Thursday, May 24, 2012

PAD2O Frontenac Hiking Trip

The grade 10 students headed to Frontenac Provincial Park for their 3-day hiking trip on May 1st. The forecast looked promising, although recent rains and warm tempuratures would surely awaken the blackfly.

We started our trip from the Arab Lake parking lot with all of our gear on our back. As we headed North to Birch Lake, the students got to feel the weight of a full pack as they travelled over rough terrain. A little different then the hour hikes we did during class time. That said, the group adjusted really well and moved quite efficiently. On this first day, we travelled along Birch Lake to Tett Mines, location of an old Mica mine that still has an old steam boiler from the 1920's. It was here that we felt the first of the blackfly swarms.

Our first campsite was located on Little Clear Lake, a beautiful spot with just enough wind to ensure the bugs were not too bad. Here the students build fires (tried anyways), set up their tents and prepared their dinners. The evening was cool and perfect for a great night sleep. The following day we headed around the top of Big Salmon Lake, where we had a wonderful lunch in the hot sun at the top of the lookout. There were even a few students that took a swim here. The afternoon was a quick trip around the lake to campsite 4 on Big Salmon Lake.

The bugs were a non issue at this campsite as there was a nice breeze and the temperatures droppped enough to keep the blackflys in their hiding spots. The students learned how to properly make a fire and their fires were roaring on this night. Unfortunately, a very large thunderstorm ended the outside activities around 8 pm. Although, I believe that many welcomed the opportunity to head to bed early.

In the morning, the weather had settled and we were able to make our way wuite quickly back to the trailhead and the bus. All in all, the students were great, the weather was good, the bugs not too bad, just a wonderful trip.

20 comments:

Mr.Brouwer said...

I was a little worried about going on this trip at first because just 4 days after the hiking trip I would be going on another trip out to Paris for 8 days, so missing 11 days of school is a little much and that I’d have a lot of work to catch up on. I also don’t have much experience about hiking but knowing that I love the outdoors and everything made this a better thought. My friend sammi had gone on this trip last semester so she lent me the hiking shoes she used, I walked to school with them on and I had already gotten a blister on each foot. I decided I wasn’t going to use them and I switched to my gym shoes. The first day was hardest for me and probably all of us. 1 because I kind of didn’t expect us to be hiking for 4 hours, 2 because the people navigating were way far ahead everybody else and everyone at the back were struggling a lot. They should have gone slower so everyone could keep up. They did take breaks every ten minutes but as soon as the people at the back caught up, they wanted to keep going so the people struggling didn’t get a break. This is why it was a hard first day for me.

Seeing the first camp site was very nice and relieving knowing that we get to relax for the night. The first thing our group did was start a fire, the people that we shared a platform with started the fire and my group had unpacked and set up the tent so I didn’t get to do anything with the fire that night especially since our menu plan had wraps planned for dinner. When we wanted a drink when our water went out we had to get some water from the lake but if we didn’t do anything to it someone might have gotten the beaver fever. No one wants to get the runs! You had to fill our water bottle with lake water, mix 5 drops of chemical A and 5 drops of chemical B in a cap then put it into our bottles for 10 to 15 minutes. That night we hung a bag up filled with our food and smelly things so that a bear wouldn’t be attracted to our tents and or they wouldn’t be able to get a hold of it.

On the second day my hiking experience was much better, now that I was expecting to hike for much longer plus the new navigator (Waqqas) went much slower so the whole group could keep up. During the trip we stopped and looked out at a beautiful view, sat on a cliff and ate a little snack. When we got to the next camp site we shared the platform with the same people but this time we helped out with the fire after Mr. brouwer gave the class a talk about how to make a fire. Jenny and I went to collect lots of fire wood and helped out the other group with the fire right after they gave up on it. We started to hear thunder but thought nothing of it so we just continued what we were doing in the tent it soon started to rain and we scrambled to get our food up in the tree and clean everything up. We didn’t get wet except for the usual dampness.

On the last day my pack was a little too heavy for me, but some girls were very nice and took a few things from Jenny, Janic and I made our day even better. Everybody was walking together up until the parking lot. I probably won’t hike again, only because it’s not my strong suit but I did enjoy it and is now an experience.

By Miranda Lindsay

Mr.Brouwer said...

Part 1

When I first heard about this trip I was not really excited in the first place because I was going to miss 3 days of school and I was not going to be happy when I had to catch up when I return from the trip. Also I have zero experience with hiking especially with a 40 pound bag on my back although I did buy new hiking shoes so I felt confident that my feet were not going to suffer this trip. The first day was the hardest day because it was the first time I was really doing hiking and also because the people navigating were 1km ahead of everybody else and everybody at the back were struggling. A girl I know actually stopped breathing for a second because she was pushing her body too much. When I think back on it the lead group should have gone at a steady pace that everybody could keep up with. We were taking breaks every ten minutes to let the people at the back catch up and by the time they caught up all the people at the front wanted to do was to keep going not realizing that the back people really needed that ten minute break would only get like two minutes before we had to go again. So it was a very slow start for everybody on the first day especially me because I was the people at the back trying to catch up. Also on the first day I discovered that my hiking shoes were loose and it caused my feet to get irritated. I learned to put on an extra pair of socks on to make my feet more snug which greatly reduced the irritation on my feet and saved me from getting a blister.

At the first camp, which was like seeing the gates of heaven because we were hiking for 4 hours we realized that we couldn’t just take water out of the river and drink it. Every time we wanted to drink so water we had put 5 drops of A and 5 drops of B mix them together until it turns yellow then put it in the water bottle and wait ten minutes for it to work. That was very frustrating but my group never got the Beaver Fever ( AKA the runs not to be mistaking with Bieber fever) so I guess it was worth it. We also realized that we just plain suck at starting a fire and we had to well I had ask Mr. Brower to help us. He told us to use birch bark as a starter and to use dead pine tree branches as stabilizers. Let me tell you when we tried starting that fire it litterly blew up in flames and Travis said that he will never second think Mr.Brower’s advice and neither will I, well I never did at the beginning. We also asked Mr.Brower for assistance on our bear hang which we were using my bag which I also did not agree too ( I am talking about you Thomas, Jordan, and Travis) and we were able to get the bear sling up in minutes.

By Christian

Mr.Brouwer said...

Part 2

On the second day the hike was much easier and it was more enjoyable ( thanks Waqqas you saved us a trip to the hospital you should get a medal). We stopped at one point in our hike to go see the view point which took my breath away and it made all the tiring things about the trip just fade away and we had our lunch to just bask in the alluring natural canvas that we were able to witness( yes I got those words from a thesaurus). When we got to the 2nd camp site Travis rushed in to get the best spot and we already set up our tent in like 15 minutes and we were already gathering all the fire wood we needed. Mr. Brower gave a the class a talk about what to look for in making a fire and it was really helpful, but what was not helpful was seeing his large wood pile that could probably heat up a house that we could never hope to dream on getting a bigger pile then him. After that our group decided to set up our rain tarps and bear slings because we knew it was going to rain soon because of all the thunder we were hearing. Unfortunately my bag was yet again chosen for the bear sling but I didn’t mind that time because I already was satisfied when I saw a chipmunk in Jordan’s bag ( hahaha I called him Alvin). We were done just in time, it started rain and all my group had to do was just get in the tent and watch everybody scramble to get their rain tarps and and bear slings up. P.S Travis brought an extra rain tarp so we actually had two rain tarps on our tent so we were not worried at all about getting wet so I learned to try and bring an extra tarp whenever possible because it could come very in handy.

On the last day I was given the task of navigating and I think every body was a little nervous about that I however was more nervous then a guy getting married. I kept my composure though and I guided us to the parking lot. We stayed as a group the whole time and every ten minutes I would look back to see if anybody was falling behind. I learned about how to determine where we were and how far we were to places. I have to admit though that it was an awesome trip and I would totally do it again. ( for a day though) Also I have to say the out houses were awesome they were the cleanest I have ever seen and let me tell you that is a statement. I learned a lot from the trip and I hope to use it in the future.

By Christian

Mr.Brouwer said...

I had a lot of fun on the trip and would definitely do it again. When we went on this trip I had zero experience tent camping, and found it almost scary that there wouldn't be a trailer to slip into if the nights go too rough, or a car to take to town if we forgot to pack something. I had also never been hiking with a pack on. This would be fun. The first day I navigated, and assumed that we where at the spot we had mapped out on the maps in class. Wrong! We started farther down the map and it took me a few minutes to reorient myself. By that time I had the group walking in a circle (literally) and most of them doubting that I even knew which way to hold the map. Once I knew where I was going it was easy to navigate. I couldn't keep up with the lead person (cough cough, Katie) so I would just end up yelling out to her where to turn. That was probably my first mistake, not taking leadership of the group and letting the faster people excel and the ones at the back struggle to keep up. Looking back now I see how unfair it was because, sure I was getting us there, but we would take breaks and then the people who didn't need it as much would be driven mad by the bugs and the people who did need it the most would get a quick five minutes. Not an ideal system to keep up the good spirits. Also, at the beginning we would take breaks every ten minutes of hiking then rest another ten, so it made out a slow morning.

At the first camp site we got there and realized that most of us in the group were useless at starting fires, it was the suffering day. We could successfully pitch a tent though and avoid Beaver Fever! Then it came to doing the bear hang. It was already dark at that time and we think that some how or another a rather large house hippo had crawled into the food bag to camp out. Lifting it, even with three people, was a fiasco and got most of us cursing at that darn bag, and resulted in us taking out the things we though would attract a bear the least, and I would have pitied the bear that might have taken it down that night. After forty-five minutes of this the bears should have been more afraid of us than a crocosaurus (crocodile and dinosaur mix) on steroids, with a gun.
The second day we got to the campsite with time to spare (Bravo Waqqas!) and set up camp.
Now the day before we lent our stove to the guys, and that morning because they where taking too long we just grabbed it and packed it up. There was still bacon grease on it. Bacon grease it highly flammable and, WARNING: will take up the flame on your stove, even when you run out of fuel, and proceed to set the wooden picnic table on fire. We learned from the night before and set up our bear hang in the daylight, it was up in less than five minutes and successfully saved the bears from us. After the bag was hanging we decided that we might want to try our hand in hanging tarps. We tried many ways but in the end the rain beat us to it. We dove in our tent, giving up on the trap, and avoided the rain for the night.

The last day I think that we were all a little tired and just anxious to get home. I had so much fun, and I would definitly do it again, but maybe when the water is a bit warmer so we can go in and wash some of the smell off. I didn't like the outhouse much, but it was a nice luxury when needed. our food was good and the group bonding was also great!

By Mallory

Lauren Firkins said...

The hiking trip is one of the highlights of my grade 10 year. It was a great way to connect with people in the class and it was just overall a great time. We learned to trust everyone in the class and I learned something new about everyone. I will always have a bond with these people with the memoires we made. Also so many people didn’t think a city girl like myself would survive in the woods, therefore I had a great time proving them they were wrong.
The first day people were just getting used to hiking with the amount of weight they had to carry, and we had a few problems. I was so happy I had proper hiking boots because my feet stayed dry the whole time, unlike other. As a small class we didn’t really work well together the first day because we were all going at different speeds. I feel bad for not slowing down and waiting for everyone. I enjoyed the first hike but didn’t like the breaks we took because the black flies would attack when we did stop. By the middle of the hike all I wanted to do was get to the campsite and setup.
We shared the platform with Tonisha, Hannah and Megan. It worked perfect because we helped each other out. We did the dishes after supper and they did them after breakfast. It’s funny because we didn’t know the time we had supper at 4:30, but no one really cared because we were super hungry. I did not know how to start a fire so I just got the fire wood. It was hard to find dry wood so we found some good firewood following David in the forest. I can truthfully say the hardest part of the night was lifting the bag on the bear hang. It took Katie Mal and me about 45 minutes to lift it because it all of Hannah’s stuff in it. We ended up having to take stuff out and I now know there should just be food that’s in that bag, therefore we can actually lift it.
Our group woke up at 5:30 in the morning which gave us enough time to eat, relax and pack. We were ready for 9 but not everyone else was. It was a little annoying having to wait for everyone and when we did ask to help they said they didn’t need it. Half way through the hike we all started to walk as a group which made the hike more enjoyable for everyone. This day went more smoothly than the first. We even worked better at the campsite. I think the best part of the trip was when we all hung out by the fire, while eating the dinner we made over the fire we finally learned how to make. I just we put up the second tap sooner because it started to pour and we hadn’t tied it up yet, therefore we left it on the group. That did nothing and it was a little annoying to carry the next day when it was all wet and muddy.
The last day we still had some issues with people not ready on time again. We walked as a group again which was nice and we moved fast. When we finished I got on the bus I was sad to go but was so tired I didn’t want to move. The only thing I would change on this whole trip was I would not want to keep the water filtration system again because it was a pain. I’d ask everyone if they needed it and they said they were fine, then I would put it in my bag and they would tell me they needed it. It seemed that every time I would put it away someone needed it. That would be the only thing I would change, but other than that the trip was a great time.

HannahW said...

The Frontenac Hiking trip was definitely a positive experience for me, even if it felt hard at some points.
The hardest day was definitely the first one, my muscles weren't adjusted to the weight of my pack, and my mind and body weren't prepared for the long hours ahead. We alsohad a very unsteady pace all day, causing us to take brakes more frequently and arrive at our destination later. But when we finally reached the first campsite and started building a fire and preparing dinner, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

The second day felt WAY easier, my mind and body were more prepared for the idea of walking all day with a pack on my back. The rest stops we made were well timed and they provided the opportunity to see some really beautiful sights.

We went to bed really early both nights because of all the physical activity, and in response, we woke up super early. But aside from totally messing up my sleep schedule when I got home, rising early on the trip was a really good thing because it helped us get on the trail earlier which meant we had more time to relax when we got to our destination.

All in all, there wasn't very much that I regreted from the trip, although next time I would definitely try to have a steady pace on the first day as well as the second and third. The one other thing I regret is that the second night we had mac and cheese for supper, but we didn't have milk, so the cheese sauce ended up not being well mixed.

HannahW said...

The Frontenac Hiking trip was definitely a positive experience for me, even if it felt hard at some points.
The hardest day was definitely the first one, my muscles weren't adjusted to the weight of my pack, and my mind and body weren't prepared for the long hours ahead. We alsohad a very unsteady pace all day, causing us to take brakes more frequently and arrive at our destination later. But when we finally reached the first campsite and started building a fire and preparing dinner, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

The second day felt WAY easier, my mind and body were more prepared for the idea of walking all day with a pack on my back. The rest stops we made were well timed and they provided the opportunity to see some really beautiful sights.

We went to bed really early both nights because of all the physical activity, and in response, we woke up super early. But aside from totally messing up my sleep schedule when I got home, rising early on the trip was a really good thing because it helped us get on the trail earlier which meant we had more time to relax when we got to our destination.

All in all, there wasn't very much that I regreted from the trip, although next time I would definitely try to have a steady pace on the first day as well as the second and third. The one other thing I regret is that the second night we had mac and cheese for supper, but we didn't have milk, so the cheese sauce ended up not being well mixed.

Anonymous said...

This trip was nothing like I thought it would be. There were a lot of things I learned and also a lot of things that without this course I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to experience. It was a lot better than I thought it would be and I am really glad I went. The trip defiantly had it’s up and down moments but overall I had a good time and I would go again.

The packs were not as bad as I thought they would be. Yes, my back and shoulders were uncomfortable and hurting a bit at times but as we got into the zone of hiking I got use to it. It was pretty heavy but I figured out some tricks that helped take all of the pressure off of my shoulders. The second day I realized that if I arched my back then all of the weight was completely on my hips and off everywhere else. Doing this really helped at some points during the hikes like the breaks or any time I needed a break.

The main thing I learned on this trip about hiking was communication. The first day, we didn’t have any communication and it was BRUTAL. We had all of the faster people in front and the slower people in the back and it just did not work out well because we would have to take a lot of breaks to try and keep everyone together. I was one of the people in the middle with Meagan and most of the time we couldn’t see the people behind us or in front of us so we had to try to follow any noise of the group in front or any directional signs we saw. This was VERY frustrating and I think we all learned that if we speak up, stay together, be positive, and encourage each other, the hike will be a lot more enjoyable like the second and third day hike.

I have made many fires before at my trailer but we have many things to help us like very dry bought wood, lighters, paper, cardboard and things like gas to pour on it if we are having trouble starting it. Since I had all that “experience making fires”, I thought I could easily make a fire out there. It was a lot harder than I thought and frustrating at some points because every time I thought we had it going, we would run out of wood to burn. Once we were taught some techniques on how to start them and keep them going then it was a lot easier. Next time since I now know how to start a good fire, I will defiantly use my new skills.

When I got back from this trip I realized that I didn’t use probably about 3/4’s of the stuff I packed. I am glad I over packed than under packed but I defiantly realized the reality of camping. Cloths were the main thing I over packed on. I packed enough for each day and I couple extra warm things for the night time. The reality was that even though it sounds gross because of how sweaty and gross the hikes were, I only changed once. I thought I would have wanted to change right after each hike but we had other things to do like set up the tent, make our food, gather fire wood and start the fire. Whenever we had extra time that I could have changed, I just wanted to relax. During the nights, I used my extra cloths as a pillow.


I have been “camping” since I was born every summer at my family’s trailer along the St Lawrence but it was nothing like this. The camping I do every summer is very luxurious compared to what we did. I have learned so many things and I am so glad I got to experience this. Thank you Mr. Brouwer!

Anonymous said...

We went on a hiking trip to Frontenac Park for three days. On this trip we were to hike from campsite to campsite, cook our meals and set up and tear down camp. Overall this was a good experience.

I learned many valuable lessons for camping. One thing I had never done before was the use of a bear hang. We learned how to set one up. Another thing I learned was the importance of spreading the weight equally throughout your group so that you don’t have some people carrying heavier bags then others. One should keep everything organized and packed up in your bag in case it rains; it sucks when you have to organize stuff in the rain. We also learned different styles of fire and the names of fire wood. This helped a lot because it helped us start a fire faster and easier. What we learned will help us a lot next year so you don’t have one or two people in a group knowing all that you will need.

During this trip there was a lot to like and dislike. What I liked was being away from the city because there were no cars around and you couldn’t be lazy and turn on video games or a TV. Another thing I enjoyed was always being outside. I enjoyed this because there were no ways of getting food or fresh water by doing something simple. Another thing I enjoyed was being able to go swimming this early in the spring. Although the water was really cold it was still enjoyable. Another thing I always enjoy is being beside a fire. It just gives you the feeling that you can kick back and relax now that the day is done. There was a lot more to like then dislike on this hiking trip.

What I enjoyed the least was how long the hikes felt. The hikes felt like you were hiking for hours. Another thing that I did not like was how bad the black flies were. It was hard to keep them away even with bug spray on. The only time they wouldn’t bother you was after you went swimming, or when you were sitting beside the fire. Another thing I did not enjoy was the rain on the second day because we did not have all of our equipment organized and we did not have our bear hang done. Another dislike was how heavy the pack was while hiking. The other thing I enjoyed and didn’t enjoy at the same time was how cold the water was. I did not enjoy it because I was thinking it was going to be warmer then it was. Another thing I didn’t enjoy had to sleep on the ground. Although I had a mattress it was still uncomfortable because the ground was uneven and the ground gave off cold air. Although these things were not enjoyable I was still able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

After being on the trip I would do many things differently. One thing I would do differently is bring more bug spray because I almost ran out. Another thing I would do differently is bring more food because the quantities were very low. Another thing I would do is equally distribute the weight of the supply because in my group there were two people with heavy bags. Also I would use a bigger bag because I could not distribute the weight properly throughout my bag. This will all help next year.

Although there were things that I did not like on this trip I would do this again. But hopefully, when I do it again, the water will be warmer then it was this time.

Anonymous said...

Part 1

For the hiking trip, I remember the bus ride was really tiring because I had to wake up earlier to be able to get to school and pack my stuff. I remember when we first got on the bus everyone else was pretty much in the same sort of condition, and a lot of people just kind of lightly talked, no one really was super talkative at the start of the ride. As we got close to our drop off though everyone got really excited. I originally thought our first stop was the park so I was all ready to go and then I realized we were just picking up our passes to be able to enter the park. But after that I was too awake to lie around, so I just sat there waiting until we reached the drop off.

I remember first getting off the bus there were kids from another school who looked kind of dirty but had a huge smile when they saw that the bus was here, I knew we would be feeling the same way after. Once we started hiking I found it fun for the first few hours, we were moving fairly close at the beginning having a good time and just talking, but as we got further into the first day I think everyone started to realize that actual hardship it was to carry our heavy packs for hours on end. The first day really killed me because I thought I was prepared, but I wasn’t fully prepared. I did alright, but it was just a lot harder then I expected. During the middle of the first day I started to notice a large separation between the groups, with some of the slower people far in the back losing sight of the people in the middle (me) and the people in the front. Some people got upset over this ordeal, but it didn’t really bother me. Some of the people in the front are just naturally born fast walkers, and just beasts for a matter of fact and that’s just how they walk. It's not like they didn’t stop and wait for us when we needed a breath, but I do believe the communication could have been better. The first day was the hardest for me as like I said I think we were not really prepared for the hardship. For the last stretch to the camp I hiked with Katie in the front and it was kind of like when I walked with her I walked faster, I guess that’s the way that I am. If I'm walking with someone fast I can keep pace, and if I'm walking slow I can keep pace. But once me and Katie reached the campsite, even Katie being the beast she is I could tell she was pretty happy that we were done the first day and we could start unpacking.

Anonymous said...

Part 2

The second day was a lot better then the first day, where the communication was a tad bit lacking. Me and Waqqas did the navigating and we tried our best to make sure the group was close together and no one went too far ahead. We tried our best to keep a solid pace so that we weren’t lacking on time either, and I believe we did a good job making it in a good amount of time. Along the way there we stopped at a beautiful rock to have our lunch, where the scene was just fantastic. Everyone had a awesome lunch I think and it got us rejuvenated for the second half of the trek to the campsite where we had a quick setup and a bit of a debriefing by Brouwer on wood types and how each one helps the fire. After that we pretty much just hung out, and I took a long nice nap after a beautiful hike, and it was nice and sunny the whole time. The second day really made the camping trip so amazing, I loved it and I think I will remember it as one of the highlights of my high school years.

The third day was probably the second easiest day next to the second day, because it wasnt as long of a hike but I think the bugs definitely got to me because I was just so annoyed by them, im happy though that we were on the way out after the bugs really started swarming instead of us being in the middle of all that. But I think for some reason my feet got so used to the uneven terrain that when I started to walk on the gravel road my feet actually HURT MORE. Haha oh well though I still had an amazing time and learnt some valuable things during this trip.

I definitely felt victorious after I sprinted to the bus with my energy left, and sitting on that foam chair really made me just fall almost instantly to sleep. Even though I was completely worn out, I enjoyed the trip and had a blast. Thanks Brouwer for bringing us to such a beautiful place! :)

Peter Bill

Anonymous said...

Hiking trip reflection

During the Hiking trip I learned a few useful things that I can use later on in life. Some major things that I learned were, how to pitch a tent, how to pack a backpack to make sure it isn't going to hurt my back, and to persevere. Also to deal with people that are not easy for you to deal with. No matter what you do in life, you can use any of these things to help you.

First, a very important thing that I learned to do was to deal with different peoples personalities, or some people that aren't the same kind of thinker as I am. There were some people that came on the trip that I wouldn't consider my friends, and I found that it was difficult at times to stay concentrated at some points. Learning to deal with different types of people is one of the most important lessons to learn because it will happen all throughout your life in jobs and sometimes even children.

Before we left, we had learned how to pack a backpack the right way, so there wasn't too much weight on the bottom or top of your back. There shouldn't be any pain anywhere on your body except maybe a little bit of soreness. We learned that all the light, but bulky stuff should be at the bottom of your pack, followed by the heavy stuff, but it need to be right against your shoulder blades to avoid the least tension as possible. Everyone should know how to pack a bag because if they go out for long hikes, they wont want their back to hurt.

When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, something that could save, or ruin, your life is to learn how to pitch a tent. Some people are just not able to do it, but while on the trip, I learned how to pitch a basic 3 man tent. First I needed to find the polls, find where the polls go into the tent, and how the tent is oriented. It would be pointless to try to put the roof on the ground, or the bottom facing the sky.

The final, and I think most important thing that I could have ever learned, was to persevere when times get hard. The first day felt never ending and I felt like I couldn't make it to the first campsite because my pack felt like it kept getting heavier throughout the day. If you were able to persevere through the first day, you would find out that the next 2 days it got easier both days. Perseverance is something that you can use all throughout your life because if you have to work hard to be successful in life.

In conclusion, I think the hiking trip taught me a lot of good little skills that are useful to everyone in their life, and I would definitely return to do the same trip. Everyone should go on a trip like that and have to be put in situations out of their comfort zone. While on the trip, you learn different skills because you are put in different situations with people, and you have no choice but to work with them to find the answer.

Unknown said...

Well, where to begin? For the first camping trip that I have ever had that involved hiking to all of the campsites with a large bag on my back with a group of people was defiantly one of the best experiences that I have ever had!
The day we left started out with us arriving at school at 8 in the morning to pack all of the rest of our supplies. I was pretty much packed and I realised that my bag was still a little light. It held all of the essentials that I would need along with the group equipment. I decided to offer to carry most of the tent and I still had room. I packed the tent close to my back, so that the weight would not make me walk awkwardly forward with a hunch. I was very happy with that choice because I felt no back pain throughout the rest of the trip. After asking Mr. Brouwer if I could carry anything else, he offered me the medical kit for the students. I will be honest and say that I am not very familiar with all of the products inside the medical kit. I am also not really one to bandage wounds, as my outlook on injuries is to just "push through it". Well I have to say that I was very grateful to have it on me, since we did have a few injuries over the course of the camping trip, and I don't think that too many people would be willing to touch other's feet.
After making a cozy home building the tent, we all decided to make a fire for staying warm, keeping the bugs away and cooking dinner. The only problem was we could not make one. The matches were weird because they were waterproof, so we couldn't swipe them on the rocks or table as it had a plastic coating. So with the lighter we lit the match, which we all had a good laugh about the irony. The wood was wet and awful to use, so we learned very quickly that we would have to have no fire for that night and just boil the water. I have learned from then, that the log cabin method is really the best way to go, but Mr. Brouwer and the character he is decided to wait until the next night to tell us how to properly make one, but thank you for telling us sir, that was much appreciated.
Then, only hours later did we need to hang the bag up into the tree to bear proof it. I have two words: EPIC and FAIL. I have to say that there was a lot of anger flooding out of me as the bag could be compared to the weight of a baby rhinosaurus. We decided to empty out the least bear attractant objects to lighten the load. After 45 minutes we finally got it raised. I learned that clothes need to be emptied and the things that bears don't really eat need to be taken out. I also learned that doing it in the dark was not very much fun, so for next time, I will avoid doing it in the dark.
Another great accomplishment during the trip was cutting fruit with a pocket knife. I have to say when my brother lent it to me, I was not really sure if I was going to use it, but I did! I cut apples and giant oranges. I have to say that was also one of the best ideas I had since my hands were not as sticky from the orange juice and peels. Although it was certainly not an attractive sight, I was enjoying those oranges a lot more than what I would have expected.

Unknown said...

Here is a quick lesson: bacon grease is extremely flammable. If you proceed to cook without washing the bacon grease off of the pot, IT WILL CATCH ON FIRE. Even if you have no fuel, your table will go up in flames. I learned that you need to wash the dishes even when others have used the pot to cook their own food, as sometimes they will not wash their dishes that they have used. It is quite frustrating when you are not told this when you go to cook your next your meal.
When it rains, I highly recommend you place the fire wood under a dry place where the rain will not reach the wood so for the next morning you have dry wood to keep warm and to cook.
I also think that the healthier the food the better the trip will be. I figured that the healthier and more filling foods would sit better, and have the energy to continue to walk at a good pace that’s fast yet comfortable. I learned that bringing foods that are in almost all of the food groups is great. It provides a lot of energy, if you have bread and high protein foods. I packed tuna for my first lunch in a wrap which made it small and easy to pack. I packed extras in case I got hungry. I was grateful that I did that because as the day went on with our hiking I got hungrier and hungrier, I could snack along the way. I also loved the idea of bringing chocolate and peanut butter since by the end of the trip almost anything looks and tastes delicious.
The second time that we had to bear proof the bag filled with food, it went by smoothly as we yanked it up the tree. The difference was that we had a lighter load and we did it when there was still light. There was only a little bit of rain as we were raising it up which was better than the pouring rain. Try to avoid having to raise your bag up into the tree in the rain.
By the last day, I was feeling the effects of exhaustion, but I figured that my motivation was the chocolate that Lauren packed with a tub of peanut butter. I learned that by the last day, everything looks delicious to eat, and when we arrived on the bus, we were dunking carrots, fingers as well as chocolate into the tub of peanut butter. It was the most delicious meal I have ever eaten in my life.
Thank you very much sir, for this wonderful experience :)
Katie

Janic said...

Hiking Trip Reflection
PAD20
By Janic Barrington
Our class practiced hiking with packs for a few weeks before the 3 days hiking trip. We did this by filling up our packs with various heavy materials and hiking in the forests around the school. If I would have known better I would have put heavier items in my back pack. My pack on the trip was much heavier than I anticipated and it made hiking much more difficult then I intended. If I would have practice with such a heavy pack it would have made things much easier because of muscle memory. We also practiced building our tents within our groups to ensure we would know what we were doing. We got prepared by planning our food menu ahead of time. Our hiking trip was from Tuesday May 1st through Thursday May 3rd. We had to bring in all of our personal equipment on Monday and have everything packed and ready to go by Tuesday morning. During class on Monday, we went grocery shopping but we had to each bring a lunch from home for Tuesday on the 3 hours bus ride to Frontenac Provincial Park. Miranda and Jenny were in my group and we decided to meet at school at 7:30 am on Tuesday before the trip, to ensure everything was packed properly and everything was ready to go. On this trip I learned a lot about myself. I learned things such as when things get really tough and you think you can’t go on any longer, if you just push yourself you can actually accomplish anything you want. There were a few moments, especially in the first day, when I though I could no longer go on. My legs hurt too much or my pack was hurting my shoulders and I could not finish hiking up the mountain but in the end I pushed myself and I persevered. What doesn’t kill you truly makes you stronger. I also learned about the beaver fever, I had never heard about that before! The first day was by far the worst because I didn’t realize how hard hiking with a big pack was and I had the heaviest pack in my group. From that day forward we rotated who had the heaviest pack. But once we got to our first camp and my group and I set up our tent and got everything organized Jenny, Miranda, and I actually had a great time. We stayed in our tent and played games and then later we gathered around the fire, ate our dinner and talked all night. There were bugs everywhere and it was extremely annoying but they were not biting yet so it was not all bad. My favorite part of the whole camping trip was when we stopped on the second day to have lunch on the rock cliff at the look out over the water. It was so beautiful and it made those long days hiking worth it. I hadn’t eaten all day too, so my lunch was extra satisfying. The second day was my best day for hiking, because I had gotten used to my back pack the day before, and it was by far my favorite day because it went by fast and I actually enjoyed myself. The thing that I enjoyed the least about the trip was the first day of hiking. It was the least enjoyable for me because I was not used to it and I had not expected how hard it was going to be but after the first day everything got better and better. The third day went by fast although it was a lot of hard work. The bus ride home was short due to the fact that I slept the entire way and as soon as I got home I passed out. It’s safe to say that the hiking trip kicked me into shape and although it was a lot of hard work, it was a great experience and I would love to do it again. I never thought I could get through the hiking trip alive, let alone have a great time!

Janic said...

Hiking Trip Reflection
PAD20
By Janic Barrington
Our class practiced hiking with packs for a few weeks before the 3 days hiking trip. We did this by filling up our packs with various heavy materials and hiking in the forests around the school. If I would have known better I would have put heavier items in my back pack. My pack on the trip was much heavier than I anticipated and it made hiking much more difficult then I intended. If I would have practice with such a heavy pack it would have made things much easier because of muscle memory. We also practiced building our tents within our groups to ensure we would know what we were doing. We got prepared by planning our food menu ahead of time. Our hiking trip was from Tuesday May 1st through Thursday May 3rd. We had to bring in all of our personal equipment on Monday and have everything packed and ready to go by Tuesday morning. During class on Monday, we went grocery shopping but we had to each bring a lunch from home for Tuesday on the 3 hours bus ride to Frontenac Provincial Park. Miranda and Jenny were in my group and we decided to meet at school at 7:30 am on Tuesday before the trip, to ensure everything was packed properly and everything was ready to go. On this trip I learned a lot about myself. I learned things such as when things get really tough and you think you can’t go on any longer, if you just push yourself you can actually accomplish anything you want. There were a few moments, especially in the first day, when I though I could no longer go on. My legs hurt too much or my pack was hurting my shoulders and I could not finish hiking up the mountain but in the end I pushed myself and I persevered. What doesn’t kill you truly makes you stronger. I also learned about the beaver fever, I had never heard about that before! The first day was by far the worst because I didn’t realize how hard hiking with a big pack was and I had the heaviest pack in my group. From that day forward we rotated who had the heaviest pack. But once we got to our first camp and my group and I set up our tent and got everything organized Jenny, Miranda, and I actually had a great time. We stayed in our tent and played games and then later we gathered around the fire, ate our dinner and talked all night. There were bugs everywhere and it was extremely annoying but they were not biting yet so it was not all bad. My favorite part of the whole camping trip was when we stopped on the second day to have lunch on the rock cliff at the look out over the water. It was so beautiful and it made those long days hiking worth it. I hadn’t eaten all day too, so my lunch was extra satisfying. The second day was my best day for hiking, because I had gotten used to my back pack the day before, and it was by far my favorite day because it went by fast and I actually enjoyed myself. The thing that I enjoyed the least about the trip was the first day of hiking. It was the least enjoyable for me because I was not used to it and I had not expected how hard it was going to be but after the first day everything got better and better. The third day went by fast although it was a lot of hard work. The bus ride home was short due to the fact that I slept the entire way and as soon as I got home I passed out. It’s safe to say that the hiking trip kicked me into shape and although it was a lot of hard work, it was a great experience and I would love to do it again. I never thought I could get through the hiking trip alive, let alone have a great time!

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

The first day of the hiking trip had to be the hardest as it was overwhelmingly long. I had made the crucial mistake of not bringing a water supply with me and struggled with the first leg of the course. Even worse was to be munching on sunflower seeds to what I would think to be a way to pace myself and my breathing. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It had made the largest impact on me that whole trip by slowing me down, and quenching for water when none was at access and when we were so close to the campsite. That was what drove me to continue on with my thirst. As soon as I walked I noticed wooden structures on the ground, I knew that we had arrived at our camp site. The first thing we would all do is put up our tents and set down our packs to relax a little. What I would've done differently is that I would have begun to treat the water; as I was in desperate need of it. Unfortunately, it was not what I ended up doing. Instead, I started off by building our fire to boil, which was not a good idea because it took a very long time for the water to boil and the ash from the fire would fly up and land in the water. After I had realized this, I had already started to boil the noodles for dinner. After dinner, I was ready to turn in to bed; but I couldn't resist staying up and joining the laughter and fun around the group. Eventually, I was convinced to go take a swim in the freezing lake. After I had jumped in, I regretted even suggesting it to the members in my tent. This resulted in a wet tent in the middle of the night as we entered with soaked feet. After my group had decided to settle in the tent, it began to get very humid due to all of in the tent at the same time.

However, the morning after; we awoke to cold bodies, with the outside of the tent being damp. After we had all awaken, by force or naturally; we went on with our morning and started to make breakfast. Our breakfast was enjoyable, but also time consuming. I regret bringing that much litter, as all my food was packaged. This resulted in a time consuming take down of our camp site, and making us late for our second day’s hike. I was braced for my second day’s hike, through experience from my first. I expected it to either be the same length as the first day, or quite possibly, longer. With a good navigator we arrived at camp site in time for lunch. We had hamburgers for lunch, resulting in drowsiness. I was once again fooled into jumping it to the lake. The water was surprisingly a lot clearer than camp site 9, making it easier to treat water without debris. Dinner was a mix of apples and Nutella, which was surprisingly flavorful. Finally we entered our tent after a slight drizzle. Later on, that “drizzle” escalated into a heavy shower.

The next morning, we woke up to the sight of puddles inside our tent. Unfortunately, we had applied our tarp inside-out; resulting in poor protection against the rain. The final day was short, and we were eager to get home. With the shortest hike coming up, we raced to find the bus heading our direction. Finally, we were on the bus and able to relax and munch on leftover food.

waqqaskhalid said...

when we first started preparing for the hiking trip a month before we went i was very nervous. i had never gone camping in canada and was exciteted to see what it would be like. i am not a very outdoorsy person, but i enjoy camping.

we started of choosing groups, my group was me, Firas, Graham, Peter and David i thought it was avery good group because we were all mostly friends. throughout the trip we all bonded allot. i guess the Experience of sleeping and eating together for three days solidified are freindships.

we bussed to frontenac park early in the morning, it was about a three hour drive. it was a slow but interesting ride. we slept little.

the first days hike started of with Mallory and Katie leading us, they seemed very confident in wht they were doing and got us to the camp. since it was the first day it felt very long and was hard on my shoulders, i was glad when we reached camp. for dinner we had chicken which was delicious. i cooked it. afterwards we went for a swim. the water was the coldest thing i have experienced in my life.

the second day i was given the map i was so nervous. i was scared i would get us lost. but with some miracle and allot of help from Peter i got the whole group there in one piece and in very good time! i truly was very proud of myself. we had burgers that day, they tasted better then usual that night, everything did. sadly it rained at night and majority of are stuff got soaked. the last hike was alright it felt long but wasn't as strenuous, i guess i was used to the backpack. we had to hike awhile on the road to get to the bus and was extremely exhausted, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of a nice hot shower when i got home!overall i enjoyed the hiking trip, i felt it made me a stronger individual both mentally and physically.

Thomas Hubert said...

Before the hiking trip, i was really excited knowing what we were about to do. I have a cottage and spend lots of time outdoors but I'd never gone on a multiple day hike. My expecations were fairly accurate, as we all had a blast, and I now have more experience on what to pack and how I will go througn with any future hiking trips.

During this trip I learned that the most important way to succeed is to make sure that what you packed is really what you need. For instance, we packed a lot of rope and some other items that only took up room, and didn't bring enough food for three days. That was our main and biggest mistake, because by the second day we were hungry the third day when we were on the bus we were all starving. I also learned that it's a good idea to set up your camp earlier rather than later, and to make sure it's done right. And probably most important of all, I learned not to anger Travis when you have to share a tent with him every night.

Our food was our biggest problem, but it was also satisfying, albeit in small sized servings. Our first dinner was chunky soup, which was not a bad idea, except for the wast. For our lunch the next day we had nutella-peanut butter wraps, which was an excellent idea as they tasted great and didn't take up a lot of space. For dinner the second night we boiled up some hot-dogs, mainly because we couldn't find a great to BBQ them on. What I didn't like about this meal was that my group went and bought cheap chicken hot-dogs, which I strongly objected to because in my opinion why should we buy the crappy hot-dogs? Not only is it disgusting what's in chicken hot-dogs but we hardly spent close to our money cap so I don't think Mr. Brouwer would have been mad if we bought all beef hot-dogs. Although I didn't want chicken hotdogs, when it came time to cook them I was so hungry that I didn't care, and they didn't taste half bad. But to prove how hungry my group was, we would boil up some carrots and eat them dipped in nutella, and we thought it tasted GOOD! Although it may have seemed like a big fiasco, spending time with friends and enduring the hikes was an unforgettable experience.

The hiking part of the trip was what bugged me the most. I'm not sure if it was just me but my pack would dig in to my neck and give me cramps throughout the hike. On top of that, the blackflies were somewhat bad, although I've seen MUCH worse, and for the first day my water bottle was in the bottom of my bag. I may not have enjoyed the hiking part of the trip, but the nature was beautiful. We saw many things that you can only see when youre truly in the mountains, like lakes and the lookout, which made for an incredible experience.

From start to the end, hiking in the Frontenac provincial park had new thrills around each and every corner, and hardships every second metre, but we were all able to pull together and work as a group to make it to our campsites and start living off the bare essentials. I don't think that I would ever want to take outdoor ed without having a trip like this, and I would do it again every opportunity that I got.