I got back from my Duke of Edinburgh award hike on Friday.

On the first day, I didn't have my pack on right so it killed my shoulders and we covered about 5kms. On the way to fill up our water supply, (part of the trek) our teacher (safety reasons =_ slipped on some rough ground and yelped. I was in the lead and I turned around she was on her bum. I quickly dumped my pack and went to help. All of the DoE people had been trained in First Aid, but I was the only one who got 100% (first go too ) on the test. She told me it was going a bit numb and it hurt a lot. We passed up the first aid kit and I binded her ankle tightly with a bandage. (NEVER take the shoe off.) Because of all the rough terrain (quite literally rocks and very rough trail. you had to climb down carefully through rocks.). We were the second group to go (out of 3) so we called the organizer of our DoE who was with the first group and he quite literally sprinted back the way he came up rocks, without his pack of course, to us and we called the ambulance. We were so far down the track that we had to make a stretcher to get her back. We tore down two new trees (It was an emergency) and Sir used his shelter tarp and cut 4 holes in it for the poles. All the boys then hoisted the teacher up the steep rocks and back to base camp.
The day's highest temperature was about 28oC and every one else who wasn't on the stretcher crew was constantly feeding water to them. You honestly don't appreciated water until it's about 30oC and there is limited supply.
Our DoE hike had turned into a survival/advanced first aid training camp. The organizer (we call him Sir) is ex-army and now teaches High school geography. He is defiantly the best person of the job.  

When we got back to base camp, we all just sat there. Drinking water, talking quietly.
Then the stretcher crew had to go back to where the teacher had slipped to retrieve their packs. I really felt sorry for them.

After that, everyone got back and we all set up our tents and I make a fire. A couple of boys and I kept it alive by feeding it bark and twigs. Someone even brought marshmallows so some of us roasted them on the fire (SOOO good). We all made dinner on our propane camp stoves. Most had two-minute noodles because it's easy to do.
Just before it got dark, we were in direct view of the sunset. It was amazing. I'm about to upload some photos on my photography account ~Izzy-Night The colours were amazing. None of the photos are altered I swear on my dogs life. The only thing I did to them is put a water mark on them to keep them safe.

____

In the morning, my hips killed from sleeping on the ground (The foam mat did nothing D=<). We packed up, had breakfast and rolled out. We walked back towards the train station and we saw lots of dogs (Even a fully uncropped Doberman long tail and floppy ears. So cute).
We then walked for about 9km uphill, up a mountain. That took about 5 hours. When we reached the train station that would take us home, everyone almost flipped when they saw a cold drinks machine. I borrowed a dollar because I was short and got a Lift. Everything tastes so much better when you've earned it
Stupid me, I didn't break-in my new boots and got blisters on the inside on my little toe, below my big toe and on the back of my heels. My feet are still hurting a little.

That hike was just the practice