Grade 9 Kayaking Trip 2013 - Group A

     For the 2013 grade 9 kayaking trip, I was put into Group A, or the Tadpole group. There was around fifteen people in the group. After the initial lunch and packing of the kayaks, both groups embarked on the three-day trip. The trip to the first camp site took around three and a half hours, around three hours were spent kayaking and around half an hour was spent on breaks.

     The group's first camp site was at an old abandoned children's camp. The group stayed here for one night before moving on to the next camp site. Once the group had docked all of the kayaks in a secure area, each tent group had to set up a tent. Once this task was completed, lunch was had. The group generally did not do much while at each camp site, but the first day concluded with a camp fire. 

     On the second day, the group did a short one-hour expedition before returning back to the camp site. Once the group had returned, the journey to the second camp site began. This journey took around two hours and concluded at the Oyster Beach campground in the Mount Richardson Provincial Park. Once there, the group again hauled the kayaks onto a safe location and then set up camp. The second campground was considerably smaller than the first, but it still had enough space for everything. 

     On the last day, the group left the camp site at nine o' clock and traveled back to the original starting point for around three hours. Once the group arrived back at the home base, each kayak had to be cleaned. The group also reunited with Group B; both of the groups had lunch and then went back to the school.

     Overall, I thought that the camp was quite enjoyable most of the time. The time spent kayaking was quite intense and physically demanding, and it was rewarded once a camp site was reached. It was also nice to be so detached from civilization and technology; this allowed me to bond with the people around me. This was probably the best part of the kayaking trip. The two days away from technology also made me realize how fortunate I am to have all of the things that I have, and it gave me a fresh perspective on my life.
     My goal going into this trip was to become a more open-minded person. I tried to be open to new things and to approach tasks and challenges with an open mind, and I think that I succeeded at this.

Rock Climbing 2012

In December, 9SV went to the Cliffhanger rock climbing facility in Vancouver for three sessions. Each student was encouraged to challenge themselves with a course that was a bit more difficult that what they were used to.
Last year, the most difficult course I completed was a 5.9. This year I managed to complete a 5.10a, with some difficulty. I also learned how to belay someone that was climbing. I completed the required test and successfully earned my belaying certificate. All in all, I am proud of what I accomplished in these three sessions.

"The best climber is the one having the most fun."
- Alex Lowe

Cross Country Skiing 2013

Through the month of February, 9SV went cross country skiing a total of three times on Cypress mountain. Once on the mountain, the group was split into two levels of skill: higher and lower level. The higher level group went on more challenging parts of the mountain while the lower level group stuck to the more flat and easygoing parts of the mountain. Both levels of skill focused on skill development and re-enforcement.

I myself mostly re-enforced what I already knew, but one skill that I was in the process of learning was stopping with parallel skis, as opposed to the snowplow way of stopping. I had a lot of fun skiing with my friends and classmates, and it was made better by the great weather that we experienced for two of the three sessions.

“Winter is coming.” 
- George R.R. Martin