Autumn - Queen Katherine School

QKS students on top of the world
Northern India was a fantastic destination for
a challenging month-long expedition for 39
students, accompanied by five staff.
This was no ordinary summer holiday and
students were pushed far beyond what they
thought they could achieve in a multitude of
ways. The students and staff travelled in three
distinct teams, following their own itineraries
that they had researched and chosen. All teams
flew to Delhi in July and then made the long
overland journey to Manali in the Himachal
Pradesh state. Team 1
also ventured further
into the Himalayas
reaching the town of
Leh in Ladakh.
Students were in
charge of the budget for the expedition
and had to arrange transport, accommodation
and places to eat throughout. They also had to
negotiate with local guides and cooks throughout
the trek. Teams needed to work together
and delegate tasks to ensure success.
All three expeditions included a muchneeded
acclimatisation phase, high altitude
12–14 day trek reaching passes and summits
over 5,000m and work in a project in a local
school. The final rest and relaxation phase
provided a chance for some sightseeing in
Delhi and two groups visited Shimla and all
finished with a fantastic visit to the Taj Mahal.
Manali (2,050m above sea level) was an
interesting town and was the first night where
students managed to sleep in a bed after a long
flight and overnight bus journey. Many were
pleased to have escaped the intense heat and
humidity of Delhi and were pleased to have a
chance to start acclimatising to the altitude
gradually. Manali was very green and lush in
contrast to the higher barren mountain landscapes
encountered on the trek. The monsoon
rains seemed to have started and many
invested in umbrellas to cope with the downpours.
Visits were made to Buddhist temples
and blessings were made for the safe return of
the teams.
The trek proved a great but rewarding challenge
for all. The first two teams had unusually
wet weather and although the cooling rain was
a much-appreciated break from the intense
heat, it was difficult to get washing dry and
forced many hours to be
5,500m into the itinerary. This really showed
them what walking at high altitude was like and
students coped marvellously to succeed to the
top. Return journeys were made interesting by
landslides blocking the roads, flooding and
collapsed bridges. The groups really experienced
what travelling in a remote region of a
developing country is all about. Students had to
adapt and make changes to original plans.
For many students the project was the highlight
and they realised the more they put in,
the greater the reward. Working with local
people and children in the school was a
pleasure. The groups planned what they
could do in 5 days and after liasing with the
local teachers and head teachers set to
sanding, painting, cleaning and, of course,
some teaching of English and playing lots of
games. The murals painted were of an
exceptionally high standard and students
felt proud of their efforts to
improve the very poor school
environments that they found.
Team 1 took out technical
drawing equipment for the
engineering students at
Secmol and taught students
how to use scale rulers.
Seeing the sights, trekking and
helping out.
spent in a wet tent. Still
this was a great way to
recover and catch up with a well-earned sleep
after a long day. There were some dry afternoons
when students played rounders and
cricket to use up any energy that was left. The
scenery was awesome and the rivers that
needed crossing provided lots of entertainment
and a test of nerves. The local cooks always
provided us with a refreshing cup of sweet chi.
On the trek, food was cooked by a team of local
people and we experienced a multitude of
dishes, naturally including rice, curry and delicious
bowls of soup. Birthday cakes were even
made in remote camps and singing and guitar
playing always helped to settle the group
before returning to the tents. Teams 2 and 3
seemed to also have the addition of the same
resourceful dog on their trek, to make the team
complete. Needless to say the hound ate better
than anyone! Some students in teams 1 and 3
also added an extra challenge of a peak of over
Team 3 raised some extra
funds and commissioned local
tradesmen to make 25 tables to make their
school the only primary school in the Kullu
valley to have desks. They also sponsored and
kitted out two young Indian men to attend the
local mountain institute to train them to
become mountain guides.
The whole experience was amazing and
students and staff would like to thank everyone
for the support that they received in raising the
money for what truly was an experience of a
lifetime.
We are now delighted to be launching
the second QKS expedition to Bolivia in
South America in the summer of 2008.
This is being offered to students in Years 10, 11
and 12. Bolivia is often referred to as the
Tibet of South America and the Andes and
the Amazon will provide a different and
equally as challenging and stunning country
to explore.