Duke of Edinburgh handholding thread

[ArcheryAnnie]

....is anyone else's teenager doing this?

DS has a mound of equipment in the living room which looks ridiculously huge for one bloody night (it's a practice run) and he keeps on remembering other stuff he hasn't yet told me about that he needs. It's like getting blood out of a stone.

Also I am having visions of My Baby, Lost On The Moors, which I know is pish.

[CheshireEditor]

It will all be fine. He will love it. You will get through it. He'll come back of the practice run with things he won't take again and things he needs.

I've just been to my son's bronze DoE presentation evening. I was so proud of him, he used to misplace lots and be a bit away with the fairies and doing DoE and just getting more grown up has made him so on-it and together.

When I watch him walk up the road to school, I do think what a great young man he's turned into, and DoE has helped along the way so much. He's halfway through silver.

Frozen bacon was the big hit, amazing bacon smell after a long walk and night in a tent, he said it was the best. Give it to him frozen the morning he leaves. Also our school provided some of the kit like rucksacks etc, also look on local FB buy and sell groups, you'll find lots of hardly used kit ther.

[Whathaveilost]

Our area takes the view that it would be ok to buy an ice cream or have a cake as it would make the expierence enjoyable and realistic ie if you were going out camping and passed an ice cream shop why not stop and get one.These items arent classed as a meal and a meal prep still has to be done. What wouldnt be allowed is stopping for a bag of chips and a pie for example.

[Thingywhatsit]

Hahaha over the muffins! To be fair my dd got brought an ice cream by his supervising person on his practice with strict instructions not to tell ma'am back at the squadron!!!!! I did hear the telling off they got from ma'am for not having matches to light the trangas though - that was really funny!!!!! No one thought of it between the 7 of them!

[ragged]

I have lectured DD re no muffins on the real event (they were an unexpected gift, anyway). There were 2 stoves, so the kids have figured out they can manage with just the other one.

[Thingywhatsit]

Doh just read - it was practice- ignore me, didn't get much sleep last night!

[Thingywhatsit]

Was that her qualifying hike??? Thought cooking a hot meal on a stove was a condition of passing? I know our lot would have been failed if they had been seen being given muffins en route on the qualifying, on the practice a blind eye would have been given

Loving that she has blisters and unused competed - the phrase can't lead a horse to water springs to mind with teenagers doesn't it!!!

[ragged]

Cotswald is so expensive. Even with discount card. (For us) Sports Direct is across the road and a fraction of the price.

DD is back from practice run. Nasty blisters, fairly sunburnt, didn't touch her (bulky!) packed lunch (scoffed sweets & pastries instead).
Her meths bottle leaked & they didn't use our stove anyway, so that's fewer items to carry next time.
She had compeed & suncream, but you know, unused.
Only a few wrong turns. Muffins from a parent who just happened to live en route.
Still friends with the other 6 kids & many hugs exchanged at end.
Happy as a clam & talking about Silver next year.

DS's cadets could never organise DoE & now I see why. It's a huge commitment from the adults. Frequent interactions with the supervising adults.

[Thingywhatsit]

It's been pouring with rain here all day and ds is on his qualifying expedition! I expect a drowned rat to return tomorrow!

Me and dd have been busy making cakes for when they all return to base tomorrow - have a feeling they will go down well whilst they sort out all their kit.

For anyone reading this who wants their teen to do d of e - direct them to your local cadet unit. Do cadets (air/sea/army/ccf) and d of e at the same time - plus all the kit is given to them. Including sleeping bags and waterproofs. All I need to supply is ds himself, walking boots (part of his cadet kit anyway so not brought especially), clothes, eating utensils and a torch (oh and his contribution to the food) and £10! Which is amazing as I would struggle to afford everything if he wasn't doing it via cadets.

[Whathaveilost]

sparklygal
I posted too soon!
Who is you.DC doing the DofE with? Often the group will have their own outdoor ed kit or be able to loan it from the YPS. The point of the doe is to be inclusive and cost shouldn't be a factor for putting people off doing the award.

[Knottyknitter]

We all had lightweight cargo trousers from army surplus stores, but it was the early 90s! I'd miss pockets in leggings though. Love my craghoppers for hiking now but wouldn't invest in special stuff other than boots and socks until they've decided they like it!

[Knottyknitter]

The trouble I had with bronze practice was my dm (sorry).

She had never ever camped or hiked, but decided that as she had done d of E administration when she was a teacher, she knew everything about it.

I had a pack that would have done me proud for 6weeks in the himalayas. But no water bottle. As "far too heavy"

Bronze assessed expedition onwards I didn't let her near and for my gold expedition I had the lightest pack in my group but was the only one who hadn't forgotten anything important. I also assessed bronze expeditions for my gold service section which was great as you could bung a disposable bbq in the support car for the evening!

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

I am a DofE leader - all the girls wear their sports leggings for walking. The boys are more varied in trouser choice but we don't allow jeans and we refuse to take anyone on expedition unless they have boots with ankle support. Those and waterproofs are our absolute non-negotiables.

[Whathaveilost]

sparylygel
Are you having to buy sleeping bags?
Are you in the U.K. If so your child should have been given their DofE record pack. That includes a discount card to Cotswold. They stock the Dof E recommended kit and will give good advice as well as considering your budget.
However Go outdoors have a good knowledge of Dof E needs as well.
I would recommend 2 to 3 season sleeping bag.

[Whathaveilost]

Ours start off with grid references on the route cards and features.
Either way works!

[WankersHacksandThieves]

Ours do their own route cards using a compass from Bronze. I said that it's likely that they will be mostly on forest tracks, there is no chance of them coming across unknown hazards but despite that, they still manage to go of track. And that's with training and compasses and maps and route cards.

[Whathaveilost]

wankers
Our DoE area doesn't introduce compass work until silver level.The train the kids are operating in won't have cliff edges in at this level. All the routes are approved before the practice so any hazards are identified long before they are out there. The group are also remotely supervised so if they are not at a check point we can address the mistake and offer advice.


People going into the Peak and Lake district in anything other than the lower peaks and in settled good weather are irresponsible

I'm not sure what you mean or which people you are referring to here.

[Sparkygal]

Any sleeping bag recommendations?

I am getting ds a base layer top - long or short sleeves? His practise and expedition is beginning if June.

Also need a waterproof jacket - again any recommendations?

Thanks

[WankersHacksandThieves]

That may be appropriate for you as an adult Whathave but I would say that a map by itself is only of use if the terrain is very easily identifiable. Otherwise, if you don't know what direction you are facing it can be more dangerous than nothing at all. People have walked off the edge of cliffs/got stuck in very difficult terrain by not knowing where they were and looking at a map rather than using their eyes.

For Dofe and bronze in particular they are likely to be following forest tracks so it's probably not that vital however a group in DS1s practice ended up back 3 hours late because they took a wrong path. If they'd used their compass they should have been able to follow the correct one.

People going into the Peak and Lake district in anything other than the lower peaks and in settled good weather are irresponsible.

[Whathaveilost]

I presume she's got an OS map

A map is of very little use without a compass

I strongly disagree with this statement. I make the young people learn to map read long before I introduce the compass.
They learn to orientate themselves by having the map matching up with the land, they can get themselves round by following and identifying handrails and features. They be able to know the steepness of the ground by reading contours. They don't need a compass to overshoot features, use an attack point method or have a tick list to collect features or to aim off.

I can go out to an unknown area in the Peak District , Lake District etc and follow a route by just using the map. I am not saying you don't need to learn to use a compass, you do.It is an essential hillwalking and mountaineering skill but it is daft to say that a map is all but useless without it.

[WankersHacksandThieves]

I presume she's got an OS map

A map is of very little use without a compass. Ours don't take one each, usually one between 2, a trangia per tent group (usually 2 or 3), a trowel and first aid kit per walking group (usually about 6 people). So, if your child doesn't have all of these, it doesn't mean that the group don't have them :)

I'd say the gas is less risky but at the end of the day, they are both fires and they should have had training on them prior to the practise expedition. There is supposed to be an element of controlled risk which increases as the levels go up. That's what DofE is about, stretching themselves, learning about risk and how to look after themselves.

[ragged]

ps: can gas canisters be risky, too?

[ragged]

DD didn't ask 4 a compass today. Her list of essentials seemed quite modest. I presume she's got an OS map.

[DaftMaul]

Please don't send your dcs away with nut products if there are those in the group with allergies. Thank goodness when ds did dofe, all his group happily avoided peanut butter and Nutella and any bars etc with nuts. He would have reacted after being touched by anyone who had eaten them which would have been very dangerous whilst in the middle of nowhere.

Also, warn them to leave the wild life alone. Saw many dofe walkers this w/e and some were attempting to touch the new forest ponies which was very silly. I did find myself shouting across the forest to them to leave them alone in case they were kicked! Thankfully, they moved on.

[Whathaveilost]

Ragged yes, you are right about a Trangia being a specific brand.
They are an awesome bit of kit. I have two. A small one for overnights and a larger one.
The pan is the 'house' of the unit when it is all folded up. A lid can also be used as a frying pan. The burner, lid handle all go into the pAn bit when it's folded down. I have a meth container so I can use gas or meths but always use gas. There is a chance meths bottles will leak.

I'm looking forward to the summer and g owing out and assessing my groups. We do remote supervision and have checkpoints.

[WankersHacksandThieves]

ragged that sounds very tame :) I'm wondering how much compass work will be involved - is their plan to turn left at the hous ewith the red door, cross the field to the farm with the blue door etc :o

It's legal to wild camp in Scotland though so maybe that makes the difference?