Started out on the friday over to Downe, met up with the explorers there, there were only 8 of them on this one, the Transporter and I had got all the food and bits of equipment over to the place, and got them to plan routes.
Took quite a while to actually get anything down on paper, I think that the best way to get things written down is in teams of 2, and just get them to do it like that.
Big groups arent particularly conducive to getting work done.
Eventually Day 1 was done, after a large number of mistakes and re-writes, but it got done.
Only about 12km, so I figured theyd be finished pretty quickly, and then got a shorter version for the second day.
all relatively good.
The tents went up ok, but the campsite was covered in long grass, which ended up soaking everything. (and a very unafraid young fox came along and chewed through a few guy ropes).
It was very very wet indeed, not through constant rain, but through the rain which had fallen recently, so it was incredibly hard to get a fire going - though eventually one was lit. (not by me, I must hasten to add...)
Day 2 was also written down, but by this point attention spans were waning, and they werent done as well as day one...
made food for the evening, bolognaise and then rice pudding, which was good.
No wide game in the evening, just sitting around the fire and talking, and then they all went to bed. No hot dogs, no hot drink, no-one really wanted any, so that was good.
Day 1 hiking, team 1 was meant to start at 10, team 2 was meant to start at 11.
Team 2 started at 11, team 1 started at about 1120.
Both were fine for the first part of the hike, and both got horrifically lost on the second part. I have no idea why, and thinking about it, I should have just let them get lost and find themselves again instead of chasing around trying to find them.
I guess it was the worry that I didnt know where they were, they didnt know where they were, and I had visions of not seeing them again...
Eventually after much running around on my part, they finally got to the camp site about 6 hours later.
Cooked food, which some of them like and some of them hated.
Point. Get them to bring their own food next time.
Also, another point, if they cant fit it in their bag, it doesnt get taken,
One more Point- remember to waterproof the scout boots before they get used. That was a bad thing. One Explorer borrowed boots, and I thought they would be fine. Not a bit of it- socks wet in minutes.
Also, on the Bag front- make sure they arent cheap, and they dont have zips on them. Zips are easy places to break, and they do so.
Anyhow, they slept in soggy tents, (as did I, just for the record), and the next day, instead of sending them off in 2 teams, I bundled them all together and then sent them out, making sure to meet them at a number of points along the way.
Which seemed to go a lot more smoothly.
Instead of taking 6 hours, they only managed to to do it in 4 hours instead, which was good.
They got back in good time to clean up, ready to be picked up at 2pm by their parents.
They learnt a lot. (I hope), including, but not limited to, bringing LOTS of socks, having smaller sleeping bags, what kinds of foods they like and dislike, and what they might bring on another hike camp, how to fold tents when they are wet, how to write up route cards, how to time their walking better, and the innumerable uses for plastic bags.
One good thing.
Ive already had a request for the routecards so that one of them can plan out their qualifying bronze hike- which he is writing up this afternoon.
Happy Days.
I just need to remember. I need to help less and let them do more for themselves.
When is enough, enough though? when should the leader intervene? I really dont know and thats a bit of a conundrum.
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