MS Overnight: Takino Suzuran Park

Introduction

The middle schoolers went on the Takino overnight trip on the 20th and 21st of February. On both the first and second days, they did both outdoor and indoor activities. They had fun playing with their friends and talking with people that they don't often talk with.

Takino Suzuran Park is a nature park. It is an outdoor education center, and it's about 30 minutes from the school. They have wooded outdoor areas, a student dormitory, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and a recreational facility that allows us to enjoy spending time inside and out with our friends, classmates, and teachers.

Day One

On day 1, we left the school, arriving half an hour later. The first thing we did was snowshoe. We were lucky enough to be the first ones snowshoeing after it had snowed. There was so much fresh snow. It was really fun. After we went snowshoeing, we had lunch at the cafeteria, where we could rest and talk with our friends!

After that, they had more time to rest indoors at the atrium, play games, challenge themselves with Japanese kendamas, or just chill with friends. After we rested a little bit, we went outside to snow tube and capture the flag. While the first three teams were playing capture the flag, the other 2 teams were snow tubing. After one round was finished, we switched, and my team got to join in the flag-capturing fun. We had a time of 10 minutes to capture our opponent's flag. We ran through the snow and tried to use strategy, but, in the end, it was a tie, so we both got a point. After that, we went back and ate our dinner. Once dinner ended, we got to check into our rooms. The rooms were filled with bunk beds in a cabin style. Some raced for the top, while others took the bottom beds. After we got settled, we made our way toward the gym for a nice surprise: a campfire indoors.

Camp Fire

The 2 school leaders, Miu (MS president) and Sacha (8th-grade class president) were given the honor of lighting the fire. It was a great experience, and all were excited to see the dark gymnasium space lit with orange. 

After enjoying the mesmerizing fire for an hour or so, we had time to shower before heading off to bed.

Day Two

The next day, we woke up, tidied our room, and headed to breakfast. After that, we got to cross-country ski through a birch-lined forest. Some chose the shorter 3 km course, while others elected for the 6k challenge. It was a fun and energizing experience.

After that, we ate lunch, played indoors once more, and headed back to HIS. We had fun playing at Takino, and we hope to go there again.