Posting by Grigor Wallace, Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator
Some of the College’s more intrepid students donned their backpacks and hiking boots over the Easter break, as they undertook an expedition to the North York Moors in preparation for their assessed Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
A group of twelve students were unfortunate with the timing of their expedition, as the weather took a turn for the worse, drenching them the first night, and that was before the walking even started! Unfortunately the weather worsened further on day one, but the lessons learnt on looking after equipment during difficult conditions were invaluable.
The weather did ease up slightly for the remainder of the trip however consistent heavy showers hampered progress. Understandably the morale of the students did fluctuate over the four days but lessons were learnt about how to react to difficult situations and how to maintain group morale. The wild camps were well received, and cooking, a major part of any expedition, was carried out safely following a balanced diet. Packs lightened considerably over the trip, which was a welcome relief to all!
This was a great experience for the students, because it provided very good preparation for their final expedition in the Cheviots in August. For that expedition, they will be assessed on navigation, camp craft, group organisation and leadership and of course the physical toil that comes with completing approx 16km per day in open and wild country with a large rucksack.
The behaviour of all the students who took part was excellent and their navigation was generally good in difficult conditions. Some of the students struggled a little physically and were victims of blisters, and weak ankles, but even that is a good learning experience and prepares them well for future trips.
There are lots of photos from the expedition on the College Facebook page.
No comments:
Post a Comment