Adventure Camps 2009 |
CLASS 7-Dak Pathar9:00 pm, 27-02-09 Lying in bed, I was pondering whether going for camp is such a good idea after all. All our seniors had told us that Dak Pathar was the worst camp, as it was scary and did’t have good activities. On the other hand opinions vary from batch to batch. What may have seemed like hell for our seniors, could be paradise for us. Eventually, I remain undecided as my body forces me to stop pontificating and go to sleep. 6:04:15 am, 28-02-09 The buses finally move out for our fifth camp. Most of the kids want to sleep but can’t, relentlessly badgered by their peers to talk and socialize. After a while, most of the bus is either asleep or chattering away at full flight. 4:37:09 pm, 28-02-09 After an exhausting ten and a half hour journey we reach camp. Most of the students are tired and fed up with the long drive, but manage to muster up some energy for the subsequent activities. We are divided into four groups, and have to design a flag, compose a jingle, scream out a war cry, and suggest a name for our group. One group is the Dominators, another is the Solar Scrapers, the Bazookas are there as well and so are the Gunners. Each is assigned a colour, and we each get a cap of that colour. 6:45 pm, 28-02-09 At the campfire, we have a few plays, and the Captain Uban tells us about the next day’s hectic schedule. First we have trekking, then rock climbing and rappelling, then lunch, and archery. Also, we are informed about the wake up timings. We are all shocked to hear that every day we will have to wake at 6:00! 6:00 am, 1-03-09 It is an icy morning, and our hands are numbed by the freezing bathroom water. To warm up we play cricket, but we are unable to play properly. We eat breakfast at half past 7 and set off for our respective activities. The trekkers have to navigate the jungle using only a map and compass, the rock climbers and appealers, well, rock climb and rappel. The kayakers practice the art of kayaking near a rapid, and the archers shoot arrows using a bow which is around 5’3.
2:00 pm, 1-03-09 We are extremely tired after our back to back activities, and settle in for a sumptuous lunch. We relax and think that we have a lot of free time on our hands only to discover that we have to do another activity today. We also get the input from all the kids on who fainted, who vomited, and who cried. Believe me, there were a lot of them. 5:45 pm, 1-03-09 After four exhausting activities we finally manage to get some rest and enjoy drinking soup, and gather around the campfire, only to find out that there is another activity left, the tag hunt. We all assemble in our various groups with our respective counselors, and designate a leader and his deputy. Half of the group stays in the control room, and the other half, the search party, look for ribbons lying all over the estate. 8:30 pm, 1-3-09 At the campfire, we learn of the next day’s schedule. We would simultaneously do the Tyrolean Traverse and paint balling, and then come back to camp for the Air Crash Module, and river crossing. 6:00 am, 2-3-09 Another arctic morning, though this time we don’t feel it so much, as we are acclimatized. 8:15 am, 2-3-09 Paint ball commences. May the best team win! Each team is given a single gun, and they have to either attack their opponent’s fort or defend their own. After the mayhem with paints, we head towards the Tyrolean Traverse, where we cross a rope, suspended like monkeys. While waiting for our turn, some of us inscribe and throw rocks into the dry river bed. 1:15 pm, 2-3-09 We all assemble outside Captain Uban’s gigantic mansion for the air crash module. It is quite similar to the tag hunt, but instead of finding ribbons we search for plastic bags with smiley faces on them, depicting injured and critically injured passengers. Two groups are combined, and the Gunners and Dominators transform into the Dominating Gunners, and the Solar Scrapers and Bazookas metamorphose into the Solar Bazookas. 3:15 pm, 2-3-09 We leave for river crossing, where there is a rope tied across the Samna, and we need to cross it. This by far is the most fun activity, as we walk through a rapid, and keep slipping and sliding. For a while we stand and walk. After that we start to sit down and eventually lie down. Lying down is more fun than just standing, as we take the full force of the rapid against us, and if we leave the rope, start to drift. There are huge water fights, with a few of the teachers getting drenched as well. 7:45 pm, 2-3-09 We have a farewell campfire, where the groups compete. There are many plays, a few solo songs, and a group song. We have a lot of fun. That is, until Captain Uban announces our wake up time the next day. 4:15!! Most of the class is stunned. We quickly have our Chinese dinner, and go to sleep, so that we can wake up so early. 5:35 am, 3-3-09 We assemble for the last time in our groups, and receive the various prizes. The Bazookas come first, the Solar Scrapers second, the Dominators third and the Gunners fourth. In archery, Manav gets the best shooter award for his scintillating 80 off 3 tries, and Sahir the sharpshooter award for his bulls-eye. We board the buses at around 8, and start our journey home. 4:47:05 pm, 3-3-09 We reach school after a shorter but bumpier ride. We are relieved to get back home, and we eagerly disembark from the buses. Bags are taken, cars arrive, and we all go to our respective houses. 9:00 pm, 3-3-09 Lying in bed, I realize that our seniors were quite mistaken in their judgment of camp. Though there were mixed feelings about the camp, there was a predominant feeling of fun and fulfillment after this camp. Dak Pathar would count amongst the best camps so far! |