10G camp at Mt Aspiring
By Richard Roe | Posted: Wednesday March 8, 2023
It was cold, it was still dark, and it was a Sunday morning. But they came anyway; 26 enthusiastic young men from 10G plus 6 top-shelf senior leaders all ready to tackle the camp experience at our Mt Aspiring Lodge.
A relaxing 5km stroll along the road was just the tonic after a 5 hour bus journey, and once the Lodge was set up there was time for some fishing or a dip in the glacial-fed river before dinner.
With a promising forecast, we launched into Monday with preparation for our overnight expedition, learning the skills of tent pitching, cooker usage, gear packing, and more. After lunch we set off into the heat burdened down with supplies for the next 24 hours. Our campsite was a prime riverside location in the East Branch after a two hour hike. A couple of uninvited guests from the Aspinall family cattle herd thought all their Christmases had come at once however, scoring bread and home baking and other goodies that had been left unattended. Unfortunately, having gotten a taste for it, they proceeded to terrorise the camp for the entire night, crashing about in the bush and sniffing around tents. On a positive note, they will become mighty tasty beef patties sometime soon.
Some tired faces emerged from tents on Tuesday morning, so it was a more leisurely start. Perseverance paid off for Kade when he landed a nice rainbow trout, making a great addition to their group’s brunch. After some river-crossing training we explored a little more of the very scenic East Branch, before dismantling camp and returning to the Lodge.
The rain threatened all day Wednesday, but never came to much more than a few drizzle patches. We soldiered on with our group competition, events ranging from orienteering to mini raft construction to frisbee golf. While all participated well, there could only be one winner, and on this occasion it was the hostel boys from group 3 that came out on top.
On our final full day we joined the hordes of international tourists and headed up the hill to get a closer view of the impressive Rob Roy glacier, finishing up with a dip in the Wishbone Falls on the way home.
The positive enthusiasm of the boys, excellent contribution from our senior leaders and a fine team of staff made this a very successful trip overall. I am sure that all the boys have picked up a new skill and learned a little more of what they are capable of.
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