Our first overnight camp since Covid was an enormous success – a complete adventure! The venue was exclusive, a scenic 350 acre property with all the natural features required for an action-packed three days. The schedule was tight, squeezing in water activities like raft-building and canoeing; land challenges to build trust like blind trail and commando course; and harnessed height challenges like rock-wall climbing, zipline, mid-ropes and abseiling. Our ninety plus students threw themselves at all of them, some facing their fears while others lapped up the outdoor challenges with relish. We can’t say enough about the friendly and welcoming staff, all experienced and supportive instructors who encouraged and praised every effort. From the full turn out to welcome our buses, to seeing us off at the end, their smiles met us at every turn. Mornington Adventure Camp is a well-oiled machine, providing outdoor adventure challenges whilst feeding us constantly – even driving morning and afternoon tea to us wherever we were in the great outdoors – and the alfresco pizza and movie under the stars were a big hit. This camp experience was more than adventure activities. It was more than a bonding experience. It was an interactive building of teamwork, trust and developing resilience in our students as they transition to high school. Thank you to all the team at Mornington Adventure Camp!
These Slice of Life writing extracts by Room 10 students aim to paint a picture of what the experience felt like – to suck the reader in to share the experience firsthand. Can you taste the fear, rejoice at the joy, shiver with anticipation…?
Charlotte wrote about overcoming her fears, and the teamwork that helped with the Mid-Ropes.
I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. I stepped up and grabbed the staple. Still further to go until I could hook onto the rope. CLICK! I was on. No turning back now.
The mid-ropes are too high. Too high. While they were only about 2-3 metres off the ground, it was terrifying. I start hyperventilating and shut my eyes tight. I grab the rope and inch forward. “Can I have some help?!” I yell to the instructor. He clips on and calmly makes way over to me. CLICK! I clip onto the next section and grab my rope – the one thing holding me up.
“Just step forward!” he says to me and grabs the back of my harness. I step forward and he lets go.
“URK-” I jerk forward and the rope swings from side to side.
Abi is talking to me the whole time from the ground below, trying to encourage me. It looks harder from up here than from down there. I finally make it over the rope and hug the tree. “I-I’m alive!” I sound a bit too enthusiastic for my situation. I clip onto the next rope. It’s a climbing net. I shimmy my way across the net and take a big step up to the handle on the tree.
The next one looks easy enough. It’s wide and flat and … it moves? I step down, calmed by the fact that it is still. It was too late. I just realised… “Argh! It moves?! Why does it have to move?!” I cry, hanging onto my rope for dear life. It wobbles a bit, but the log is overall calm and the easiest obstacle yet.
Next is the tunnel. I’m safe with this because I can’t see the floor and I’m closed in. I stop and take a deep breath.
“Charlotte, just think of it this way. At the end, imagine there’s a fluffy moth waiting for you. You want that moth, don’t you? So, go get that moth!!” Abi smiles at me. It helps a bit but the mid-ropes are still terrifying. I hook onto the tunnel and unhook from the log. Then I am finally in the tunnel. I re-hook to the rope inside the tunnel, and I set off.
I felt safe in there and then Abi popped up at the end of the tunnel. “H-how close to the ground is this A-Abi? I mean you’re pretty short, so this has to be pretty close, right?”
She replied with, “Yeah, it’s pretty close, maybe a metre?” She smiled and stepped down from a log.
I look at the floor. If I wasn’t hooked up, I could touch it. I feel safe. I sit and wait for a minute and then the instructor swings the trolley over to me. I clip on and shut my eyes tight as I step from one rope to the next. Before I know it, I am back on the floor. It is over for ever…….
Ted wrote about the uncertainty of hanging onto a harness high in the air while you worked with your team to build a tower of crates beneath you. Crate Challenge!
The crates wobble back and forth like a drunken sailor. I just hope it doesn’t fall. Then the team behind me screams as their tower of crates falls. I try not to imagine what’s happening behind me. My only thought is the hope that this harness won’t drop me as I reach for the ceiling.
Then…Woosh! The crates disappear from under me, and I fall. The harness grabs hold of me, and I drift down like a leaf in Autumn.
I’m relieved as I hit the wooden floor of the basketball court.
Molly F. describes her whirlwind race around the ‘Commando Course’!
Squelch! as the mud oozes around my shoes like rotten flesh.
After a few quick minutes we arrive at the commando course. The instructor says the fastest time someone has completed the commando course was in three minutes.
“On your marks. Get set. GO!!” the instructor shouts.
As I start with a good lead. It feels like I’m flying through the course like a ninja. I leap over the first tyre. I was sprinting so fast the wind was brushing my hair back like a leaf blower aimed right at my face. I crawl through a narrow tunnel and sprint over towards the sandpit with low logs that you have to crawl under. I dig my hand in the sand and pull myself along. But I was shuffling my hand so quickly, all the sand went in my eyes.
“MUD TIME!” Zoe shouts. As I’m squinting through my eyes, I jump into the cold chunky mud bath. I crawl through it like a bear, reach my muddy hand forward and I jump over the finish line!
Mia describes the scene out on the water CANOEING!
As the bright yellow sun shone into my eyes and birds glided across the sky, the trees swayed in the wind like inflated balloons.
Splash! Splash! “Keep it moving!” I yell out to Violet as we paddle our canoe at Mornington Adventure Camp. The glassy water swayed along the dam.
“Alright everyone!” yelled the instructor as all the canoes lined up for the challenge. “3, 2, 1. Go!” Violet and I paddled our hearts out, with my heart racing like a cheetah. “Second place – good job!” the instructor yelled.
As I was grinning from ear to ear, woosh! the canoe was wobbling like jelly on a plate.
“Violet!” I yell in complete shock as she moves to the front, and we swop positions.
“Come in everyone!” the instructor calls and we push our canoe up onto the bank.
Written, photos and posted by Dawn Veary; Slice of Life extracts by Room 10 students
Canteen