Jaimes camp out

On Tuesday morning I had to go to school with four days worth of stuff and more. I packed it in one of those weird hiking bags (mine was almost bigger than me!!!). Anyway, I went to school and had to put all of our tents and food into a huge trailer. Then we were off. Two hours of driving in a big bus watching We got there (eventually) and had to be split into groups. And then had to walk 4 kilomters with our heavy backpacks on our backs. My group had four girls and eight guys (a bit much for my liking). We then had to set up our tents while the other group set out on a canoe-ing (how do you spell that???) expedition. Us girls (being smart) put our tents up on a steep hill (what thats where we were told to put them. Anyway, being the overcast, cold day it was, the group leaders decided it would be smart to make us go build a raft and make us paddle to the other side of the jelly-fish infested lake. The girls built one side. The guys built the other. The girls side floated. The guys side didn't. The girls side sunk when the guys decided to jump on it. The girls gave up on the guys and swam back to shore. The guys followed. The guys then had to go back to the other side of the lake because thats where the raft was. We all ended up freezing our butts off, but it was fun!!! Anyway, then we had supper (they call it "tea" here). And then we went to bed. Did I tell you that there are no toilets. Or showers. There was a long drop (that was actually a short drop). So we called it the short-long drop. It was basically a hole with a deckchair on it, with another hole cut into that (the deckchair, that is). I used it once in 4 days. In all other cases, I did a "bushey". Pretty fun.

Well I didn't. I stayed up most of the night because I was un-comfy.

The next day, we went bush walking. Eight kilometers of bush walking. And bush wacking. That's when you go through the bush (which consists of Eucalyptus trees) on no trail. I got a bit scratched. Then we went canoeing (don't judge my spelling!!!). But not before we had had a filling breakfast of rice crispies and powdered milk. I was paired with Alexandra. The only problem is, canoeing isn't her forte. In other words, I paddled EIGHT kilometers upstream with her dipping her paddle into the water every now and then. It took us two and a half hours. Anyway, when we got to the other campsite, we had to set up camp AGAIN!!! The kitchen wasn't as good as the other campsite though. We had to make our own supper. We made mac and cheese on some sort of gas cooker. With powered milk and cheese sauce of course. We sat around the camp fire for a bit then. Here comes the scary bit. I heard rustling in the bushes and shone my torch there. No one else was paying attention to it so I got up and went over there to take a closer look. Something rustled in the trees and jumped into my torch light. It was a...

POSSUM.A brush tailed one to be precise. Anyway, I was going to go to bed (actually my sleeping bag) when to my horror I found out that I'd left my SLEEPING BAG at the other camp!! So I slept in the dirty clothes I had been wearing that day. And no I wasn't cold, I was hot (and still am he he he).

The day after that, we packed up camp and headed back downstream to the other campsite. But not before we had had a filling breakfast of POWDERED mashed potato (I just had cereal again). It only took ME an hour to get back this time. Reunited with the second half of my class, we had a scavenger hunt. Oh, how much fun. Then we sat around the campfire and listened to a guy called Scott (who is known as Skit to everyone, Skittles to me) talk too fast. Oh yes, the boys also were trying to burn each other's socks, shoes and limbs in the fire.

The day after THAT, was a packing up day. We just, believe it or not, but rather do, packed up!! Oh, I forgot to tell you. Some time before this, one of the girls , Chelsea, tripped over a nearly-invisible tent line. I ran after her to see if she was OK, but then I also tripped over it!! Pretty funny, huh?? Anyway, after we had packed up we had to walk the 4 long kilometers to freedom. And then had to sit on a 2 hour bus trip with 13 year olds that hadn't washed for 4 days!!! Not too good. Then my mom came and got me and I was

CLEAN at last!!!!!!!!