Camping Trip
The day had finally arrived. It was Junior Cert results day and I’m not sure if I have ever been so nervous. Like everyone I had a few results that could go either way. As soon as I got my results I went straight out to my parents and opened them with them. I was happy as were they but I quickly put them behind me so could ensure that I would enjoy myself on the camping trip. As we were getting on the bus we congratulated each other. We all quickly learned that the Junior Cert has no effect on our future. By now I was on the bus and ready to camp. When we got there we were off to a sprint to get a good spot for our tent. While I had a group that was able to put our tent we quickly had it set up. After we had it set up I ventured off to help other groups who were struggling. Then came time to cook our first meal. This was the first time I had cooked in the wilderness like this. I quickly learned how to block the wind which prevented our flame from going out. Then we prepared for our traitorous first walk. Although it was only 5k I have to say I was not looking forward to it. Although most of the walk was uphill, the views were spectacular. When we were half way we stopped at the big rock and took a big picture. There were many other pictures taken throughout the trip by Daniel McGonnell. When we got back to the campsite there was a rush to the showers. When we got back and our stomachs were rumbling. We ensured that we had a very nice dinner for the first night of camping. Luke made us all steak, beans and gravy. It was so nice my expectations for the rest of the meals were a little too high. After dinner and the clearing off we all headed to the campfire. Although singing to songs and talk amongst ourselves was fun we some of Liverpool fans could help but keep an eye on the Liverpool score. Soon some friendly yelling and fights started swell which was fairly fun. At 10;30 we all headed back to our tents and when everyone was tucked into bed we couldn’t help but scream “JONOS” at the top of our lungs.
Thursday morning had arrived and I can safely say I did not sleep as well as I had hoped ahead four 22k hike. I decided to get some protein into me for the energy I lost from sleep. i did this buy helping Luke cook a few sausages and bacon and the leftover beans. At this point I was full and easy to go get changed into an interesting hiking outfit. I was wearing a pair of ski socks, timberland boots, shorts, a short sleeve t-shirt and a warm sweater. The most import thing however was the Patriots beanie. For lunch I through a few bags of crisps and chocolate bars into my bag and i was ready to go. As we started the treacherous climb i quickly stripped off layers while I moved up to the front of the pack. We often had to wait for the rest of the year to catch up with us ever 2-3 kilometers. After 3 hours we stopped and had lunch for a bit. We were quickly back up and running. Luke Shanahan and I quickly learned on the way back the there “ain’t nothin’ timbs can’t get through” we were able to make through countless puddles, rivers and mud to get through the final stretch of the walk. When we got back from the walk we went swimming which was a nice cool down however the lake was so cold it cooled me down a little more than I would have liked. I rushed straight to the showers along with everyone else to re-warm myself. Dinner on Thursday was a little more disorganized as I ended up having some pot noodles. We went to the fire again until it started to lash. We quickly ran up to the barn to get shelter. We all spent the rest of our night in there. When we headed back to the tents the same yelling happened again although it needed a little earlier this time.
When I woke up Friday morning I was happy to say that I had gotten some more sleep than the previous night. I was not really bothered to cook so I scavenged for food from other people and had some chocolate bars of my own. We then got right cleaning up the campsite which was bit of a struggle for some. While we were waiting for the buses I was thinking about what I had learned throughout the couple of days. I was amazed at how much I had enhanced my camping skills. The buss soon came and we were on our way home. I had a great time the camping trip with the rest of my year.
Thursday morning had arrived and I can safely say I did not sleep as well as I had hoped ahead four 22k hike. I decided to get some protein into me for the energy I lost from sleep. i did this buy helping Luke cook a few sausages and bacon and the leftover beans. At this point I was full and easy to go get changed into an interesting hiking outfit. I was wearing a pair of ski socks, timberland boots, shorts, a short sleeve t-shirt and a warm sweater. The most import thing however was the Patriots beanie. For lunch I through a few bags of crisps and chocolate bars into my bag and i was ready to go. As we started the treacherous climb i quickly stripped off layers while I moved up to the front of the pack. We often had to wait for the rest of the year to catch up with us ever 2-3 kilometers. After 3 hours we stopped and had lunch for a bit. We were quickly back up and running. Luke Shanahan and I quickly learned on the way back the there “ain’t nothin’ timbs can’t get through” we were able to make through countless puddles, rivers and mud to get through the final stretch of the walk. When we got back from the walk we went swimming which was a nice cool down however the lake was so cold it cooled me down a little more than I would have liked. I rushed straight to the showers along with everyone else to re-warm myself. Dinner on Thursday was a little more disorganized as I ended up having some pot noodles. We went to the fire again until it started to lash. We quickly ran up to the barn to get shelter. We all spent the rest of our night in there. When we headed back to the tents the same yelling happened again although it needed a little earlier this time.
When I woke up Friday morning I was happy to say that I had gotten some more sleep than the previous night. I was not really bothered to cook so I scavenged for food from other people and had some chocolate bars of my own. We then got right cleaning up the campsite which was bit of a struggle for some. While we were waiting for the buses I was thinking about what I had learned throughout the couple of days. I was amazed at how much I had enhanced my camping skills. The buss soon came and we were on our way home. I had a great time the camping trip with the rest of my year.