Duke of Edinburgh

On Thursday 19 April CISH undertook their first adventurous journey. 22 students set off on the overnight train from Hefei to Beijing. After an enjoyable evening on the overnight train, we arrived early in Beijing on Friday morning. After a two-hour bus journey, we arrived at our destination at the foot of the Great Wall of China. 

The practice journey started with the Discovery coaches showing us how to set up camp. This included setting up our tents, packing our hiking bags and getting ready for our practice expedition. The practice expedition lasted for approximately three hours as we trailed up the Great Wall of China, experiencing amazing views and steep climbs. When we arrived back at camp on Friday evening the students had to make their own food in their respective teams. The students were given some cooking equipment and had to make pasta and sauce, enough for everyone. 

After a rainy night in our tents and a cooked breakfast that the students had to make themselves, we set off for our qualifying journey hike on Saturday morning. It was a very tough hike up steep slopes, climbing up and over rocks, using a rope to pull us upwards and that eventually took us to the top of the highest peak which then involved going from Tower to Tower along the Wall going up and down over obstacles. The descent was very tricky and challenging but the students did a great job of finishing the hike on the first day. We were divided into four groups and it took 9 1/2 hours to complete the hike on the first day. Saturday was definitely the toughest day and even though Sunday was not as long it was going to be a very challenging hike. 

Students woke up at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning and made some breakfast and then we set off up a very steep incline to get to the top of the peak where we would hike another two towers to reach our activity points. The activities included traversing, abseiling, and slack roping. The students really enjoyed these activities and it really tested the mental resolve and resilience of our students. The descent was very tricky and challenging but all the students did extremely well. 

As a school, this was our first Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey and it was a very tough and challenging 2 1/2 days. I am extremely proud of our students for what they achieved and the attitude and effort they showed. The teamwork with in the different teams was very good and I am proud of how the teams helped each other during the 2 1/2 days. It was an amazing experience and I am very happy that 22 students completed the Adventurous Journey section of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. This past weekend taught our students some valuable lessons. The most important lesson that some of the students took away from this weekend is that they are capable of much more than they ever thought. Well done to everyone involved. Also, thank you to Jo Coutts for her support during this past weekend.