Since childhood, I have always been fond of travelling, undertaking new experiences and always welcoming adventures. I have also been engaged in many athletic and adventure activities from a very young age.
Our school yearly hosts a nature camp during the end of December, where each year students are taken to different destinations and are expected to be a part of nature and adventure without any luxurious facilities. I personally love going to the nature camps and I try not to miss any of them, as I really like trekking, knowing new places and culture there. Especially when it is with friends, the time spent together and the memories created are really worth remembering life long.
This year I really thought that the Mount Abu trip would not be as good as other trips, as very few students turned up for the trip saying that the itinerary this time was too boring. On the trip I along with my friends had a lot of fun, we had a total of 4 treks among which “The golden chimney” and “Tiger’s Path” were my favourite. The view from the top was so mesmerizing that despite cold and heavy winds I did not want to go back to the campsite and just sit there and keep staring a the Landscape.
LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
During the trip, I also identified my strengths, and I got to know that I was very good at trekking and also exceptionally good at rock climbing. Adding on, I also noticed my weakness which was Rappelling. Next summer, I am also planning to go on a trek to improve more on my strengths and also with the aim to learn more about rappelling. I am sure that when I learn to rappel properly I will enjoy trekking even more and it would also help me stay safe. I feel that being aware of my strengths and weakness gives me an opportunity to be better as a person and it also helps in building self-esteem.
LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
The treks were very interesting but also at the end of the day it was very tiring, and we had trekking every day. For the first time, I experienced caving there, sliding through the thin gaps between the rocks in dark was very challenging. Our mentors helped all of us stay calm and made caving possible for each and every student. We were also taught a few techniques to help us improve at caving and trekking. I really enjoyed caving a lot and with the help of the skills and techniques I practiced, now I feel confident about the next time I go for trekking or caving.
LO5: Demonstrate the skills and benefits of working collaboratively
During the treks, my friends and I always tried to be ahead of everyone. There was a time when we were too ahead of everyone else while climbing down a mountain. Then we came across a diversion and we got confused about which way we came from and got a little confused, as we were a group of 5 people we were there to support each other and that is the reason we did not panic at the moment. After some time we were able to figure out the way and we finally reached the point where we started. During caving, the caves were very steep and narrow. At some points, there was no light in the cave which left us in absolute darkness. Staying together and working collaboratively helped me and my friends to watch out our steps in the dark caves and avoid any injuries or casualties from happening. I motivated my friends to undertake the new adventures and I also got to help a few of my friends who had claustrophobia, holding the hands of each other helped us strengthen our bonds as friends during the trip. I was really happy that no one got injured while doing any of the activities.
Overall, I think that the Mount Abu trip was really amazing, and despite the very few numbers of students present, I really enjoyed a lot on the trip and learned a lot of new things.
