William Pike Trip to Paltau Waterfall
Twenty-two students from Year 8, 9 and 10 completed the first of their five outdoor activities as part of the William Pike Programme. We visited Paltau Waterfall, located at the South East corner of Lake Charvak and close to the border with Kyrgyzstan, which cascades from a height of 25 metres. It was a long but inspiring day out, with students meeting at school at 9am and arriving back at 6pm!
The walk was designed to challenge our young people but also leave them with a sense of accomplishment. We began with a 2-hour bus ride to a police checkpoint, where pupils had to show their passports so that they could gain entry to the national park. After that, students walked along a canyon (4km distance and 390 metres uphill), following a river until eventually reaching Paltau Waterfall itself. We had to cross the river four times, and all the staff were very impressed with how sensible and helpful students were towards helping each other.
At the waterfall itself we had a big group picnic, with students sharing their food and relaxing to music, some students even decided to dance. Then it was back on the path and downhill for 4km to reach the bus by the police checkpoint. On the way back we had to cross the river again, and some of us ended up with wet feet. We also visited a small cave, which was made by miners in search of iron ore. Finally, after a long day all the students were safely back on the bus and by 6pm we were all back home. It was a chilly and demanding day, but also one that none of us will forget for a long time.
Yurim Song from Year 9 said ‘It was FREEZING and hard but also fun. The waterfall was so beautiful and grand. I really enjoyed it’.
Now we just have another 4 more outdoor trips for our students to complete so they can become official graduates of the William Pike Challenge!
Ms Alice Bowers
William Pike Co-ordinator
