Climbing, hiking and chocolate brownies...

Day 2 saw us split up into two separate groups, with mine leaving to hike and the other headed for the high ropes and river rafting. The day was especially humid and we seemed to drive forever before reaching our drop off point. After a quick lesson in map readings, we started off on the trail. Aside from some spattering of rain throughout the day we had pretty good weather. We walked up and down, twisting through the paths underneath the great green canopy. Climbing to the top of a viewing tower we paused for a leisurely lunch, looking at the sweeping views of mountains and forest in front of us. We continued on throughout the day, pausing to complete an activity or two, reflective ones as we contemplated what our senses could pick up from the world around us.

As we reached the end of the trail, back at base camp we were sweaty and tired but had had a really fun day talking to each other. Our guide had kept us entertained with his distinctive personality and hippy approach to the world. The boys out of bordem or madness had established a “Wolf Pack” and were very enthusiastic about it. Very, very enthusiastic.

I dove quickly into the cold river again before dinner and nighttime activities aka Iron Chef dessert. I don’t know if you’ve ever made chocolate brownies that had to include banana and zucchini amongst other things but we got creative. We had a hollowed out zucchini filled with brownies, chocolate fondant pieces, simple brownies and well…a unique (?) creation from the Wolf Pack.

That night saw more late night chats, complete with a midnight snack, though pretty shattered sleep was much earlier than the night before.

The next day my group was to do the ropes and river rafting. Of course it was raining, making the grips nice and slippery which Chi Chi and I, who are scared of heights, loved. The course was essentially a tower, with a number of ways to get up. We watched Anna shoot to the top, Andy like elastic scale the hanging ladder, and Chi Chi brave her fears. We all had a go at dropping from the sky on the giant swing (my favourite!) and kept up ready encouragement through the rain and fiercely hungry mozzies.

Next was river rafting, in the beautiful weather that suddenly emerged for us! I was the guide in the girl’s boat with Anna, Chi Chi, Elle, Virginia and Hazel our instructor. We did have to rescue a large family, with an even larger father and traumatized who had wedged themselves on a rock, and the Wolf Pack who had gotten stuck trying to help them.

We had lots of fun cruising down the river and over the small rapids and I dove into the river afterwards for one last swim.

After dinner we had the talent show, and what an array of talent we had. Hoola hooping, poetry recitation, stepping, hip hop dancing, Opera, Wolf Pack singing and African Dance. Some of the boys even managed to nab a world champion kayaker to mime racing down the river. It was eclectic all right.

An impromptu dance party then ensued. We all tried to learn African dance, some of us better at it then others (the boys put me to shame with their hip wiggling). Overall it was a great ending night of loud music, limbo and some interesting dance moves.

The next morning after pack up we completed a variety of group activities. We lowered a magic wand to the ground, flipped a tarp over with us standing on it and tried to complete a near impossible skipping challenge.

As we got back on the bus to head to our official Orientation dinner we were just as excited as on our way down, the difference here was: we were no longer strangers, but excited as friends, thinking of the years ahead.