Activities:
It could have been so easy. Find a nice sheltered spot in the forest to put up the tent for the night, play typical games from all represented countries to keep warm, find out who should actually be competing in cook shows on television rather than in outdoor education cook battles and go to sleep in a spacious tent. Almost. Our first overnight trip was cursed by the weather gods with never-ending rain, but somehow we had a great lot of fun, playing in the wet snow and sticking to our plan. Moreover we had the chance to dress accordingly to the weather, so I put on my waterproof clothing which worked well until we started to play physically demanding games in the wet snow.
When our tent was put up on a well sheltered flat spot in the forest we met down at the open picnic area in Jegersberg to start with the first game just as the first raindrops started to fall. Needless to say the weather forecast for the afternoon did not look good. Nevertheless we played a typical game for each nationality, which meant we carried someone around a circuit course without ever letting him hit the floor to make Czech Martin happy, played British Bulldog with the Brits, horse riding and spin-drunk relay race for Mr. Lithuania, Martynaz, Line and Saedis teamed up to play a variety of Viking games such as pushing each other out of balance and a double handed version of thumb-war.
All these games did a great job at keeping us warm but at the same time, snow and rain were coming in through all openings and getting our clothes wet. This is by no means detrimental when you’re wearing woollen clothes underneath but can get really cold rather quickly if you tried to get away with wearing cotton.
Once the games were done every tent team had 20 minutes to prepare a hot meal to compete against the other teams. Dom, Marek and Michael were my tent buddies and we decided to go for a classic chicken coconut milk curry with rice because it is very nutritious and helps to sneak more fluid into your body. The trick was to precook or at least partially precook the food to avoid having to use too much gas, red spirit, petrol or time while cooking. If weight saving is an important factor, e.g. because you’re planning to go on a longer trip, freeze dried food might be your best shot. In comparison it is quite expensive though and almost only simple dishes are really edible. Another important thing to consider when planning your meals for a trip: Make them interesting, and taste good. That way you will eat a lot more than if your food is boring and you need the extra nutrition!
When the winning team had been elected we all went back into our tents and had a proper meal. Unfortunately we were 4 tall men in what appeared to be a three men tent at the most. Let’s just say that night was very cosy.
Testing of equipment:
Our tent leaked at some points and at others the high humidity in there caused the formation of condensation drops. It was also missing guides to fix it properly.
My sleeping bag and mat worked just fine I was only able to use roughly 30% of the total mattresses’ width.
Lessons:
Always prefer wool to cotton or nylon in a potentially wet and cold environment.
Gaiters can make a big difference when running through slushy ice.
Group Dynamics:
I would say the games we played strengthened the overall group cohesion and created a special feeling of togetherness by resisting the angry weather gods as a team.