The only way is up

GAISCE AWARD:In the last of our series we look at the final category needed to obtain the bronze or silver awards

ADVENTURE JOURNEY is where participants get out into the wilderness. Whether it’s mountain-climbing, hiking, cycling or anything else outdoors and extreme, Adventure Journey will bring out the Indiana Jones in you.

According to Gaisce, this section requires participants to plan and go on an adventure of some kind. Options include “an expedition on foot, canoe, cycle or horseback”, or “an exploration involving research or surveying”.

Mary O’Sullivan (18) and Samantha O’Shea (18) are two students currently in first year in University College Cork and are going for gold. They have already achieved bronze and silver awards so adventure journeys are “old hat” at this stage.

The girls attended Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra in Kerry and took on the mountains and hills in their locality. “For our bronze we climbed around mountains on the Cork-Kerry border,” says Mary, who is currently studying biological and chemical science. “We clocked up about 16 miles each day for that trip. It was two full days of walking. We would walk in the morning, stop and have lunch. Walk again and at night we camped and used our gas stove to cook beans and other simple foods. I was knackered by the end of it and it was quite windy and wet, which didn’t help.”

“For the silver we had to organise the route we would take ourselves,” says Samantha, who is doing a degree in early childhood studies. “So Mary found out hostel names and numbers, booked those and then we headed off. We usually started walking at about 10am each morning and got lost a few times. Once we ended up 12 miles out of our way and didn’t get back to the hostel until 11 that night.”

So far their expeditions have led them to places such as Killarney, Torc mountain, Mangerton Mountain, Glenflesk and all around Cork and Kerry.

For the gold they need to push it that bit further. “The adventure for our gold award hasn’t been organised yet but we’ll probably do mountain climbing,” says Samantha. “For gold you need four days walking and there’s more miles also. I’m really looking forward to it.

“The Gaisce award is great for motivation when you’re doing activities like these. That’s why I’m continuing on in college with the gold. It helps to set goals.”