Originally this trip had been planned to last from Monday to Friday. However one class had to cancel so we ended up staying until Thursday mid-day. We began by getting the car to the local car park From there it was a 25 minute walk with all our bags through the forest trail to where we would be staying, around where the gapahuks were.  After a quick water/snack break we then went to look around the local area to find suitable areas to set out the activities that we had been assigned to. The first activity that myself and Jonas would be leading to the college students, would be fire making and since it was between the dates of the 15^th of April and 15th of September we had to do it in the actual campsite where there was a controlled environment as between these dates there is a risk of starting a forest fire as the weather can get very warm and dry. After we had sorted out the area, myself and Martynas went to look for a suitable place to set up camp for sleeping, which ended up being at the top of the cliff just next to the camp where the students were staying. We chose this because it was far enough away that it was quiet at night so we didn’t hear anyone that would disturb us when we were trying to sleep. We found a busy area and placed a tarp over the top of it so it created a soft bedding to place our sleeping bags on it. After our sleeping arrangements were sorted we spent the next few hours waiting for the students to arrive as there was nothing much to do.

When the students finally arrived at around 6pm, we gave them a 10 minute break whilst Paige who was our group leader gave them an introduction into what we would be doing. We then split them into groups and then began the activities. Jons and I showed them how to construct 3 different types of fires. A council, pyramid and star fire. We then showed them how to use a knife and flint to light dry tinder and then sent them off to find wood so they could make a fire themselves, which each group successfully did. After 3 groups rotated round, we finished for the day and myself and Chris made a fire for the students and told them that if they wanted the fire, they would have to keep it going themselves. We then returned to our own fire and relaxed for the remainder of the night and then turned in for the night.

Day 2 arrived, we woke up after a good night’s sleep and we continued with the activities. Each time there was a rotation, myself and Jons quickly assessed how we were presenting to the groups and if we should make any slight adjustments. For example where we were standing and where we were showing the students the fire techniques. The activities seemed to go fairly quickly as they were only 40 minutes each, and very soon it was time for the first class to leave. We said goodbye and then found ourselves with a 5 to 6 hour break. We took this as an opportunity to go to the local store to buy some food to have on a BBQ later that night. Once the next class arrived we got straight into the activities as they were slightly late so we were a bit behind schedule. As this was a new set of students we had decided to rotate what activities we would be leading to experience different positions of leading. However, since we had to cut the groups smaller due to a lack of students turning up, myself and Jons no longer had a specific activity to lead, and instead we found ourselves wandering between groups to observe and help out whenever it was possible. This was interesting for me as I could see everything that was going on as before I was soley focused on fire making and I was also able to look at how other people were leading sessions and addressing the students which helped give me ideas on how to present myself and the activity when it would be my turn again to lead an activity. The next morning we had a short team meeting to assess how everything was going and if anything needed to be changed. Afterwards we then continued with the activities, all went smoothly and the students seemed to all be enjoying themselves. Once again we said goodbye to the students and then found ourselves with a free afternoon. Myself and Jons then decided to grab one of the canoes and used our free time to go out in the lake to do a bit of fishing. This was actually the first time I’d ever been fishing in my life so it was a completely new experience for me. Although we didn’t catch any fish it was still interesting to do and learn the technique on how to use a fishing rod correctly. Soon afterwards I found I was quite tired so I took a nap in one of the gapahuks to kill some time before the final group of students arrived.

The last activity that I would be co-ordinating with Jons would be orienteering and although previous to this week, I did not have much experience in this area, I spent a lot of time at this station when I was wandering round the groups as I had to know what to do and say. At first I was slightly nervous, however this soon disappeared as I realised it was a relatively easy task as all I had to do was give the students the maps and give them a short introduction into orienteering then send them off for 25 minutes whilst we sat there in the sun and waited for the students to return. We soon learnt after the first group were finished, that it was very important to stress to the students to keep track of the time when orienteering as one student did not have a watch on him and ended up turning back at the station 30 minutes late! Although this station for me was very relaxing, it was also very repetitive so it was enjoyable but there was not much that we were able to adapt. As with the first night, after we finished we headed to the campsite and set up a fire with some large rocks around the fire to keep it controlled. We grilled some hot dogs over the fire with Adrian’s famous tomato sauce! After sitting round the fire for some hours, we all decided to go to sleep at around 11 pm so we would feel fresh for the final morning. For the last time we woke in Donevann. We returned to our stations and continued where we left off, leading the final 5 groups and it all went to plan without any issues whilst the students seemed to all be having fun and enjoying themselves. After all the rotations were done, everyone returned to camp to pack their bags and we had a short discussion about how the week had gone and if there were any improvements that we would make if we were to do it again and then we headed back home to Kristiansand after a long but very enjoyable week.