Adventure Camp (Diwali 2006)

Thirty five young boys and girls turned up for the adventure camp at Vidya  Valley School on 26th October. They came with their haversacks, sleeping bags and carry mats - looking every inch like the troopers that they eventually proved themselves to be.

The camp started with lessons on mountaineering equipments and mountain manners; about discipline and obedience. First came lessons on ropes and knots - the things on which their very lives would depend on in the coming  days.

The exercises on Day 1were on the balancing rope, Burma Bridge and Monkey-Crawl: all designed to introduce the campers to heights, teach them  to balance and to overcome their early fears. And also to learn to use the body  harness and the carabinas. What would the next few days bring?

Day 2 was chock-a-block with further thrills. Rock-climbing lessons. First the  theory and then the practical. On a 20 foot natural rock face in a quarry.Campers learnt to use various types of holds in rocks and cracks to climb,  the techniques of anchoring and belaying, the importance of teamwork and communication - the basics of mountaineering.

The excitement of rock climbing had barely  abated when the next challenge had to be faced - valley crossing! And this  was no small valley either - a forty foot drop, no less!! Campers had to  overcome the natural fear of heights and put their entire trust on the    "rope" as they descended from the roof of the school building  down to the basketball court - a drop that makes anyone gasp with fright.

Every camper, yes, every camper took  the plunge. As a young camper said at the end of the camp, "it taught us that if we overcome our fear and make the effort, we can do anything". It cannot be said better.

When it seemed that the best was behind  them,Day 3 dawned bright and clear. Campers were again at the quarry, but this time  at the upper rim rather than at the bottom. The new challenge was rappelling  down the rock wall:  putting one's life on the line, so to say, as   one stepped back in to the void. Were these just thirteen, fourteen year olds tackling the challenges with such courage?

Yet another challenge awaited them - The  climbing wall !! Vidya  Valley has the only climbing  wall in any school in Western India and the ONLY internal climbing  wall in Western India!! It was time to tackle the wall. And tackle it they did. One after another they attempted the wall. A few succeeded but   all of them put their heart and soul in to the challenge. Well done.

Night brought with it the first signs of  winter - a chill in the air. Just the weather for a roaring camp-fire. Around the fire there was drama and excitement and fun. While the fire roared the tents were being set up. It had been a very full day. What could be better to snuggle into the sleeping bags, inside a tent,surrounded by the pitch dark of a Vidya Valleynight, broken by the orange flicker of the dying camp-fire. Ah! bliss!  Goodnight.

Stop for a moment to wonder. What was the objective of this camp? Was it to make the young campers in to mountaineers? Undoubtedly yes. But more than that. To make them TOUGH, in the broadest sense of the word.

Morning of Day 4. It was already known that the      young campers were brave and courageous, sharp of wit and full of  enthusiasm. But were they Tough? It was time to find out. Waking with the dawn, 7:00 a.m. saw them start out on their trek over the surrounding  hills, through thick undergrowth and forests. Four hours later the young campers slowly trekked back to camp. A difficult four hours for their age and size. They had proved to themselves that they were tough. It  was now time to rest.

But for one last hurrah! For two hours parents stood spell bound as the campers demonstrated their skills in climbing a vertical rock wall, in river crossing techniques, in rappelling down a high wall (forty feet!). To applause and cheers from their parents the camp came to an end. The children departed, dressed in their Adventure Camp T-Shirts and smart yellow and black caps. These insignias of their achievement were hard earned and well desreved

The dust from the departing busses signaled  the end to the camp-site, as tents were pulled down and packed, ropes were coiled and put away and tired instructors put up their feet and closed their eyes for a well deserved rest and cup of tea.

Thank you Mrs. Sengupta, our Principal. Thank you Mr. Rajesh Patade, mountaineer and Chief instructor. Thank you Swati Ma'am, Yogesh Sir, Anand Sir, Nitin Sir and Athini Ma'am.

Thank you kakas and cooks for an absolutely  superduper ( ROCKING !!!) camp.

Thank you Vidya Valley.

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