Dear Vittoria friends, as some of you will already know, the camping trip organized by the representatives of the "Duke of Edinburgh" project recently ended, in which some of the students from 2 ICE took part, including myself. The trip, which was harder than the Bronze level, is divided into two parts, each consisting of three days and two nights. In this article I will describe the various challenges we faced, and report my experience and the one of my classmates.
The first part was carried out in Chivasso, where we were trained by the Duke of Edinburgh's staff. The aim of these three days is to prepare the children to face long walks carrying heavy backpacks, and to be completely self-sufficient and capable of cooking nutritious meals using camping stoves. We also learned how to quickly set up and dismantle the tents, which had to be carried by some members of the group.
We left on Tuesday 11 June to arrive at Rachel's Learning Center, where the staff welcomed us and got us settled. We then set up the tents and spent the afternoon there, resting for the following day's walk.
When we woke up, a long journey awaited us: we had to arrive at a farmhouse in Casale Monferrato, where we spent the second night. The walk was tough, but we learned a lot about navigation using a compass and map. Finally, on the third day we were brought home to rest for a day before leaving for the Ayas Valley.
On Saturday at 8.30 we boarded another train, departing towards Val D'Ayas. We were rested and excited, because we could not wait to see the wonderful landscapes for which the Ayas Valley is famous for. Once we arrived, we were taken to the foot of the mountain by the Duke's staff.
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The second part of the journey was certainly the most beautiful and fun: however, it was also more difficult because we had to endure sub-zero temperatures and rain. In fact, on the first day we pitched the tents at the top of the mountain, in a flat area. The view was breathtaking, but it was really cold and we also couldn't access water for cooking and drinking.
We then used the remains of our water bottles, hoping to be able to last until the next day, where we stopped at a farm to ask for water. The second day was really exhausting: we walked for 17 kilometers carrying everything we had, and then finally arrived at a campsite in the valley. The trip concluded with a final walk on the third day before we were flown home.
I personally found this trip wonderful, as I learned to perform numerous tasks and survive in nature. In addition, I bonded a lot with my classmates, and the general climate was decidedly positive.
I recommend everyone to undertake this path, because in the end you will come out more confident and with useful experience behind you.