Grade 10 | A Wonderful Discovery Adventure in Mogan Mountain

G10 | A Wonderful Discovery Adventure in Mogan Mountain

Peering through the depths of nature to discover the nature of oneself is a goal that each and every person should strive towards. From April 29th to April 30th, Shanghai High School International Division’s tenth graders completed a two-day adventure at the magnificent Mogan Mountain.

Challenge Program

The challenge program took place at the discovery adventure base. From rock climbing to walking on wires at Crystal Valley, the challenge program proved to be worthy of the name “challenge” for a portion of the students. Looming with trees and wires, Crystal Valley was a highly praised destination. Each participant was equipped with a harness, a helmet, and a pair of gloves.

While being guided through the process, the students stepped foot upon the wire, and walked as carefully as they could across the valley. Some students have a fear of heights and moved at a slow pace to ease their fear. One student in particular, Michael, mentally prepared for half an hour before climbing upon the metal wire. His classmates patiently stood aside, expecting him to give up. However, their expectations took a one-eighty as he took step after step, completing the task. Michael claimed that his fear was great, but the thought of giving up never crossed his mind. Although his nerves were through the roof and both his mind and body were tired, he wished to conquer more of his fears through more similar events.

Long Trek

The 8 km hike took place at Mogan Mountain. The mountain roads are sometimes steep, sometimes flat, and often have streams and steps crossing in between. The morning rain also added difficulties to this adventure.Although it was a tough journey, the students managed to exhibit their spirit of cooperation as they lent hands and hiking sticks to each other, ensuring their safety.

The students collaborated and encouraged each other while exploring the beautiful sights of Mogan Mountain. The surrounding nature was filled with vegetation, bamboo, horses, and insects. The students were able to both enjoy and challenge themselves. As they reached the summit of the mountain, the fresh air and wonderful sight invigorated them.

After having a short break and refreshing themselves, they started to descend along a different path. Exploring the unknown, they eventually reached the foot of the mountain by evening. When they went back to the campsite, the students cooked meals and built their own shelters: the end to a perfect outdoor journey.

These two days’ worth of adventures allowed technology-reliant teens to set down their mobile phones and place their focus on exploring their true selves and supporting one another. With attentiveness and openness to new challenges, they experienced continuous self-reflection under the influence of nature. This trip will hopefully hold a place in their minds, not as a mere field trip, but rather a monumental influence on the rest of their lives.

着眼当下，挑战自我——记十年级探索极限之旅

探索自然，发现自我，是每个人都应该为之努力的美好。4月29-4月30日，国际部十年级学生在风景秀美的莫干山完成了两天一夜的探索之旅。本次极限之旅中，学生们在教练的带领下，完成了各种主题挑战和8公里徒步。

主题挑战项目

主题挑战项目在Discovery探险极限基地进行。大家体会了高空网阵、攀岩、水晶岩等项目。
在扁带项目中，同学们全副武装，小心翼翼地踩到绳索上，抓住上方扁带，缓缓挪行。有的同学由于恐高，移动缓慢。 其中，Michael同学在踏上绳索前做了约30分钟心理建设，当大家以为他要放弃时，他最终勇敢地一步一步走到了终点。当他到达后，欢呼声此起彼伏，令人动容。下山后，Michael同学感慨道：开始前我非常恐惧，但我没想过要放弃。如果下次有类似的挑战，我还会再试一次。勇气让我们变得更加强大。

漫长的徒步

8公里徒步在莫干山林中进行。山路时而陡峭，时而平坦，时而在溪流中穿行。尽管路途困难重重，但大家互帮互助，通力合作。在溪水前，前面的同学用登山棍或伸出手来帮助后面的同学安全跨过。

自然风景俊美秀丽，数不清的植被和竹子，偶遇的马匹、昆虫，为同学们的旅程增添了不少趣味。成功到达山顶后，大家登高望远，山下的建筑一览无遗，雨后新鲜的空气也让大家活力满满。战胜困难让每个人看到了更美的风景。

稍作休息后，大家换路线下山，去探索未知。回到营地后，饥肠辘辘的同学们又劲头十足地生火做饭，合作搭建帐篷。体验完整的户外探索生活。
两天的探索之旅，让平日生活中充满电子产品的少年放下电脑和手机，专注自我探索和互相鼓励。他们着眼当下，挑战自我，在大自然中探索和思考。相信这次旅程会在他们的记忆里留下浓墨重彩的一笔。

后记：因为活动中一直是大雨天气，不管是帐篷搭建、徒步、还是晚上的住宿都存在很多困难， 但学生们勇敢面对、团结配合。在这过程中获得成长，真正实现了生存训练的意义，所有老师和家长都为他们感到骄傲！

Due to the extreme heavy rain during the whole activity, the students experienced additional difficulty when camping, hiking, and sleeping through the night. However, the students showed their ability to cooperate with each other and were incredibly brave. Everyone learned a lot during survival training and really achieved the true goal of this activity. All of us are proud of the students.
Written by Emilie Zhao and Wendy Tan from 10(3), Drake Zhao from 10(5)Pictures by Dandan Zhou, Yating Zhu
Supervised by Dandan Zhou