A strong contingent of outdoor education students were joined by district international students for this Fall Skills Night at Tamihi Creek Campground. Over 40 students pushed the program gear to its capacity as students learnt how to set up a tent, cook on a camp burner, and the importance of packing efficiently in preparation. Students were treated to vivid autumn colours and watched as local fishermen pulled in fish during the yearly salmon run. The night was spent enjoying a campfire together and, for the supervisors, enjoying Mr. Dobos’ endless supply of glamping food! Lots of smiles and memories at the end of this one and excitement for the upcoming multi day backpacking trip! Outdoor Education students (and anyone else who wants to) leave a 100 word response below.
Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education 
Skills night was a great experience this was my 3rd time camping and I had a great time. Actually knew what I was doing this time! I learned that Loewen’s water bottle is indestructible, his head thing has been through too many things, and that one of his old students had to go fishing in a pit hole for the garbage they threw in there. Something I learned about myself is that I like making food but don’t like washing the dishes afterward. I also pack a lot of things that are a struggle to re-pack when we’re about to leave the site. Next time I would pack more efficiently so I don’t have like 3 extra bags hanging off of my main backpack. That’s about it.
LOL I will make sure that I share your comments with Loewen about his ‘head thing’.
I really liked the skillsnight, because the teacher and in generell all the different situations showed me what I can/ have to do better next time. It was really helpful to learn what to bring for food and also for clothes. In addition it helped a lot that we did the little hike in the beging so you could figure out if you packed the right amount of things.
I also really liked the evening on the fire – it was a lot of fun.
The night was pretty bad for me because it was extremely cold. That was one thing I did not like, but it was my fault because I didn‘t wear the right clothes.
But over all I really liked the skillsnight!
Sounds like you took away a lot of good lessons that you will be able to use in the future!
The Skills Night was my first time camping. It was a memorable experience during which I learnt a lot of new things. We started off with a quick food break to prepare ourselves for a walk to the campground. The trail we walked through was alongside a river, and it was covered in beautiful autumn leaves of multiple colors. Since the beginning of the trip, I was debating whether I would be able to carry my hiking backpack. At that time, it felt quite heavy, because the most weight I had carried during trips was a light daypack. Later on, however, my body adjusted to the weight and adjusting the backpack’s straps properly definitely helped balance the weight evenly. That was one of the things that I had learnt. The rest of the day went by very quickly and smoothly. Another thing I learnt was how to set up and take apart a tent. The main highlight of the Skills Night trip for me, however, was sitting around the campfire. It was absolutely a dreamlike experience for me. Stars twinkled in the dark night sky above, as music was being played, while we all savored the warmth of the campfire despite the crisp air. It was completely worth trying and it’s a memory I will hold onto forever.
It sounds like this trip was very rewarding for you. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and took so much away from it!
On Friday, October 14th we went to the skills night to a campground near Chilliwack. It was a nice trip, because it was the first time I´ve camped. First we went by bus to Abby Senior and to Yale to pick up their students. I really like that so many students from different schools in Abbotsford can come to the outdoor education trips. So, I could see my friend from Yale. On the campground I hadn´t had any trouble to set up my tent, what is remarkable. Until it got dark it was nice. But than it was cold. Everybody was sitting on the camp fire to stay warm. I couldn´t sleep because it was so cold. Next time I´ll go to a camping trip, I should have more warm clothes. In the morning we had a tasty breakfast.
Sounds like a good experience with some excellent takeaways for next time.
The Outdoor ed trip was an amazing experience. I had gone on the trip before, but I still had a really fun time with my friends and everyone else there. When we got to the site, we set up our tents and got organized. After that we had a lot of exploring the whole campsite. I had so much fun playing volleyball and doing Just Dance at night. This trip is always different each time because there are different people and different activities to do. The best part for me was the Just Dance and the campfire at night. This was one of the best trips that I went on this semester.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. What were your takeaways from the trip and what would you change for next time?
I learned an incredible amount of new and practical things during these two days.
The first difficulty for me was planning what to pack and how much food and clothing we will need. I think I did a pretty good job packing and mostly only took things I really needed.
However, during the short lessons I learned a lot more about what is important and what is not and how best to pack my backpack.
I really liked the trip! It was great to sit around the campfire with such a large group, chatting and meeting new people.
I’m really looking forward to the trip to the Garibaldi Provincial Park next week!
Even though we had such a big group on this trip it was a great atmosphere and I too enjoyed spending time with all of you!
During the skills night, I had learned that Loewen’s head thing can be used as a tank top, I learned that fishermen woke up very early, and learned about how loud cars were when they crossed the bridge close to the campsite. Things I learned about myself are that Laken and I are absolutely amazing singers, and me and my friends are very good at just dancing. I wish we did not have to do the mini walk to the campsite and just dropped off there because then I wouldn’t have had to walk as much. Next time, I would bring more food and bring less of other useless things that I had brought on the trip.
I’m sure you would prefer not to walk but then how would you learn whether your pack was too heavy or not?
This was the first time I had ever camped, and it was an enjoyable experience. This trip taught me how to get ready and be prepared when going camping. I really enjoyed it when everyone sat around the campfire playing music and singing along. Another part I really enjoyed was when I and a couple other people were sitting close to the water when it was dark, I just wished I could have left my backpack in someone’s locker so I didn’t have to carry it during the hike. I also wished I packed proper clothes so it would have made the hike easier, and so I wasn’t cold all night long.
Sounds like a good experience with good lessons to takeaway!
This year’s skills night was an amazing one! I once again revisited many things like remembering how to pack my gear well into a fairly small space, understanding things like how to build a tent and many others. I would say that going camping is a great experience to do with friends. one thing I learned is that no matter how cold the nights or whatever circumstances occur I always have my boys with me who can help and thrive with me no matter what. I feel that when camping you really learn important skills like companionship and resource management and minimalism. I think minimalism is an especially important skill you learn because of its basics and how you don’t need many things to survive in the wilderness.
Thank you Mr. Rahe for organizing such a great trip for all of us!
I really like how you highlight the importance of minimalism as I think that is a great takeaway that will help you on future trips.
Skills night was a great trip to go on. I had so much fun, and learned some pretty useful information. We also got to learn all about a previous group that went on a similar trip by Loewen. We got to go on the trip with students from many schools, and had fun around the fire with everyone. If anyone wants to go on this trip, just be sure to bring warm clothes. Overall, I think it was a great trip, and I’d definitely do it again.
Good takeaway as it did get a little cold. I’m glad you enjoyed the experience!
Skills night was an amazing trip to go on especially with friends. I had a great time, and learned some useful information that I could use in the future. We had students from different schools join us and we had so much fun singing around the campfire and dancing at night. I would definitely bring extra clothes and thick socks because it did pretty cold out at night, but would definitely go again if I had the chance.
Yep the temperature drop at night is quite significant-it’s even worse when you’re up on a mountain. Still, glad you enjoyed yourself and have a plan for next time!
I really enjoyed this year’s skills night trip. I took a lot of the skills I learned from last year and applied them here. I made sure to plan ahead, and my friends and I coordinated what we’d bring so none of us would be overpacking or bringing things we didn’t need. I remembered how cold I was last year and DEFINITELY prioritized bringing lots of warm (but still compact) things. One thing I would have worked on was my organization. I
packed my things a little last minute, and as a result, it was hard for me to find some of the things I needed, because I’d either forgot the item at home or didn’t know where they were in my bag.
Packing ahead with ample time to properly prepare is a key to outdoor adventures. It’s not as important on something like skills night, but would be vitally important on a multi day trip.