The third hike of the year proved to be the longest one to date at a whopping 10.9km roundtrip (though Rahe’s smartwatch clocked it at over 12km!!!) This trip was a good challenge as the students had to first grind their way through one of the most popular local hikes-The Abby Grind! After enjoying the reward of an awesome view at the top of the Grind, the group continued on to Taggart Peak, a much less well travelled section of trail. Highlights of the trip included Aman carrying two bags so his buddy Inder could complete the trek, and the entire group overcoming tired legs and bodies to summit Taggart Peak, a challenging hike through difficult terrain. Students discussed the importance of food choices for backpacking trips, and some learnt that long hikes require extra water (cough…Kentaro…cough). Extreme Outdoor Education students (and anyone else who wants to) leave a 100 word response below.
Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education 
This hike was a good challenge and great experience, and really made me appreciate the surroundings in our beautiful province. During the hike, I am reminded how important having good stamina is on a hike, being able to move at a constant pace for a sustained period of time. I realize that an important part to having good stamina is mentally telling yourself to keep moving on. At the beginning of this trip was the first time I heard about about the lead & sweep method, where a hiker is designated to the front of the group, and one at the back. If I was to prepare for this hike again, I definitely would have brought more water, as I ran out about 7/8 through. Fortunately we were moving downhill, so I wan’t using as much energy.
This hike was a really fun experience for me because I had never done a hike this long. I learnt new things such as it’s important to pack extra water and good snacks. It was a really hard hike but it was very worth it because I felt so good afterwards! I enjoyed it a lot and I love these adventures and I’m excited to do them again.
I’m glad you enjoyed the hike. Please try to add details regarding memorable moments and trip highlights on future blogs.
This hike was a pretty fun mid level hike. The first grind part is pretty steep, and definitely the harder part. A lot of wonky trails and steep slippery slopes. It’s a pretty popular trail so you can see where some of the switchbacks had been carved out. After the grind portion with a nice view at the end, the Taggart part wasn’t that difficult, and decently flat. Unfortunately, not a super great view at the top of that one… 😦 I didn’t think I would need more than 2 liters of water for this one… Guess I was wrong – drank a lot more than I thought I would…
This hike was very fun. I had never been past the main peak of the Abby Grind and honestly didn’t realize there was more to the hike then that one point. there were parts of the hike that were challenging but overall it wasn’t too bad. I had Mr.Harders dog the whole time so that was a highlight for me. Also got to play Among Us at the very top which was beautiful. The view was also very pleasant with the power lines and nice shack that had something to do with the power line thing. Overall 10/10.
This trip was one that I always had in the back of my mind to complete. I have done the Abby grind multiple times but had never reached the top of Taggart peak. It was a pretty moderate hike and was a little longer than I expected it to be. The workout, endurance and company made the hike entertaining and challenging. Although the views weren’t to die for the mostly untracked path made it feel a little like an adventure. We had no visits from Yogi bear which personally was a little disappointing but I’m sure others felt differently. The trip was overall fun and enjoyable.
The hike was a fun experience. I definitely would have worn me knee brace if I knew it was that big of a hike. I was in the back with mr harder so he was making fun of kids and everyone was laughing a lot the views from the hike where very very pretty. I would rate it 7.5/10
I found this hike to be really cool and I enjoyed the view from the top of the Abby Grind. I was surprised at how steep the first part of the hike was and I didn’t know that there was a hike that continued past it. I had a lot of fun hiking and hearing about other people talking about how tired they were. I learned the importance of bringing more water than you think you need and bringing drinks that that are easier to carry. I was slightly disappointed by the view at the top because it wasn’t super clear so you couldn’t see very far. I thought that it was a fun time and good exercise.
i thought the hike was a really good experience and i learnt lots on how to tell how steep a mounts is on maps which i found really interesting and helpful. I also learnt lots about myself as well, i learnt that i actually really love hiking because i felt great right after but i was exhausted the whole way up and it’s one of the hardest things i’ve ever done. there are some things that i wish had gone a bit differently I wish i had brought my allergy medicine and that i was more prepared overall with more water and snacks. overall i did have really good time making memories with friends and just talking the whole time. it’s definitely not something i’ll forget and the view at the end was really worth it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the experience. Hopefully next year we can get you out on a multi-day backpacking trip.