Student Reflections Outward Bound, Sai Kung

We arrived and started off with an introduction as we found our group, the equipment we could take and our instructor. Straight away we packed our hiking bags which didn’t only include our personal belongings, but also four days worth of food and kitchen utensils. The main obstacle was our 20kg hiking bags and after walking around 800 metres, everyone got a taste of how challenging the hiking would be.

For the third day in a row, we were instructed that we had to climb up and jump off of that pole. The only thing protecting us from going splat on the ground was a harness and the group members holding onto a rope connected to the harness.

On our last day, everyone had the opportunity to touch water! We jumped off a 7-ish meter platform into the Sai Kung sea, at first with fear, but this was quickly replaced by a desire to do it a few more times! Afterwards, the most glorious shower after not showering for 5 days!

Our Year 10 camp with Outward Bound was a trial of our trust, friendship, mental strength, physical strength and attitude to life. Going into it, I thought camp would be an easy walk in the park, but I thought wrong.

BY ZAC LOUEY

I had the privilege to complete our AYP bronze award expedition with Outward Bound this term. It was a challenge for sure, but fun to have the opportunity to get out of our comfort zones. Our Monday started off boarding a bus from school to the Outward Bound base camp in Sai Kung. There, we got acquainted with our group and started packing our hiking packs and assigning who will carry what food. After a short bus ride and a never ending set of stairs, we arrived at our campsite for the night. I think our first night cooking was definitely the most challenging as we ended up with sticky spaghetti and over salted fish. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable first day.

The next day, we woke up with anticipation of our final day of hiking and one day closer to a shower. Thursday’s hike was arguably harder than any other day. We climbed up a never-ending steep stony hill that tested our perseverance and endurance. We were all overjoyed when we finally reached base camp later that day. We spent the afternoon unpacking our packs, cleaning and cooking. That night, we got to do something we had all been looking forward to: the ropes course. Doing the ropes course made us utilize our teamwork skills and tested our will-power greatly.

After a long week, the last day of camp had finally arrived. We made our final breakfast, packed our bag and cleaned tents before finishing off the week by jumping off the jetty at Outward Bound. After taking our long-awaited showers and boarding the bus ride back, we reflected on how our Year 10 camp was a challenging, enjoyable and unforgettable experience.

BY BILLIE HOME