Discovery 10 is an opportunity for grade 10 students to embark on a yearlong outdoor education program. Discovery accepts 20 St. George’s student applicants each year who want to challenge themselves to learn the grade 10 curriculums as well as a deeper understanding of the outdoors. Students in Discovery travel all over B.C on a number of different trips ranging from 4-day journeys to trips that last over 15 days. The highlight of the year for Disco students is the final 18-day trip in which the boys hike and kayak through some of B.Cs most amazing locations.

As the year is coming to an end, the Discovery 10 group went on their last trip on May 3rd. The Disco group was divided into two separate groups of hiking and kayaking. After 9 days the groups met up and switched activities. Hiking in the North Coast trail was muddy but the scenery was breath taking. The weather was overcast and sometimes sunny and rainy in some inland sections. The boys were able to cook their own food and set up tents and tarps to sleep in. They would hike for the whole day, stopping to snack and have lunch and staying at campsites. On the trip the boys were able to see black bears, cougars, wolf tracks, sea lions, and eagles. The terrain was challenging as it was long and muddy. Ardian Lagman said, “I found the hiking trip challenging due to the longer days and technical terrain. You always had to be careful where you placed your foot because you had the chance of sinking into mud or slipping and hurting yourself.”

The kayaking part of the trip was on Queen Charlotte Strait.  They went to fulfill a sense of adventure and many of the Disco kids wanted to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zone. The kayaking trip was very mellow compared to the hiking trip and had beautiful scenery. After nine days, the kayakers got in a water taxi that took them to Shushartie Bay where the hiker’s had slept after finishing the trail. Then they had to spend 24 hours alone in the wilderness as a final test of strength. Ardian Lagman said, “Being alone with nature for 24 hours was so relaxing and peaceful. It was a very neat experience.”

On the last day, the Disco 10 group stayed overnight at Mattias’s barn. Mattias is a friend of St. George’s who has hiked with the Disco 10 group on their Chilcotins trip. He fed them all a great meal of pulled pork. After being away from home for 18 days Kyle Welsford had this to say: “Being away for 18 days was very cool. The first thing I ate when I got back was cinnamon toast crunch and the 24 hour solo was very disorienting because I had no idea what time it was and I slept for most of it.” All the boys agreed that the final trip went by so fast and that Discovery 10 was a life-changing experience.