It seems like Spring Break just flew by! 3 weeks ago, the Discovery boys went on their second and last rock-climbing trip in the Skaha Bluffs, located near Penticton. We left on our trip after a few rough and stressful weeks of school: to us, it was going to be vacation. We arrived in Penticton in the afternoon, all giddied up for climbing only finding out that we were in a museum of the Okanagan Valley. Nevertheless, we spent the afternoon gleaning about the culture, history and the establishment of the city of Penticton. Ryan Karimi thought that the machine gun displayed in the museum was quite a treat, since our guide described it as a gift from a WWII veteran.

Though it wasn’t necessarily a “typical” Discovery trip, with grueling hikes or lethargic packing: the class still had loads of fun while base camping at the Okanagan Lake Campgrounds. Every morning and sunset, Griffin, José, Conrad, Anders and I would all test our skill at skipping rocks into the glistening sun. The following days certainly went by in a flash. Students climbed numerous difficult faces and developed their expertise in rock climbing.
Our schedule was roughly the same per day: wake up, eat, climb, eat, climb, eat, sleep, and repeat. Due to the abundant amounts of time, we were able to bake many delicious goods and dinners made with Kraft Dinner.

Many of us appreciated the amount of sunlight we received during the 4 days we were climbing in; it was certainly lucky for us that it didn’t rain. Noah quotes “I really enjoyed just climbing and watching others climb up the wall as well.” While Ms. Tutsch emphasized the importance of being “In the moment” everyday. During lunch, many boys would climb up to the top of the cliffs to enjoy their lunch as well as the scenery of the Skaha Bluffs, the rock faces, and the lake.

Countless boys surpassed their fears and even pushed themselves beyond their limits over the 4 days of climbing. Everyone had goals for everyday and I am certain to say that everyone had met their set goals for themselves. The first climb and last climbs were the most memorable due to the boys reflecting on their progress as a whole this trip. On our last meeting on Day 4, Mr. Hesketh astonished us…this was going to be our second-last meeting as the Discovery class of 2014-15 and the next time was going to be on the last day of our Year End trip. Again, as Ms. Tutsch emphasized: make the most out of your time in Discovery, live in the moment.
As the climbing came to an end on Day 4, everyone was sad to return to rainy Vancouver. I believe it is safe to say that everyone has created such a integral bond that nothing will fall through, everyone is so supportive of each other, empathetic as well as caring. All in all, we had a great trip, full of laughter, sore fingers and we hope that the last two trips coming up will be as good as or better than our previous trips together!