tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post2562786674894745253..comments2023-05-04T09:56:08.282-05:00Comments on CW Outdoor Ed: PAD20 FRONTENAC HIKING TRIPMr.Brouwerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14851803029313082389noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-11504054600251091492015-01-22T16:31:11.447-05:002015-01-22T16:31:11.447-05:00Preparing for the Hiking trip was fun. I enjoyed i...Preparing for the Hiking trip was fun. I enjoyed it very much as it brought back memories of when I was in girl guides; Food and clothing, all things necessary to live in the great outdoors for a few days. On the bus ride there everyone seemed excited and nervous. All I could think about was how well everyone would get along, and if we would get lost. <br />When we arrived at our destination, we started to walk, but in a loop in the parking lot! Once we got onto the trail, everyone had a lot of energy from all the excitement bottled up inside. After an hour in the deep woods, I started to get exhausted and regretted the decision to have stopped being active when I was younger. As soon as we got to a lake our group had the chance to refill our bottles with Water. When the other group had joined us (since they had taken the wrong way), we realised that there were a few people that were still missing, long story short, they turned out to be ahead of us by a lot. We got to camp and then started preparing Dinner, in which was very good but I did not have enough of an appetite considering I have been snaking the whole way to keep my energy level high. At the end of the day everyone was okay and we slept as soon as we got the chance.<br />Day 2’s hike was a little shorter than the previous day. We got to go to a look out for lunch and got to camp pretty early. We set up our tents and got to chat, go swimming and just chill. When the sky started to reveal its stars, I sat around the campfire with people I felt the most comfortable and connected to. That night was probably the most memorable night I think I’ve had in ages. I got to sing around a campfire with people I thought that I could never be friends with and to my surprise I actually made friends at a new school with new people. I am proud to call them my friends today. Lots of laughs and smiles were shared around this campfire; it almost seemed that the people with whom I was sitting with were warmer than the fire itself!<br />On the last day, the hike was nothing, we got to the parking lot and sat and just laughed as we were proud of one another. This was the most exercise I have gotten in ages, I felt very proud of myself. This trip will stay in my best of memories, and I shall always think of this when I feel down. <br />Yours Sincerely,<br />Samantha MelocheAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00469028414802284229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-43247417704751605172014-12-10T11:21:44.253-05:002014-12-10T11:21:44.253-05:00Day 1 Cullen Wyne
Th...Day 1 Cullen Wyne<br /><br /><br />The weather is hot but nice; I and the group get off the bus and configure our bags. Together, we step off, leaving the parking lot walking up the road we realized almost immediately that we were already going the wrong way. A quick, graceful circle around the R parking lot and soon we find the correct trail. About an hour in I stop to adjust to my bag, thankfully a minor one, as my load seems pretty comfortable. <br /><br />We came across a split in the trail, one way led up a hill and the other led around it. Another group that was faster than ours got to the split before us and went the wrong way, up the hill. Mr. Brouwer went after them to find them and to bring them back and later met us on the lower trail that led around the hill. As we waited, we filled our water bottles and purified the water with my chlorine tablets. The other group met up with us after a while and after a head count found that three were missing; Jesse, Roman, And Sarah. Mr. Brouwer had me call them and I got a hold of Jesse, who gave us a not very useful of explaining where Jesse and Roman were. We told them to stay where they were and we would come to them. We got to the agreed spot and found they weren’t there. Deducing that they had gone to the other site, we continued to hike to campsite #12 where Jarrit and I set up our tent, I ate my soup for dinner. We hung our food out of reach of the bears, and slept.<br /><br />Day 2<br /><br />I woke up around the time Mr. Brouwer had asked us to; and seven felt more like five. Jarrit and I had packed up quickly and efficiently and found ourselves waiting for the others to finish up. Jarret and I pitched in by helping the others strike their tent, and soon all of us were ready for the next leg to the other campsite where we would meet the other group. This sucked, so Jarrit and I thought that the next night we should stay at the farther campsite so we wouldn’t have to hike to the other group so early in the morning. As we hiked, we crossed a field of dry grass and low shrubs. I enjoyed this spot, and it brought back memories for as it was similar to the terrain I had grown up around in British Columbia. About an hour later we arrived at our destination for that day, Campsite #5. I found this campsite to be especially cool because of the many people there, and among them my friends and people I wanted to hang out with on the first night. Campsite 5 was definitely an improvement. It had a better view as well as easier water access, than our first. It was fun hanging out there; at the camp fire near ours I met and spoke with number of different people, and met and made new friends. As it began to get dark, Jarrit and I went to go hang our food, which was easier at this spot because there were a lot more, and better trees to choose from. I ate hotdogs and oatmeal for this night because it was by far the easiest and fastest meals to make Jarrit and I went to bed early as we knew we were going to be hiking again for the third day, to the location the bus would pick us up.<br /><br /><br />Day 3<br /><br />Today was a hard day because everyone was tired and slow but the few including me who had their energy were in the front having to constantly stop and wait or slow down for people in the back. We came across a few other hikers who weren’t on our trip on our way to the location that the bus would meet us at. As we neared the bus stop everyone cheered because we were all so excited to fall asleep on our bus ride home even though the seats weren’t the comfiest thing it felt to be great to be on that bus.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10203951275582674603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-47863943024152797032014-11-18T19:14:58.797-05:002014-11-18T19:14:58.797-05:00Preparing for the Hiking trip was fun. I enjoyed i...Preparing for the Hiking trip was fun. I enjoyed it very much as it brought back memories of when I was in girl guides; Food and clothing, all things necessary to live in the great outdoors for a few days. On the bus ride there everyone seemed excited and nervous. All I could think about was how well everyone would get along, and if we would get lost.<br /> <br />When we arrived at our destination, we started to walk, but in a loop in the parking lot! Once we got onto the trail, everyone had a lot of energy from all the excitement bottled up inside. After an hour in the deep woods, I started to get exhausted and regretted the decision to have stopped being active when I was younger. As soon as we got to a lake our group had the chance to refill our bottles with Water. When the other group had joined us (since they had taken the wrong way), we realised that there were a few people that were still missing, long story short, they turned out to be ahead of us by a lot. We got to camp and then started preparing Dinner, in which was very good but I did not have enough of an appetite considering I have been snaking the whole way to keep my energy level high. At the end of the day everyone was okay and we slept as soon as we got the chance.<br /><br />Day 2’s hike was a little shorter than the previous day. We got to go to a look out for lunch and got to camp pretty early. We set up our tents and got to chat, go swimming and relax. When the sky started to reveal its stars, I sat around the campfire with people I felt the most comfortable and connected to. That night was probably the most memorable night I think I’ve had in ages. I got to sing around a campfire with people I thought that I could never be friends with and to my surprise, I actually made friends at a new school with new people. I am proud to call them my friends today. Lots of laughs and smiles were shared around this campfire; it almost seemed that the people with whom I was sitting with were warmer than the fire itself!<br /><br />On the last day, the hike was nothing, we got to the parking lot and sat and just laughed as we were proud of one another. This was the most exercise I have gotten in ages, I felt very proud of myself. This trip will stay in my best of memories, and I shall always think of this when I feel down.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00469028414802284229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-14309308767192466832014-11-16T13:22:44.672-05:002014-11-16T13:22:44.672-05:00
Overall, these 3 days, I learnt to always stay to...<br />Overall, these 3 days, I learnt to always stay together as one group while hiking through the forest trails, because on the first of the class split up and ended up going the wrong way. So next time we should remember to always stick together even when some people are hiking slower than you! Second of all, I learnt to always participate in helping find where we are on the maps, and help find our destination on the maps. Even if you aren’t really good with using maps, it never hurts to try! I enjoyed bonding with people that I never really talked to before, and learning more about them and making new friends! I also enjoyed the camping part of this trip, for example, when we pitched our tent, made our meals and had campfires! If I had the opportunity to do this again, I obviously would not split up into two different groups, but that’s pretty much it, I had such a great time on the hiking trip and wouldn’t change a thing J I think my cooking group meals were really good because we had pretty healthy food such as stir fry with meat and vegetables, and it was delicious! I’m really happy that on the hiking trip we didn’t end up with rain anytime in the 3 days! I’m happy with our tent because it wasn’t too big so when we slept it wasn’t that cold because the tent warmed up after just a few minutes so it wasn’t that bad! I didn’t mind the hiking part of the trip, I found it pretty fun because we didn’t have any electronics to communicate really with anyone outside of the class, so we really got a chance to talk to different people and have a good time! My pack weighed about 45 lbs at the starting of the trip which wasn’t that bad because near the end it only weighed about 35lbs which wasn’t that bad. My back didn’t get too sore from the pack because the first night at the camping spot, it was a lot of the food that I brought that we used so even the next day it weighed at least 5 lbs less!<br /><br />I’m really happy I got to experience the hiking trip with my fellow outdoor Ed classmates, we bonded so much we all made a lot of new friends, and learnt a lot about hiking and camping!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07597476970779263312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-20216821196546280192014-11-16T13:22:33.678-05:002014-11-16T13:22:33.678-05:00Day 1
The first day, I was really excited about g...Day 1<br /><br />The first day, I was really excited about getting Frontenac Provincial Park to start this adventure. I was pretty nervous at the starting because I really didn’t know how things were going to go like how hard the hike will be, would I get really tired after the first day, and how our camping portion of the trip was going to go. I was really happy when we finally got to the park after the 2 hour long bus ride. The first day of hiking was really tiring but wasn’t a struggle, we did about 4 hours of hiking that day. One of the parts I least liked about that day was when a group of about 10 of us ended up turning the wrong way to get to the camp site, so that added about a half hour to our hike that day but either than that, the first day was a good day!! After the long hike, we set up camp at a beautiful spot with a nice view of the lake. My tent group had a little bit of trouble with pitching up our tent because it was really confusing but we eventually managed. We went to go find some dry wood for our fire later that night, after that we started cooking our diner. We had stir fry with rice and steak that night, it was so good! A few people and I went swimming in the lake, it was so refreshing after a long day, but it was really cold. After that when it started getting dark out, my cooking group and I decided to hang our food, we found a wire that was there already at the camp site between 2 trees that we hung our food on. At night time, I was surprisingly comfortable with the sleeping pad, I slept pretty well!<br /><br />Day 2<br /><br />On the second day I was really ready to start hiking and get to our next destination! We woke up at about 7am to start packing up our campsite, eat breakfast and get everything together. We left the campsite at about 9am to start and only hiked for about 2 hours. After our hike that day, we ate lunch at a beautiful lookout on the top of a huge hill to look over at the lake. When we finally decided which groups would go to which campsite, we walked to the other campsite, the hike was longer than we imagined but we managed and we were pretty happy when we finally got there because the view was great!! Tgis time when we set up camp we finally knew how to properly set up our tent so it didn’t take as long this timeJ. We didn’t go swimming this time because it was so cold compared to the other lake. It was a really fun time that night because we all sat at the campfire and bonded over so much and made a lot of new friends!<br /><br /> <br /><br />Day 3<br /><br />This was the last day of this wonderful trip which made me sad but I was really excited to get home and take a real showerJ. The 3rd day was the easiest day for hiking, it only took us about an hour and a bit to hike that day to get back to the bus. My pack was a lot lighter than it was on the first day so I was really happy about that! When we finally got back to the bus, everyone suddenly fell asleep out of exhaustion. Those 3 days were really tough for a lot of us!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07597476970779263312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-69005837548303144772014-11-12T22:07:11.214-05:002014-11-12T22:07:11.214-05:00Frontenac Hiking Trip
Aidan Jones
This trip was ...Frontenac Hiking Trip<br />Aidan Jones<br /><br /> This trip was a great experience, not only for myself but for everyone who took part. I had been eagerly awaiting the trip since I had heard about it the first week of school. I love being outdoors, forgetting about the rest of the world and just enjoying yourself. Having all of my friends around for the ride only added to the enjoyment and excitement. Not having ever been hiking before, the weight of the bags and the length of the trails came as a bit of a shock to me. I didn’t realize just how intense the hiking trips could be, but I loved the challenge. It became very clear, very fast that I had overpacked. As my only tent mate, and cooking partner had to skip the trip due to unforeseen circumstances, I had a hard time trying to pack my bag. I overpacked by probably 20-25 pounds, made up of extra food and supplies. It wasn’t easy making my way around those steep trails with that much weight pulling me down, but it only added to the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment when we finally settled in Camp 12.<br /><br />When we reached the first cluster, I was exhausted, hungry, and overall ready for a cool night. Most of the class decided to keep hiking for Camp 9, leaving approximately 10 people at 12. Having so few people made for a peaceful afternoon. We all set up our own tents and made dinner soon after. I made myself some salad and potatoes, and was surprised at the tasty results. After staying up with the group for a couple of hours, we realized we had forgotten to hang the food. Scrambling around in the dark, trying to throw roped rocks at trees isn’t the easiest thing to do. Eventually we managed to tie up all of the extra food and supplies. Then it was time to hit the hay.<br /><br />I awoke the next morning, excited and full of energy, ready for another long day of travel. We had a light bacon and oatmeal breakfast, also preparing some sandwiches for the lunch on the road. We retrieved the supplies from the trees and packed up for the road. Within a few hours we had managed to reach Camp 9 to pick up the rest of the group. We got oriented and found our way, heading off to the next cluster. We stopped part way to eat lunch at a beautiful lake point lookout. Eventually we met a fork in the road, one side leading to Camp 4, the other to Camp 5. Most headed for 5 including myself, whilst the others made their way to 4. The decision on which way to go was decided over a large game of rock paper scissors. After a small 20 minute walk, we found ourselves at the next cluster. We all set up our tents, made our dinner and enjoyed our night by the fire. It was a rough cold night, but we stuck out as we knew tomorrow we head back home!<br /><br />We woke up to a cold misty morning. The lake had pushed the fog all over our camp, making breakfast rather difficult. I have had some back problems for a couple of years and sleeping on the hard ground was starting to have its way with my spine. It created some more difficulty getting back to the parking lot for pickup, yet somehow I forgot all about the pain when we were back on the trails. Once the other group came to retrieve us, we were on our way. It wasn’t long before we were sitting in parking lot, waiting for the second class to come and relieve us of our gear. We swapped out some supplies with the other class and then we were on our way.<br />Overall, I think the trip was a great first hiking experience and I can’t wait to go again.<br /><br />Aidan Jones<br /><br />PS. THE BATHROOMS STINK...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03463582336059076845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-66358914384944927092014-10-23T15:29:37.984-05:002014-10-23T15:29:37.984-05:00Part 2
The second day started out amazing, we ros...Part 2 <br />The second day started out amazing, we rose early, just before 7 and quickly pulled out our stoves to commence breakfast. We boiled eggs, cut up some oranges and had some left overs from other groups. At around 9 am we we’re all packed up as the the group from campsite 12 met up with us. The supervisors had a discussion with the whole class about the importance of staying in a full group and we set off to our second phase of the Frontenac Park hiking trip. <br /><br />This leg of the journey went a million times smoother, the hike was shorter and more refreshing, there were no mix ups and the best of all, we got to see an amazing lookout point where we could see for it seemed like kilometers across Big Salmon Lake. We ate our lunch there and had a VERY heated argument to whom will be the good guy group that would stay alone there with another supervisor group. We decided to draw straws and of course the guy in our group chose the shortest one. As the other groups left we kept ripping on the member of our group for picking the shortest straw. We hiked down from the lookout which took literally 30 seconds and basked at actually how nice this spot was.<br />We gathered tons of firewood then went for a refreshing swim in an even more crystal clear lake. Dinner sort of went to plan that night, the spaghetti sauce we prepared in advance was great but the noodles we cooked there weren’t necessarily up to par. The rest of the night went well and we slept off into the next day.<br /><br />Day three was by far the easiest. My tent group once again woke up early around 7 and started making the pancakes. After our amazing breakfast we packed up and headed off to meet with the campsite 4 group around 45 minutes away. We arrived there, conversed for about 5 minutes then we we’re off to our final destination, the bus. The hike lasted around 1 1/2 hours which was extremely short as to the two days of hiking we did in advance. We finally got to the bus and took that long ride from Kingston all the way back to Ottawa.<br /><br />I definitely learned a lot from this amazing trip and definitely was a fun experience that I would anyday do again. I hope for everyone on the trip had as much fun as me and would feel the need to do it again. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16948184403686162977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-84280238038430968512014-10-23T15:28:02.079-05:002014-10-23T15:28:02.079-05:00Throughout my life as a camper, i’ve never really ...Throughout my life as a camper, i’ve never really been introduced to an extensive hiking trip that ranged over a day. Many of my experiences were canoeing in algonquin park with less than a 100m portage and without a 45 pound pack bearing down on my shoulders and hips for hours at a time. The Frontenac Park hiking trip seemed very exciting to me as I was going to be camping without my parents with experienced friends and not so experienced friends. I was thinking it was going to be a great opportunity to home in my skills and teach others what i’ve learned over the years and maybe even learn something from others along the way.<br /><br />On the first day I arrived at school at 8:00 am sharp with my bag heavily packed hoping other people had room in their packs to lighten my load. After trading certain items in my pack with my group we set off on a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Frontenac Provincial Park. After performing a pre victory lap around the parking lot we set out on our longest day to come. My pack seemed fairly well balanced but maybe I packed the heavier items a little too high in my pack which bared down on my shoulders that cause a little discomfort but not enough to slow me down. <br /><br />Around an hour into the trip around 8 of us as a group got separated from the main pack. At an intersection we reached we thought we we’re around 200-300m ahead so we took a right turn on the trail (which was the wrong way). The main group slowly followed behind us and stayed on the right trail and headed on up to meet with us along birch lake as Mr.Brouwer caught up to us and made us do the walk of shame to meet up with the main group. Three people in the main group got separated before we reached the meetup point and went along anyways even though we called them to wait for us at a point on the map.<br /><br />What I learned the hard way from this little mix up is to never separate from your main group, it can cause major complications and stress a lot of people out, luckily we found everyone and we we’re all okay. As we passed campsite 12 and headed onto campsite 9 we we’re delighted by an amazing evening swim in a small crystal clear lake. Our meal went as planned and all the other such activities and we dozed away into day two.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16948184403686162977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-45192983100220598572014-10-23T15:27:51.897-05:002014-10-23T15:27:51.897-05:00 Overall this was a pretty fun experience for m... Overall this was a pretty fun experience for me and I had a good time with my peers. I learned some things that I didn’t know before. I also learned that when you have to pack and create your own meals its pretty hard. My parents usually take care of that when we go camping. But if I had the chance I’d do this again. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13295627147255665487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-36856713980656552432014-10-23T15:27:06.376-05:002014-10-23T15:27:06.376-05:00Reflexion
The hiking trip to Frontenac provin...Reflexion<br /> The hiking trip to Frontenac provincial park was a very fun expireince for me. I enjoyed it very much and learned quite a few new things. This was new for me because I have never on a hiking trip like this before. Just a canoe trip and camping with my family. As much fun that I had at the same time it was challenge.<br /> The first day I arrived to school all packed and confident that I had all the right supplies and a solid meal plan. The first thing I did when I got there was give some of the tent pieces to my partners. Then we packed the bus and headed off. I was pretty excited to start this trip but also I was worried that my bag would be too heavy because it weighed 50 lbs. Which it was. When we arrived to the park I was eager to start hiking. We got a little bit of a break then we started the trip. I found immediately that my bag was diging into my hips and shoulders and it would be a long hike. Another thing that added to the challenge was that I had acast on my left hand which I had broken. That day was very hot and it was hard to see the trail from all the fallen leaves. While hiking I noticed that as group we needed to do a better job staying together because we had some faster hikers and slower hikers. Also I saw that we needed to navigate better and be smarter about it. One group of people went off track and one other group went really far ahead without a map. That turned a 2 and a half hour hike into about a 4 hour hike. It was a stressful day especially for mr. brouwer. I was glad to get the longest hike of the trip done with. I slept at campsite 9 and I thought it was very nice. The first thing we did was set up the tent and then went for a swim. After that we ate dinner and had no problems and it tasted great. After dinner we sat around by the fire and used my bag to hang the food and had no troubles with that either. We all slept well considering it wasn’t very cold.<br /> The second day we woke up around 7:30 and made breakfast while we packed up everything we had out. Breakfast was pretty good we had bacon and eggs. We also made our lunches in advanced. We had everything packed really quick and we were ready but the time Mr. brouwer and his group got to our campsite. The supervisors gave everybody a talk about how our navigating was unacceptable and getting lost is not an option. Also they told us to stay together which I completely agree with. Then we started to hike and that day it cooled down so it wasn’t super hot but not cold either. We didn’t have any problems while going on this hike. And once we reached the lookout on the big rock we had lunch. The view was spectacular it was something you don’t see too often. And being at the tip of the rock was pretty scary. My partners and I moved on to campsite 4 so we wouldn’t need to walk that extra kilometer in the morning. When we arrived it was windy and cold. We set up the tent and got some fire wood right away. I started the fire while my partners cooked. It was hard to start the fire because of the wind. But once I got almost everybody came to our fire because nobody else had a good fore going. My partners and I started to eat then got a lot more firewood. Then when it got dark again most of the people were at our fire telling story’s and eating marshmellows which made me feel pretty good and I had a fun time. We didn’t sleep as good that night because it was cold.<br /> The last days morning was hard to get out of bed. We slept in til 8:00 and then the same routine. We packed up, ate, then got ready to hike. Again had no troubles. I was glad to go home but at the same time had a great time doing this. When we started hiking it felt really short. And my pack weighed the least it has the whole trip because I had almost no food. When we reached the fishing lodge I was pretty relieved and felt like I accomplished this trip. We ate lunch at the lodge then we packed up the bus and left. On the bus I was pretty tired and I slept.<br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13295627147255665487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-68410091335188392752014-10-23T14:35:44.238-05:002014-10-23T14:35:44.238-05:00I feel the Frontenac hiking trip was a great exper...I feel the Frontenac hiking trip was a great experience. I have been camping many times before with my family but never quite like this. It was a very different experience going with friends instead of family.<br /><br /> I feel that my group was pretty prepared over all but we made a few mistakes like bringing a tent that was way too big. Our group brought a 10 person tent for 4 people. Although having tons of room in the tent at night was very nice, it was not worth the extra weight. It also took up way too much room in the pack so you had to pawn off a lot of your personal equipment to your group members. Our cooking group also made a big mistake by not having a very well thought out meals. Our meals were good but did not have enough energy to get you through the day in my opinion. The meals were good to serve us for the day.<br /><br /> The first night was pretty nice. We were all in the tent and having a good time telling stories having a good time. The only not so good part of the first night was the sleep, it wasn’t very good at all. The second night was a lot worse than the first night, it was a lot colder we chose the wrong site. There was way too much wind. The one good thing about the site we chose on the second night was that we didn’t have to hike to the campsite in the morning to meet the other group before leaving the park. The night were still the best time of the night despite the few hiccups I had.<br /><br /> I didn’t have the most comfortable pack for the long hike. My pack was old and uncomfortable. The pack didn’t have enough clips on the outside to hang stuff or enough space in the actual pack itself to put all my gear. It was enough to fit all my stuff but it would have been nicer to have a pack that was just a bit bigger. The pack didn’t have enough padding on the hips, shoulder straps and the back. The pack just had basic padding on the back and shoulders and it had no padding on the hip straps. Over all though the pack was fine for the trip I would of just preferred to have a pack that was a bit nicer and newer.<br /><br /> Over all the hiking trip to Frontenac PP was a great experience. On the trip I learned many things one of the best things I learned was that the groups well being comes first not yours. I also learned That you need to work as a group and stay together, don’t let the weaker people stay in the back and struggle, put a stronger individual being them to encourage them and help them out when needed. Lastly I learned never ever split up into 2 groups.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04088801977052370102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-30537336704946842222014-10-18T19:48:07.574-05:002014-10-18T19:48:07.574-05:00The outdoor ed hiking trip to Frontenac PP was a g...The outdoor ed hiking trip to Frontenac PP was a great experience over all. Although I have been camping many times before with my family it is a totally different experience to go with your peers, the trip went fairly smoothly as a whole but had some issues along the way. <br /><br /> On the first day we arrived at the school at 8:00 to do some last minute packing and to put our bags in the bus and we were on the road by 9:00. We arrived in FPP (Frontenac Provincial Park) at 11:30 had lunch, unpacked the bus and were on the trail by 1:00. We were making great time when so good we realised we had lost the rest of the group and had lost half the group and when we thought that everyone was caught up we continued on. One thing I learned is that while hiking if you put your pack down every half hour or so carrying them becomes much easier. Then we separated (by accident) on the trail into about 3 groups the fast, slow and medium there was about 12 of us in the fast group and going fast and not waiting for the rest of the group at intersections we made a wrong turn and got off of the route we were supposed to take. Then Mr Brouwer caught up with us and we realise we had done something very wrong not only had we gone of the trail we had let the middle group of people go ahead. Once we got the rest of the group together we set out to find the three that were ahead of everyone else. We pinpointed their location and arrived there but there was a miscommunication and they had gone ahead and not told anyone about their decision. We learned the importance of staying as a group and making sure we keep the group together. After the hectic first hike everyone decided to relax and enjoy the outdoors, some people went swimming as a refreshing way to cool down on the hot day. Supper went well and our group was packed up and ready to sleep at 9:00 every one with sore or tired everything. <br /><br /> Unlike most people I had an amazing sleep and woke up feeling refreshed at 6 am I packed my personal gear and started making breakfast. In the future I would not eat what we had for breakfast (boiled eggs and fruit). After everyone was packed and the group of 8 that came from campsite 12 we figured out who was responsible for all of the mishaps of the previous day and learned from our mistakes. Hiking on the second day was much better and we stayed as a group relatively well. We had lunch at a lookout at our soon to be campsite after I drew the short straw and lost rock paper scissors and contrary to my group I was very pleased and as it turns out we ended up getting the better site. Things at camp also went smoother, we got lots of wood early enough and mainly found a good tree to hang our food in the daylight. Then we packed up camp and went to sleep.<br /><br /> Another great sleep. On the third day things went much smoother than the previous two spirits were high and the walking went quickly. For the second breakfast we made pancakes and it was a much needed meal to get every ready to pack up and get on the trail. We hiked to camp five a relatively cool site with winds whipping through it and many of the others were chilled. We got on our way quickly and the group move quickly knowing that the finish was just up ahead. When we arrived at the spot where the bus would pick us up everyone just wanted to sit down and rest but we were instructed to remove all the group gear from our pack and get ready for the crucial equipment swap with the other class. <br /><br /> On this trip I learned many things and I think one of the most important being that the main concern is the groups well being not personal well being. This just means you tell everyone what you are going to do and help the ones that are struggling which helps the whole group along. I really enjoyed this trip and am looking forward to my next outdoor adventure with my classmates and I hope it will be just as memorable and fun.<br /><br /><b>Simon Christie</b><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16198041648955361980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-84738445911722336582014-10-15T22:24:51.541-05:002014-10-15T22:24:51.541-05:00In my opinion, I truly enjoyed the trip in Fronten...In my opinion, I truly enjoyed the trip in Frontenac. There were fun moments and hard moments, but overall, it was a wonderful experience for me. My group was very well prepared, we already set up our menu and decided on who will be bringing and carrying what for the trip a few weeks before hand. When we arrived, we quickly swapped bags and I exchanged food and equipment with my food group quickly. During the trip, I got to experience many things, and was fortunate to see a lot of beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the actual hiking with my friends, and despite the long walks, I didn't have much difficulty with the terrain and I kept my body well energized and hydrated with snacks and water throughout the first and second hike to the next campsites However, I did experience difficulty with going up hill, since after a longer period of time moving upwards, I could feel my legs tire as the weight of the hiking bag became more apparent. I was also prone to tripping at the beginning of the trip, this may have been due to me still adjusting to the weight of the hiking bag, although this problem faded over the farther we walked.<br />When it came to the actual camping, my group and I did experience problems. Setting up tent was easy and quick, as our tent was small and didn't require much effort to set up. Our cooking for the most part went smoothly, food was cooked quickly and effectively. However, on the first night, we took awhile to pack our food, due to leaving things once done with it. And thus once it got darker, it made it harder to make sure that all the food was packed properly. This also resulted in problems with hanging our food, since on the first night, we didn't properly evaluate the strength of the tree. So when we tried to hang the food, we realized that the tree couldn't handle the weight and we had to find a different one to use in the darkness of the night. This also proved to be a challenge but luckily we had help from the others so we finished up faster. We learned from this and so after we finished a meal, we would pack the remaining food so that it would be ready to store in the bag for hanging. We also made sure to find a sturdier tree as well as pack the food before the sun went completely out. <br />When it came to leaving a trace, I made sure not to litter anything, especially if it wasn't biodegradable. On a few occasions I did spill some powdered food, but I made quick work of it scooping it up and burying the remains. However, I made one mistake with the cleaning of the dishes. Since I used a towel for cleaning the dishes, I would reuse the same towel in the lake, thus contaminating the water. Luckily, there wasn't any actual material on the dishes, but still after learning from my mistake, I used the boiled water from the pots to clean the dishes. This is a mistake I will do my utmost best in insuring I never repeat it again. I will also remember to double package my food, especially those that are powdered, so as to make sure they don't spill. Thankfully, with the exception of these problem, I don't believe I left any traces on the trip.<br />Overall, I enjoyed the trip, got to experience many different things, and would like to enjoy doing it again in the future.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10851336445840442285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-14182304434393009692014-10-15T22:06:51.345-05:002014-10-15T22:06:51.345-05:00In my opinion, I truly enjoyed the trip in Fronten...In my opinion, I truly enjoyed the trip in Frontenac. There were fun times, as well as hard times, but overall it was truly a wonderful experience. My group was very well prepared, we already set up our menu and decided on who will be bringing and carrying what for the trip a few weeks before hand. When we arrived, we quickly swapped bags and I exchanged food and equipment with my food group quickly. During the trip, I got to experience many things, and was fortunate to see a lot of beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the actual hiking with my friends, and despite the long walks, I didn't have much difficulty with the terrain and I kept my body well energized and hydrated with snacks and water throughout the first and second hike to the next campsites However, I did experience difficulty with going up hill, since after a longer period of time moving upwards, I could feel my legs tire as the weight of the hiking bag became more apparent. I was also prone to tripping at the beginning of the trip, this may have been due to me still adjusting to the weight of the hiking bag, although this problem faded over the farther we walked.<br />When it came to the actual camping, my group and I did experience problems. Setting up tent was easy and quick, as our tent was small and didn't require much effort to set up. Our cooking for the most part went smoothly, food was cooked quickly and effectively. However, on the first night, we took awhile to pack our food, due to leaving things once done with it. And thus once it got darker, it made it harder to make sure that all the food was packed properly. This also resulted in problems with hanging our food, since on the first night, we didn't properly evaluate the strength of the tree. So when we tried to hang the food, we realized that the tree couldn't handle the weight and we had to find a different one to use in the darkness of the night. This also proved to be a challenge but luckily we had help from the others so we finished up faster. We learned from this and so after we finished a meal, we would pack the remaining food so that it would be ready to store in the bag for hanging. We also made sure to find a sturdier tree as well as pack the food before the sun went completely out. <br />When it came to leaving a trace, I made sure not to litter anything, especially if it wasn't biodegradable. On a few occasions I did spill some powdered food, but I made quick work of it scooping it up and burying the remains. However, I made one mistake with the cleaning of the dishes. Since I used a towel for cleaning the dishes, I would reuse the same towel in the lake, thus contaminating the water. Luckily, there wasn't any actual material on the dishes, but still after learning from my mistake, I used the boiled water from the pots to clean the dishes. This is a mistake I will do my utmost best in insuring I never repeat it again. I will also remember to double package my food, especially those that are powdered, so as to make sure they don't spill. Thankfully, with the exception of these problem, I don't believe I left any traces on the trip.<br />Overall, I enjoyed the trip, got to experience many different things, and would like to enjoy doing it again in the future.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10851336445840442285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-79665753071493707032014-10-15T21:03:04.853-05:002014-10-15T21:03:04.853-05:00Part 2
Once the campsites were established we wen...Part 2<br /><br />Once the campsites were established we went with Mr. Brower into the woods and he showed us great techniques and tricks to finding good firewood. We managed to get a ton of firewood and Jessi and I worked as a team to saw it and organize it. When we completed that task, Mr. Brower finally told us we could go swimming. We all rushed into the lake despite the freezing cold water. Swimming on the second day was definitely another one of the highlights of trip. Following the swim, we all just hung out and cooked dinner. We had beef stew. I’m not really a fan of stew but this stew was exceptionally good. After dinner, we all ran back up to the look out to watch the sunset. The sunset was probably my favourite part of the trip. It was such a unique experience. Later in the evening, everyone on the campsite pitched in and we made a sort of “community” dessert. It was apple crumble with Pillsbury biscuits and caramel sauce. It then got dark and so we decided to go hang our food. The process went smoother than it had gone the night before, but Josh decided to hide in a bush and scare us on our way back to campsite. I had never been so scared but in retrospect, it was pretty hilarious and something I’ll always remember. <br /><br />The next morning went by quickly. We packed up and ate some oatmeal for breakfast and then started our hike. It was a fast and quiet hike. Everyone was exhausted. We then continued to the bus. The sight of the bus was bittersweet. As much as I wanted to go home, shower, and sleep in my bed, I was also sad to leave such a beautiful park where I had made so many memories. The bus ride was long and tiring. <br /> <br />My first camping trip was a success. This Outdoor Ed. Trip gave me a new appreciation for this course, the outdoors and of course the people in my class. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience with the amazing weather we had, the beautiful park and also the people. I learned so much about the outdoors but also myself. I’m so privileged to have been given the opportunity to go on this trip. <br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00819272335963497959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-16978398797194239912014-10-15T21:02:00.497-05:002014-10-15T21:02:00.497-05:00Part 1
The Frontenac hiking trip this year was su...Part 1 <br />The Frontenac hiking trip this year was such an amazing trip and yet a surprising experience. I had never been camping before, and I had only hiked a couple of times so to say I was nervous about the trip is an understatement. To my surprise, the trip turned out to be probably the best trip I had ever been on.<br /> <br />We arrived at the parking lot the weather was cloudy and a little cold. It took my cooking group a while to pack our packs and attempt to fit everything in but eventually we managed. For the first kilometre and half of the hike, I personally struggled to adjust my pack. I didn't understand how to adjust the harnesses or where the pack should sit on my body. I would say half way through the hike, I finally figured out how to properly adjust the pack which made the second half of the hike much easier. To make things even better the sun finally came out and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The hike seemed really long the first day. We hiked for about three hours. Although we were tired my cooking group and I decided to continue our hike to campsite 9. That night, we had Thai chicken stir-fry which was really delicious. I would have to say it was my favourite meal of the trip. It was surprisingly a quick and easy dinner even though the clean up afterwards wasn’t as simple. Following dinner, we all decided to go swimming despite the extremely cold temperature of the water. <br /> <br />The second day started a little early at 7:00 am. The weather was once again grey, cloudy and foggy but the temperature was perfect. We ate bacon and eggs with English muffins. Then half of the cooking group prepared our BLT wraps for lunch later in the day and the other half took down the tents and gathered our food. We then proceeded to repack our packs and for some reason my pack seemed even heavier than the day before. The hike was so much easier because it was shorter but also I had properly adjusted my pack. Also as a group we managed to hike at a much faster pace. Our communication within the group continued to improve throughout the day. I also took a turn leading the group with a map during the hike which was also fun. The hike was only about 1.5 hours and we arrived at this amazing lookout. We then rushed down to campsite 5. The weather had also improved it was sunny without a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the low twenties. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00819272335963497959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-30462240165163068852014-10-15T19:34:17.168-05:002014-10-15T19:34:17.168-05:00The last day of the trip for me and my tent mates ...The last day of the trip for me and my tent mates was very straight forward. We were very efficient packing everything up. It was only an hour and a half of hiking this day. For some of us, we just wanted to sprint to the finish line, but we had to stay as a group with some of the classmates who were struggling. For the most of us we were all encouraging everyone to push through it because we were so close! When we did reach the parking lot, I was definitely feeling the exhaustion.<br /><br /> This trip was definitely a great experience for me. After completing the trip, I really want to do it again because now I know exactly what to do with everything I learned. I know now the appropriate quantity of food to pack. How fast and efficient you have to work at your campsite, so that you don’t end up hanging your food in the dark. Also to always stay as a group on the trails. Can’t wait for the next trip.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18429199762432593107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-53829896383863643652014-10-15T19:33:53.708-05:002014-10-15T19:33:53.708-05:00Going into this trip was very exciting for me. I h...Going into this trip was very exciting for me. I had never had any camping or hiking experience, so it was good to get that off my list of things to do. My two group members were pretty familiar with the outdoors. With the planning, though, I was really the one to come up with the ideas for the meals we were going to have. Also to ensure everybody knew what equipment they were going to get for the group. I was really happy with the cooperation and teamwork with my group members, and with how everything went.<br /><br /> Starting off the first day I was the one who ended up with a map in their hands, which was good! I know how to read a map and I like to have a sense of leadership, and thankfully I put us on the right trail going in the right direction… after a lap around the parking lot. Mr. Brouwer had said that after 30-45 minutes you’ll really start to feel the weight of the pack. For me, it was the opposite. The first half an hour of hiking the bag felt a little uncomfortable on my shoulders, but I just had to get used to it. There was also a feeling of shame that is put on that day. A group of maybe 10 of us compromised the trip by making a wrong turn and that caused us to split up. I don’t think that was the favourite part of the day for anyone. It was a great learning experience, though. From then on we were great at staying together, and making sure we were making the proper turn at an intersection! Getting to camp was a great feeling of relief physically. I wasn’t tired but my muscles were aching from the heaviness of the pack. I knew we had move quickly with setting everything up at the campsite. I took leadership in making sure everyone had a role in our chores. We were very efficient. I figured setting up the tent and getting everything inside, then cooking and eating was the best way to go. Our chicken stir-fry for dinner was very delicious and nutritious. The biggest trouble we had that night was hanging our food. We had to do that in the dark, but it was hung well and I was confident that a bear couldn’t get to it if one were to come. <br /><br /> Waking up with not a very good sleep, we went as fast as we could to get everything down and packed up. We were ready to meet up with Mr. Brouwer and head to the other campsite in the nick of time. Putting my pack on that morning I could really feel the stress on my shoulders from the day before. Starting hiking this day we knew now how to do everything because of the incident that had happened. I thought the trail we took this day was really nice and had some beautiful sites. That was really enjoyable for me. The best part of the day, though, was eating lunch at the lookout. Not the best with heights, but it’s nice if I don’t freak myself out by standing on the edge of the cliff. The shawarmas were also very tasty. The 40 minute hike from campsite 5 to 4 after lunch was pretty hard for me. Part of the tent was sliding off my pack as I was hiking so I had to stop and fix that a few times. Also, my legs were starting to feel the burn. We got to campsite 4 around 2 o’clock giving us a lot of relief because we had plenty of time to setup our equipment. I still wanted to do it quickly, though. After setting up, I went with Ms. Trumpower and Ms. Canham to get firewood. Ms. Trumpower was exceptionally good at this. I learned by watching her how to determine if the tree was dead or not so that we could cut it down. That skill will for sure help me in the future. Once again our dinner was delicious and nutritious, having a beef stir-fry this night, with lots of vegetables. Hanging our food was our biggest challenge of the day, again. We ended up with lots of extra food so our pack was still heavy, making it difficult to suspend it high in a tree. After that was done, it was time to relax and sit by the campfire, which I enjoyed.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18429199762432593107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-42147423892108436922014-10-15T17:18:30.884-05:002014-10-15T17:18:30.884-05:00I woke up the next morning with possibly one of th...I woke up the next morning with possibly one of the worst sleeps I’ve had in a while. I kept waking u in the middle of the night and just couldn't find a comfortable position. When I put on my shoes and stepped out of the tent, I was met by the lake covered in fog. There was so much fog, in fact, that you could barely see 10 meters into the lake. That morning, we had bacon and eggs for breakfast. The meal was mediocre since we couldn't find the butter for the egg pan. After we ate and cleaned up, we were back on the road for our second day of hiking. The weather on the second day was almost identical to the first; perfect for hiking. The hike for the second day as marginally shorter than the first because of both distance and our experience. On the second day, w decided to stay at the closer and smaller camp 5. This camp was located right beside once of the most magnificent lookouts in all of Frontenac park. The lookout is a cliff, about 20 meters high, that overlooks the lake. We ate our lunch up there which was BLT's with the bacon from the morning and relaxed a bit with the great view. As the rest of the class made their way to camp site 4, we made our way down to the water to set up at site 5. After we set up our tent and got everything unpacked, we decided to take another swim. This lake was much nicer than the one we had swam in the previous day as it was sandy bottom and much deeper. We swam for a good hour before returning to shore to make dinner. For dinner the second night we had beef stew. This dinner was much easier to prepare and cook than the previous night's dinner and was overall a very good meal. The second night was much less eventful than the first, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After dinner, we took another trip up to the lookout for the sunset and this was one of the greatest experiences of the entire trip. We were also able to relax by the fire and enjoy the night to it's fullest. That night, once again, I didn't sleep well at all so when I woke up at 6:00, left the tent. Sine no one else was up yet, i decided to take one last trip up to the lookout. Being up there in the morning all by myself was one of the greatest feelings I've ever felt in my life. When I came back down after about an hour, people had began to stir so we retrieved our food and began breakfast. Breakfast was nothing fancy, just oatmeal, but it was simple and filling After we finished eating and packing up, we started our last hike of the trip back to where we were dropped off. The last day was rather uneventful and it was quite a relief when we finally saw that yellow bus.<br /><br />Reflecting back on this trip, I now realize that it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not only did we get to visit an amazing park filled with breathtaking views and scenery, but we also got to learn valuable skills and lessons along the way. In my opinion one of the best aspects of this trip was that we got to do all of this with our friends. Sitting by the fire or just cooking a meal gave us time to bond and discover people for who they really are. After this trip, I now see people in a different way because of the experiences I had with the; the good ones and the bad ones. Finally, it got us away from the stress and commotion of the real world. No longer were we worrying about what day we had to hand our projects in by or what day we had a test, but rather, who's going to get firewood and who's going to cook dinner. This brought out completely different sides of people that never come out in their daily routine in the city. This is why I think that not only this trip, but just the outdoors in general is such a great thing. It allows us to be who we are without worrying what others will think. This is why I think that this tip was probably one of the greatest three days in my life.Brendan Huberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09824064270249818507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-7382905792207854012014-10-15T17:14:26.081-05:002014-10-15T17:14:26.081-05:00The outdoor ed Frontenac hiking trip was possibly ...The outdoor ed Frontenac hiking trip was possibly on of the greatest experiences I have had in my life. The trip started early in the morning (at least for me) at 8:10 when I arrived at school. After the rest of the members from our group arrived, we put all our food on the table to begin to evenly distribute it. I remember seeing all that food on the table and just being in disbelief at how much we had thinking how much we would have to eat. After distributing the food, we all packed our packs on filed on the school bus. The trip there felt like forever. At least we were met with some comedic relief along the road such as josh's famous roadside pit stop. When we finally arrived at the park, I remember seeing the previous class waiting there for the bus and how beaten up they looked. As we unloaded, they gave us a few tips that would prove useful the length of the trip, then before we knew it, we were on our own. Since I did not have my personal pack, I had to use one of the school's that was used on the first class' trip. As I looked at my nearly full garbage bag and back at the backpack, I thought to myself that there was no way that I would get everything into my pack. To my surprise though, it wasn't my pack that was full, it was Kyle who had brought a football, a chair, 4 rolls of toilet paper among other not need resources. So after some management of supplies, we were able to fit everything in everyone's pack, barely. Once we were all packed, it was time to start hiking. For the first day we had the longest hike of them all. We were hiking from where we were dropped off to camp site 9 and 12. for the first day, I was the leader meaning I was the one who had the map and was in charge of making sure everyone got where we were supposed to go. The weather for the first day was perfect. It was not to hot, but not to cold. No rain and not much wind. The hike took us about 3 hours to complete with numerous stops along the way for snacks and to refill water. Our group decided that we would stay at campsite 9 rather than 1 so it was about an extra 15 minute hike for us to get to our camp. Upon arriving, we pretty much dropped our packs immediately and started cooking. Our dinner for the first night was a Thai stir fry that included red peppers, chicken, Thai sauce, onions and of course noodles. Since no one was really familiar with cooking on stove, our dinner was quite messy. But after the spillage of a couple of noods (our groups word for noodles) we had a very good, well balanced dinner. As we finished eating, we realized how little time we really had left. The sun was already going down and we hadn't done much to prepare for the night. So what did our group decide to do? Go swimming of course! So after swimming in near freezing water for a bit, we returned to our campsite to clean up and get changed in time for night. That night as we were sitting around, we suddenly realized that we had no idea where kyle was, we looked all around but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally after calling his name a couple of times, we heard a faint replay in the distant forest. It turns out that he was looking for a tree to hang our food on, a task he set out to do about a half an hour earlier. Once we met up with him about 500 meters from our camp, we found him throwing the rope into a tree with a roll of toilet paper at the end. Since this was the only decent tree near our camp, we had not choice but to help him and hang our food. After this whole dilemma, it was nice to finally return and sit by the fire until it was time to go to sleep.<br />Brendan Huberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09824064270249818507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-9377453013108266202014-10-15T17:14:25.452-05:002014-10-15T17:14:25.452-05:00The outdoor ed Frontenac hiking trip was possibly ...The outdoor ed Frontenac hiking trip was possibly on of the greatest experiences I have had in my life. The trip started early in the morning (at least for me) at 8:10 when I arrived at school. After the rest of the members from our group arrived, we put all our food on the table to begin to evenly distribute it. I remember seeing all that food on the table and just being in disbelief at how much we had thinking how much we would have to eat. After distributing the food, we all packed our packs on filed on the school bus. The trip there felt like forever. At least we were met with some comedic relief along the road such as josh's famous roadside pit stop. When we finally arrived at the park, I remember seeing the previous class waiting there for the bus and how beaten up they looked. As we unloaded, they gave us a few tips that would prove useful the length of the trip, then before we knew it, we were on our own. Since I did not have my personal pack, I had to use one of the school's that was used on the first class' trip. As I looked at my nearly full garbage bag and back at the backpack, I thought to myself that there was no way that I would get everything into my pack. To my surprise though, it wasn't my pack that was full, it was Kyle who had brought a football, a chair, 4 rolls of toilet paper among other not need resources. So after some management of supplies, we were able to fit everything in everyone's pack, barely. Once we were all packed, it was time to start hiking. For the first day we had the longest hike of them all. We were hiking from where we were dropped off to camp site 9 and 12. for the first day, I was the leader meaning I was the one who had the map and was in charge of making sure everyone got where we were supposed to go. The weather for the first day was perfect. It was not to hot, but not to cold. No rain and not much wind. The hike took us about 3 hours to complete with numerous stops along the way for snacks and to refill water. Our group decided that we would stay at campsite 9 rather than 1 so it was about an extra 15 minute hike for us to get to our camp. Upon arriving, we pretty much dropped our packs immediately and started cooking. Our dinner for the first night was a Thai stir fry that included red peppers, chicken, Thai sauce, onions and of course noodles. Since no one was really familiar with cooking on stove, our dinner was quite messy. But after the spillage of a couple of noods (our groups word for noodles) we had a very good, well balanced dinner. As we finished eating, we realized how little time we really had left. The sun was already going down and we hadn't done much to prepare for the night. So what did our group decide to do? Go swimming of course! So after swimming in near freezing water for a bit, we returned to our campsite to clean up and get changed in time for night. That night as we were sitting around, we suddenly realized that we had no idea where kyle was, we looked all around but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally after calling his name a couple of times, we heard a faint replay in the distant forest. It turns out that he was looking for a tree to hang our food on, a task he set out to do about a half an hour earlier. Once we met up with him about 500 meters from our camp, we found him throwing the rope into a tree with a roll of toilet paper at the end. Since this was the only decent tree near our camp, we had not choice but to help him and hang our food. After this whole dilemma, it was nice to finally return and sit by the fire until it was time to go to sleep.<br />Brendan Huberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09824064270249818507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-20252859938499517532014-10-15T15:46:32.475-05:002014-10-15T15:46:32.475-05:00Part 2
The next day my group woke up ...Part 2<br /><br /> The next day my group woke up at 7:00am to begin packing up. We packed our tent up right away and then made breakfast, or attempted to for that matter. We were eager to get the day moving and we packed everything fast not wanting to be last. By the second day I was sore but I knew what was up ahead which was comforting. With my pack adjusted, we headed out to the next campsite. The best spot by far was the cliff we stopped at. The view was breathtaking and I couldn’t wait to swim in the water beneath us. Now rested and ready to go my group walked on to the furthest campsite. Once we arrived, we set up everything and then went for a swim! The water was freezing but completely worth it. Day 2 went by even smoother than day 1, now feeling confident and even more prepared. We went to bed that night exhausted from the day with our bellies full from a delicious meal.<br /><br />When we woke up the next day we echoed what we had done the previous morning. We were packed, sad but ready to leave this adventure behind. We took one final glance around our beautiful campsite and said goodbye. The final walk was easy; I had time to reflect back on our trip. I saw the bus up ahead and took one final glance back; this was the end of an amazing adventure. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10786400449705333807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-66769890884586374172014-10-15T15:45:54.227-05:002014-10-15T15:45:54.227-05:00Reflection Part 1
The first day was a...Reflection Part 1<br /><br /> The first day was a rush of nerves and excitement. I had imagined all the ways the trip would go, both good and bad, and I felt ready for anything. Although a few concerns crossed my mind it was not camping that I was worried about. Feeling the weight of my backpack and knowing I still had a stove to pack got me anxious. I had never been backpacking before and I had no concept of how long it would be or how difficult the terrain was. I soon forgot those worries once I saw the bus pull up and knew my idealised vision of the trip would soon become a reality. I got on the bus and helped pack the bags and realized all the backpacks were as heavy or heavier than mine. I found comfort in the fact that the class would all be going through this together. The bus ride was long and with each passing minute my excitement grew. After two and a half hours of driving we finally arrived! The trade-off was simple since my group only needed a stove and pots.<br /><br />The first hike was the most difficult. I found it hard to let my mind wonder when all I could think about was the weight on my back. I found out the second day that my backpack’s hip belt was positioned too low which offered little support. Throughout the hike we rested at the most beautiful lookouts which made everything we had to endure worth it! When we finally arrived at our campsite we set up our tent and separated our food right away. Our meal was quick and we were eating our supper about an hour after our arrival. We teamed up with another group to combine our food to hang since we were sharing a platform with them. We chose a tree far too weak to sustain the weight of the pack which resulted in late night tree finding. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10786400449705333807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-3566119037610545992014-10-15T14:49:22.641-05:002014-10-15T14:49:22.641-05:00Pt.3
So I removed all of the acorns that were und...Pt.3<br /><br />So I removed all of the acorns that were under my side of the tent and left some on owens side of the tent. After that we decided to eat rice and chicken with a side dish of noodles. They all tasted amazing. After another great dinner we decided to gather a bunch of firewood for a long fire. The same problem rose again. We still hadn’t hung our food yet and since our packs weighed less since we ate the past day we decided to hang both my groups and useful owen’s groups bags together. For a long time it was only me, useful owen and felix trying to hang them but then felix went to yell at everyone for not helping so they finally came and it was done in no time. We all decided to sit down at the fire but this time it was our campsites fire. Eventually people ran out of things to talk about so my group member Salman decided we should all play “lou garou”. It looked really fun and I would have played but I was on fire duty. If a part of the burnt or burning wood came out of the fire pit I had to put in out by repeatedly banging on it with my walking stick that was given to me by the other group when we exchanged the bags. After that Felix and I decided to scare people in the woods as they came back to the firepit. Then it got late and everyone left to go into their tents so my group and felix decided to scare the girls in their tent until Mrs.Trumpower decided to yell at us for doing it a number of times. After that we all went back to our tents and decided to call it a day. After some talking we all went to sleep. We all slept better than the previous night. <br /><br />Day Three: I woke up at around 7 but was too tired to move so I got out of my tent at around 8. After that I was rushing to pack everything. We told salman to make the breakfast as we will pack everything but he didn’t know how to properly make oatmeal so we decided to have bagels again for breakfast. After I was done packing we all went to the rest of the group and waited for the other group to catch up. When they did we all walked about an hour and a half to arrive at the same spot we had started on. The journey was about 3.8 km. When we arrived the bus was already waiting for us. After placing our bags at the back of the bus I sat down in my seat and we went back to playing games on the bus for the rest of the ride. In all this trip has changed my view on camping and hiking. At first I thought it would be boring to camp but now I realize it is so much fun. I still have many things to improve on like packing stuff that you will use and not overpacking. Also I need to manage my time better in order to be more productive. This trip has helped me and a person to improve on my self. I am so looking forward to the next trip.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14753619704742918484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5586396691865552296.post-4280553743575514932014-10-15T14:48:54.798-05:002014-10-15T14:48:54.798-05:00Pt.2
We still hadn’t hung the food and it was pi...Pt.2<br /><br /> We still hadn’t hung the food and it was pitch black. So using all of the flashlights that were available we lit up our campsite and threw all of the food and stuff that needed to be hanged into owen’s bag because he had split pancake mix on his bag. None of knew how to hang the bag so we just tagged along with Useful owen’s group thinking that we could hang with their bag. Mrs.Trumpower came along and told us that there was no way the clips could handle both of your groups bags. So useful owen decided to help us with hanging our bag and without him the bears would have feasted on some really tasty chicken and pancake mix. After we were done hanging our bag we decided to go over to the other group and shit by their campfire. We just talked about a bunch of random stuff. I have to say the night was literally perfect. Not one cloud was to be seen and the moonlight was reflecting off on the lake while the stars lit up the pitch black sky. It was one of those sites that you could not see from the city. Around 11 p.m everyone went into their tents and Mrs.Trumpower had set a no noise curfew at 11 so my group decided to head back towards our tent. After using the washroom we headed into our tent and continued to talk about a bunch of stuff until we were interrupted by Josh who was wandering around till 1 apparently. After a while we all went to sleep. I slept really well, I can’t say the same for the others. <br /><br />Day Two: We all woke up around 2 and immediately set out to get firewood. I couldn’t believe how cold it could get in the morning. After we all had gathered firewood we set to making breakfast while the other group made the fire since we got the firewood. We all had bagels and water. We couldn’t have the Kool-Aid water since it tasted really sour even though the pack that I got said sweet. My guess is that it was expired. After we were done eating, I decided to be the first one to start packing up my stuff and the tent. Owen joined in second after he put away some of the food and at last Salman joined in after putting the food away. Then we all helped each other pack and prepare our bags. Even though Salmans bag weighed the least he started to complain about the weight. I could lift his bag with one hand. I can’t do that with my own bag…. After we were all ready we joined the rest of the group and waited until everyone else was ready and the people that were leading were familiar with the map. We headed out again, thankfully the hike this day was shorter than the hike from the previous day. We hiked about 7 k.m in 2 hrs and arrived at a lookout that was directly beside our destination campsite 5. The view from the lookout was amazing and dangerous at the same time. It was a cliff and as Mr.Brouwer quoted it is “Every teacher’s nightmare”. So we were all careful and didn’t fool around. After about 10 mins we decided to check out campsite 5. My first expressions were small. Campsite 5 was the smallest out of all the campsites we visited and I wanted to move to campsite 4. My group wanted to stay at campsite 5 though. We couldn’t stay at campsite 5 though because everyone already staying there was one big cooking group so there was no room for us. So we moved along to campsite 4 with useful owen’s group. It took us about 40 mins to get there and It was so worth it. It was way way bigger and literally had the perfect spot to swim in. Since we had arrived way earlier to the site than yesterday we all figured it would be appropriate to swim. The lake was slippery and wasn’t as cold as the previous one so we all swam. After we came out of the water we had plenty of time to do stuff so the first time I did was made sure that I was going to be comfortable tonight while sleeping.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14753619704742918484noreply@blogger.com