Hello and welcome back to my blog. Unlike most of my posts, this blog post will be all about PLP 10’s second overnight field study. Unfortunately, our PLP 10 class has had a somewhat limited field study experience. Due to uncontrollable circumstances, we missed out on the typical grade 8 and 9 field studies in Oregon and Alberta. Because of this, I really didn’t know what to expect from this experience. This year, we returned to Loon Lake. However, this year we didn’t have the grade 9 class with us so it was a much smaller group. We did a 3 day leadership program with Pinnacle Pursuits and I learned a lot about myself, my peers, and many different leadership qualities.
Something that I wholeheartedly believe, is that there’s always room for personal growth. I always strive to grow and learn how to be a better person. At the beginning of this trip, there was a lot of personal growth advertised in this leadership program. To be honest, I was a bit sceptical that a 3 day program could advance my learning that much. To say I was wrong would be an understatement. Loon Lake helped me gain a lot of perspective and awareness about many aspects of life.
So, on the fateful day of November 28th, 2022, we set out. The PLP 10 class all piled on the bus and took the long journey to Maple Ridge. Unsure of what to expect, we all gathered together to meet Jono, our Pinnacle Pursuits program leader. We then set off onto the first day of our Pinnacle Pursuits adventure. We were given workbooks to fill out for the next few days. We looked around the grounds, did some leadership work, ate some food, and pushed our classmates around in a circle. Late that night, we were assigned into cabins. I was blessed to be with my good friends Mickey, Ines, and Gwen. We were assigned to the cozy Pan Abode cabin with a luxurious 3 bathrooms.
After a quick snooze with a frightening 6:30am wake up, day 2 of Loon Lake began. We were super lucky to get a whole bunch of snow overnight, leading to a beautiful winter experience in Loon Lake. After washing our face in some cold lake water and eating a delicious breakfast, we developed our most important traits we value and did a building challenge with spaghetti, tape, string, and marshmallows. It was frighteningly similar to a different classic PLP experience that we all immediately thought of once Jono described the challenge to us. After lunch, we split into two groups. My group went rock climbing first. I’ve gone rock climbing a few times so it came pretty naturally to me. Afterwards, we went to the gym and participated in a team building activity which led to a massive argument afterwards. We were struggling to find a solution to the problem so I decided to look at the PLP instagram to see if there was anything on the stories about the previous group’s solution. I found the solution and suggested it, and we got a better time than them. Somehow, the other group found out about our method of winning and started a massive debate. It got very heated but ended in both groups acknowledging the wins of the other team and peace. After some more leadership work and dinner, we headed to bed, bracing for another packed day.
Day 3 of Loon Lake started with us coming up with intentions for the day, which is something that I learned at loon lake that still helps me. I find that setting intentions for my day does wonders for my productivity. Some activities of Day 3 involved a high ropes course, 6 foot trust falls, and a belayed crate stacking game. Throughout the day, we had been developing credos, which are personal beliefs about ourselves and life mission statements; basically who we aspire and work everyday to be. We developed them from our values, which we identified earlier. My credo was:
I inspire people to love who they are and lead good lives, I am an enthusiastic and bright person. I promote true self expression, individuality, and a culture of kindness. I believe in trying your best no matter the circumstances.
Day 4
We woke up and to our dismay, Jono had slipped away into the night, leaving us with much to think about. We did a reflection activity on a prior activity and worked on our iPads for the first time that trip. Mr. Hughes taught us a lot about Things, which was a very helpful lesson. I now know how to properly use the app and it’s helped me out with me productivity and task management a lot. With Ms. Willemse, we made personal logos to go with our Credos. Later that day, we went on a super fun hike, which was definitely on of the highlights of the trip. The hike went all the way around the lake and had some incredible views. We hiked through a bunch of snow and ice for around 2 hours and though it was dangerous, it was a blast. Later that night we had a PLP movie night and watched Apollo 13.
Day 5
On day 5, we just packed our bags and went home. I thankfully didn’t get covid at Loon Lake this time so I was very grateful for that.
During Loon Lake, I learned a ton about myself and my peers. It was one of my intentions to get closer to my classmates that I don’t talk to a lot and I definitely did that. As I’m writing this a while after Loon Lake, I find myself going back to my Pinnacle Pursuits workbook and reflecting on what I learned. I think the practices I learned at Loon Lake will stay with me for a while, same with my goals and credo. Thank you for reading my blog!
Sincerely,
Me
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