The Year 8 Camp was an eye-opening experience. It started with what felt like a two-hour walk carrying our hiking bags. The bags were so heavy and the cabins were so far away. Once we arrived at our cabins in the middle of nowhere, we dropped our bags and, after a short rest, we set off to abseil. There were drops of two different heights, five metres and eight metres. For most of us, this was something that we hadn't done before, but many did both drops, so it wasn't too frightening. I think most of us were taken away by the view. That was topped off by the walk back in the rain.
We were also responsible for the cooking and the cleaning. Dinner that night was dehydrated beef and vegetables with powdered mashed potatoes... mmmm, yum! We started a bonfire as it got dark and prayed the Rosary before we hopped into our cabins for bed.
On the second day, we moved to a new location and learnt how to build tents. Although we managed to build the tents after some struggle, it wasn't easy with all the wind. After lunch, we continued to the flying fox and canoeing. The flying fox was a challenge for many people but, by the end, everyone had an enjoyable experience in the air. Canoeing was very challenging as we had to face the rapids. They were quite strong and prevented our canoes from getting through. Some of us took the easy way and got out of the water while others sat in the canoes struggling in the rapids. We were in the same spot for about twenty minutes straight. Shortly afterwards, we headed back. We were freezing. These activities were really fun for everyone and were probably the highlight of the camp for most people.
After we cooked dinner, we sat around a campfire and prayed the Rosary. Then we had roasted marshmallows on sticks. They tasted so good! After an undisturbed night in the tents, we were woken up quite early. We packed up our tents and had some breakfast while admiring some kangaroos nearby. Soon after, we headed out to our last activity which was low ropes. This was a relaxing activity as we wound down from the previous two days. We were all getting ready for the dreaded walk back to the bus. There were monster hills and tight, twisty turns. This took around two hours by the time all were back together where we had first started around two days beforehand. This drained the heck out of us but it sure was a good way to finish the camp.
Oliver S. (Year 8 Hydrus)
