BRONZE AWARD EXPEDITION AND TE WAKA SOLO REFLECTIONS BOOKLET 2019
DUKE OF EDINBURGH HILLARY AWARD BRONZE EXPEDITION CASTLE HILL 2019 Read ALL the information in this booklet, plan well ahead for equipment and food and be well organized. The Duke of Edinburgh expedition is your challenge to plan and carry out, your own tramp, providing your own food and gear. If you turn up for your expedition with unsuitable gear or food, you will not be signed off until you have met the required standard. Monday 4 November 2019 • Map reading/navigation. During this time the instructor will go through the route with each group. • • • • • • • •
Environmental Care Code. Basic first aid. Gear and equipment. Stoves. Weather. Solo Tarps and Tents. Food. Logbooks and admin.
These workshops along with the training and experience gained in Years 9–10 meet the required six hours of theory and overnight practical practice trip required to meet the Bronze award standard. All students should be aware of the gear requirements from the gear list and their times on previous camps. Students who did not attend Year 9 or Year 10 camps may need to do some extra training post this trip before their books are signed off.
The date of your Castle Hill Expedition is on the front of your booklet. For groups 1 Yellow and 3 Blue, please be at the lower playing field by the Maintenance Dept by 8.15am on Monday morning. For groups 2 Green and 4 Pink, please meet at 8.00am at the Normans Road drop off zone. • On arrival, the instructors will look at and assess all the group’s personal kit and group equipment, i.e. first aid kit, stove, tent, suitable clothing including raincoat and poly props. Groups will then head out on their trips and return to the Lodge at 1.00pm on Day 2 for the late second lunch. • 2.00pm Briefing for Te Waka solo, handing out food, equipment. Head away on Solo by 2.30pm. • Students will return to the lodge between 11.30am and 12.00pm on Day 3, where there will be a BBQ lunch provided. • Return to St Andrew’s College by 3.30pm
IN THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR TRIP GO THROUGH ALL YOUR GEAR. Clothes
check against clothes list.
Food
refer to information on food.
Tent
make sure it’s got pegs and you know how it goes up.
Stove
has enough fuel and know how it works.
• Watch the weather forecast for at least three days leading up to your expedition – The Press, internet and TV. This will give you a guide as to the weather to expect on your trip. Allow for worse weather than forecasted. • Every group will be shadowed by an instructor. However, the group should be selfreliant during the trip. The instructor will only become involved for safety, behaviour or medical reasons. • Throughout the time at Castle Hill, students will be assessed with particular focus on: o Equipment: a tent, stove, first aid kits, etc. o Skills: tramping, camping and navigation. o Food and cooking. The standards for these are realistic for Year 10 students and are within the ability of all students. Spending a bit of time preparing for this activity will ensure an enjoyable time away. NB – To gain the Bronze award, it is not just a case of turning up. You need to be well prepared and have a working knowledge of basic tramping/camping skills.
GEAR LIST Lunch (packed from home) or if a boarder you need to arrange this through the Dean. In groups of 3-6 you will need: - tents*
- *stove + fuel+ matches + pots
- a watch
- food *
- *first aid kit
- rubbish bag
*see detailed information. Personal gear: - pack
- pack liner
- sleeping bag
- sleeping mat
- thermal top x2
- plate, cutlery, cup, water bottle
- thermal long johns x 2
- woollen socks x3
- fleece or woollen jersey
- waterproof raincoat
- tramping boots/trainers with good tread - woollen hat
- sun hat
- sun block
- torch
- gloves
- Toiletries = tooth brush, etc
- personal medication *
Each group will need some toilet paper and something to wash your plates.
*
Remember to bring plastic bags for all your rubbish which you will BRING BACK WITH YOU.
Remember you are camping outdoors both nights at Castle Hill (one on the expedition and one on Solo). You will be cooking on your own stoves and eating your own food for 1 x lunch, 1 x dinner, 1 x breakfast and 1 x brunch on the expedition. A late lunch on Day 2 and 3 will be provided.
FOOD All food is split into four groups – carbohydrates, fats, sugars, and protein. They all serve a purpose as follows: Carbohydrates (Carbs) provide the energy to do exercise, “fuel for the engine”. Typical carbs are pasta, rice, bread, and potatoes. Fats: Butter, cooking oil. Also, provide a lot of energy. Sugars: Sweets/ lollies, chocolate, fruit Muesli bars, Scoggin. Provide short bursts of energy between meals. Protein: Meats, soy. These are the nice foods to eat but do not provide any energy for doing exercise. For tramping they are therefore used to give meals high in carbohydrates a better taste. Plus helps to rebuild muscle for the following day. Food should be high in carbs, medium in sugars and fats, and low in protein. Also, expect to eat at least twice your normal food intake. The following are suggestions/ options for meal combinations for the two-day expedition. Lunch
1 x Packed from home – bread with marg, ham, cheese, jam, fruit and Raro drink
Dinner
1 x cooked in groups on group stoves – sausages, spaghetti, pasta, rice, salami, dehydrated veggies, potato flakes, stir-fry sauces soup, fruit (can or fresh), yoghurt.
Breakfast
Muesli, milk powder, bread, jam, milo. Porridge, sausages, beans.
Snacks
muesli bars, crackers, and cheese
Lunch
Provided by Castle Hill
The above is only to give an idea of menu options. Take the food you like which will give you energy for the trip. Remember you will only have one, maybe two stoves per group. NB. Canned food is heavy, and you have to carry the tins out as rubbish. Dehydrated food is light, easy to cook, but can be expensive. Day two will be an early start so while you need lots of energy, it needs to be quick to prepare. Remember each group will need some toilet paper and something for washing plates etc.
STOVES There are three types of camping stoves. 1. Gas 2. Liquid fuel petrol/ white spirts 3. Methylated Spirit Gas stoves are popular on the Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions as they are easy to use and inexpensive. The type with the removable screw canister is good and quite stable. There is a type on the market that looks a bit like a plastic briefcase. These are awful! In the last couple of years, we have had a number of these flare-up during cooking, they are also very heavy and use a lot of fuel. Not recommended. Petrol type stoves are very good but expensive, are prone to flare up and for use by more experienced users. Meths stoves (Trangia) are the type we use for all our camps at St Andrew’s. They are safe as there is no pressurized fuel container. Also, the methylated spirit does not burn too hot. The downside is that they can be slow. Castle Hill has a few of these that can be hired. Stove Hire: Stove plus fuel $15.00. These must be returned clean at the end of each trip. Cleaning equipment will be provided on return to the lodge. These are booked on a first-come basis on group form or through PDW@stac.school.nz before Sunday 10 November.
TENTS • These need to be weatherproof with a full flysheet. • Appropriate size for a group is 2, 3, or 4-person, no bigger. Remember you are carrying this. • Make sure you know how to put your tent up. Check for poles and pegs. I highly recommend you put this up at home before the trip.
FIRST AID KITS Each group should carry the following as a minimum first aid kit. Place in a waterproof container e.g. zip-lock plastic bag. o
Notebook
o
Pencil
o
Personal medication
o
Bandaids x 6
o
Scissors
o
2 x Pairs of disposable gloves
o
75mm or 100mm crepe bandage
o
None stick dressing
o
Strapping tape
o
Absorbent pads e.g. Sanitary pads/abdominal dressing
o
Other items: Sunscreen, insect repellent, painkillers (paracetamol )
The instructor will be carrying a more substantial first aid kit.
SIGNING OFF YOUR BRONZE DUKE OF EDINBURGH When you return from camp you need to log in to your online record book. https://www.onlinerecordbook.org 1. Click on Qualifying Journey under the Adventurous Journey section and then click on Report. 2. To achieve Bronze, you MUST write a paragraph about your overnight camp. You should write about how well your group worked as a team, what you enjoyed and what you learned. You could also write about where you camped, what the weather was like and how you managed. Your report will be read by the assessor. 3. Once you have completed your report, click on send to assessor. 4. Make sure you have completed the other three sections and that you have clicked on send to assessor to get those signed off too.