As most students were busying themselves buying new stationary and school bags, fifteen of our Year 14s were packing their rucksacks for four days in the Mourne Mountains. The weather forecast was grim which made the whole expedition much more physically and mentally draining for the boys. On day two, our students battled through some of the worse rain and fog that the teachers had ever seen in the hills. The supervisors and assessor altered the routes and campsites to take into account the difficult conditions, even with this, the Gold groups showed real strength of character and team work to make it into camp.
As dawn broke on day three and a clear of rain was forecast, navigation was much easier for our groups, but this brought its own challenges. The ground was still saturated making conditions underfoot sapping on tired legs, and the much wished for sunshine drained water bottles quickly.
On the final day all groups decided to break camp early to minimise the risk of still being in the hills when the next front of rain set in. This determination to stay dry revitalised tired legs and banished blisters to the back of the boys minds. They were all in Donard Car Park with enough time to spare to grab some hot food in Newcastle before journeying back to school.