Duke of edinburgh
The DofE expedition was a mix of fun and hard work. We went to our start point in the beautiful Chiltern Hills on the first day, and then we set off on probably the most tiring walk of our lives, some groups taking 5 hours to reach camp, some taking up to 10! And that wasn’t the worst of it. Every single group managed to get lost at least once and had trouble getting back on track. There was another 4 hour walk on the second day! But, when we got to the campsite on the first day, we were so relieved that we had an opportunity to sit down, take our shoes off, change clothes and go to the loo if we needed to. Our group was the second to arrive, about an hour after the first one. Eve- rybody helped each other out at the campsite because we all knew how tired everyone was; setting up the tent, cook- ing on the trangias, getting out the sleeping bags and then going for a walk around the campsite with friends. Once everyone was well rested on the second day, everyone packed up the tents and wrestled with the sleeping bags, then it was off once again for what seemed like a very, very long walk. The second day was a much shorter walk but very tiring nonetheless. However, it was all worth it in the end, as everyone felt that they achieved something.
By Parth Garfalkur Year 9
Well to the point –The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice Expedition went well I have to say; the students were well organised - possibly better organised than the staff. They had to prepare their routes in record time due to a relatively short time between the start to training this year and the actual expedition.
They have of course been extremely well trained if I say so myself. They all arrived on time with equipment and maps (a record I think) - nearly all except for a handful had bought proper walking boots as we prescribed, though they probably still had too much kit with them . We managed to miss the rain as our start was delayed by a serious road traffic accident at Missenden. Regarding navigation - some interesting decisions were made involving walking to all points of the compass and a range of minor detours requiring a good deal of detective work on the part of staff to locate them. A phone call from the last of the groups who came in at around 8pm went something like this…“Hi Sir we’re lost” - “OK can you describe any features that will help us locate you” “We’re in a field with trees” “Fantastic - that narrows it down a bit then….”
After steering them up the contours and towards the sound of the campsite and using the orientation of the sun they eventually found their own way.
On Saturday morning – this, once again a record - all stu- dents were ready to move off camp well before the witching hour of 9 am – their pitches pretty well cleaned up; an early finish was a prospect. More getting lost and some illicit reforming of groups involving more getting lost meant we finished at the usual time. Unfortunately the students still seemed to have loads of energy as they decided to ser- enade me with a cats chorus all the way home. Jonathan Switzman
Jonathan Switzman
As I sat in 09 surrounded by worn-out movie poster pictures and Art Deco designs I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into? Going to walk over 5km in unfamiliar practically alien terrain. With no Teacher and just a map and compass to guide us? Well whatever it was it was damn worth it. As we reached the top of Coombe Hill and looked out upon the splendour of Chequers Hall and enjoyed a samosa or two (obviously paying a tithe to Mr Switzman) under the grandeur of the Boer War memorial, I thought to myself; “How many children have experienced this?” How many children can say that they have eaten in the shadow of heroes?” Last I checked not a lot. For those lower years who are thinking about joining the DofE course remember you will experience things that you could never within the city. As at the end of the long two days I think my whole group felt a sense of relief not just that the expedition was over. But that we, mere teenagers had been entrusted by a teacher to complete a task that we origi- nally thought was impossible.
However as we walked through the countryside, the first thing that came into my head was the quote from Avatar “You’re not in Kansas anymore”. We couldn’t help but marvel at the preservation and hygiene of the whole place. Even the countryside was as clean as a whistle, apart from some cowpats that we had the unfortunate fate of walking into, twice!
Overall as a person I think that it has helped me develop myself and my team building skills. I’ve learned to not jump head first into things as we learnt it usually got us lost. As a team we’ve learned to rely on each other and are each expected to perform the roles required of us from our team. (Someone would always walk slightly ahead of the group to check if we were going the right way). The trip helped me understand how different people live and how our cultures and custom differ from people living in the countryside (as we come from a different ethnic backgrounds than that of many people in the countryside). Also the beauty of the countryside makes caring for the environment so important to help us preserve this spectacular piece of England.
By Ramandeep Dosanjh Year 9
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