News

Despite consistent rain, cold temperatures, and nerve-wracking rapids, a large group of enthusiastic white-water paddlers gathered at the Horseshoe Bend campsite for the annual Cowichan River Youth Kayaking Festival last weekend. The event, hosted and organized by Mr. Norman, is intended to teach white water paddling to young people, with a strong...

In anticipation of the warm waters of Spring Break destinations, the third term ODP group practiced swimming on the last day of sport before the holiday. Snow drifted gently down as a bus full of apprehensive students and neoprene wetsuits made its way to Skutz Falls: the location on the local Cowichan River where the ODP white water paddling...

What should you do if your hiking partner breaks an arm when you’re a three-day walk from civilization? Or gashes a leg on a remote kayaking trip? Such are the questions that various students, alumni, and staff addressed during a fifty-hour Wilderness First Aid course held over the past two weekends. Led by an experienced teacher from...

Second term of Outdoor Pursuits is off to a great start. In the past two weeks, we already have a hike, two pool sessions, and two chances to climb under our belts. Tuesday, November 15th, the first day of second term sport, was overcast and chilly, but the view from the summit of Mt. Tzouhalem was still stunning. Eagles glided in and out of the...

On a damp West Coast November day, a couple of BEAT members trekked their way through damp bush, avoiding puddles, admiring wildlife, and took in the incredible sights, sounds, and smells the temperate rainforest has to offer. Before them emerged an incredible sight: deep in the forest emerged a beautiful grove of old growth trees, reaching into...

Familiar faces alternated with newcomers as the Brentwood ODPers (plus a few additional hosts) welcomed students from Glebe Collegiate, in Ottawa, last week. After waking up at 4am their time, traveling all day, and hiking Mount Finlayson, the Glebe kids were more than ready for dinner and bed: thermarests on the floor in the boarding houses of...

The ODP clan packed their bags and headed for Squamish last Friday afternoon, eager to clamber up crags and conquer cliffs. After a ferry trip from Nanaimo and a long bus ride into Squamish, we pitched tents at a campsite. The next day we headed to our first climbing destination. The first cliff we climbed was called Area 44. After a short hike,...

At 7:00am on Saturday, May 28th, while most enjoyed a sleep-in, a small group of students boarded the bus, laden with backpacks, sleeping pads, and wetsuits. These eight dedicated ODP white-water paddlers, along with Mr. Norman and our assistant paddling instructor, Thyren, napped, chatted, or played chess on the drive to Courtenay, BC for the...

I love my job, especially the outdoor educator part, but Tuesday December 15 was an eleven for me. In Outdoor Pursuits, the plan was a day hike on the gold mine trail in Goldstream Park. Early darkness and cold were on my mind as I planned this hike for 12 teenagers from the Outdoor Pursuits class I co-teach with Josie Olszewski. This group had...

On Friday, November 20th, Jacob N, Whittall ‘16 & Joe K Whittall ‘16 spent their evening on the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island on a campsite with their peers. The following morning, they hiked out to Mystic Beach and made their lunch on the beach before they got dressed in their #1 school uniform in preparation for their Silver Duke of...