Teacher Orientation-Camping June 18th-20th

As the sun rose on June 18th, the sleeping teachers enjoyed dreams of mountains and valleys. The teachers had received all the knowledge they could from SAIT; it was time to head to the rockies. Chatter at breakfast covered topics such as the history of the Kananaskis and drifted steadily towards how to deal with bears and other wildlife. After breakfast the teachers washed the dishes and used the washroom, not fully appreciating their final encounter with indoor plumbing until Monday. After they packed the budget truck to the brim, they embarked on the 2 hour drive. Little did they realize, their narrow dreams would hardly compare to the rustic, natural beauty they were about to discover.With Mike driving the van, Addy driving in her Toyota Camry and Adam and Roland in the budget truck, the teachers headed toward their destination. As soon as the mountains came into view, some of the teachers from Ontario could not help but look out the window. The first stop was at Troll Falls. A simple 1.5 km hike to give the teachers a taste of what lay ahead. After Troll falls, the Wynchemna convoy rolled into Peter Lougheed provincial park, where they were greeted by a Grizzly bear at the entrance. They quickly assembled their tents and began to make dinner. It is at this point when the appreciation for indoor plumbing kicked in. Although they did not have electricity, dinner was composed of a variety of hors d'oeuvres and entrees. While dinner wrapped up, some teachers began washing dishes and others chopping fire wood. Though broadway is very far away, these teachers delivered ear melting performances as they took turns singing their favourite camp songs. Night fell and slowly one by one the teachers cozied into their sleeping bags.The forecast called for rain on Sunday. One might consider them fortunate as it rained heavily all through the night instead. The teachers rose at the crack of dawn to begin making pancakes for breakfast. After the meal was enjoyed by all it was time to show these teachers what the Rockies truly had offer. Adam led the group on an hour bike ride around Elbow lake. One of the teachers was absent during this expedition; Jessica, who had never learned to ride a bike before, was waiting for their return. Once everyone settled, Jessica showed them what she had been up to during their ride. One bystander said, "a beam of sunlight illuminated her trail," as she rode down the road seamlessly, Roland encouragingly running beside her. Jessica came to Wynchemna to teach English, but that day she finally mastered the ability to ride a bike.[AFG_gallery id='385']After lunch the teachers departed yet again, most of them tired from the ride. When they arrived at the base of Rae glacier they jumped out of their vehicles, eager to ascend the mountain ahead of them. The hike took about 3 hours round trip. If it weren't for the cold wind that caressed them as they stood atop the glacier, they may have stayed for hours. The view was breathtaking. In each direction there lay snow-covered mountain peaks and tree filled valleys. At this point they realized the shallowness of their dreams from the night before. The change in temperature from the base to the summit was significant. Shorts and T-shirts turned into long pants and multiple sweaters. When they returned to the base, they were thoroughly fatigued and ready to get back to the campsite. Again dinner was a splendid meal and each teacher went back for seconds, some even for thirds. S'mores were passed around the campfire and the moon shined bright. The teachers minds were as clear as the mountain air.Monday morning the teachers staggered out of bed. They figured the slower they prepared breakfast the longer they could stay in their new found oasis. Roland and Adam seemed to pick up on this and decided now was the time to play some Canadian football. It was a nail biter from start to finish. The defensive battle terminated in a draw, with each side scoring one touchdown. After the game it was finally time to pack up and bid farewell. However each person had to pick up ten pieces of garbage from the surrounding area before they could leave. Leaving the provincial park was bittersweet. The comfort of a shower and warm bed conflicted with the serene joy they had just experienced. Luckily they would return in a few fun-filled weeks of teaching English.