2018 Camp Week – Year 8 (Blue Mountains)

We went to Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains for our Camp.  On our first day we had a quick lunch in town before heading to the National Park to unpack the trailers, find our gear and work together to set up the campsite – which was quite a challenge for many doing this for the first time. I think having the complete responsibility of setting up our tent and cooking our own food was great. We had lot more freedom that I had expected, and i enjoyed it very much. We spent the afternoon at the Jellybean Pool before dinner around the campfire, when we reflected on the day’s activities and heard what Day 2 had in store for us.  On Day 2 we got up early for an endurance hike into the Valley.  The Grand Canyon Loop was about 10km long, and there were lots of steep parts on the trail but the scenery along the way was magnificent.  We learnt to be strong and persistent during the hike. After another trip to the Jellybean Pool, had dinner and a game of glow in the dark capture the flag.

We couldn’t wait to get started on the Amazing Race activity around Katoomba on Day 3. Once we were sorted into groups, we had a list of activities to complete, a budget and a deadline to complete all the challenges. We learned some new navigation skills and did our best to cooperate while trying to win!  Later that night we had an easter egg hunt to finish the day.  Our final day of Camp meant pack up and clean up.  We packed up our gear into the vehicles and trailers – which was like a game of tetris – got back onto the buses and drove back to school, stopping for lunch on the way home.  The Camp ended with clearing out the buses and making sure everyone had all their gear before heading home to enjoy the holidays.

During the camp we were challenged in lots of different ways, and spent more time with other people, learning that you can be friends with anyone and everyone is unique, and is good at something. It was good to know that we can rely on each other, and while some people are easier to work with than others, we all have different personalities and different strengths.  Spending time with our teachers we found out that they can be really funny and fun to be around, while expecting maturity from us. They were quite tolerant and supportive during all our activities.

For ourselves, we learned that that it doesn’t matter who you hang out with, you can hang out with whoever you want to. Nobody has a right to harshly judge other people.  It is fun doing group tasks especially when you’re with people willing to give things a go.  I realised how well I can cope in an unknown environment. It was exciting having the freedom to cook my own meals and setting up a tent.

Hannah, Paris, Thomas & Mia