Thursday, March 12, 2015

Wintercamp Reflection

This year’s winter camp was considerably better than last year’s. Last year’s experience was extremely different because i didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know how to plan and organise the night.

Last year I was very cold and wasn’t organised as much as this year. My quinzhee that I slept in  last year didn’t have good platform therefore there wasn’t a cold sink. Because of the well built quinzhee this year, I was able to sleep better and was warmer. This years organising and planning improved from last year. My group this year was able to plan everything we needed to bring as a group and individually. We planned early on what we were going to bring for food and reminded each other of the things we had to bring for ourselves. The quinzhee we slept in was supposed to fit six people thus the quinzhee had to be sizable. Our group this year worked efficiently on the quinzhee and were able to finish it without needing extra time after school or at lunch.  As a result of these conditions, I was able to have an enjoyable time with very little problems.

Even though the night was very successful there were some things that we could have done better. For instance our meal was not as healthy as it could have been. We were unfortunately unsuccessful  with meeting all the food groups.  We didn’t bring any vegetables and only had a small number of fruits. Although we did try to create a meal and not just bring snacks. Despite the excellent  communication between our group, our communication towards the other group that was helping with our quinzhee was not so good. We didn’t discuss when to stop building or when to start digging out and it ended up with many people confused. The other group was sadly misinformed and ended up thinking they were sleeping on the night we were suppose to sleep. Unable to switch dates with them, they had to sleep in another quinzhee. Thankfully our small group of problems weren't things that ruined the night and can easily be improved upon.

Building a quinzhee for the first time can be confusing. There are many things they should know, including to make sure your group is reliable. It’s hard making a quinzhee by yourself that’s why people should have a group that can help build the quinzhee efficiently and organise the night well. Make sure that these people can do things on time and bring what they need to bring. Secondly, the quinzhee needs to have a good platform. Without the platform the night will be very cold and unenjoyable. Also, confirm that there is enough space. Even if the quinzhee looks big enough it could probably be bigger. The quinzhee also needs to be very tall. If there’s going to be a good platform it’s best that the ceiling is tall enough for everyone to fit. Finally, establish enough firewood for your group and maybe others. Firewood will go out fast and it’s better to have more than having to go out searching in the middle of the night. By doing these things the cold night can become fun and warm.

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