Evaluation of physical expedition Unit 5 AO3, AO4, AO5, AO6.

. Unit 6 AO4 Introduction On Friday 17th and Saturday 18th of June our Public Services class went on an expedition to the Gower. Our goal was to get from Port Etymon to Pen nard Church, Leaving Port Etymon at 10:40AM and hoping to get to Pen nard by 1:00PM the following day . We hiked from checkpoint to checkpoint and stayed at Nicholston farm. We each had to pay 15 for the campsite and another 20 between us for the deposit on the equipment so we paid 2 each. By doing this and completing an analysis we were able to complete 5 AOs. The group consisted of me, Rhys, Callum,Scott, Alex, Kieran, Dominic, Luke and Nick, with our supervisor being Mr. Davies who is fully qualified as he has his mountain leaders qualification. Planning and Organizing Before the weekend we planned and organized the weekend. The main flaw to our planning was that we didnt identify a group leader who would take responsibility on the day to make decisions. By failing to do this it caused a lot of arguments on the weekend where people had different opinions which caused tension amongst the group. To get down to the start at Port Etymon we drove down but a few of the boys shared lifts. We chose the Gower and our route, which will be talked about later, because it has breathtaking scenery but is also takes a lot of endurance and determination to complete and in case of emergency there is busy roads nearby and good phone signal to get help. Due to the poor weather, our choice of clothes was critical. I wore two pairs of football socks a pair of thick soled walking boots, a pair of tracksuit bottoms, waterproof leggings that were put on over the tracksuit bottoms, along sleeved thermal top, with two T-shirts, a hooded jumper, and a waterproof. I also took a lot of spare clothes including, underwear, socks, hooded jumper, and waterproof, all these changes of clothes were 100% necessary for health and safety in order to avoid pneumonia and flu. However I didnt take any spare shoes or boots, I greatly regret this because by the end of the first day my feet were soaking and my boots didnt dry during the night so I had to start the second day my feet were soaking while we were still in camp. However rather than being disheartened I was more focused on finishing than ever and after an hour I forgot about it. Food is a very important part of the expedition. For example a member of a D of E group didnt have any breakfast before the first day of the expedition and as a result he felt sick almost as soon as he set off. My morning breakfast was two bacon rolls to give me the energy for the rest of the morning and a can of red bull to wake me up and feel alert. As with any activity outside of school but provided by the school our parents had to sign permission slips to allow us to go on the expedition. Also to give details of any illnesses or medication needed and also emergency contact details. Equipment As you would expect there is a lot of necessary equipment needed for an expedition including: Tent Tangent Meths

Matches Torch Bags First Aid kit Maps Route cards Camera Note pad and pencil Sleeping mat (Optional)

Tent- There were 9 of us in the group so we decided to take 3, 3 man tents. We split the tents up between the people we would be sleeping with, on the first day I took the pegs and rods and on the second day I took the outside part of the tent. We had very high quality tents which were made from lightweight materials which are essential for our expedition as we were walking very far so the less weight the better. The tents were also waterproof. This was definitely needed for our weekend as it rained nonstop for the first day and through most of the night, if the tents was not waterproof almost everyone would have had no sleep whatsoever and would have flu by the morning. Bags- We each had one bag. They were extremely durable, for example just after the Sheppards checkpoint we had to climb a steep mud slope, a few members of the group fell backwards onto their bags but the bags remained unscathed. The bags also had a thick plastic back which not only provided excellent back support but also stopped object from inside the bag from digging into you. Yet another key feature of the bags was that they had an extra strap around the waist and another around the chest. By tightening these as much as possible, it would distribute the immense weight equally around your body. Lastly, they had extra straps on the outside so we could put our sleeping mats on the outside of our bags giving us more room inside for food and water. First Aid Kit- We had 2 first aid kits amongst the group. Scott and Luke were given the responsibility of keeping them. We chose Scott because he has been in cadets and has experience of being on expeditions also he is trustworthy and reliable, we chose Luke because he is reliable as is very cautious so is unlikely to get hurt himself.

Hazards and Safety One key safety rule was that you have to walk on the right hand side of the road into oncoming traffic, with the people at the front and back wearing high visibility jackets. Poor equipment was one hazard I was particularly aware of because when we were practicing putting up the tents during a lesson, the tent bag we were given Had 3 short rods and 0 long rods instead of 2 short rods and 2 long, making it impossible to put up the tent. So when we were given our tent to split up the tent for the actual weekend I made sure we knew who had each part of our tent. Inappropriate supervision is serious

hazard. It is when the person looking after you isnt qualified or able to look after you accordingly, but as mentioned in the introduction Mr. Davies is a fully qualified and capable supervisor. Proof of this is his mountain leaders qualification. Being unequipped is horrible thing to happen but so easy to avoid. Nearly 2 weeks before the expedition Mr. Davies provided everyone with equipment list with everything in my list shown above and more! Poor organization was definitely a problem during our weekend. We didnt identify a clear leader and second in command, this caused many arguments when people had different opinions about

Where to go and when to take breaks. Of course if we had made a clear leader before the weekend there would have still been arguments but the likelihood would have been reduced and if there was a decision made by the leader then the rest of the group could say to that they disagree and then we could have a discussion rather than an argument about what to do.

Day 1 On the first day we met at Port Eynon at 10:15 ready to leave at 10:40. Throughout the course of the weekend moral was kept high and an example of this is about 10minutes into the walk we came to a road leading both ways, we looked at the map for a while and finally decided to go right shortly after heading right we realized that we had gone the right way and in celebration Alex and Luke broke out in song and the rest of us joined in everyone had a laugh and a joke increasing moral and driving everyone on. However at times this didnt work as well as it could have. An example of this is when we took a wrong turning on the way to hangmans crossroads where we walked about half a kilometer down a main road instead of going through a bridle path. As we were walking down the road the group split, with Callum, Luke, Dominic, Alex and Nicky way out in front, me, Rhys and Scott in the middle and Kieran on his own way behind the front. Perhaps the biggest downside to this was that we werent supporting each other. The front group were singing and laughing so there moral was very high while the middle group was telling jokes and stories keeping its moral high and Kieran at the back on his own had no one to talk to so his moral must have been extremely low. Then when we got to some rocks on the side of the road we all stopped to look at the map. The group at the front was the first to stop and had around a 10 minute rest, the middle group got there soon after getting around a 6minute rest but by the time Kieran got to us the front group wanted to set off again which meant Kieran had no rest. Once again shortly after we set off the gap began to form again and kept on growing until we came to a forest where we all stopped to check the map. When we got to the top of Cefn Bryn which was one of our checkpoints Mr. Davies was waiting for us and he also noticed the gap that had formed in the group. After that checkpoint the group seemed a lot closer despite there still being a small gap in between us. This helped increase moral greatly especially that of the middle group and Kieran. We followed the road all the way down until became to the overturned car. We had an accidental rest in the sense that we stopped for a while to look in the car and talk about how it could have happened. We carried on past the car until we realized we had gone too far, we doubled back on our selves. We found the right path and followed it. We lost the trail of the park but continued until we came to a forest. Nicky then took his bag off and ran around the edge of the forest to find a way in while we all had a rest. Nicky returned and said there was a small path we could go through so we followed it until we came to a steep hill. We had a very short rest and then walked up the hill. We set off soon after reaching the top. It was at this point that Kieran got cramp in his right leg and he was unable to walk properly. The group had become very spread out, me and Scott stayed behind with Kieran as the rest of the group were too far away to call. After 5 minutes of walking separated from the rest of the group, they were no longer in sight, so I decided to go and chase after them. When I got to them they had stopped for a rest and so I waited with the rest of the group for Scott and

Kieran. A few minutes had passed by and I began to think that something had happened to them, I wanted to go and see if they were okay but I couldnt convince any of the other boys to come with me. I was about

To set off in search of them when they came over the horizon. We waited with them so they could have a break as well. We set of again going along the top of a hill. We knew that our next checkpoint was at the bottom of the hill and we were running late so we decided to go straight down the face of the hill through bushes, nettles rather than going along the path. However Kierans cramp was becoming worse and wouldnt be able to move at all soon. It was at this point that Luke phoned Mr. Davies to tell him of Kierans worsening condition. It was at this point that Mr. Davies told us to go straight to camp and skip the remaining checkpoints. So once again we doubled back on ourselves and headed down the clear path. It was a relief when we stepped foot onto level concrete again as we knew we were almost at camp. When we arrived at camp Mr. Davies greeted us all with a heart-warming smile that lifted everyones spirits. Me, Scott and Kieran were quick to assemble our tent in the pouring rain as we had practiced on.ly a week before in school. When the tent was sorted I went to the toilets, located at the bottom of the field to warm up my hands and gloves under the powerful hand dryer. When I got back to the tent Scott and Kieran had already changed into their spare clothes and buried their wet clothes in their bags. I changed in the cramped porch of the tent, I was soaking wet, freezing and coming down with a cold but I was still absolutely thrilled to have been able to relax at last. Knowing we were already halfway through the expedition was a huge relief seeing as the first day seemed to go on forever. No one in from our tent was willing to cook outside in the abysmal weather, so we all stayed in the warmth of our tents and shared what little snacks we had. We were all very tired after a long day so we all went to sleep early.

Day 2 I had a goodnight sleep but Kieran and Scott didnt sleep much at all because the rain kept them awake. This was reflected in the morning as I seemed much brighter and less moody than the others. However the rain had stopped by the time we were awake which boosted moral knowing today would be less frustrating than the last. I changed woke up having already changed into my only spare clothes, but I was at least dry, I put my boots on and they were soaking! But I didnt let it get to me I just helped Kieran and Scott pack away the tent. Our tent was the first to wake up and we were keen to set off so we packed up our tent, this time I took the outside part and I noticed the difference in weight. Instead of this disheartening me I felt I had to prove I could handle it to the other boys which drove me on. While Scott and Kieran sat by the bags checking over the route cards I went to help Nicky, Rhys, Luke, Dominic, Alex and Callum. Rhys was not taking the task of packing up the tent very seriously and was paying very little attention and effort to his group. I helped Nicky and Dominic take the rods out of their tent and helped them fold the outside and inside part up. By the time I had finished that Lukes tent had packed away. We all went to see Mr. Davies to see if we could leave. He had only just sent one of his other groups out so we had to wait for 20 minutes to give them a fair gap between us. Soon after we set off Kieran said he could start to feel the cramp starting again. In light of the situation we looked at the map and saw that we would have to walk around the side of a hill only to double back on ourselves and walk along the top of the hill. We were walking along the pathway that would have us double back on ourselves when Dominic saw a smaller path leading straight up the massive hill. We decided to climb it. We were almost halfway up when Kieran lost all confidence and wanted to turn back but all the boys got behind him and gave him support and so he pushed himself to the top of the

Massive hill. A quick look at the map showed we were on the track we should have been whilst managing to cut out 30 minutes of walking. We saved so much time that while we were having our well deserved rest at the top of the hill, the group that set off 20 minutes before us came over the horizon. When they got to us they couldnt believe that we were there. However they decided not to take a rest there, they carried on ahead of us. Realizing how much time we had saved we had a 20 minute rest. West of again still way ahead of schedule. The path was simple from then on we followed a stoned path all the way along for about half a kilometer. We passed a man on the way walking his 3 golden retrievers and we all stopped and petted them for awhile and the man was talking to us. After a few minutes we set off again and shortly after that we met Mr. Davies at a farm. He said he would meet us at the next checkpoint at the Sheppards. We set off but Luke spends a lot of time in this part of the Gower and he knew exactly where we were going and he led the way without the need of a map. We were walking between the gap of two fields which was very boggy and slowed us down which brought moral down quite a lot. But while walking between the fields there was a gate on a turn off and lots of cows had come to see what was going on. They were making funny noises and started to push and shove to get to the front which was funny, this raised moral a great deal as we hadnt had laugh in a long while. We carried on through a forest and came out opposite the Gower heritage centre. We had to wait a long time to cross the road as it is extremely busy. When we eventually crossed we got to have a slow easy stroll through the Gower heritage centre as it is much safer than walking along the busy road. We got to the Sheppards to find Mr. Davies and the other group that we had overtaken before. Mr. Davies sent them on their way and we had a decent 10 minute break. We set off again knowing we were so close! This inspired all of us and we really pushed each other on. This was typified when we had to climb a steep mud slope to get to the top of the bank of Pennard. Everyone apart from Me, Dominic and Kieran scaled the slippery slope. Dominic and I went up a set of steps we found. We were already behind the rest of the group and Kieran wouldnt come up the stairs, me and Dominic encouraged him and gave him the courage to come up. Me and Dominic found a pathway up and we followed it with ease and got level with the rest of the group. Kieran refused to go any further up so the rest of us climbed to the top of the hill. Then when we were all up, Nicky, Scott and Alex went back for him, Scott carried his bag up while Nicky and Alex pushed him up. When they all returned we all had a rest and recovered. Overcoming this big problem was great for moral and we were more determined to finish than ever. We followed a narrow path until we came out into clearing and we could see Pennard castle our next checkpoint! I was personally inspired at this moment because I knew my surroundings no and I knew we were almost finished! We power walked to Pennard castle and we realized that Kieran, Nicky and Scott werent there. So we had to wait for them. While we were waiting Rhys gave us all a laugh and increased moral by running down the sand dune and fell over. By the time the rest caught up they only had a 2 minute break. We set off aiming for the top of a hill we could see in the distance. Luke was in the front because he said he often walks this route with his Nan on weekends. We reached the top of the hill and there was a large rock sticking out of the ground and we saw the other group jumping off it. We got to the rock and we started jumping off the rock as well. Kieran still suffering from cramp asked Nicky to carry his bag up the hill for him. Nicky was very angry at Kieran for that all of us could see that so Alex said he would head off early with Kieran to let Nicky calm down. The other group was long gone by the time Alex and Kieran set off. We gave Alex and Kieran a 5 minute head start then we set off. 10 minutes later we had overtaken them and had finished. We were sitting on a bench with the other group wondering where Mr. Davies was until Lewis, a member of the group phoned Mr. Davies and he was in fact only 50 meters away on the other side of the car park. We got to his car and he said the words we were all dying to hear.

Benefits One person benefit I felt was that I was closer to my class mates after the experience as we had bonded over the weekend. Another benefit was that I felt more confident voicing my opinion to the group than I usually do as I tend to sit back and let everyone else make the decisions. Also I have learned new skills such as putting up a tent, using a tranga and map reading skills. Lastly, pride. It felt good to have planned something for so long and to have finally completed it.

Conclusion I think the expedition was a great success for me personally. It has given me excellent confidence in terms of voicing my opinion and decision making. A few days after the expedition I noticed my quadriceps had grown a lot and that my fitness had improved. I have learnt many new skills through the expedition such as using a tranga and setting up a tent. To improve next time I would take more time in preparation and most importantly identify a clear group leader! I feel a lot closer to the boys after the weekend especially Kieran after seeing him struggle and giving him so much support.

Josh Park 10DP