OllieBray.com

TakingIT Global

I finally got round to reading my August / Sepetember copy of the GTCS Teaching Scotland Magazine today. I was deligted to see a piture of my good friend Mandeep Atwel on the Microsoft feature on page 23 talking about TakingITGlobal (who she now works full time for).

TakingITGlobal.org is a social network that connects people (aged 13 - 30 and their teachers) to the global issues that affect us all. It enables a collaborative learning community which provides young people with access to global opportunities, cross-cultural connections and meaningful participation in decision-making.

If you have not heard of TakingITGlobal.org there website is worth checking out as it offers awide range of opertunities to support Global Citizenship Education.

You can read an online version of the GTCS article here on the Teaching Scotland website.

Reflections from Alaska 2010: 3 of 10 – Trekking in the Wrangell Mountains (Part Two)

Trek - Day 3

It was a wet and cold morning for our 5am get up (of course it didn’t help that there were huge lumps of glacial ice on the beach we were camped on and that the wind was blowing off Long Glacier into our little ice cove).

The first challenge of the day was to cross the river and then follow it up the valley until we could get over the first of the three ridges that we would need to negotiate on are route.

The river is glacial which means that it dropped significantly overnight as it gets cooler and the glacier up the valley stops melting as much. Our crossing point only ended up being ankle deep. This would be the first of many river crossings over the next few days, some were very big (more on that later) and some of them were smaller but we stopped counting at 50 crossings!

River crossings  are one of the most dangerous things that you will do on a wilderness trip. Fast flowing water, uneven ground and heavy backpacks are not a good combination. I spent time briefing the group on the beach that morning and would continue to do so until I was satisfied that the group could individually risk assess each water hazard and apply the best crossing strategy.  For the more complicated cross, I would always go first often then returning for the rest of the group – our feet remained wet for the eight days!

After a quite a slow crossing (we would get a lot quicker) we made our way up the side of the river and had our first experience of bushwacking through Willow – it was a fun introduction but we had no idea what would be waiting for us in a couple of days time.

We stopped from breakfast at about 08.30h and then started our long climb up towards the ridge (Fall Creek Pass) and our crossing point. It was steep and on scree and we had to negotiate patches of snow near the top.

After the fitter members of the group had rested at the top some descended to help the ones that were struggling. Considering the conditions the teamwork, determination and perseverance of the group was outstanding.

We hung around briefly on top and then descended a lovely tongue of green to the next valley. It was nice to not be walking on scree and it even stopped raining for about an hour!

We found a great little camp spot next to the Fall Creek, ate and were all in bed by 8pm!

 

Trek – Day 4

It had pretty much rained steadily through the night and today ended up being one of the hardest days on the trek in terms of terrain, route finding and general wetness!

The river that we were camped in was the upper stages of a hanging valley that flowed into the second of the large U-shaped valleys (The Kluvesna River Valley) that we needed to cross during the route.

Following the river was fine and we made quick progress along gravel bars and zigzagged between different sides of Fall Creek. The problem of course was we couldn’t follow the Fall Creek for to long as rivers that flow in a hanging valley quickly become waterfalls as they flow into the main U-Shaped valley!

So, as the terrain started to change we stayed high along the open tundra until we got to the shoulder of the main U-shaped valley (Kluvesna River). The guidebook description was a bit sketchy here although it does tell you to look out for the 30ft cliff!

Anyway, visibility was poor, we couldn’t see the bottom of the valley and the terrain ahead was steep and covered in willow. The next few hours relied completely on judgment we loosely followed a compass bearing and I kept my eyes closely on my altimeter as we descended the horrendous slope.

We had to stick really close together as a group as the sound of Fall Creek (going over the waterfall!) made hearing difficult and the high thick willow (above head height) combined with the steep ground meant that you couldn’t see anyone more than five metres away. We were soaked through to the skin within minutes because of the fighting through the bush and the whole experience felt completely surreal.

One of the boys took a slip and ended up upside down in a bush and we only had time to get a quick photograph before he was extracted by other members of the group.

After descending about 1000ft we reached a small clearing and the mist lifted just enough for us to get a glimpse of the Kluvesna River. This was a great moral boost for the group but I was thinking, ‘how are we going go get across that?’ it was huge!

We kept fighting out way through the trees and as the ground leveled out our bearing took us across an old river bed. These are like small roads through the bush (although bears like to use them as well!). We made quick progress on the river bed and eventually got to the Kluvesna River where the trees opened out and we could rest.

The Kluvesna River is glacial fed (combined with all the run off from the sides of the valley) and it was still raining. There was no way that we could cross at the point we were at by the guidebook suggested heading up towards the snout of the glacier. Glacial rivers tend to be more braided and less steep here. They are also not as swollen from the rain water run off.

So off we went along the side of the river. It was a wet but very dramatic walk next to the roaring river, getting closer and closer to the glacier in a huge U-shaped valley. The problem was the river wasn’t getting any smaller!

As we approached the snout of the glacier I went ahead to check out the route. I was pretty convinced that as long as we could get onto the snout we could walk across the glacier – in any case it was our only real option!

Getting on to the glacier was actually not very much of a problem. Some loose moraine led to an ice tongue which formed a perfect bridge to safe ground. We had everybody on within 10 minutes. We then negotiated the bands of moraine and found another ice tongue leading right of the glacier. It was easier that I thought it was going to be.

However, the next bit wasn’t as easy. Ideally it would have been great to camp here. It had been a massive day and everyone was very tired. The problem was there were no flat spots for the tents and no water.

The only option was to start the steep accent towards Surprise Creek Pass (the second ridge of the route) as there were a number of streams at higher elevations. So, that’s what we did, you could see where you had to go, ‘up’, and we spread out as a group each of us taking our own time and going at our own pace as we climbed higher and higher back into the mountains. Waking was pleasant, the views were beautiful but the ground was steep.

After we found a spot to camp by a spring the group were brilliant again at helping each other. Going back for some of the other bags, putting each others tents up and making hot drinks and dinner.

We had stated walking at 6am and we finished at 8pm – it had been a brutal day. But as I sat there that evening watching the dynamic of the team in this unique place that I am convinced no one had ever camped in or even found before. I felt very proud of what we had already achieved and the group surrounding me. It’s wonderful to see discomfort give way to humor and its amazing the impact a sachet of hot chocolate and some Raman noodles has on the mood of a wilderness camp.

In the next post I’ll look at day 5 – 6 of the trek where it rains some more and we consider an evacuation due to another swollen river.

 

Teach Primary: Blog, Search & PLAY [article]

I had a recent article in ICT Special of Teach Primary Magazine. The article was called Blog, Search and PLAY.

In the piece I identified a few ways that ICT can enhance children’s learning experiences.

These included:

1. Getting the basics right – the importance of teaching Internet search

2. The Use of Games Based Learning

3. Using the Internet to provide children with real audience – blogs, podcasts, Internet TV and wikis

4. Embedding ICT – using GPS to find dinosaur bones

5. Safe and Responsible Use

If you subscribe to Teach Primary and read the article I would be interested to hear what you think.

Reflections from Alaska 2010: 2 of 10 – Trekking in the Wrangell Mountains (Part One)

Wilderness Trekking in Alaska is hard there are no paths and the conditions are unforgiving. On a typical Alaska Wilderness trek you can expect to negotiate tundra, cross glaciers, wade through rivers (there are no bridges), descend steep scree,  fight you way through thick willow plantations (bushwacking) and climb over high mountain passes. Navigation is hard, really hard and you can’t loose your concentration at all as the weather and environment can change very quickly.

We decided to Trek from the Wrangle Plateau to Nugget Creek in the Wrangll-St. Elias National Park. The route is documented in Greg Fensterman’s Hiking Alaska’s Wrangll-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Greg describes the route with the following warning,

‘Very strenuous / advanced. Don’t try this one unless you have some solid Alaskan backcountry experience or use a guide’

It looked perfect for out needs!

The route was very challenging and we had awful weather for the seven out of the eight days that it took us to negotiate the route. This particular objective was without a doubt the hardest trek I have ever done with young people and the brutality of the terrain would actually make me reluctant to recommend it to other youth expeditions.

Here is the elevation profile:

Here is a breif description of what we got up to:

Trek – Day One

The journey to the start of the route begins in McCarthy. I first went to McCarthy 13 years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit. It has a population of about 42 people (less in winter!).

From McCarthy you need to take a bush flight to the Wrangell Plateau. It’s a short but pretty amazing flight where you get a good view of the route that you are going to be hiking out of over the next few days. Alaska Bush Plane pilots are some of the best in the world it constantly amazes me where they can land their planes.

It took us about seven hours to fly all of our gear and twelve people from McCarthy to the Plateau. The bush plane that we had chartered had to make three journeys with each journey containing four people and a pile of our gear. Packing these tiny planes is an art in itself as you have to get the distribution of weight right and make sure that things like sharps (crampons and ski poles) are not going to puncture anything. The bear spray gets strapped to the wing – you wouldn’t want that going off inside the cabin!

The Wrangle Plateau really was a beautiful  place and we had amazing weather for the flight out and for our first night out in the wilderness. We camped just north of where we landed near some glacial melt water lakes.

Mark and I flew out on the first flight so we could establish camp and then go and check out the route for the first day which would involve crossing Long Glacier. I was pretty pleased we took time to reckee the route that afternoon as it took a while to find a safe place so that we could decent to the glacier.

We enjoyed a lovely sunny evening on the Plateau - which was nice because we wouldn't see the sun again for over a week!

The large lenticular clouds over Mt. Wrangell were a bit of a give away here (this wouldn't be the first improvised geography lesson that we would have on this tour!)

Trek – Day Two

Wilderness Expeditions are all about routine and out trekking routine started on day two.

Each day for the next eight days we would get up at 5AM, pack up our tents, trek for 2 hours, stop and have breakfast and then carry on for the rest of the day. Trekking in Alaska is hard (I know I keep saying that) and our average speed was never more than one mile an hour (sometimes slower). Most days we walked until 6 or 7pm before establishing camp.

During day two we hiked north along the plateau until we got to a scree slop that would take us down on to Long Glacier. It then took us about two hours to safely get the group onto the glacier. As part of our equipment we all carried crampons and I also carried a small ice axe, three ice screws, a 30m rope, some slings and karabiners.

I protected the entrance to the glacier by setting up a hand line linked to carefully placed ice screws and then escorting members of the group along the line to safe ground. It’s a slow process but a necessary one to ensure the safety of all. Once on the glacier we spent some time refreshing cramponing skills and working on individual techniques before starting our crossing.

At the elevation we were crossing Long Glacier can be classified as a ‘dry glacier’ this means that at the time of the year we were crossing there is no snow on the glacier so there are no hidden crevasses. You are basically just walking on one large ice cube – route finding is important as there are still crevasses that are deep and too wide to jump across and bands of medial moraine make the use of crampons difficult.

We made really good progress across the glacier and until after lunch one of the group  twisted her ankle. The group her were superb - we applied first aid, divided up her equipment so she was not carrying any weight and then changed our crossing strategy so we could still move quickly but at the same time continue to share the load.

The exit off the glacier was a lot easier than I had thought and consisted of a short 5 metre ice cliff that was easy to climb down using the front point of your crampons. I set up a rope to provide a safety line for the members of the group who required a bit of extra support.

Next we negotiated the lateral morain and scree along the side of the glacier before reaching a magnificent ‘ice cove’ where a river flowed into the side of Long glacier. Large Ice bergs (fallen serac) laid all over the beach and we camped a little way back in case the glacier decided to shed any more ice during the night.

Despite the rain it was a pretty amazing pace to rest after our first hard day and we needed the rest! On our backs we were all carrying everything that we needed to survive (food, fule, tents etc...) for eight days - they were very heavy!

In the next post I’ll look at days 3 – 6 of the trek - when things get wetter, harder and we will never look at a willow tree in the same way again!

South America: 9 months in 11 minutes... [Video]

My cousin Simon (@simonwraight) is back in the UK (at least a while anyway) and I’m delighted to hear that he has agreed to keynote the Dorset Expeditionary Society Young Leaders Training Seminar that Mark Salmon and I are running next weekend (more info on this event on the Facebook group).

Anyway, he posted some amazing shots of his last nine months in South America (including Antarctica and Chicago!) as a nice little 11 minute vimeo video.

Worth looking at just to be inspired but also a great little clip to introduce classes to the diversity of people and landscape in wounderful part of the world.

I’ve embedded the video below:

 

Simon's Travels in South America from Simon Wraight on Vimeo.

Reflections from The Gates of the Arctic Alaska Expedition 2010 (1 of 10) - Introduction

I was recently described as being ‘mad’ by a colleague when I explained to them that I would be spending four weeks of my summer holidays with a group of young people in the Alaskan wilderness.

 

I think they were ready to called ‘the people with the white coats’ when I further explained that I had organized the expedition on a piece of blank paper and a few ideas. That I wasn’t being paid for my time while I was away and that I was in fact  funding my own way onto the trip and contributing exactly same amount of money as each of the young people. I would of course be accepting accountability for the group during the whole four weeks as we operated in one of the remotest parts of the world.

 

Well perhaps an experience like this is not everyone’s cup of tea but for me running and organizing youth expeditions has become fairly normal summer experience during the last 14 years.

 

Since 1996 I have organized and led nine youth expeditions of not less than 21 days to some very challenging environments. Many of these ventures have been approved by organizations such as the Dorset Expeditionary Society (where I am a trustee), The Young Explorer Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. By not employing guides or local hosts and by relying on a carefully selected expedition leadership team I am able to keep the costs for the young people down while ensuring high standards of safety and care for all of the group.

I like planning, organizing and accepting accountability for these trips and spend hours preparing maps, researching expedition areas and working on the logistics. I select my expedition team at least nine months before we depart for the expedition area and spend at least six days working with the group in the UK and training the team before we depart. While we are away we operate as a close family ensure the welfare of all.

 

I have always believed that extra-curricular activities are one of the most important roles of a teacher and outdoor experiences are one of the things that really gives a school or youth organization spirit. I have learnt more about leadership and management from my summer adventures with young people than I ever have from a formal or academic leadership course.

 

My expeditions always have objectives for example with under 18s I have canoed the Bowron Lakes of British Columbia, Climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington State, Trekked the Wonderland Trail in Mt Rainier National Park, Climbed the Marmolada by Via Ferata and Glacier in the Italian Dolomites, Paddled Beaver Creek in the Alaskan Interior, Sea Kayaked 200 miles across the Prince William Sound in Southern Alaska and gathered data for research papers in remote parts of  Wyoming.

 

But as well as these physical and academic objectives I believe the youth expeditions that I run are mentally tough. It’s hard to live in the wilderness for a prolonged period of time and it’s the routine of wilderness survival and the  ‘thinking time’ associated with it that increasingly young people struggle to cope with.  For me the mental challenge remains the most important parts of a young persons development – after all if we can’t develop young people that are mentally strong what hope will we have for the future leadership of our society?

 

The ‘Gates of the Arctic’ Alaska 2010 Expedition had two main objectives. These were to trek in the Wrangell-St. Elias and to Canoe the Noatak River from its headwaters in the Gates of the Arctic National Park to Noatak Village a distance of nearly 400 miles.

Over the four weeks that we were away we were quite simply punished by the weather and Alaska threw every type of it at us from blistering heat, unforgiving rain and even snow. This combined with the being totally self-sufficient during both objectives and the remoteness of the expedition made it the toughest trip I have ever done with young people.

 

The group were well prepared and humor, teamwork and compassion conquered the hardship of the environment. We succeeded in both our goals and it was an absolute pleasure to work with such talent.

 

I’ll document the expedition in the next few posts.