Summer U. (Grade 9A)
“Yesterday we went on a hike as a class to a lovely waterfall and spent the rest of the afternoon at Wildplay. Normally I hate walking. I despise spending time in nature. I can confidently say that I am definitely a city girl addicted to my phone. Today was different, there was no service at all during the hike and it was 5 full Km! That’s a lot for someone who hates hiking. However, I got a chance to appreciate nature more and spend time socializing without my phone. The waterfall was really pretty and I got to take some nice pictures with my friends. I learned that Nature around us is really beautiful and it’s important to take advantage of that. I think in terms of growth, I’ve learned to spend more time outdoors and just relax and take a step back. Instead of worrying about school work or other problems, a nice hike is a good way to unwind. I think I grew more as a person, and will now make a change to go on more hikes with my family.
We also went to Wildplay with our grade and it was a fun blast! I’ve been to two other rope courses and I’ve been extremely scared of heights. Today I embraced that fear and was able to get through the whole course. It was a lot of fun to do it with my friends and I eventually got the hang of it all. It was so much fun to swing from a rope, ride zip lines while navigating through the trees. It was a really fun experience and I would do it again. Along with the hike, I got to explore nature, the trees which I normally don’t do. I got to embrace it and have lots of fun outdoors off my screen. It was by far one of my favourite field trips and I would highly recommend anyone who has the chance to do it.”
Kaitlyn G. (Grade 9B)
“On Wednesday May 19th I had the opportunity to hike the lower falls trail at Golden Ears. I thought it was going to be just a normal hike like the ones I do on the weekends, which I was fine with because I love hiking (rainy and cloudy days are my favourite days to hike). I was excited for this hike since I was going to get to see my friends in the other class who I rarely get to see anymore. The hike was beautiful, there was so much greenery and I got to see lots of mushrooms. One of my favourite things to do when hiking is spot mushrooms. I was also excited when we got the opportunity to take pictures, because I have been really into photography lately. While hiking I lost all sense of time. I was just enjoying myself. When we reached the waterfall, it was amazing. I thought once we got to the waterfall we would head back right away, but we didn’t. The feeling of the cold mist prickling against my sweaty face from hiking was, so refreshing. I had never done anything like that before. It was just breathtaking standing up on the rock watching the water crash down before me and feeling it on my face and legs. I could close my eyes and hear nothing but the water and feel nothing but the cold air and mist. I took some pictures of the waterfall but they won’t ever be able to capture how it felt to stand there, so close to it. My mind just felt at peace even though it was the opposite of peaceful. The rest of the day I was just relaxed and content and I was able to enjoy the day making many memories. I definitely want to bring my family there one day, it was such a great adventure and I want them to experience it as well one day. This adventure allowed for me to see and experience the beauty of nature and open my eyes to the word around me, which I have kind of forgotten about lately with the end of the school year coming.”