Transition Year Outdoor Education

This year, Transition Year pupils went to Kippure Estate, Co Wicklow to participate in an overnight camping excursion. We enjoyed a range of activities including; hiking in the Wicklow Mountains, camp craft activities, orienteering, archery, wall climbing, abseiling and a high/low ropes course.
We arrived early at approximately 10 am and were introduced to our instructors from the Irish Army who would be accompanying us over the next twenty-four hours. Next we were greeted with the daunting sight of the mountain that we were going to hike up. After a number of hours trudging through the sweltering heat we reached the summit of Mount Seefin and gorged on our lunches, taking in the

magnificent scenery that surrounded us.
Upon return to our camp we were immediately engaged in more practical matters such as pitching our tents for the night. For many this proved quite difficult. After our exploits with the tents, we participated in further camp craft
activities such as learning how to start a fire using flint, and how to filter water using charcoal, fine stones and moss.
As evening drew in, we participated in an orienteering course, where our instructors handed us maps and gave us instructions to source the food that
would be used in preparing our dinner.  We worked together in groups and used the skills that we learned earlier that day to cook the food sourced over our handmade fires. Later that evening we were summoned by our instructors for a night hike. On return, we sang songs in the blackness of the woods around the comforting glow of the campfire before heading to bed.
After an early morning rise we ate breakfast and dismantled our tents before packing them away. We were then put through our paces in a number of adventure activities, where we scaled walls to giddy heights and leapt from dangling trapezes. After a thoroughly enjoyable and bonding experience we returned to our everyday lives, tired yet fulfilled.

Luan Rogers