Biking the Vedder Loop is the one of the only trips on the Outdoor Education calendar that the district does not consider to be high risk. However, the extreme aspect is definitely present as novice bikers tackle the 20km+ Vedder Rotary trail. This trip saw 20 riders develop their biking skills on either bikes they brought from home, or those they borrowed from the program. A special thanks to the Abby PD who have donated some bikes to us, and an even bigger thanks to Caelen and Heath Mackenzie of Cranky’s bike shop in Aldergrove who have brought these bikes back to life. The result was a memorable day biking around the Vedder River and Canal in pristine Spring weather. Students were treated to wonderful views of local wildlife, and were able to eat dinner served up by Food trucks at the Vedder Crossing. Riding in the beautiful Spring evening students even learnt why it is important to ground one’s self while riding under high voltage power lines-some were in for a shocking surprise if they didn’t. Altogether students came to understand the natural beauty that Chilliwack has to offer, and the benefits that good civic planning can have in making a beautiful space quite functional as well. Outdoor Education students (and anyone else who wants to) leave a 100 word response below.
Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education 
At the start of the trip, everyone prepared to set off on the bike ride around the Vedder loop. A little ways into the trip I went a little too fast around a corner and to avoid hitting Kentaro I had to ̶s̶l̶a̶m̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ perform a 360 front flip bar spin. This resulted in me crashing into the group and getting an epic battle scar. The rest of the trip was a calm ride around the Vedder loop, I ate a chicken shawarma and it was pretty good. Near the end of the trip, I stood under the power lines a bit too long and I ended up getting shocked by my bike; I went full speed out from under the power lines after this. Mr. Rahe then stole my bike for the night and I went home.
I admit that going on this trip was a last-minute choice, but I definitely do NOT regret it! The ride around the Vedder river was a beautiful, sunny, scenic trip. Perfect weather for a bike trip!
Before going on the trip, I had not been on a bike for quite some time, but even then I was not rushed to go beyond my boundaries and had lovely support from my friends. While it was definitely scary at the beginning, I quickly got over that and realized there was no stress at all. I would for sure go on this trip again in the future!
The Vedder Loop was a nice, relaxing bike ride around the Vedder River. Thankfully, it was sunny and warm when we went. The ride itself was pretty easy as it’s all flat, but someone (won’t name names…) still had an epic wipeout. Even though I’ve been on this trail quite a few times, I still had fun! Next time, I’ll make sure not to wear my nice white shoes!!!
This Outdoor Ed trip was a step outside of my comfort zone as I have a slight fear of biking. I’m grateful that it was and easy flat trail with very few hills and bumps because it was great for me to get into the swing of it. On this trip, I learned that biking is actually not that scary when you’ve got the hang of it, and biking actually really hurts your arms if the seat is not adjusted to you. I also learned that going down steep hills is surprisingly easy for me, perhaps because I have good balance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I wish I had my own bike that was properly adjusted to me because getting on and off was a hassle and I would’ve had a better time if I could reach the ground. Next time, I would bring food because i was STARVING and I didn’t pack any food. All in all this was a really fun trip and I’m glad I decided to join it. I will perhaps be buying a bike for myself so I can keep biking.
Overall I really enjoyed this trip, I was happy that the weather had cooperated with us. The environment and sneery around the trail was beautiful. Something I learnt on this trip was Mr.Rahe’s idea of “touch metal on your bike while going under a high voltage area” was wrong. I was pretty much shocked everywhere. I wished I had switched my gears while riding in certain areas because of not changing my gears my knee muscles got very tight and I could hardly walk plus I was in so much pain. Something I learnt about my-self is being outdoors really makes me feel happy and calm. Preparation wise I don’t think I would change anything. I had all by basic needs, maybe one thing I would add is a couple of first aid stuff just in case. At the end of the day this was a great trip and lots of fun memories were made. I would totally recommend this trip to anyone. Thank you to Mr. Rahe for giving us an amazing opportunity to join outdoor ed and being able to go on trips that we probably wouldn’t go on with our families!
I enjoyed this trip so much, I would say it was my most memorable trip this year. I was a bit hesitant to go on this trip since 20 km sounded like A LOT, but I am glad I went. At first, I was a bit wobbly since I hadn’t biked in a long time, however, shortly after a while I got the hang of it. Not to mention amazing views, I was so amazed by the view since you never see anything like this in Abbotsford. The serene views made the ride even more worthwhile. This trip has convinced me to get a new bike since I enjoyed it so much! I will definitely be going back during the summer.
Biking the Vedder Loop was a lot of fun for me. Because I haven’t been on a bike for years, it felt so new and refreshing to ride one around again. There was so much to enjoy in relearning how to balance and pedal uphill, as well as figuring out how to change gears again. The scenery was full of trees and great views of the Vedder River, which was a welcome change from the usual bedroom I spend my time in after school.
From this trip, I managed to take away a few things. First, I sharpened my bicycling skills, which now let me ride without fear, even in some mud since we had to ride through a patch during the trail. Second, I really felt with my skin that the wheel is such a great invention. Since my mother doesn’t let me ride bikes due to safety concerns, I’ve always either walked to places or traveled by car to farther locations, and I never really had a fair comparison to tangibly feel just how fast vehicles were compared to traveling on foot. I feel like riding the bike along this lengthy loop gave me a tangible demonstration of just how fast and efficient traveling by vehicle can be. It’s so easy to imagine myself spending a good 5 hours walking around the loop, while it was so much faster when I was on the bike. I also learned that since bicycles are so efficient and quick, I could travel a long distance without tiring out on them. I was mildly surprised by the distance I covered, as well as myself feeling like I could still push for a bit more.
I don’t think I would want to change anything about the trip if I were to go again. Maybe I would bring money or pack a better dinner, or ride alongside a friend or two to talk with. But even without those things, I greatly enjoyed this bicycle ride along the Vedder Loop.
It was an awesome experience to bike around, i’ve walked a bit of the trail before but not the entire thing. 10/10 trip, highly recommended for other outdoor ed kids. 🙂
First of all i would like to say is that this trip has been the best one I have done this class. One thing I learnt in this trip was that when you are riding your bike and want to go past someone you should say on your left or ring your bell. Something I learnt about myself is that i actually love biking more than i thought i did! To be honest there was nothing that i wish went differently other then bringing another water bottle. And again something i would prepare different is bringing a smaller bag and a ice pack! I had so much fun when we had our break at the park. We even made new friends at the park! Overall all thanks to Mr.Rahe this trip was complete!