Expedition is often the highlight of the Pathfinder year, where Pathfinders from all across Victoria come together for a long weekend to practice and perfect their hiking skills. This year we returned to Fosterville in Victoria. Where the property owner Sheryl was incredibly excited to have the Pathfinders return after 10 years.
This event offers a challenge for all age groups and abilities. For beginner hikers, the Day Walker course will help teach important navigation skills, compass work and the essentials for rogaining.
For the more experienced hikers, the intermediate course offers a more challenging course, where hikers attempt to locate a mystery item along course by finding clues at various locations. This is done across two days of walking, so hikers will set up an overnight camp on the first night and return back to base camp the next day.
Finally, for experienced hikers who want more of a challenge, the Advanced course is available. Hikers will choose their own route through the course and aim to collect as many points as possible across 3 days by finding checkpoints throughout. More points are given for checkpoints that are difficult to access, or far away from Base Camp. Hikers will also set up two overnight camps and return to base camp on the third day.
In addition to the hiking aspect, Pathfinders also had the opportunity to mingle and worship with other Pathfinder clubs on Friday and Saturday night. Paul Westerlund as the speaker for the weekend spoke into the theme of “All Heart” and what that meant in a modern context. The theme was taken from John 10:10 – “Greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friends.”
The worships were full of music and life, and the talks were also centered around dramas and bible stories. We watched as stories such as the lame man who was healed after being lowered in from the roof came to life. As the characters in the story demonstrated what it means to be “All Heart”
Fantastic weather throughout the event saw lots of impromptu activities across the weekend such as spotlight, rugby, and a bible verse hunt. We were also treated to a camp-wide pancake feast on Sunday night.
We’re incredibly grateful for the work of our volunteers who made this event possible. From putting out checkpoints, providing first aid or running activities, the dedication and hard work coming from those who sacrificed their time to be there was noticed and appreciated.
Thank you also to Sheryl, the owner of the property, for letting us use her amazing space for our camp! We really appreciate your hospitality and generosity in letting us stay, and we look forward to coming back soon.
We also want to say a huge thank you to all of the club directors and leaders. Because without their passion and hard work behind the scenes, Expedition would not be possible.
Lastly, thank you to all our Pathfinders who came along and participated. Each of you brought something special to Expedition. And we hope you all got something out of it.
See you next year!
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