Into the Woods

June 8-9, the Grade 8s embarked on a spectacular camping trip at the Horseshoe Bend campsite. As soon as we arrived and escaped the confines of the bus, we went hiking on a wondrous trail. We played games and looked out on the wonderful ecosystem that surrounded us.  When we got back to the site, we dove into the frigid, powerful currents of the Cowichan River. After swimming, and jumping off of natural diving boards of rock, we sprinted headfirst into the dense and prickly forest, engaged in games such as capture the flag and camouflage.  When we returned to our campsite, we cooked our own steaks over the fierce fire. As dusk fell, we sung campfire songs, and shared jokes and stories, while consuming s’mores and hot chocolate. After that, it was off to bed in the tents, and we locked up all of our attractants so as to not attract curious wildlife.  We snuggled into our warm sleeping bags and definitely did not stay up the whole night - it was an early morning, and we rose with the sun, had an early breakfast, and were off on the trail. With a forty-two kilometer bike ride ahead of us, everyone was excited. We took several stops along the beautiful Trans Canada Trail, including at the Kinsol Trestle for lunch.  Miraculously, when we arrived back to school, everyone still possessed the energy to unload the van quickly and hang the tents to dry.  It was a great camping trip and thanks to everyone who made it run smoothly, including Mrs. Patel, Mr. Norman, Jacob N, Whittall ‘16,  Mr. DeSandoli, and all of our classmates. Sarah R & Bridget M