Survival 101

Stepping into the Survival Campsite, our new home for the next four days, our adventure began.

Five scouts challenged to survive the next four days by cooking our own food over flint-and-steel fires and sleeping in make-shift tents.
Our days followed activity after activity, such as hiking, first aid practise, water conservation, fishing, star gazing, braaiing marshmallows over the fire, rationing food, and enjoying each other’s company.

A fun and stressful activity was the unmarked cans of food given to us, with no hint of what could be inside. We were filled with nervousness and anticipation as we wrenched open the lid and peered through to eye the contents. We were greeted with the smell and sight of either canned peaches, corn, or mixed fruit which immediately subsided our nervousness.
De-scaling an entire fish was a huge obstacle in my eyes. Taking a sharp gutting knife and dragging the blade across the fish’s stomach was a gut-wrenching sensation as the contents of the fish spilled out from underneath itself. A long and tedious process of using a knife to remove the scales from the fish was implemented. After preparing the fish and the fire, we set the fish to braai while we watched carefully. Soon, the mouthwatering aroma of the fish filled our senses and we were hungry for the full meal.
The end result was worth the long process and we feasted!

Waking up early and preparing our own food was a task that I needed to get used to, the collecting of sticks and dry grass, the careful positioning of the flint and steel to light the fire, the waiting to ensure the fire was lit properly, and eventually setting our breakfast on top of the fire to cook.

The few times we could venture out of the campsite is where we could be free with nature surrounding us. The night walks were a once in a lifetime experience as all constellations were visible from our perspective. Those walks were unforgettable.

As our journey came to an end, an overwhelming sense of peace, appreciation, and respect surrounded us and we left as better versions of ourselves.
After four days of complete restlessness, a 16 hour nap and a good meal proved to be sufficient rest post-game.

The camp was extremely eventful and testing, but proved to be worth it in the end.