Saints and Sacredheart Joint Cycle-thon Fundraiser and Camp, Dora.

The Saints and Sacredheart Joint Scout Group Cycle-thon/ camp was successfully completed as per submitted calendar of activities. There were twelve (12) youth members and seven (7) adult leaders. Jonathan Forde also came to assist.

The youth members and four adult leaders met at Saints College at 4:30 am on the 21^st June where they were picked up by an arranged canter. The cycling team, myself and family reached the Linden/ Soesdyke Junction around 6:30 am with a light shower of rain to start the activity. Jonathan and Rudy drove up also. A few scouts and leaders had a light snack, rechecked their bikes for any faults, given some quick instructions on how to use their gear shifters and general cycling safety tips.

We left the junction around 7:15 am with Rudy, Seleina and I driving the three vehicles. The cycling team with their camping gear on their backs made it to Dora within three hours with many stops to facilitate some new body pains and interchanging of cyclists. I did some riding myself.

When the team arrived at Dora, they all went to the creek to wash their cycles and soak the sore parts! Lunch was quickly prepared and immediately afterwards, the scouts began their preparation of sleeping quarters for the night. They were challenged to sleep in trees for the night. “Beds” or stretcher looking structures were constructed between branches up in the trees using ropes and straps. Not everyone was able to complete such a structure. Four Saints and two Sacredheart scouts completed the challenge. Fortunately for them, there was no rain during the night! With written permission from the Khalils, the other members slept in sleeping bags and in hammocks on the wooden deck of their shelter.

The scouts were taken on a night hike around 8 pm over the creek where a little game of hide and seek was played. That turned out to be very interesting and funny! A campfire structure was built but because of the heavily water soaked wood, it refused to light.

Everyone rose at 5:30 am on Sunday and went up the trail for the usual PT session. On their return, breakfast preparation commenced with much challenge from the pouring rain at that time. With a late breakfast, lunch was prepared early with the hope to leave at noon but the heavy rains delayed departure to 1:30 pm. The tree structures were dismantled and the wooden deck was cleaned.

The cycling team arrived at The Fungs’ Retreat at 3 pm where Rudy’s car was left and we all went over to Mentus’ creek for a splash. The rain began to fall where everything got soaked before we went into the creek. After a quick 30 minutes in the creek, we prepared some hotdogs to fuel up for the remaining leg on the cycle-thon. We arrived at the Linden/ Soesdyke Junction around 5 pm where the same arranged canter was waiting.

Everyone had fun and all were happy and proud to have participated in the activity where it was the first for many things and creation of many new memories.

The new Sacredheart group did very well in their participation levels for all aspects of the activity. They were very involved in the preparation of meals, construction of the tree structures and rode well. A good demonstration of scouting spirit was noted.

The scouts arrived at Saints around 5:45 pm where they were either picked up by their parents or taken home by a leader. They are no injuries to report.

Laurence Fung