Tree Adventures

On Thursday 19th March 2015, all Year 8s came face to face with another exciting challenge. We all headed to Tree Adventures where most of us would face our biggest nightmare...heights! But all of a sudden, instead of being afraid, we were all determined and excited. We all parted ways and went on different courses. All participants did their best to overcome their fears and to do as much as they could. At the end of that day, we all felt like we accomplished something and I certainly believe that we have.

Thursday 19th March 2015 WALT: Use descriptive language to set a scene. Tree Adventures As I took in the place before me, my breath hitched. It definitely looked adventurous and challenging which made my body shiver. As I fed my eyes with my surroundings, my vision then became clear. There were ropes and logs hanging between trees. Dark clouds were slowly defeating the cheery blue sky. I was praying secretly that the sky above us won’t burst into tears. ‘Good Morning,’ the instructor started off. We all gathered around facing the friendly faces of 3 men. The first mission for them was to get all of us secured. My inner self started jumping up on it’s trampoline singing along to Happy. I silently squealed to myself until my bladder became full and urgently needed to go to the toilet. I knew then that if I did not go to the toilet at that moment, I would be in danger walking high up from the ground trying to get off as fast as I could. After having a trip to the squishy toilet, I jumped up in line. I was told to turn here and there. Having done some twists, I was finally harnessed. We were all ready to go that I could almost feel myself climbing up a ladder. Important informations have been discussed and off we went climbing at trees like hungry monkeys. The first course that I went to was pretty frightening at first. It made me realise that crossing over with someone trailing behind you was the worst idea I have ever thought of. The logs were really wobbly and I prayed for another chance to live in this world. That first bridge took 10-15 minutes for me to calm down. Then it struck me. These courses were to help us come to the conclusion that in life, there will be rough roads to cross over and you can stop for a minute, but just remember to keep on going no matter what. I went to a few more activities and the last course was real pressure. I just finished climbing up the ladder when they announced that there were 3 more minutes left. “I can do this,” I whispered under my breath. I thought it was just a short course....but I was wrong. In order to get to the second flying fox, I had to face a long line of brown tiny logs. I took a deep breath and went on with it. As soon as I reached the finishing line, I mentally knelt down and did a thank you speech. I was really grateful for this Term’s William Pike Challenge and I want to thank Ms McDonell. This trip was amazing! No words can describe how I felt at the end of the day. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming William Pike Challenge. Written by: Joana Panahon