ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
This year PLP embarked on our second field study ever!
To loon lake again…..
Previously in February, Loon Lake hosted PLP 8 & 9’s first ever field study. I have mixed feeling on how the trip went because although it was about 5 days away from home with my friends, lots of the work was done sitting on the floor, with grade 8’s, and 3 quarters of my friends came down with COVID and left early. (You can read more about my experience here.) I had trouble picturing how this trip could ever be any better than the kind of mid trip before, especially now without many friends and in harsh weather conditions.
This time was much better than last time though. This time our trip was a major step up compared to our previous journey to Maple Ridge back in February. Even though most of my friends didn’t go, I had a great time with those who did go. I found that this trip was really good for me because what we did there on our own and with each other really helped me uncover some things about myself that I didn’t know.
We did a bunch of activities; serious activities, fun activities, personal activities, and trusting activities. This trip was a complete surprise to me. I had briefly read the information forms sent to us from Pinnacle Pursuits which talked about being ready to partake in uncomfortable activities and to be ready to share feelings and emotions which I thought I was kinda calling their bluff like many other organizations but I was way off. I mainly focused on the High Ropes course when preparing to leave and didn’t take into consideration what the other activities could include. All in all I’m glad I went.
Something that definitely stood out the most to me was that for the first time ever our PLP teachers were not in major control for the majority of the trip. Instead we were going to be guided through an experience that would enhance our Team-Building sills and teaching our skills out in the outdoors that relate to things we do every day. The man behind all the magic was a mysterious man called Jono.
We met the founder of Pinnacle Pursuits, Jono, as soon as we got there. He seemed like the typical group entertainer at first but as soon as we stepped into the Panabode I noticed that he was a serious man who had a specific plan for us over the course of the next 4 days. He was a very experienced guy in my opinion. I noticed that he had the ability to change his emotions and the way he communicated very rapidly. He was very serious at one moment then relaxed and happy the next. He was also very sentimental and was easy and hard to talk to at times. Anyways he handed out a booklet which would eventually be filled out with many components that relate to each and every individual in the room. Every day we would spend a couple hours filling out worksheets and participating in conversations that in my opinion built up on each other but had specific meaning along the way. I won’t go into detail on every lesson we did together, just few of the ones that stood out to me most.
One of the first activities we did was identifying what my key leadership styles are. After taking the survey I found that my leadership skills mainly revolve around being an “Enabler” who treats others with respect, involves themselves in planning, builds trust, trusts others to maker the right decisions, takes responsibility and lets others get a sense of responsibility as well. The other leadership style that I learned I supposedly had was an “Encourager” who recognizes achievements, recognizes people’s efforts and strengths, and gives support and appreciation to the group’s success and achievements. I believe that people have different ideas on what my style of leadership is but im happy and understand where some of these skills come from. This activity gave me a starter sense of what I was going to be doing here and what I was soon going to begin to uncover.
Another activity which I generally liked was when we created posters about our hobbies, what we enjoy, and what represents me. We drew drawings all over that represented what we loved, and what relates to ourselves when we describe ourselves. We also wrote down a quote we chose earlier in the day, mine was “Excellence is not a spectator sport, everyone’s involved” – General Electric. This was a really simple task. Before heading to bed, we all put our posters up on the wall to display to each other. Now what I really liked was that over the course of the next 4 days, people would walk up to your poster and write short comments about what the enjoyed doing with you, encouragements, or just quick messages with meaning. Everyone in the end had all the white space on their posters filled with messages from classmates from all over. I enjoyed this a lot because it showed how fast I bonded with people I wasn’t close with at all through simple activities, games, and just spending everyday with each other.
Finally before I wrap this part of the trip up I want to talk about one last activity. Once again this was a super simple task. We partnered up and sat down in a part of the Panabode where we were somewhat distanced from other groups. What we were to do is feel comfortable sharing the things you love with the other person at a very fast pace without having time to think. This made it easy to just get everything out and I liked the strategy. I did this activity with Max R on purpose because he is someone I relate with and feel comfortable around. The way this activity worked was you would ask “What do you love?” And then within 1 second the other person would have to answer the question. We went on and on and I learned that I can get a lot of valuable info if I just do it and don’t think about what others think about it which is something I’ve been working towards for a long time. Finally my page looked a little like this ⬇️.
On the second evening it snowed. Sorry, it dumped. It was awesome and loved it. It really made this trip great. It continued to snow every now and then for the next couple days as snowball fights arranged themselves whenever the opportunity was given. When it didn’t snow it was just as beautiful. Specifically the morning of day 3 which turned out to be a Bluebird day. Fresh snow topped the mountains, trees, roads, and buildings around us as the sky turned to a bright blue. I don’t usually comment on the scenery around me but this was one of the best BC winter experiences I had ever had. Even though it was cold as ____ outside, the snow tied everything together. A fond memory I have is walking to the gym after rock climbing as evening began to turn the corner and thick snowflakes took to the air. I can’t describe how much I loved the presence of snow during my time at Loon Lake.
I slept in the student centre which seemed like a cheaper version of the nice and big cabins above, but were surprisingly nice. There wasn’t much to complain. There was e enough space for all the boys on one side and the girls on the other and in the middle was a gym with a basketball hoop. If I did have to complain, the vent in our room would suddenly start vibrating and wouldn’t shut up. It was unnaturally loud. Oh and of course the nightly periods of sounds coming from the room next door. I shared a room with Max R, Sepaus, Zach, Max L, and Declan and we were all very well behaved, kept a neat and tidy room, and were sound asleep at 10pm sharp.
Dining was great as usual. It was almost all the same meals as before (not complaining) except this time there was no Lasagna 😔. This time mealtimes were more relaxed because there was enough food for people like me to get 2nds and 3rds at times. Also the juice machine was open to us so life was finally complete. Only complaints were that breakfast was too early and that the periods between mealtimes were a little long. My group resulted to smuggling various fruits back to our room and had a small pile to keep us from alive throughout the day.
Finally the main attraction of the trip. The high ropes course and rock climbing. Both activities happened on separate days but both involved cold outdoor physical work. For some people, especially those who decided to do the harder part first, the rock climbing wall was the hardest physically because of the -6º weather and the fact that a worker called Brendan who fought on frontlines as he protected Canada from the crazies. Idk. Anyways, the man wouldn’t let people down until either the time ran out or they had made the top. Some people broke out in tears which seemed like it was being taken too far, but I respect Brendan for pushing us to our limits. I mean pardon my language but which idiots decide to do the harder option before even trying out the easier part itself. Anyways, don’t come chasing me down with pitchforks and torches.
The High ropes course was more Interesting to me rather than it being a fun activity because it was in -6º and 30 feet in the air. My arrogant self wasn’t nervous at all because I knew it was meant to be safe, but then my present self kicked in as I stepped on the ledge looking down on the tiny people below me. I didn’t freeze or anything but everything just caught up with me very fast. I started to think how the hell I was supposed to cross a 15 meter wire (while being safely attached to a belay of course) but then I remembered why I wasn’t nervous to do it. It was meant to be safe and fun. I kinda just went for it without thinking and it was nerve racking but made it to the very end. Now the only hard part was to swing myself to half the length to then slowly drop to the bottom. I kinda froze for about 30 seconds before mindlessly throwing my body into the air before swinging and landing to my safety.
We did this sketchy activity in my opinion where we would fall from atop a foldable chair on top of a foldable table held down by my classmates. I don’t know maybe it’s just in my head. We did some practice with trust falls before hand and they went really well. We started with 1 on 1s then moved on to working as a group to catch people at a low height. We then went to the freezing outdoors and began setting up a landing spot for those putting their fate in the strength of their peers. I found it sketchy because the ground beneath the “catchers” was icy and slippery so one slip could become a broken hip or fractured wrist. But what surprised me the most is that we held it together and trusted each other to catch whatever was left of us. Anyways I did the fall of trust and it really wasn’t that bad. We did so well that we actually got Mr. Hughes to participate and we didn’t drop him. Highlight right there. I felt really confident with my peers and felt a new sense of trust with them. Later that night we would come together and participate in an experience I won’t forget. I won’t talk about it but it meant a lot to me to be apart of that moment.
Trust fall video Here. (Quality might not be great)
Finally on the second last day our PLP teachers stepped up in the leadership role as Jono and his colleagues left us. We did a bit of work regarding what we did before with Jono and how we could help organize our lives with the supposedly life changing app “Things”. We went on a loooong hike around the lake which was really nice. We got all sorts of views and I particularly like going on hikes when there’s snow on the ground. I spent then next 2 hours listening to various albums with Max R as we journeyed through the treacherous and slippery path.
We finished the day by coming together and watching Apolo 13 in the Panabode for a movie night. We all got comfortable with sleeping bags and pillows as we began to conclude our trip to Loon Lake.
I can’t believe I almost decided not to go and that I ever doubted the trip. This trip was an experience I will cherish forever. I would defiantly live it all again. I learned so much with Jono and will continue to use the skills and knowledge he offered in my daily life. I am forever grateful for the time I spent and the moments I shared with friends wether they were happy or not. I want to thank my teachers for organizing such an amazing trip with such a great organization. I’m excited to see what our trip to Florida has for us. Loon lake pt. II didn’t disappoint .
Thanks for reading, Adios.