OP Journal 2

Outdoor Pursuits Journal #2

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A) Log

In our third Outdoor Pursuits session we experienced some very nice weather. Though we experienced another typical overcast day, it was still a fair temperature for the canoeing we discovered we would be doing today. As Laura told us, the tide goes in and out throughout the day, and we unfortunately had to fight it both coming and going on our trip. Our session was held out on the Menai Strait, both coming and going. Then we also did some abseiling in a little lagoon and learned some camping techniques on a small, wooded island along the strait. The focus of today was perseverance which included teamwork, personal appraisal and journeying. It was important for us to really communicate with and depend on our partners as well as discover what was needed of us as an individual and to understand ourselves to get the task done.
On the canoe trip out to the island where we would later be abseiling and learning how to set up camp, we faced a bit of a struggle with the tide. Then once we got to the island we faced everything from a seaweed and rock covered beach; to a wooded area with fairly small trees, hills and a rocky floor; to a wet, muddy and sandy beach that led up into another wooded area for our abseiling. Finally, on the way back from our journey, we yet again faced the tide in our canoes and made it safely home to the Conway Centre.
B) Journal
On this third excursion for Outdoor Pursuits we found ourselves really learning the definitions of cooperation and self-understanding. It was fiercely emphasized that we must learn alone how to canoe in the ways Laura instructed so that we can work with our partners to get to where we wanted to go; if we did not learn how to do our part, we would be stuck spinning around on the water in circles or be taken away by the tide. Today we got kitted up with our (now) usual gear of helmets, waterproofs, wellies and harnesses. This time we were told to grab a wetsuit top to maintain warmth in case we were to tip over into the water, a waterproof bag for our extra clothes and lunches, a life vest and a paddle to use to steer the canoe. For our “camping” experience we were also told to grab a camping stove, three tents/tarps, rope, hammocks, a big water container, a water kettle, plastic cups and put them in big blue barrels to carry.
After gathering all of our supplies, we made our way down to the dock area to begin our canoeing journey. Laura instructed us to all pick out a canoe and work in groups of 4 to carry each one down and then choose a partner to have while actually in the boat. We learned that canoes derived from the Native American Indians who used to hollow out tree trunks and also that canoes used to be made of wood or sort of plexi-glass but now are formed from a light, durable plastic. We were also told that each of the canoes we would be taking had a life preserver in each of the two ends and ropes on the ends to tie it up for when we make stops. Before making our way down the loading dock we had to grab two ropes to tie in our supplies to ensure their safety.
Once we all carried down, climbed into our canoes and made our way out onto the water, Laura had us gather together to show us the different techniques of paddling. We learned that the front person in the boat is the power – he or she will be the one doing most of the paddling – and the back person in the boat is the one who will steer. She showed us that if you turn your paddle one way in the water, or vice versa, it will move the boat in that direction as if it was a rudder on a boat. She also showed us how to turn around and stop. Once we had these skills mastered we switched positions so that each person in the canoe would have a go at both of the spots. After we made sure we were all prepared for our real journey, we made our way out from near the docks and paddled into the depths of the Menai Strait. Laura told us that the farther out we went, the more difficult it would be; as the water gets deeper the tides get stronger, so we were instructed to stay close to the shore.
After paddling for a while we found our way to a little beach covered in seaweed and rocks where Laura had us pull onto. We drug our canoes onto the beach to ensure that they would stay ashore and gathered around Laura, waiting for our next instruction. For a fun fact, she told us that the interesting looking wooden structure up in the wooded area beyond the beach was a bird house. Laura pulled out a laminated instruction sheet with pictures of beach creatures on it that we were to find. She told us to look at the sheet and just explore by picking up and looking under the rocks or to push aside the seaweed to see if any creatures lived there. We found a type of fish that was brown and slippery that Laura told us could just live on the beach under the seaweed without much water! We also discovered a small crab, some sand worms, different types of seaweed with seed-like things on them and something we learned was called a limpet. What some of us students thought was a fossilized shell, the limpet is a snail-like creature that attaches itself to a rock and has a sort of vacuum seal on its shell so that it sticks to the rock and feeds off it; this also acts as protection from birds and other preying animals. Laura got out her knife and pried the limpet off the rock and started rubbing its “belly” with her finger. She told us that she did not know if this act was ticklish or sexual to the limpet, but what happens is that little horns come out from the small, gooey, yellow creature. Before making our way back to the canoe we all giggled at this and had a try at tickling the limpet as well.
We next paddled our way against the tide to another small island that sat across from a beautiful little town so that we could learn some camping skills. We tied our canoes together on the rocky beach and made our way up the sand and rocks into a hilly, secluded, wooded area. Here we found three wooden platforms which Laura told us people can set up shelters upon or use to rest their supplies as we did. After putting down our supplies Laura said we needed to break up into teams to build shelters. There were three shelters in all, and each was different and had its good and bad points. The shelter that my group made in particular may have not been the best or kept out wind or animals, but our goal was to get the tarp up into the air – which we did. Laura then came around to judge each of the shelters and told us what was good about them (ours made good protection from the rain) and led us over to the fire. Once there, she gave us a brief tutorial about how to start a fire by using a flint stick, feathering pieces of wood, cutting off chips of wood and cotton balls. She also showed us how to work the camping stove, which I believe is called a Trangia stove. This included learning about the methane to light the stove, the damper, the pots and pans involved, the handle that clamped on and off of the pots and pans and the little methane holder. We then were instructed to have a go at creating our own fires and eat lunch.
After lunch we tore down our shelters and packed all of our supplies back up so that we could move on to our abseiling site. We trekked back down to the beach, got into our canoes and made our way into a small lagoon just around the corner and tied up our boats. We stepped out carefully onto the slippery, muddy beach and followed Laura around a path that led up to the top of the cliff that we would be abseiling from. Once there we put on the harnesses and helmets we had. We then, one by one, took turns edging out onto the platform that Laura was on, got hooked up to the rope/wire/carabineer contraption and lowered ourselves down the face of the cliff. Laura told us that even though it is scary – we had to sit down in our harnesses as if it were a chair and push out with our feet to begin our descend down the cliff, otherwise we would find ourselves slipping down or colliding with the rocky wall. I have been camping and canoeing before and learned the skills Laura taught us today in the past, but I have never done anything like abseiling. This was quite challenging for me because I truly was scared when I had to sit back in my harness and give full faith in this one rope and a couple metal carabineers with just a simple figure of eight knot to hold me up as I made my way down. However, I faced my fear of heights and falling, only faltered when the rocks became slippery with mossy slime at the bottom and found that I really enjoy this sport. I think that doing this on top of doing the ropes course and climbing the mountain has really showed me that I just need confidence in myself to overcome my fear of heights.
After we each got one turn at abseiling down the cliff we all got back into our canoes, leaving the canoe, the cliff and the island behind. On our return, Laura pointed out a white-leafed tree; she said that this one tree is white because all of the birds in the area use it as a bathroom. I thought this was really interesting! I had no idea that birds could be so smart as to know that if they use every tree as a toilet they’d be killing their environment. I guess it just goes to show that every form of life can surprise you if you just take a moment to enjoy and understand them. After learning this fact, we paddled hard against the tide and finally reached Conway Centre’s dock once again. We pulled the canoes back on shore, unloaded our kit and made our way back to our warm flats in Bangor all before 5.
Since I have gone canoeing before and learned about camping, today was not as challenging as the high ropes course or the mountain climbing, but I am still very proud of myself. I really learned how to communicate and work with the partner I had and to have trust in myself by using personal appraisal to get through something I thought would be very difficult. Overall, it was a great day, and I had a lot of fun doing some of the things that have always made me love the great outdoors.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A) Log
On this fourth excursion, we made our way very far from the Conway Centre for the first time. We found ourselves rock climbing in Holyhead, Wales, up on Holyhead Mountain. Though still a tad overcast, the temperature was only a bit chillier than it was last week – roughly 10 degrees Celsius – and there was not really much breeze, making today a great day to go out climbing; however, once we made it atop the mountain for abseiling the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped at least 5 to 10 degrees. Today’s focus was teamwork which included group support, trust, communication and climbing grades as well as a comparison of both indoor and outdoor climbing. We faced terrain of mainly the rocky sort – as we were climbing mountains – but there was a bit of grass, mud and various bushes and other vegetation we walked through/around. We began our session inside on the climbing wall, meaning we had a nice cushioned floor if we were to fall; but once we went outside and faced Holyhead Mountain, we had to walk along a muddy and rocky path lined with thorny, flowered bushes and other foot-tangling vegetation and then climb the rock solid mountain with a semi grassy and jagged rock floor below. Though we had practiced inside at the Conway Centre on the rock wall, we were not entirely prepared to face the solid rock mountain and fend for ourselves to find grips for our hands and feet. The only hindrances of the day were trying to find these grips, getting through the drop in temperature waiting for our turn to abseil atop the mountain and, for some, sneaking past the thorn bushes along the path without getting stuck.
B) Journal
In today’s session, we took a mini bus ride to Holyhead, landing us up in the hills overlooking lush farmland and the sea in the distance. Yellow thorn bushes lined the hills as we made sure we had everything we needed for the day and made our way up a gravel path. After a 10 minute trek up a slight windy gradient, we found ourselves facing the great Holyhead Mountain. Even from a distance we could tell today would be much different than anything we have done before. Luckily, before we left, Laura had given us a brief tutorial and let us do a practice run on the indoor climbing wall at the Conway Centre so that we at least had an idea as to what to expect out on the mountain.
Today, we came equipped with our helmets, carabineers and harnesses as we have had most days; the harnesses were the same ones as we had last week when we went abseiling. Rather than them being a full body (as in a harness for both the legs and over the shoulders) these harnesses were a support for the midsection and legs and had a little carrying handle at the front in which we were to clip our carabineers and tie ropes to. We were introduced to climbing shoes – very thin, rubbery shoes that squeeze your toes together and allow you to feel every little thing under your feet that make for easy gripping. We were also introduced to belay plates, which are small metal devices with thick metal on one side that had two holes in it to feed the rope through for belaying and abseiling, as well as a hook on the other side to line up with and attach to the rope and clip to your carabineer and harness for safety.
Laura, along with a new instructor called Kevin, instructed us how to belay, or how to feed the rope through to our partner, tightening or giving slack to the rope, which included using the 4-step hand-over-hand method. To do this you have to have one hand on the rope above the belay plate pulling downward while the other hand is below the belay plate (on what is called the dead rope). Then you pull the top hand down and the bottom hand up so they meet each other and the rope is pulled through the belay plate. Then you must pull the rope down so it locks on the belay plate, then you have to move your top hand down to just below the belay plate and then replace it with your right hand and then start the process all over again. This was a bit tricky to remember at first, but after a few tries on the practice wall we all got it fairly quickly. We met in the small classroom to learn how to tie double figure of eight knots which are made by tying one figure of eight knot then retracing it the rope to make another and also a safety knot which is made by looping the rope around itself twice and then laced through and tightened. Once we took turns belaying and climbing and mastering these knots, we gathered up our supplies and made our way to the bus and headed out to Holyhead.
Once we made it to Holyhead Mountain all we had to do was make a short trek up through a grassy and muddy path lined with rather large rocks (luckily no more thorn bushes!) and met the bottom of the rock we would be climbing. Laura and Kevin told us to stay here while they scrambled up the mountain (what we said made them look like Spiderman) to get everything set up. Laura later told us that when you want to do climbing as we were doing, you have to stick meal pieces (typically called nuts or bolts, depending on the brand) that are attached to carabineers into the rock so that they stay stuck and will not move as you climb. Once you have this main carabineer in place, you attach it to at least two or three other carabineers for safety – you never just have one because if it comes lose from the rock you will inevitably fall, which is never a good demise. Each carabineer is tied to ropes that all meet up with the main one which has a rope of its own that feeds down the face of the mountain for us to climb. After this was finished for us, Kevin and Laura threw three of these ropes down and had us break up into partners of about our same size, tie our ropes to our harnesses and the belay plates as they instructed and begin our climb.
To compare this climb with the indoor climb, it was definitely not as simple. First of all, the cliff was not laid out with easily graspable, rubber handles for our hands and feet. Instead it had a mainly flat, smooth surface with ridges facing downward rather than upward in the way we needed them to. To overcome this, what we had to do was find (usually very) small holes or places to rest our feet and use lots of upper body strength to pull ourselves up. I personally found that leaning into the rock made climbing much easier and to just keep moving and trusting the thin ridges I was resting my feet on rather than stopping and trying to figure things out (which usually resulted in losing grip). This was quite difficult for many people to get because, as I mentioned, it made it harder if you were to hesitate before your next move rather than just trusting what you are holding on to and keep going upward. Though I really enjoyed learning to climb – and absolutely loved the view! – I found my new love for abseiling. Rather than abseiling alone as we did last week, for this first part of today’s session, when we would come back down from our climb we would have to trust the rope – and our partners (and the person behind them holding the dead rope for extra safety) – lean back with all of our weight, push out from the mountain and start making our way down as they belayed the rope for us. In doing this, I found that I was not afraid of the heights as I was with the ropes course. I felt I had had a moment of enlightenment or something as I joyfully dangled there rather than gripping to the rope, fearing for my life. Overall, though some people needed a bit of help at the beginning of their climb, as the start was very flat and had little gripping spots and involved us hoisting ourselves over a huge drop off cliff, and had a few slip ups, everyone picked up this sport rather quickly and seemed to enjoy it quite thoroughly.
Once we each took our turns on all of the three rope climbs that were set up, we made our way up the rocky path to the top of where we had been climbing. Here we got to see how our ropes were set up with the nuts/bolts/carabineer contraption that Laura and Kevin had created for us. After a quick switching around of rope placement, we all had to have another go at abseiling – though this week it was much, much higher (almost three times as high) than in the week past. This was very fun for everyone, but we were all a bit hesitant at the very beginning as we had to make our way to the edge of the cliff and peer down the 90 something foot drop and then lean back and begin our descent, which unfortunately began with a weird drop off that we all slipped on. I loved doing this! I felt like I flew right down the mountain in my turn, and once at the bottom I cheered everyone else on as they made their way down. Everyone did a really great job abseiling down this great height with only a few slip ups at the top and bottom with the two odd drop offs and made sure to encourage whoever the person was that was on the rope at the time; I feel that this encouragement showed great group support. Once we finished this fun activity, we packed up everything, made our way back down the 10 minute rocky trail – while unfortunately getting attacked by those tricky thorn bushes again – climbed in the mini bus and made our way back to the Conway Centre. On arrival we unloaded our kit by placing it back in the stores all in under 5 minutes and made it back to the school at 5:00 PM on the dot.
Overall, I believe I did a great job working with my partner to communicate what was going on. We both gave one another hints as we watched each other make our climb; we always checked to make sure we were belaying in a way they wanted us to (not too fast or too slow); and once they made it to the top, we made sure they were ready to come down and allowed them to stop and go when they wanted. This communication allowed for us to learn to trust one another, which is something I really believe is important in doing a sport such as this. I also learned something about the differences in climbing grades, which are the differences in difficulties and risk of the type of climb you are doing. For us, to compare, the climbing grade of the indoor wall was much easier than the grade of the mountain. This is because while inside, as mentioned before, the grips are bigger and easier to find, and the floor is cushioned, while on the mountain the grips are very hard to find and you really have to trust yourself and the person below to hold you up as you move along. All in all, today was a very challenging, but fun and educational day. I learned to face my fear of heights and learned to love a new activity.

I figure I ought to post these...

These are the two different journals I have to write every two weeks for my History of Wales class and my Outdoor Pursuits class. Just thought you might be interested (especially you, Grams) in reading what I have been up to. :)

Journal of the Wales Experience

Saturday, January 19 2009

Though what later turned out to be one of the highlights of the fieldtrip, our first stop was Caernarfon Castle in Caernarfon, Wales. In viewing a short historical film, we learned that this castle was one of six in the “Iron Ring” built by Edward I. After his conquest of the independent principality of Wales in 1283, Edward I built these castles and walled towns in Northern Wales to control the area. What made Caernarfon Castle unique was that it was built with polygonal towers, color-banded masonry and intimidating battlements. It was also constructed on the shoreline, located between North Wales and Anglesey, at the southern end of the Menai Strait; this location enabled easy import of supplies yet difficulty for enemies to ambush. Caernarfon's symbolic status was emphasized when Edward made sure that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284. Then in 1969, the castle gained worldwide fame as the setting for the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.
I personally found visiting this castle to be quite intense. For my entire life I have always dreamed about going to a castle. As I made my way up through the front stone gates I was taken aback at how majestic and powerful it looked. The grass that ran throughout the center courtyard was breathtaking and the views from atop Eagle Tower - the tallest tower - were unbelievable. All in all this made for an amazing first castle experience. People keep telling me I am going to be tired of visiting castles, but I do not believe them. Each of the castles is all so different and grandiose and tell its own unique story.
After our castle visit we stopped for a short break in Criccieth which had a lovely beach along the shore of the Irish Sea for us to take pictures. A few individuals went up into the town to walk around and try some homemade ice cream, but I chose not to partake and explored the beach grounds instead; the sight from the beach was absolutely beautiful and something I am glad I stuck around to view.
The bus next took us to the Llechwedd Slate Mines in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Here we donned our various colored hard hats and ventured down into the mines in yellow metal cable cars. Once deep in the mines we were led by an automatic storytelling of an old man recollecting his days working in the mines. Through his story we learned of the difficulties and diseases – even deaths – that came about due to working such long hours in the mines. However, we also learned that the slate industry worked wonders for towns just like Blaenau Ffestiniog all throughout Wales. Large caverns were carved out underground to mine the slate that was later used mainly for roofing or making roads. Though new information to me, I must admit that the way the story was told was a bit cheesy and the way it was presented was outdated. I would have much rather had a guided tour of each of the caverns and been given factual information about the history of the mines.

Saturday, January 24 2009

The first stop made was at The Marble Church – or “The Wedding Cake Church” as many people call it – in Bodelwyddan, Wales. This church, formally called St. Margaret’s Church, was built by Lady Willoughby de Broke on July 24, 1856, in memory of her husband. We mainly just stopped here to take pictures, but what I thought was interesting was that in the Churchyard, there were five graves of Canadian soldiers that had died when carrying food supplies to Russia and consequently buried there.
As the legend goes, St. Winefride’s Well began to erupt at the spot where Winefride’s head landed after Caradog, her would-be rapist, cut it off with his sword. Winefride was then restored to life at the prayers of her uncle St. Beuno, and lived as a nun until she died for a second time roughly 20 years later. Whatever the exact truth of her legend, Winefride herself was real rather than legendary, and the extraordinary and enduring personality of this 7th-century Welsh woman has meant that she has been venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her death. Since that time, too, her Well at Holywell has been a place of pilgrimage and healing – the only such place in Britain with a continuous history of public pilgrimage for over 13 centuries. This spot was extremely moving for me; I even found it difficult to listen to the audio about the well as I was trying to keep myself from tearing up at the pure brilliance of the place. I would not consider myself to be a very religious person. Though I was raised with Christian values, most of the Christian religion and teachings have been lost on me. However, time and again, I find myself in the mindset as I did this Saturday, and I begin to question my faith. Though the inside exhibit seemed a bit cheesy, the well and outdoor grounds themselves – especially when the man sat down at the well to pray – were very inspirational and life-altering for me.
After this we traveled to Chester to take an audio tour of the cathedral there. Again, I must admit, that I was too taken aback by the scenery and experience to take in every ounce of history that was being fed to me through the audio. However, I did find it interesting that the erection of the cathedral began in 1092, and the cathedral not entirely completed and restored until 1876! Also, the cathedral once held a school that was meant for not very well-off students, and now, since it is so greatly known, the school is only for those of high-end stature – quite amazing how things do change. Once we finished this visit, we met up with our tour guide, Jenny, and went on what seemed like a never-ending tour of Roman and Medieval Chester. I liked learning about the differences in the views and construction of the Roman and Medieval parts of the wall, and “The Rows”, which is a series of covered stores that sit above street level and date back to the 13^th century. This trip was fun, as it was the first instance we really got to spend a lot of time in England; however, a down-side was that lots of things were exciting and the tour was too long and exhausting for us to really want to go exploring alone afterwards.

Sunday, January 25 2009

I had heard the legend of King Arthur all my life and even intensely studied it whilst in high school some 6 years ago, but I had never imagined I would go to a place where the legend supposedly began. We began our walk at Llyn Ogwen where it is said the Lady in the Water is said to have lifted up the sword and given it to Arthur so that he could become the King. Then, after being pelted with snow and rain and passing a quite lovely waterfall, we made our way up to Llyn Idwal, the largest lake on the Snowdonia Mountain Range. Llyn, or Cwm, Idwal is 800 meters long and 300 meters long and rests below what is called Twll Du or the Devil’s Kitchen. This is just a term used to describe the valley that has been created over thousands of years. However, Idwal is not just a lake – Idwal was once a man, and son of prince Owain. As the story goes, Owain entrusted Nefydd Hardd to look after his son; but since Nefydd’s own son, Dunawd, was untalented, he decided to push Idwal into the lake so that he would drown. As a result, Nefydd was banned from the kingdom, and Owain named the lake after his son in his memory. What I thought was a bit eerie was that it is said that no birds dare fly over the lake because a moaning voice can be heard during storms – scary!
Our next stop was Ty Hyll in Betws-y-coed, or the “Ugly House”. This quaint little cottage was built under an interesting Welsh customary law at the end of the 15^th century that stated whereby if a person was able to build a house in one day (from sunset to sunrise) and have a fire burning with smoke coming out of the chimney by dawn of the next day, he could claim the land. In addition to this, he had to throw a rock, and as far as that went, a circle was drawn in circumference around the house, making his land.
Another short stop we made was at Swallow Falls. After watching and partaking in the hilarious squeezing in of students two at a time through the 1 pound entrance turnstile doors, we walked down the stairs to view the powerful while falls. More of a photo op than anything, this view was simply gorgeous and something recommended if in the area. Just after this we stopped for lunch in Betws-y-coed where stood many shops in which students took advantage of cheap souvenirs and food.
We next stopped at the land of (thankfully not present) shotgun bearing Mrs. Maude Jones’ in which atop the great hill sits small, yet handsome Dolwyddelan Castle. This castle was built after the 13^th century as one of the strongholds of the princes ofGwynedd, functioning as a guard post along a main route way, and whose actual site was perhaps the vanished castle of the rocky knoll that lies in the valley floor. It consists of two rectangular towers linked by an irregular curtain wall. The castle was captured by Edward I of England's forces on January 18, 1283, in the final stages of his aggressive conquest of Wales. In the 15th century, an upper story was added to the keep by local lord Maredudd ap Ieuan. It was restored and partly re-modeled in the 19th Century by Lord Willoughby de Eresby, who added the distinctive battlements.
Finally we found ourselves in Llandudno, which is the largest resort in Wales, holding both the North Shore and West Shore beaches. It is a very popular tourist spot that has many stores, pavilions, restaurants, gambling spots and its renowned 2,295 feet pier. We just stopped here for a short visit – to frolic on the beach, walk along the pier and visit some shops - and it was definitely quite a sight to see with the long rows of buildings that stretched all along the beach.

Other

We were instructed to visit the Roman Camps, Bangor Cathedral, Bangor’s Museum of Wales and The Pier on our own. Each of these sights held something unique. The first stop I made was to the Pier. This pier stretches ¾ the way across the Menai Straits in between the City of Bangor and the Island of Anglesey and has a delicious tea room and beautiful waters. For just a mere 25 pence I thought it was interesting to see the plaques that were placed in each of the benches that lined the sides of the pier. One in particular talked about how a 40 something-year-old woman raised money to donate by jumping off – and surviving! – while wearing her wedding dress.
The Welsh Museum was a quaint little place that housed everything from old furniture to clothing and machines from the 1960’s. I enjoyed paging through the book that discussed and photographed the restoration of the Menai Bridge and learning about the music and song festival, the Eisteddfod, and the traditional Welsh costumes.
Bangor Cathedral made a nice stop as I was instantly greeted by two little old cute Welsh women who – after my first sentence – wanted me to tell them all about where I am from in America. This was just the experience I have been waiting for while I have been in Wales. I want to talk to as many of the locals as I can, especially the older ones who have more experience in the land and knowledge of the history. After discussing with them about cold snowy winters I glanced along the boards that were set up and discovered where the name “Bangor” came from. Back when the cathedral was constructed, a long fence was set up as the border. As it was a thatched fence, it was not that difficult to build, but with it brought much history and a name to the town in which the cathedral now sits. While reading I learned that the Welsh word for this thatched fence is bangor; learning this, reading the boards and visiting the museum have really helped me to better understand the history of Wales – more specifically Bangor and the surrounding area – and allow me to better get to know the city in which I will be living in for the next few months.
Lastly, I visited the Roman Camps. Located up a knackering forest path, the Roman Camps – or what we are to imagine where the Roman Camps once stood – is the most breathtaking view of Bangor that probably exists. Off one side of the gigantic hill that you must climb sits a view of the city of Bangor and the grandiose Snowdonia Mountain Range while off the other sits a view of the Menai Strait and the Island of Anglesey. I am truly disappointed I did not have my camera with me on the sunny day I went, but I definitely plan on going back to get some panoramic shots on the next free day I can.

Outdoor Pursuits Journal #1

Tuesday, February 2, 2009

A) Log

Today was our first Outdoor Pursuits session. The weather was a bit cool as I left my flat, but I was happy to see there was very little wind and that the sun kept randomly popping up between the cloud cover. Our session today was held at the Conway Session on both the high and low ropes courses. The temperature and weather stayed nice for all of the first portion of our session at the low ropes before lunch; but then when we were practicing for the high ropes course and as well as during the actual high ropes course, a light snow and wind luckily showed us what the rest of the afternoon would be like so that we could adjust our performance accordingly. While at the high ropes course, the biggest hindrances were the cold and the mud. The slight whipping wind made all of our toes and feet cold so it was difficult to grasp our clips and switch them over to the next wire and walk around the ropes. The mud also made it difficult not to slip, especially on the beginning rungs up to the first obstacle and on the moving log itself. Luckily, there is a crew working to cut down trees (a few trees even fell during our course!) and laying down slate chips to remove the mud problem. We have also all learned to wear more socks next time to keep our feet warm. Overall, the weather was quite nice throughout the day; we just need to come better equipped in the future so we are sure to perform at our absolute best in this course.

B) Journal

Our minibus departed for the Conway Centre in Anglesey, the main local Outdoor Pursuits building (it looks like a castle!), at roughly 9:00 AM. Upon arrival to the centre, we learned that we would be doing a high and low ropes course. Though Chris was the one who picked us up to take us to the Centre, Laura was our main instructor for the course. Once Laura, small but tough, made-for-the-outdoors and encouraging, came out to greet us, she gave us a brief description of the history of the Conway Centre; the centre was built after the cadet training ship, the HMS Conway, was lost to serve as camp to house the cadets who had previously lived on board. It was then converted into an educational facility and residential accommodation in the 1970’s and is still used as such today.
Laura then took us into a small room with tables for a cup of tea and to introduce ourselves to her and so that we could teach everyone a little bit about ourselves. We did this because today’s objective was to find out what our group was like – get to know one another, learn to trust one another, learn mental rehearsal and our comfort zones. Once we finished our tea and discussion we were sent outside. Laura took us to a place that those at the Conway Centre call “the stores”. It is a some-what barn looking building that holds all of the kit and supplies we need for our sessions. She gave us a brief tour of where everything was and had us put on Wellington boots because it would be muddy, and very attractive purple waterproof suits as well as helmets to wear during the exercises.

The session then was broken up into two parts; during the morning we had to do teamwork exercises on the low ropes courses and in the afternoon we were to do a high ropes course. Since I went to camp every year as a child, I have done many of the low ropes course exercises before but found them quite fun to do for another time. We learned immediately that communication was key and supporting one another both physically and emotionally was important. I am very glad we did this as our first exercise – learning encouragement and teamwork at the beginning will allow us to both understand how to work together and take care of each other as a group rather than as individuals, as well as later strengthen that bond we have created. All in all I believe that our group did a great job of working off of one another and encouraging each other through each exercise. I must admit that I had my irrational fears at the beginning that somehow we would not be able to work together as one, but this first session has helped to ease my worries as we definitely struggled together and learned the beginnings of what it means to be a team.

The low ropes course itself was out in the middle of the woods with slightly muddy terrain. Some of the obstacles themselves included working together to get everyone atop of a wall that was twice our height one at a time; working together to finish a series of obstacles while four people always had to be holding on to a long stick at the same time; and doing wire balancing exercises in twos while learning to talk to one another to stay up on the wires while the rest of the team encourages us and acts as spotters. This course really helped to get all of our cooperation juices flowing and got us excited and confident to head on to the next challenge.
After a brief lunch break full of sandwiches, tea and juices we were all ready and rearing to head out to the high ropes course. I have personally never done a high ropes course, and with my fear of heights I must admit that I was a bit afraid for what was to come. However, I knew that I took this course to push myself to the things I did not think I could do, so I was preparing myself for anything. Laura had us grab ropes, harnesses and carabineers and gave us a brief tutorial including teaching how to do an over hand and figure of 8 knot as well as how to put the rope and carabineer combination (or “cow tails) onto our harnesses. Once she felt we were all prepared she led us back out over a field behind the Conway Centre into a sheltered wooded area.
Upon arrival I looked up to the obstacles ranging in 20-60 feet in-the-air and was a bit taken aback. I thought to myself, “I have to climb THAT!?” Laura showed us the part of the clips course that we would have to do – the moving log through the zip wire - and then took us to a practice course. This practice course was about 10-15 feet in the air and allowed us to get our bearings with the cow tails as well as climbing on the actual wires. We each got a partner and took turns encouraging one another through the 4 obstacle practice course and prepared ourselves for what was to come next.

I knew going in that what I was about to do would be difficult and scary, but I did not know until I climbed up that first 20 foot pole just how hard it would be. My whole body was shaking as I tried to sort out where to clip my cow tails and how to get myself ready for the first obstacle and it had nothing to do to the fact that it was cold! However, I swallowed my fears and slowly and carefully made my way through the course. One of the parts that was most difficult was the second obstacle, the X ropes, because at that point I felt like I had absolutely no more energy to hold on to the ropes; my arms and legs were shaking from weariness. Another part that was hard was the little jump we had to make after the birthing tube climb. This was mainly because everyone was yelling at me to jump and I was just trying to sort out in my head how I wanted to do it. I wished they had listened to me and let me have some quiet because it is what I needed at that point, but perhaps they could not hear me from 60 feet in the air. All in all I felt that my own performance was quite good for having such a great fear of heights. I did my best to go through the course as fast as possible and push through my worries. I felt so relieved when I was falling down the zip wire. Everyone did such a great job working through the course and yelling up words of encouragement while their partners were in motion.

Something that I would do differently next time is to wear more layers of clothing – listen to directions and dress as warmly as possible. This was really the only thing hindering my personal performance apart from the fear of heights.

Overall, I think that I learned and benefitted a lot from this experience. I learned a lot about myself, I learned a new skill of climbing a clips course, and I learned about teamwork and confidence. I know this fear of mine will be something I need to work at, but as a first go, I think I did a great job – as did everyone in the group. All of the encouragement and teamwork that took place was absolutely outstanding. I am very excited to continue the sessions and I hope both my skills, as well as the skills of others, improve as time goes. Tuesday is my new favorite day of the week (Wednesday is not as I feel it will always be my day to recuperate from the muscle pain I have created for myself), and I cannot wait for next week! Outdoor Pursuits has given me a new outlook on life and myself and I am really happy about that. Now let us go climb a mountain!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A) Log

In this session we made our way into the mountains of the Snowdonia Mountain Range. We climbed to the summit of three mountains, Carnedd y Filiast, Mynydd Perfedd and Elidir Fawr. As I figured it would, the weather and terrain changed the higher we went up on each mountain, as well as which side of the mountain we were on; these changes were due to such things as altitude, the way the wind blows and ability for plants and things to survive in lower temperatures. On our journey up the mountains we came across all sorts of weather – everything from fog or cloudiness at the beginning to drifting snow and then sleet at the end. It also seemed as though the higher we went up the colder it got. We were also told to note the type of snow as we got higher. This was important to note because today’s session was focused on the environment, including learning about physical geography, flora, environmental concerns and using the environment for navigation.
On the road up to the first climb the snow was mushy underneath and hard on top, indicating a fresh snow had fallen the night before and froze over night. Then the higher we got the snow was harder and more packed on, indicating that many snowfalls had taken place and packed on top of one another. Also, we experienced such things as rime, which is a white ice that forms when the water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of the rocks. This fog freezes to the windward (wind-facing) side of the rocks with the high wind velocities and really low air temperatures. As Chris told us, the coldest temperature we faced was -12 degrees Celsius! Very cold. However, once our final descent was made, the fog had ceased, the sleet had stopped and the sun was back out, peering through the cloud cover – one of the brightest sun shines I have seen while being in Bangor. Though not the warmest day, it ended nicely with just a brisk chill to the air.

B) Journal

On our second adventure with Outdoor Pursuits, we climbed to the summit of three different mountains in the Snowdonia Mountain Range, Carnedd y Filiast, Mynydd Perfedd and Elidir Fawr, making a horseshoe shape. I personally had never climbed a mountain in this way before as I am sure the well laid out summer paths and Gondolas of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado do not compare to carving your own path all the way up a snowy, icy mountain! Though our main instructor, Laura, was there, the other Outdoor Pursuits instructor, Chris, was the one who led our trek. We got all suited up yet again in our purple waterproofs and this time plastic boots, grabbed helmets and rucksacks and learned about the parts of a pick axe (the pick, the head, the shaft, the spike, etc.). We then all went outside and were given a responsibility to carry something for the team (thermoses, tent supplies, etc.) and got in the bus.

We made it to the base of the mountain at roughly 10 and started on the gradual incline – a road, strangely enough – and as we made it up into the fog, things cleared up, and we faced our task for the day. During this stretch we discovered our first problem; one of our team members was straggling behind the rest of the group. To solve this, we were told to put her at the beginning of the group as the slowest person is the one is supposed to set the pace so it does not feel as if he or she is running the entire time to keep up with everyone else. Rather than this being a hindrance, I believe it helped our group to better bond and work together right at the beginning of the climb. We all understood that it was difficult for her so we worked together, gave her lots of encouragement and gradually made our way upward.

After we left the base of the mountain we did everything from light hiking to using our pick axes to keep us stable while up on the ridge of the high peaks of the mountains. It is quite interesting how the terrain of mountains changes so often (e.g. from snow covered grass on a 40 degree incline to rime covered rocks fully blocking our way to the summit at a nearly 90 degree incline). We did everything from walking straight across a flat snow covered field to using all of our body weight to hoist ourselves up rime covered rocks. The mountains always seemed to get rockier the higher we went. What was interesting to me is that both Laura and Chris moved their way across the snow and rocks as if it was nothing, which led me to wonder just how difficult what we first timers were experiencing truly was as far as that type of hike goes.

Climbing up a mountain, or “mountaineering” as it is properly defined, is a lot more challenging than I thought. It is not that it was super difficult physically, though I did have trouble breathing normally due to my asthma and it took a while for me to get a knack at working with the pick axe, this session was another mental and emotional challenge for me. I was surprised to find that it was not the heights that were difficult, it was the fact that I was trying to get over that I was climbing high up on a mountain on very tiny ridges – one wrong small step and I could have fallen; I was more afraid of messing up than being that high. However, as I did in the first session, I pushed myself and worked my way through the challenge. Personally, I felt that I did fairly well. I made sure to keep up with whoever I was behind, watch out for the person in front of me in case they slipped and help them out if they did, make sure to check if the person behind me was alright, and make sure I could always see both the front of the line and the back. On the contrary to the first session, though, I remembered to wear more layers – 4 shirts including 2 underarmor shirts and 2 fleeces and 4 pairs of socks; this is something I slightly prided myself for remembering to do.

Overall, I feel as if today went much better than last week did. This is partially due to the fact that I knew I was not going to be tethered to a tree by a cow tail but also because our group members always made it clear that we needed to focus on one another. We kept realizing over and over that if we did not stay entirely focused one of us would slip, fall or slow down the entire group. Regardless of this, I feel both I and the rest of the group did an excellent job staying focused in general and did an excellent job pushing ourselves to finish. On completion of the hike I felt very proud of myself, as climbing an icy mountain has never been something I could see myself doing. Though my arms, legs and feet were sore, my joy from accomplishing such a goal and for seeing others accomplish that goal too made it all worth while. I am very excited to be able to tell my very proud mother that I have made it back safely from ascending over 1,000 feet. I cannot wait for next week! Bring on the challenges!

Did King Edward realize that what he was building was that beautiful?

Meet Beaumaris Castle:With a name meaning "fair marsh", Beaumaris Castle on the Island of Anglesey is the great unfinished masterpiece. It was built as one of the 'iron ring' of North Wales castles by the English monarch Edward I, to stamp his authority on the Welsh. But it was never finished as money and supplies ran out before the fortifications reached their full height. This is undoubtedly the ultimate "concentric" castle, built with an almost geometric symmetry. Conceived as an integral whole, a high inner ring of defenses is surrounded by a lower outer circuit of walls, combining an almost unprecedented level of strength and firepower. Before the age of cannon, the attacker would surely have been faced with an impregnable fortress. Yet, ironically, the work of construction was never fully completed, and the castle saw little action apart from the Civil War in the 17th century.

Beaumaris is nonetheless an awesome sight, regarded by many as the finest of all the great Edwardian castles in Wales. Begun in 1295, it was also the last to be constructed. The king's military architect, the brilliant James of St George, brought all his experience and inspiration to bear when building this castle, the biggest and most ambitious venture he ever undertook.

From the outside, Beaumaris appears almost handsome. It does not rear up menacingly like other fortresses buts sits contentedly in a scenic setting overlooking mountains and the sea, partially surrounded by a water filled moat.

The gate next-the-sea entrance protected the tidal dock which allowed supply ships to sail right up to the castle. Beaumaris is endlessly fascinating. There is so much to see here, the 14 separate major obstacles that any attacker would have to overcome, the hundreds of cleverly sited arrow-slits, the deadly use of 'murder holes' to defend entrances.

Another remarkable thing about Beaumaris are the wonderful views afforded across the Menai Straight to the Snowdonia Mountains beyond - breathtaking scenery that can be enjoyed from within or outside the castle. Although Beaumaris lacks the spectacular siting of some of Edward's other north Wales castles, the beauty of the castle and surrounding countryside is undeniable.

I would say that this has been my favorite castle so far. I know we've only seen two (Caernarfon and Dolwyddelan...and Conway if you can count it even though it's been converted into the OP centre) castles, but thus far Beaumaris is my favorite. With it's lush green center and intricate inner walkways and wall walk, it is everything I've always imagined my "ideal" castle to be. The only downside was that we couldn't explore a few of the inner walkways and go on both sides of the wall walk. The opposite side of where we could stand allowed for one of the most picturesque landscape shots of the Snowdonia Mountain range and the town of Beaumaris.

Finally, what made this place is cool is that in it is where Tecwyn found his inner gangster:

In addition to this sight, we saw the town (or should I say Car Park) of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Yes...that's right...this town holds the record in the Guiness Book of World records as having the longest name.

This name, as you can see in the image, roughly translates to "The Church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of the Tysilio by the red cave."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Nothing to this town but a mall, the name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch was coined as a publicity gimmick in the 1860s by concatenating the names of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll ("St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel"), they hamlet of Llantysilio Gogogoch ("the church of St Tysilio of the red cave"), and the chwyrn drobwll ("rapid whirlpool") between them.

Originally, the town was called Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll, which means "The Mary church by the pool near the white hazels". The village was renamed at the beginning of the 1850s when the railway was built between Chester and Holyhead .

A local committee was formed to try and encourage trains, travellers and 19th Century tourists to stop at the village in order to help develop the village as a commercial and tourist centre. It is believed the name was conceived by a cobbler, or a tailor, depending upon what story you hear, from Menai Bridge. Little did promotional plans of all time. Today the village is signposted as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and is known by locals as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair. It is also known as Llanfair PG to differentiate it from other Welsh "Llanfair" villages.

Well, are you wondering how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? Then just turn on your speakers and give me a click.

Along with these two places, we also stopped to visit:

Puffin Island

A lovely beach (in which we took a two-mile beach walk up to a light house and saw wild ponies,)

((Heart in the sand for my family and friends back home!! :]))

and Penmon Priory (including the Chapel with authentic Celtic crosses, St. Seiriol's Well in which is said to cure eye diseases, and Dovecot).

We also made a stop to climb to the top of the Marquis of Anglesey's Column in Llanfairpwll that looks out over the Menai Strait.

It was very scary for Dani and me. We don't like heights.

And then we got back safely to the ground and did this:

El fin. xx

((My pictures have gotten cut off...if you'd like to see the whole shot just click on them for a larger view.))

Conway Centre

Named after a ship.
Castle? No.
Lots of children.
Hot tea.
Introductions.
Globe.
Meeting Laura.
The stalls.
Wellies.
Purple marshmallows.
Butt bras?
Muddy.
Rope courses...low and high.
8 figure knot.
Over hand knot.
Carabiners.
Cow tails.
Slipping.
Catching.
Teamwork & cooperation.
Facing fears.
Tears.
65 feet in the air.
Freezing fingers and toes.
False-confidence.
Shaking limbs.
Muscle failure.
Jumping.
Conquering.
Hang-gliding.
Laughter.
Excitement.
Swinging.
Rope burn.
Aching.
Picturesque scenes: mountains...trees...snow...rocks...
Accomplishment.
Gratitude.
Amazement.

Life changing.

The Super Bowl!?

It's February!? Holy shnikeys!

Yay for the Super Bowl. Thanks to my beautiful and brilliant mother I still get to watch (if I can stay awake until 11 :P) via el internet! Woot!

This whole not having an enter key blows, fyi. I have to press it 13 times to make it work.

Like just there...that was a lot of pressing.

I should probably talk about Caernarfon Castle and the other fieldtrips I've been on, eh? K. Here we go!

This is Caernarfon Castle:






ooooooh! ahhhhhh!



"Background

Edward I built castles and walled towns in North Wales to control the area following his conquest of the independent principality of Wales, in 1283.

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, prince of Wales, having rejected a bribe of one thousand pounds a year and an estate in England, if he would surrender his nation unreservedly to the king of England, had been lured into a trap on 11 December 1282, and put to death. His brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd had continued the struggle for continuing independence, but had been captured at Bera Mountain in the uplands above Garth Celyn, in June 1283.

Edward surrounded and overshadowed Garth Celyn, the royal home and the headquarters of resistance to English domination, with Caernarfon and Conwy castles, and later Beaumaris Castle. The other fortress in the iron ring encirling Snowdonia was Harlech Castle.

The site selected for Caernarfon was strategically important, located on the banks of the River Seiont where it flows into the Menai Strait. It had been the site of a Roman fort, and a later motte and bailey castle built c. 1090 by Hugh d'Avranches. The castle was, at the time, surrounded on two sides by water, and the other by the Caernarfon city walls, but in the 19th century, the area on the River Seiont was filled in to enlarge the port of Caernarfon, and is today part of the castle's car park.


Construction

Begun in 1283 after Snowdonia - the heartland of Gwynedd - had been overrun by the massive army, it reached something like its current state in 1323. It was never completed, and even today there are joints visible in several places on the internal walls ready to accept further walls which were never built. Contemporary records note that the castle's construction cost some £22,000 – an enormous sum at the time, equivalent to more than a year's income for the royal treasury. The castle's linear design is sophisticated by comparison with earlier British castles, and the walls are said to have been modelled on those of Constantinople, Edward being a keen Crusader. The castle dominates the Menai Strait.


History

Edward II of England was born here, during the initial stages of the castle's construction in 1284.

In the uprising of 1294–1295, Caernarfon was taken by the forces of Madog ap Llewellyn, but recaptured in 1295 and its defenses brought nearer to completion. In 1403 and 1404 it withstood sieges by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr. During the English Civil War its Royalist garrison surrendered to Parliamentary forces in 1646.


Ceremonial Usage

Queen Elizabeth II formally invests The Prince of Wales with the Prince of Wales crown at Caernarfon Castle

* The tradition of investing the heir of the monarch of Britain with the title of "Prince of Wales" began in 1301, when King Edward I of England, having completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his heir, Prince Edward (later King Edward II of England). According to a famous legend, the king had promised the Welsh that he would name "a prince born in Wales, who did not speak a word of English" and then produced his infant son to their surprise ; but the story may well be apocryphal, as it can only be traced to the 16th century. However, Edward II certainly was born at Caernarfon while his father was campaigning in Wales, and like all infants, could not at the time speak English. (Indeed, growing up in the royal court over the succeeding years his first language may well have been Anglo-Norman, not English.)

* The castle was used again in 1911 for the investiture of the then Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, because of its past associations with the English crown. This set a precedent which was to be repeated in 1969 with the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales."

(Info hijacked from Wikipedia. Do not hate me if any of the information is misleading, incorrect or just flat out pointless. kthanks)


I personally found visiting this castle to be quite intense. For my entire life I have always dreamed about going to a castle. As I made my way up through the stone gates I was taken aback at how majestic and powerful it looked. The grass that ran throughout the center courtyard was breathtaking and the views from atop Eagle Tower (the tallest tower) were unbelievable. I won't lie...the informational video needs some work. They should have hired somebody who can actually act and not make overly-dramatic facial expressions every time he discusses something exciting, sad or daunting. I think he was supposed to be attractive too. Didn't do it for me. I think Moria may have been the one to find him dreamy though, lol. Sorry I didn't take a picture.

Well...yeah. Amazing first castle experience. People keep telling me I'm going to be tired of visiting castles...but I don't believe them. :) They are all so different and grandiose and tell their own unique story.

Plus I mos def made one with Krystle in 7th grade. And we did it wrong! haha. It looked so cool though with the metallic spray paint and green & yellow sheep in the courtyard.

Right on. Well I'm off to make tacos with Dani. :) I'm stoked...I've been craving one!! yumyum!

As Kylee would say...Peace Out! :D