20th to 27th August 2005

When we reached the secluded campsite the first thing we did was to decide where to position our camp areas. Once we had chosen, we put up our tents (decent models not storm havens) also we put up our dining shelter (without poles) and dug a fire pit. The fire pit is, as the name suggests a shallow pit for containing the fires that we use to cook on every morning and evening.

After pitching our tents we then light our fire to cook on, we had to cook spaghetti Bolognese. After our meal I went to help with the construction of the toilet (a deep trench sheltered by a storm haven). While Jeremy (the explorer scout), Joel and I dug; the rest of the scouts dammed the stream and then had a large fire. After we had finished digging the toilet pit we had “Bog wash” (hot chocolate) and cake while we discussed the week ahead.

Sunday:

On Sunday morning we woke up to the very beautiful Welsh landscape and sunrise. After our hot breakfast of sausages and beans the leaders got “Puffin’ Billy” (which provides us with hot water like a boiler except powered by a fire) going and dug the wet pit, which is a hole where you pour all the stuff that you would normally pour down the sink e.g. used washing up water etc.

While the leaders were developing their camp we continued to dam the stream, before we began work constructing our bivouac. The bivouac that we began to build would be used on the last night to shelter us all, so it needed to be good! After a while of working on it we then had a lunch of sandwiches, crisps, cookies and an apple. After this we went on a walk past the copper mine into Beddgelert (pronounced Bethgelert). However on the way back to camp it started to rain. Luckily though our fire still had some hot embers from the morning so I was able to resurrect our fire in the drizzle. Then after our fire-cooked dinner of beef burgers and vegetables we had Bog wash, cake and a quiz in the marquee. Unfortunately the other patrol won the quiz but we won the bonus question and got a packet of Smarties. 

Monday:

When we woke up the weather was good, though there were quite a lot of clouds about. After our breakfast we then got ready our packed lunch and packed our day bags. We walked into Beddgelert to get to the base of Moel Hebog, as it was good weather. Plus while waiting for the leaders to arrive there we got to use the flushing toilets!

For our ascent up the mountain it was actually very good weather with only patches of cloud. Once we were about ¼ of the way up we decided to stop and have our packed lunch. At the top it was a stunning view, you could even see the sea! However it was very windy up there as well.

Most people made it down the mountain and back to camp in good time. That night we had chilli no carne, which was quite tasty considering it contained no meat. Before Bog wash and cake we played a wide game in which we had to get from the bottom of the field to the flagpole without being seen in a torch beam. The deal was that if 3 people were caught we didn’t get any cake. Unfortunately nobody made it, as it was insanely difficult, because there were always one or two leaders guarding the flagpole or were close by. However Tom Heatley got very close and the leaders were impressed at how we did, so we did get cake in the end! 

Tuesday:

After our eggy bread and beans my patrol built a raft that we would sail on Friday while the other patrol learned how to light fires! Following our sandwich lunch we got a lift into Plas y Brenin, where we went canoeing on the lake and got to use the facilities of hot showers and flushing toilets! However whilst we were on the lake it began to rain and continued for a short while after we got back! Though luckily we were able to get a fire going and cook our chicken and cheesy mashed potato.

What I have forgotten to mention is that throughout the week, mostly at Bog wash time Jeremy read parts of the book ‘Scouting for Boys’, by Robert Baden Powell. Also we told jokes (most of them were rubbish). 

Wednesday:

We woke up to find that our camp area had flooded, we were used to a little condensation on the inside of the tents and a bit of dew outside, but this was incredible. Our tent had flooded literally; a pool of water occupied the lower side. Outside was even worse; the area we had set up our dining shelter was like a giant puddle a couple of inches deep. Also during the night our table had been blown over spilling the matches and paper (luckily in a plastic bag), peoples clothing that they had left hanging on the table to dry were now in the pool along with our gas and stove.

That morning we cooked on the other patrols’ gas stove as ours wasn’t working. Because of the heavy rain the stream had burst its banks and was cutting corners in a raging torrent. Also the Marquee had to have a drainage ditch added as it was beginning to turn into a quagmire.

Thankfully though, the rain stopped at about half nine. This gave us the chance to dig drainage ditches away from our tents plus it gave the ground a chance to absorb some of the excess water. While the rest of my patrol were sorting out the tents and hanging tings out to dry I got the checkpoint co-ordinates and a map so that we could plan our route to the campsite. The trip there for our patrol was uneventful but from what I heard it was quite different for the other patrol. Before they even got to their first checkpoint they got lost, and turned back to the campsite, where the leaders pointed them in the right direction. Meanwhile my patrol had got to the other campsite about five minutes early.

When we got in we found a suitable area to pitch our tent and then we had our dinner (boil in the bag meals) and some hot chocolate made from the left over boiling water. Then after we had eaten we made full use of the facilities (hot showers and flushing toilets). The other patrol got in a lot later.

Thursday:

We woke up to some light showers but they soon passed. The trip back was uneventful.

When we got back to the campsite it was good weather, so we hung up some things to dry and unpacked. Then when the other patrol got back we made cakes and Dutch arrows for Friday. Then we made a fire to cook our beef stew and chips (fried potato cubes) on. The other patrol asked if they could cook on our fire if they brought some more wood. We let them and instead of doing 2 separate pots of beef stew we had one large pot of it to share!

Later that night, though we were in for a surprise as Dave had planned us a night hike before Bog wash and cake. It was 11:30 when we got back. 

Friday:

In the morning my patrol did some more work on the bivouac and had breakfast, while the other patrol ate their breakfast and built a raft. Then at about half eleven we started camp Olympics. The first event, the water slide! In this event there were several categories such as fastest slide, how many times down in 2 minutes and how many times up, in 1 minute! Following this we did the upstream race, from the bridge to the dam as quickly as possible. Then after lunch was Dutch arrows followed by the flour trail. Then we went down to the river that leads into the lake for raft sailing. Ours didn’t sink even when we all got on, all it did was to get submerged about two foot under the water! The other patrols raft was quite a lot better, but then again they had to only carry three people and got extra buoyancy! (Jonathon had left when he got to the other campsite on the overnight hike, as he was going to France.)

Later after we had got changed two people did the cooking for dinner while everyone else helped with the bivouac, as we would have to sleep in it that night. On completion of the bivouac we had our campfire to burn the rest of the wood, it was so hot it even melted a beer bottle that Ruth had thrown in. After Bog Wash and cake we all went to sleep in our 100% natural bivouac! 

Saturday:

We all woke up nice and dry, as it hadn’t rained, however everyone’s sleeping bags were slightly damp at the bottom because we had all covered the ends of them in a bin liner in an attempt to keep them dry if it rained. Unfortunately we had forgotten that this would create a lot of condensation due to body heat. Fortunately, however it was good weather so we could dry them out before packing them away.