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Canadian Exchange (August 2010)

Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)

The Canadian Exchange takes place annually, and is an opportunity for only 12 Army Cadets from across the UK who meet the specific qualifications required. It consists of various physical activities, plus assessment of technical and leadership abilities too, and is held at the specifically designed Cadet Camp at Banff National Park in Canada with in excess of 180 Cadets attending in total. It is a very physically demanding course, with a training area stretching the same land mass as from the North of England to the South of Wales! I enjoyed it thoroughly, so much so that I have been invited to return in the future as an instructor. I hope that you enjoy reading this personal account of my adventures in Canada...

Arriving at RAF Uxbridge, a ghost town of a military base, all 12 of the Exchange Cadets first met each other. We broke the ice with the usual name games and introductions, however a trip to the cinema and meals out together was when we really got the opportunity to bond and get to know one another better. Arriving at the airport more than 5 hours early and going straight through Customs allowed us a lot of spare time resulting in a lot of banter and inside jokes being created. We arrived at Calgary at 1800 Canadian time (midnight in England) followed by a 2 hour bus journey in a big yellow school bus only to face lots of admin when we arrived at Camp. Finally, after kit issue, kit checks, room allocation and a longed for shower we finally crawled into bed at 2200 Canadian time (0500 British time). It is safe to say that we all slept well that night!

The next couple of days saw the arrival of everyone else, fitness tests and getting used to living 3000 ft above sea level! It transpired that the Canadians came from all over the country, with some having flown for 6 hours just to get there, which we found quite staggering. We were also put into a strange new uniform which consisted of a Tilley hat, grey shorts and T-shirt with an optional grey hoody and sweat pants. It is safe to say that we all looked quite Canadian by now, however we were having difficulty being understood, with accents ranging from Edinburgh to Derry to Newcastle and further complicated by the fact that half the people we were with spoke only French...

The way in which the Camp worked was that there were 6 ‘cycles’, each lasting for 5 days, of which you could spend 3 nights camping out in the wild or on a normal campsite, then in between there could be 1 or 2 Rest and Relaxation (R&R) days where we could visit different places around Calgary so eventually we managed to start the ‘cycle’ day 1 on a Sunday! Quickly you had to forget about which day of the week it was and just think about which ‘cycle’ day it was or you would get confused and a bit depressed that you were getting up at 0545 to go for a run on a Sunday morning!

Week One – Mountain Biking

Day 1

I started off with mountain biking for my first week where you would be going up steep hills, only to go down them again. I was a little nervous at first because the Canadian bike brakes worked in opposite to the systems in England so this led to a few near misses when cycling down hills close to other people, especially with very slippery mud. On the first day, however, I gained in confidence with my bike due to receiving very skilful instruction from the Yamniska staff who were employed to teach us throughout our time in the Rocky Mountains. In the afternoon the heavens decided to open and we got drenched cycling on a fire track. After going down the hill it was difficult to tell where the mud started and stopped on some people because we managed to get up some speed, however I managed to cause a wipe out as I went over a rock and fell off my bike causing the person following me to fall of their bike and injure their shoulder. This was quite an achievement considering it was only the first day of actual training...

Day 2

On the second day we had more technical skills to learn and put into practice. We went on a long day ride, with some challenging single track riding towards the end of the session, and this allowed us to put into practice the skills we had learnt the previous day. This was also our first experience of going through bear country where there were often bear sightings. This made the safety videos that we had watched a couple of days before come to life when I was told by other Cadets about some of their experiences with real Grizzly Bears!

Day 3

The third day was the best day of the ‘cycle’ because we got the chance to visit the Canadian Nordic Centre. This is where all Olympians train for the Winter Olympics, and when we visited there was also training being held in preparation for the National Mountain Biking Championships taking place that weekend. For the entire day we were on single track, with steep up hills and even steeper down hills with the added treat of roots to try to negotiate, all of which contributed to a very sore bottom by the end of the day! We arrived at our campsite with plenty of time to spare so we erected our tents and then something amazing happened - a truck arrived laden with several large, warm boxes – these turned out to be our dinner which that night was pork chops - to me not normal camping food! However, once the food was eaten everything was packed away and taken back, then in the morning we had pancakes and a Full English Breakfast, just what you need for a hard day of cycling.

Day 4

The final day of cycling was spent going between one stand and another proving that you had come far on each of the skills such as jumping over logs to trying to go through a complex obstacle course. We all found it quite challenging but it did show you just how far you had come. In my case I found I could do things that I would never have done at the beginning of the week which was a great feeling. That evening we returned to camp, which was unusual for a ‘cycle’ as they were normally 5 days in length, so we spent the 5th day learning map and compass then putting it into practice in an orienteering competition in the evening. This was not quite as simple as it sounded, however, because Canadian Cadets use a different system to the English in the fact that they use mills which was confusing for all the Brits. However the tables were turned when we tried to explain our system of degrees to them!

Our first R&R day was spent travelling down to Calgary and having a look around the Calgary Stampede which is a fairground mixed with a real Rodeo. We only had a few hours there so we decided not to go to the Rodeo, much to my disappointment! Instead we were amazed by trampoline basketball players who performed all manner of tricks and stunts while managing to slam dunk a basketball each time. However the best part of the day was tasting the Canadian delicacies, which ranged from Greek Salad to Root Beer. My personal favourite was a steak sandwich where you could see giant steaks cooking over an open oven – they were truly tasty! - so it was a day filled with food, being entertained and laughing, thus not too much ‘R&R’ was being done but no one seemed to care, we were just enjoying the moment.

Week Two - Canoeing/Kayaking

My next ‘cycle’ was Waterman Ship in which our platoon was split into two halves - one canoeing and the other kayaking. I was in the kayak group and looking forward to a challenging week.

Day 1

The first day was spent in a lake learning the basic skills required to try and attempt the river. One aspect of this was the ‘T-bar rescue’ where you purposely turned yourself upside down underwater and then someone would crash into you giving you the leverage to be able to pull yourself upright again. Initially this was a difficult and rather scary concept, however once you got used to it there were no dramas. It was quite a shock at first because the water that we were in had come from a glacier so you can imagine, even under a hundred layers of neoprene, it was still a little bit chilly when you went under!

Day 2

After having had a swim in the rapids I felt confident about my drills before I got in the water. However, the water very quickly taught me that I was wrong to be so sure of myself, as upon entering I capsized and then panicked causing me to ‘pull the plug’. This meant abandoning my kayak and swimming ashore. However I persevered and tried again, managing to capsize but successfully T-bar rescuing! Towards the end of the day I had a bad experience, however, which left me a bit shaken so my instructor decided that I would have to practice T-bar rescues from every angle... it is safe to say that by the end of the day I was a pro at T-bar rescues!

Day 3

On the third day I was very nervous about what I was doing and how to go about it, so I managed to get away with staying at the back of the queue for a long time. However, when I first tried to do one of the new moves they had taught me I did it without capsizing, so I felt a little more confident but still nervous the whole time I was on the water. However I was in awe of the scenery and my surroundings, from the incredibly tall trees to the vast river which stretched out in front of me. It was actually quite amazing to be able to have the opportunity to do what I was doing.

Day 4

Rapid Day - this is what the fourth day meant to me (after a lovely night of camping, with mosquitoes, of course). We had several rapids to contend with, the first being known as ‘The Witches Cauldron’, so called because of the very narrow line you had to follow before you were very near capsize, not to mention this line was next to a very uncomfortable looking cliff, so there were 3 options - capsize, bang into rocks or paddle the right line! I managed to do a mixture of rock fighting and paddling, and at one stage I had to use my paddle to fend off of the rocks, but then I remembered you had to keep paddling so I was later told that my face went from a normal colour to a very interesting shade of white. We then just had ‘regular’ rapids which stretched for some time and were quite enjoyable to go along as they were challenging, but I felt safe. We eventually found our way to the ‘Devil’s Spatula’, also affectionately known as ‘The Cadet Flipper’ (very reassuring!). As I approached the flipper I decided to try to be more confident than I had been on the Witches Cauldron and I managed to stay upright all the way down, but then as I made it to the bottom I felt myself flipping. This forced me to try a new move we had been taught called the ‘high brace’ that should put us upright, and I was amazed when I found out that it had worked! When I looked around, however, and saw that I had braced off of one of the instructor’s kayaks it made it a little less spectacular than I had hoped for, but still cool nonetheless. I think it is safe to say that it was my most challenging, yet most rewarding, day so far.

Day 5

The final day was the climax of everything that we had learnt - the ‘double edge’! It consisted of two drops with a sharp right turn involved, and upon arrival we were told it was an optional challenge, but I felt that as my confidence had been growing throughout the week I wanted to try it to prove to myself that I had overcome my initial fears. As I approached it I confidently steered into the main flow and made it past the first drop. Making my turn I managed to fall and ride the rest of the rapid upside down, which was a little amusing to say the least. Unfortunately, as I tried to T-bar rescue my spray deck gave way and I had to bail out of my kayak, however it was a fun ride and I enjoyed it. We spent the remainder of the day experimenting with the concept of ‘surfing’ on a wave and trying to defy the current by riding it! It was an odd experience that I got fairly good at by the end of the day, however it was a little more unnerving than rapids because you felt that you were not totally in control!

The week ended with a nice calm ride to the take out point. It was a beautiful day and I had learnt a lot about myself and what scared me. It was definitely worth the chilly water to gain the experience.

Week Three - Hiking

The next ‘cycle’ was one which I was particularly looking forward to – ‘Hike’. This consisted of lots and lots of walking, however it was not the walking I was looking forward to, it was the views that we would come across and the opportunity to be surrounded by the Canadian wildlife and scenery. I was not, however, looking forward to the inevitable hills that came with being in the Rocky Mountains for some strange reason!

Day 1

The first day was spent being issued with our rations and stripping them down in order that we could be completely self sufficient for 4 days. We also checked that our tents were serviceable and talked through our routes and the challenges that lay ahead of us.

Day 2

On the second day we crossed into British Columbia which was the next province from where we were staying in Alberta. We started off with a nice downhill and arrived at the most beautiful pure blue lake called Vista Lake. It was pure blue because it came from a glacier which meant it was also very cold! We then had the whole day of going uphill to look forward to. It was hard work, but good conversation and spectacular views kept us going. When we got into camp we erected our tents and then had a rather rushed dinner, however the Canadian ration packs, or IMPs as they are known, were very strange. I had lasagne and a nice couple of slices of bread and honey which was a different experience to the normal luxury food that I was used to from English ration packs.

Day 2/3

The second and third days consisted of more walking and some beautiful views. Unfortunately though we had to walk on single track most of the way which made it difficult to talk to people, especially when most of the time we were walking uphill! However when we got into the camp, the dinner conversation was an interesting mix of French and English with me attempting to speak both. It was a good learning curve as to how different languages are spoken all around the world.

Day 4

The final day was one which was eagerly anticipated by a couple of members within the group as a result of minor injuries or sickness. Myself and my tent mate had to get up at 0330 to get breakfast started, then wake everyone else up to pack their tents down by 0400. We then had to be on the trail by 0500 with the aim of walking 12 km by 1000 that morning. We were however delayed by some beautiful scenery, and in the process of taking photos someone managed to drop their pole into the river and we watched as it slowly floated away and eventually down the rapids. We carried on though and managed to make it to the half way point by sunrise. It was quite a spectacular view seeing the sun coming over the mountains and light bouncing off the perfectly still lakes and shining through fresh dewy grass, one of the most beautiful sights I had seen so far. We finished in a rather less beautiful car park although I was told that in winter it would be covered in over 10 feet of snow! This was quite hard to believe considering the sweltering sun that we were relaxing in after a couple of days of hard work.

Week Four - Leadership

The fourth week was one to be spent in camp on a ‘cycle’ called Leadership. This was a new concept to me because the Canadian Cadets are taught more of a democratic style of leadership. This is in the sense that everyone’s point is valid, and when coming up with a solution for a command task or problem every potential solution has to be assessed and decided whether or not it is the best idea, and the difference between myself and the other Cadets in their style of leadership quickly became apparent. They focused more on the individual’s feelings and self esteem than whether or not the task was successfully completed. I found out that this was a concept called ‘coaching’ which had been brought into the Cadet Movement in recent years.

Throughout the week we did much of the coaching, then on the final day we travelled to the lake to undertake some Community Service which involved chopping down bear berry plants in a picnic area. It meant that although the berries were a favourite of the bear they did not want to encourage bears to approach members of the public when using the picnic area. It was hard work, as we had to chop the bushes right down to the root, but finally it was done and we felt we were actually helping out when you could see just how much ground had been covered in the short time we were there. Community Service is part of the Canadian Cadet Movement syllabus, and a certain element must be completed before moving on to the next Cadet level. I thought that this was a good idea because it got the Cadets out into the community and helping where they could.

On the final night we performed a set-up search and rescue which was fun as I was the primary First-Aider. As it happened there was a local news journalist there so I managed to get my picture in the local paper which was quite a novelty.

Week Five - Rock Climbing

The fifth week was one which I had been looking forward to - Rock Climbing. It wasn’t the indoor climbing that I was accustomed to but actual outside, raw climbing and the first time I had ever climbed using my special rock shoes.

Day 1

The first day was spent mostly learning the basics of belaying and rope coiling so that during the week we would be able to put away all the ropes and make a quick exit, thereby maximising our climbing time, although because of a ridiculous amount of rain our time on the rocks was limited which was a shame.

Day 2, 3 & 5

On the second, third and fifth days we climbed as much as possible, learning different techniques such as ‘stemming’ or ‘lay backing’. It was a steep learning curve for the majority of us, however most of us took to it well. There were a few people that had their own inner battles, as well as physical battles, by being scared of heights. It was this week that I learnt the importance of helping people to overcome their fears before trying to get on with your own climbs. It was this lesson that I hope I can take forward into my military career and future training. It was a great couple of days to try out new things and improve my primitive climbing skills.

Day 4

The fourth day was ‘multi-pitch’ day. I had been selected to attempt one of the more difficult climbs which meant I would be able to do 7 pitches within the multi pitch and I couldn’t wait, however circumstances changed meaning everyone was only able to do a maximum of 3 pitches. It was still exceptional climbing, and very difficult, but a bit disappointing not being able to follow the original plan. It was amazing being able to hang from a bolt and piece of rope 300 feet in the air so all was not lost, and it was a really fun and mentally challenging week. I enjoyed every climb and learnt something from every missed hand hold or fumbled karabiner.

Week Six- Glacier

Finally, my most eagerly anticipated week - Glacier! The week consisted of a day of admin, a day of walking to the toe of the glacier and then the 3rd and 4th days ascending the glacier then summiting. The final day was the hike back to the campsite.

The ascent up to the toe of the glacier was physically demanding because we basically just went up and up and up. At one stage we were on a foot-wide murrain trying one after the other on our way up to the first camping ground. This in itself was a struggle because as soon as the person in front of you stopped you would quickly have to pause so that you didn’t knock everyone behind you causing a scary game of dominoes. Our first night on the glacier was surprisingly warm considering you had a view of snow peaked mountains not too far from you.

Day 3

On the third day we made our ascent to the hut where we were going to stay that night and on the way we did snow school! This is where we learnt how to do a crevasse rescue while walking on a rope - hard work but quite fun in the end. We also learnt all of the different knots which came with the rope work itself. Upon arrival at the hut we decided, as there was a lake there and regardless of the ice around it, the most natural thing to do would be to go swimming! It was cold to say the least, however it was actually quite refreshing to know that that the water was about as pure as it could get. We then spent the most comfortable night camping I have ever had, regardless of the fact we were in a hut...

Day 4

The 4th day saw an early start of 0400 when we made the long trek over the glacier and began to make our way up to the peak. This coincided with the most amazing orange sunrise which was a result of all the smoke in the air from the forest fires in the surrounding areas. It was quite breathtaking to see such vibrant colours in the sky. The summit was quite beautiful and on our way to it we crossed from the province of Alberta to British Columbia. The walk back down from the summit seemed to take two times as long as the walk up.

Day 5

The final day was spent walking back and returning to camp. We had a 3 hour drive back to the RM Camp which consisted of a lot of sleep and resting before the Graduation Parade practice that night.

The end of camp was upon us, and we had an International Night where we had chosen one other person within our platoon to exchange gifts with. These gifts ranged from personalised T-shirts to different badges that the Canadian Cadets received as they progressed through the system. It was a fun night, with lots of fond memories being recalled and even more inside jokes being told to everyone.

The next morning was the final PT session at RMNACSTC, therefore it was to be a fun one with everyone making the effort to dress up in what their interpretation of Madis Gras was. I painted myself silver and become an ancient Roman, some people went neon while others went all out with carefully planned costumes! The rest of the day was spent dekitting and packing, with the afternoon dedicated to the practicing of our final parade the next day.

The final day of camp had arrived! It seemed to have come round so quickly and it felt like only a week had passed since I had first arrived, but all the people in my platoon, French or English speaking, had become my good friends. It was a sad part, the end of a really joyful summer. Our final parade was taken by our peers, by the people who had performed well throughout the summer and gained parade positions. There was also the presentation of many, many different prizes. Overall, the parade was very different to how they are run at Welbeck, but a great experience all the same.

I didn’t get any prizes but I did have the time of my life this summer and that is good enough for me. I would recommend this course to anyone who doesn’t mind getting up at 0545, trying to catch up on missed sleep in buses or vans, likes sweeping and folding bed sheets and generally being rushed off their feet all the time, but it was all worth it when you get to see the world from 10 000 ft up, or say that you have survived some interesting rapids and trekked through the Rocky Mountains. It is safe to say that I couldn’t have had a better summer - with all the tough times there were 100 good times to eradicate them. Even if you don’t go on the course, I would recommend that you visit Canada because it is the most beautiful country I have ever been to. Everything is on such a huge scale that you can’t help but gasp every time you turn around. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Emily Horswill, Stirling 09E