RITE OF PASSAGE

A Rite of Passage, a ceremony or event that marks a person's life, especially when they transition from one stage to another.

My first week in this strange and new travelling high-school they took us out to Snowdonia National Park in Wales in the middle of July. Here with no prior warning we were informed we would be completing a 6-day hike with tents and ration packs included.

In small groups of 10 we would set out in the evening of Monday 22nd of 2019, 5 PM to be precise. We drove for roughly an hour and then were dropped off in the middle of a valley with a goal to cross and find a camping field before night. We failed that task, only getting in at 1 AM, exhausted and still needing to learn how to set up both our tent and cook our food packs. This pretty much set the tone for the next 6 days.

Wake up at 7 AM, pack up and eat by 8:30 and walk for 3 hours before participating in an activity such as gorge walking, rock climbing, canoeing, or hiking mount Snowdon. Have lunch and then walk until our next camp site.

This experience was both mentally and physically exhausting, with more than a few tears shed. Yet by the end I gained numerous new skills mainly in leadership, planning, tent pitching, navigation and self resilience.