By: Blonde One

People say that the things we are dreading often turn out to be the best things. This was exactly the case for me last week. I am always excited for an expedition and spend the few days before getting ready with anxious anticipation. This was not the case for my last expedition. It’s fair to say that I would rather have stayed at home. The thought of spending 2 nights in a Dartmoor bunkhouse did not fill me with joy! I even began to worry about myself and thought that I was either going off Dartmoor or going off the idea of being an outdoor leader. Luckily neither turned out to be true.

2 nights were spent at Whiteworks bunkhouse with 13 fantastic youngsters. I was worried that some would be bored: they kept themselves entertained for hours with a pack of cards. I was worried that the novices would get cold and miserable in the Dartmoor weather: everyone enjoyed views, learning to navigate and exploring new areas. I anticipated that the 13 would not work as a team: each one spent time with someone new and the group cooking was fantastically successful. I was anxious that some would be fed up without technology: I only saw one phone for the whole trip, no-one questioned the lack of TV and no-one asked to use the 3 computers that were there.

Logistically, this was a tricky trip but it was most definitely one of the most successful that I have run. The whole point of it was to build a team out of 13 disparate students and 1 member of staff ready for a rather more challenging trip to Morocco in July. I think I can safely say: ‘mission accomplished’.