Hello 2 the Outside…..
That is the codeword to describe the weather we had for the entire Bronze practice expedition weekend that took place at the end of April. It was the first time we have ‘let loose’ 70 Year 9 students into the countryside.
Ten expedition groups spent several weeks putting together their expedition, which included route planning and menu planning. The planned routes saw them weaving in and out of Ryarsh, Harvel, Great Buckland, Luddesdown, Sole Street, Meopham and Cobham. The planning process seemed like a mini military operation, with Mr Parrott being the chief organiser.
There were three starting locations (Jeskyns Community Woodland, Meopham Green and Ryarsh). There were three ending points (Park Pale, Thong Lane and Jeskyns Community Woodland), and all groups involved a short minibus shuttle journey from the end points to the campsite.
The sky opened fairly early on Saturday morning. What we eventually realised was that the rain would not stop until Sunday morning. Despite the persistent precipitation, the students complained minimally and persevered for both days. Navigation for most of the groups was generally fine, and while getting lost was inevitable the students learned lots about their true navigational abilities. Camping at school was possibly the highlight of the weekend. We stayed on the familiar school field and used the toilet facilities in the Sanderson building. Dinner was cooked underneath the balcony (it was still raining), the students quickly ate their food, washed up and retreated to their tents for an early night.
It was not until mid-Sunday morning when the weather improved. By that time, most of the students were still wet – but again they did not make a fuss and wanted to get to the end (Meopham Green or Camer Park Country Park). All groups did eventually make their way to the end by mid-afternoon, and huge compliments to them for enduring a horribly wet weekend.
This weekend was a perfect example of the true grit that our students possess. Despite that their jacket, trousers, hats, gloves and walking boots were soaked through, they were not fazed and just carried on.Soon, they will start planning their routes for the qualifying expedition at the end of June. I think sun and warmth for the weekend is mandatory.
I must thank Miss Couves, Mr Parrott, Mr Foster, Mr Humphrey and Mrs McLean immensely for their support this weekend. They braved the weather and met with the students at various checkpoints. When groups were lost, they walked around looking for them. They also provided them with invaluable advice and relentless positivity. KKP