking.

Anonymous said...

XC ski reflection
The outdoor Ed class had the opportunity to go for an outing in Gatineau Park, but to prepare us for that we had to do a lot of training. We took about a month out to just focus on skiing, different techniques to use, and how to climb a hill. After all that Mr. Brouwer thought we were ready to face the trails of Quebec. Even though this year is the first time I have ever tried cross- country skiing, I was super excited. As we got closer and closer to the start, I started to get nervous, but that didn’t stop me. When we first started I felt like it was harder skiing now than ever before, but I soon got the hang of it and started picking up speed.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day for this, the sun was shining, it was warm, but not overly hot, and it was gorgeous out. I had started skiing, and as I was doing more physical exertion, how hot it actually was, so I had to take a few layers of clothing off. After a while of skiing, I started getting really tired, and wanted to stop for a break, and with just my luck, the cabin for lunch came into sight! My friends and I decided not to waste the perfect day we had, so we sat outside to eat lunch. About half way through the lunch, we started to get a little chilly, so we went inside the cabin to warm up before we left again.

Right after everyone had finished heating up, we took a quick group shot, and continued on our journey. Just after we had gone about 1 km, there was a downhill. I thought I would do fine, even though I wasn’t very comfortable on skies. I started going down the hill, but had to make a sudden turn to avoid hitting Meghan. As I made that turn, I ended up falling, but when I fell I heard a “pop” in my knee. I knew that couldn’t be good, so I stayed lying down for a few seconds. Mr. Brouwer saw the fall, and he rushed to help, but I didn’t want to be one of those people who say they can’t, so I just dealt with the pain and kept going.

As we neared the lookout, I forgot about the pain, and focused on the beautiful sight. We snapped another picture at the lookout, and then continued again, but this time, we stayed more as a class, taking more breaks when needed.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Firas Hawa said...

On Tuesday march 6th, our PAD2O class took part on a XC skiing trip at Camp Fortune. When we first arrived, we were off to a slippery start as the trails were quite icy. After we had escalated through the course, we approached pre made tracks into the trail. This was very good because it allowed skiers to stay in control and in their lane. After travelling quite a distance, we faced a difficult task; going uphill.

That was the most physically demanding and exerting task on the trip. After the exhausting challenge of surmounting the hill, the fun part came along; downhill. This was very difficult because many other skiers were passing and crossing through us on that hill. Everyone went down, one by one, and I was last to go. After, I made an error that could be fatal; I had not waited for the student ahead of me to finish his run. With all luck out of place, the person had fallen in front of me and I had to dodge them. After that encounter, I had a moment of grief and thought about what could have happened if I had not been able to dodge the student in time.

After pondering around, we had arrived for a well-earned lunch at the cabin. I ate a hot lunch over top of the stove which was rejuvenating and refreshing after our journey. Finally, after eating our lunch and sitting outside without our jackets (which was quite refreshing), we had begun our journey to the climax a spirally down-hill, which was quite rewarding after our journey pushing uphill.