Cadet Tristan Hill, 17, of Saanich ended his summer with a splash as one of just 16 B.C. army cadets chosen to participate in the 2015 Regional Cadet Expedition.
The nine-day expedition consisted of two days of biking on Vancouver Island and four days of lake and ocean kayaking in the Gulf Islands. Cadets were also given the chance to hone their skills in planning a route, map reading, navigation, bike-maintenance, using a GPS, equipment and clothing selection, low-impact camping, and ways to promote environmental stewardship. Each cadet also took a turn as team leader. The cadets were provided the opportunity to learn about the ocean marine life native to the west coast of British Columbia and specific survival techniques for the wet coastal climate. The cadets were put in challenging situations and over the nine days they learned to work together as a cohesive team.
Hill has been a cadet with 3005 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps at Vanalman Armoury for three years. He attends Regent Christian Online and starts Grade 12 this year. When not busy with the cadet program, he volunteers with a kids club and plays slo-pitch softball. He plans to bring home the skills and experiences from Expedition and put them to work teaching younger cadets.
“The cadet program has given me a lot of confidence and raised my physical fitness levels, it’s full of experiences you can’t get anywhere else. This trip is going to enhance both my kayaking and leadership skills” said Hill.
There are more than 2,000 army cadets in B.C. All army cadets participate in expeditions appropriate to their training level and high performing cadets are chosen to participate in regional, national and international expeditions. The next international expedition will take place in Chile in spring 2016.