Thursday, April 30, 2015

Frontenac Park Hiking Trip
By: Sophia Li

This hiking trip was amazing! It was my very first hiking trip that I’ve experienced in my life. My group was very prepared and everyone had a pretty great mood. My group (Emily, Caylee, Emmy and Fatima) were a pretty amazing group to have. They all were very generous with how much they put in their packs and how well everyone participated in making and preparing the food; a very important key in the hiking trip. Even though one of our group members were injured, she still had a very good mood and made amazing food for the group, especially the stir-fry.
The first trip we made on Monday was the longest and hardest trip, it was about 15 km to the campsite that we were going to spend for the first night. I was surprised of how many rocks and roots were hiding in the trails because along the way, a lot of people tripped and almost fell because of these rocks and roots. We made a few stops to take a break and to be honest they were worth having because everyone was pretty tired. My group made it to campsite 12 with two other groups and the rest of the class went to campsite 9 which was another 10-15 minute walk. Our group started to prepare for the night, we divide and conquer. Emmy made dinner for the first night, Emily and Caylee collected firewood and Fatima and I was preparing the food bag and went to find a tree. Dinner was grilled cheese and hotdogs, grilled cheese was made and prepared by Emmy and the hotdogs were prepared by Fatima which was roasted on the campfire. After dinner, me, Emily, and Emmy went to put the food bag on the tree. Later we had a communal campfire that the other groups came to and we just talked and had a lot of fun just chatting. That night everyone went to bed pretty early; around 9 pm.
Tuesday came pretty early, everyone pretty much woke up around 6:30 am; really early. For breakfast our group had croissants with nutella and hashbrowns which was prepared by Emily. Afterwards our group packed up camp in less than 20 minutes which was pretty fast. We left campsite 12 at 9 am, and went to go to campsite 9 to meet up and walk to campsite 5 and 4. Tuesday’s weather was amazing but it was also really sunny. The second trip on tuesday was only 6 km which is not even half of what we did for our trip. We made it to campsite 5 in less than 3 hours. Campsite 5 has an amazing lookout which was absolutely amazing. My group didn’t have lunch because we weren’t hungry so we just ate our snacks and we were ready to continue to campsite 4. My group, Daniel’s group, Richard’s group and Emad’s group continued to campsite 4. Campsite 4 was a 45 minute walk and that campsite had an amazing view of the lake and clean river water. For dinner, we had stir-fry with rice which was prepared by Emmy and me and Caylee did an amazing job cooking it. Tuesday night everyone slept at 9 pm except I decided to stay up later to enjoy the lake view.
Wednesday, I woke up later than everyone else, I woke up at 7:30 am and I had oatmeal for breakfast and hashbrowns. Caylee injured her knee while playing man-hunt so she had a head start before the rest of the group.The other group met up with us around 9:30 am and together we set out to go to the parking lot. It was a 3 km to the parking lot, along the way we only took one stop to rest at a mini look out, not even but the view was beautiful. When we reached the parking lot, we waited for the next group to come so we could swap equipment for the next hiking trip that the other group is going on.
The things that I would improve on for this trip would have to be how I carry my pack because if you wear your pack wrong it will definitely have consequences. A pack is supposed to sick on your waist and not affect your shoulders that much but for me I was not really prepared so my pack for the monday was not well put on but for tuesday and wednesday I fixed the buckle so it didn’t hurt my shoulders at all. So I would definitely recommend people carry their packs properly so it could definitely benefit the person with the pack and it could ease off the pressure of the pack itself so it doesn’t need to be damaged.
The things that went really well was how we prepared our meals accordingly, the efficiency we had when setting up our things and tidying up our things, and how well we cooperated with other groups. This trip has honestly been such an amazing trip, there are tons of memories that were made there and a lot new friends that we bonded with over this hiking trip which makes unforgettable.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Frontenac Park Hiking Trip



         The hiking trip was the best camping trip I have had in a while! It was planned out thoroughly and preformed with positive attitudes. The longest hike was the hardest part of the trip but was still fun. My group (Emmy, Emily, Sophia, and Fatima) stayed at camp site 12 on the first night, and it was amazing! We had a great site with a great view of the small lake, which we saw a beaver multiple times that was building a dam. The other groups that stayed with us joined us at our site for the fire and some well-deserved marshmallows. Bed time was early since we knew we had a long day ahead of us. When we woke up, we had a perfect view of the sun rise. We packed up quickly to go and meet the other group at their site and started the next hike. On the second day we stayed at camp site 4 which again had an amazing view of big salmon lake. We saw plenty of wild life their including snakes, water beetles, chipmunks, and loons. We had an amazing stir fry that night that was home made with fresh ingredients. We played games and had nice fire. We went to bed around 8:30 because I had hurt my knee. In the morning my group and I got a head start on the hike and met the other campers at the parking spot. It was a great trip overall!                                                                           Our menu was well thought out and planned. We had lots of varieties of snacks and beverage flavours. Our meals were healthy and very tasty! On day one we had whole wheat grilled cheese and hotdogs. On day two we had an Asian stir fry with garlic, leek, bok choy, broccoli, onion, and red peppers with soya sauce. All on top of rice! Everyone loved the stir fry! Our snacks included granola bars, all types of nuts and trail mixes, protein bars, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, and a little bit of candy! It’s safe to say that none of my group members went hungry!                                                               Overall the trip was a huge success and I loved being there. It was amazing experience and a ton of fun. I was well prepared with my clothes, food, and my pack! Which made it an awesome trip! 

Monday, April 13, 2015

XC ski trip

The XC ski trip to Gatineau park was the first ski trip that i’ve ever been on and now I can say that it was an eye-opening new experience that I really enjoyed. While on the trip I learned first hand the do’s and don’ts of XC skiings.

First off on the trip I learned that you have to dress appropriately for these type of trips because if not you could get cold or over heat which are two things that can spoil a trip for you. Luckily for me I dressed with a very light long sleeve shirt and track which kept me cool as it was a very warm. I knew what to wear because i checked the temperature the morning of the trip which in the long run was a big factor of what made my day a success.

Secondly during the trip I  learned that skate skiing was the easiest way to conquer long distances so over the day I taught myself how to skate ski. It took a while at first and I ended falling many times but by lunch I was able to to skate ski. Then once we split up into groups I felt more confident because I could skate ski I chose to go in the group that would go on the extra trails which in the long run allowed me to enjoy this day much more.

Lastly I learned that you have to pack light for these trips. For this one I learned the hard way as I ended up packing too much and my bag was really heavy. This could have been avoided if I had went over the essentials of what I needed the day before.

Overall I can really say that the Xc ski trip was awesome!

Gabe McDonald winter camp

Winter camp was a great experience for me as it was the first time that I had ever slept outdoors in the winter. Therefore because it was my first time I learned some valuable lessons that I hope to use the next time I am in these circumstances.

   Firstly during the trip I learned that you must bring enough warm clothes and especially you must bring extra sox and proper footwear to  make sure you keep your feet warm because when you are doing certain activities such as man hunt your feet are at risk of getting wet. Now in my case I did not have proper footwear so my feet wet numerous times and I had to change my socks  numerous times. Now lucky for me I brought around 5 pairs of socks but if I had run out of socks then my trip could have been ruined and I could have gotten frost bite. Next wintercamp I will be sure to bring proper boots.

Secondly during the trip I found that bringing a below 0 degree sleeping bag is a must because I was using a +5 sleeping bag and once the tempurature dropped at night I got really cold, then once I woke up I was freezing. So that experience has made sure that I will bring a below 20 sleeping bag next year which will make sure that I will get a good night sleep and that my overall experience next year will improve.

Quinzee analysis
         Starting out when we built our quinzhee we took most consideration into detail. We made a very good cold sink and we built the walls thick enough and high enough. Though the one thing that could have been improved could have been the amount of room that we have. So I suggest that if you are building a quinzhee for the first time make sure everyone fits in it first, because thats surely what I will be doing.

Overall I can say that I really liked wintercamp and I am looking forward to it next year.  

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Wintercamp reflection

Wintercamp
 Wintercamp was enjoyable for the most part, that being everything but the sleeping part. my group for this project was Rudolph, Matt Perra, and Dane. we had adequate food, we had cheese stuffed sausages, water, coffee, Friutopia and some dessert (Oreos and chips).  we enjoyed ourselves playing manhunt and chatting around the cooking fire with other groups. then came the time for bed, and our quincey was a bit small to fit four larger bodies into it but no one was touching the sides and the cold sink was a little low, but it was high enough to be comfy. now i personally brought a yoga mat and two summer sleeping bag, and that was, to simply say, stupid. the sleeping bags were alright as far as warmth, but the real problem was that the yoga mat wasn't retaining any of my heat but rather absorbing it and making it difficult to sleep because 75% of my body was warm and my back/sides were cold. if i had to come back next year with adjustments to my plan and supplies i'd probably bring an actual cold resistant mat to sleep on, and maybe more meat products besides sausages, and  probably a winter sleeping bag. Besides the slight sleeping problem the night was an absolute blast and i learned lot and i hope to do better next year.

XC Skiing Trip in Gatineau Park

By: Caylee Joseph


The ski trip at Gatineau was a great experience and an overall fun trip! The weather was perfect and the sun was shining all day. My favourite part was the giant hill that we climbed because I didn't fall and it was a great challenge. I learned a lot about my balance and how to keep it when I am getting tired. I finally learned to double pole which help a lot when I was tired and when I needed speed.                                                                                                                                                                      When we got there in the morning I was excited to ski and couldn't wait to get on the trail. The first part of the trail was very up hill and was physically demanding, it was good to stop and sit for lunch. The second part of the trail was more downhill and was better because I was tired from climbing the first part of the trail. The last stretch of the trail was long because I was so tired and it was hard to keep going.                                                                                                                                           I think that I liked the trip as much as I did because it was done on our own and we got to experience the trail for ourselves. Instead of being herded like sheep, we got to look around and take our time and set our own pace.                                                                                                                                 Even though the day was long, the trail was the perfect length and was beautiful to look at, I caught myself looking around a lot while skiing. I think this was one of my favourite trips because it was a perfect day and I got to ski all day with my best friend. Overall such a great trip and I would love to go back there and ski again!

Monday, April 6, 2015


Gatineau Park Trip PAD20 Reflection

Emmy Bach

                This year’s ski trip to Gatineau Park was not my first ski there or my last, but it was a very enjoyable experience and I certainly intend to do it again!

                Firstly, I should mention is that instead of bringing my classic skis, I wore my skate skis, which gave me a bit of an advantage speed-wise in the group. Being one of the people in the group to consistently arrive at the front of the pack was new for me, as whenever I had previously gone skate skiing (with the ski team), I was often struggling to keep up. I think this was what gave me the idea to double back at some points to accompany my friends and classmates, because I knew how discouraging it could be when you are at the back of the group. In this, I learned that you don’t always have to give up a challenge for yourself to help others who may not be skilled in a particular area. Part of the challenge for me was to start being aware that there were others who did not enjoy our activity as much as I did, and being supportive of them while keeping a positive attitude and helping them along.

                Secondly, I very much enjoyed myself – partly because I had the right equipment and I was prepared! I knew that for the first part of the day, it might be a little chilly, but I wore layers and I was fine once I started working. I brought two water bottles for the day, which lasted perfectly, as well as some protein and fruits in my food for lunch (including chocolate fondue as a treat). The day ended up being somewhat hot and very sunny. I noticed, however, that many of my classmates did not have all the proper equipment, and it made me appreciate my own experience even more. In hindsight, it would have been kind of me to take some equipment of the others who were experiencing issues with heat and heavy bags (again, I could have been looking out for my classmates more actively).

                The ski trip gave us an opportunity to bond as a class, which I think will give us an advantage in future activities. I am glad that we were able to go on a one-day trip before our three-day hiking trip in April so that it gives us all a chance to think about what we can do better for the group.  I was proud of my skiing skills (which have improved significantly since last year), but not so proud of the fact that I was often at the front of the group skiing by myself when I could have been helping out elsewhere. I hope that this class will help me to develop some leadership skills and awareness for others and not just myself. I enjoyed being able to spend time with others, and to share the fun of the good weather and a great sport with my classmates. I certainly look forward to future trips with our class!