Tuesday: Mining

Miss. Convey's 'A' Team were Amazing today! She is so proud to have been able to work with them on the difficult task of mountain climbing and then navigating through a slate mine.

Firstly, the equipment was extremely important. We all changed into mining equipment with waterproofs due to the constant wet weather. We needed wellies which caused a lot of trouble as there were too many choices in size (and many of us were not sure of our shoe size!)  and we later found out that the new wellies had no grip!

We were all given a carabiner and told only that we would need it later in the day for a rope activity....

The beginning of the day began with the treacherous walk up the mountain with rain constantly trying to dampen our spirits - it did not succeed!!. Although the path was made of slate which was loose and unstable loose we made it to the top! We nearly lost a group member as he stepped into a puddle and disappeared nearly up to his waist.

Upon arrival the boys were extremely kind and helpful to Miss. Convey as she crawled through a tiny entrance on her hands and knees. She was encouraged on by their kind comments despite the thick mud covering her clothes.

Inside the mine we used the torches on our helmets, which were extremely bright, to follow the mine cart track through the mine. Throughout the walk we were battling against shin deep freezing cold water. It was amazing to see the 150 year old cart which we then used to pull the smallest member of the group (surprisingly this was not Miss. Convey!!)

When looking up at the mine ceiling we noticed Stalactites made from water seeping through the rock. We were hoping that the sparkling drops that we could see from afar were diamonds!

In order to cross a flooded chamber we put on buoyancy aids and boarded a raft over the 70 to 90 foot deep water. The group was nervous at first but worked as a team to eventually steer the raft away from the sides of the chamber into a safe passage. Well done team!!

Next, the reasoning behind the carabiner became apparent. There was another flooded chamber and the only way to get across was by attaching ourselves to a rope and walking around the edge of the chamber carefully. The children immediately responded to this challenge by the boys undertaking the task James Bond style and the girls doing a 'Shimmy' along the rope. The enthusiasm and enjoyment was evident by the laughter bouncing off the chamber walls! Miss. Convey commented on how the team's encouragement helped those children to successfully complete the task and tears of nerves quickly changed into tears of laughter.

Lunchtime in the mine was an interesting experience. We ate by candlelight so that we understood how a miner would have felt working in the dark. When we did turn our torches back on there was more food down our clothing than had actually made it to our mouths in the dark! The group was amazed how our eyes adjusted to the dark conditions and as they were eating they were able to make out more features of the chamber.

The only exit from the mine was by climbing up a waterfall. The rainfall from the day had meant that the water was fast flowing and extremely cold! It was a challenge but Miss. Convey knew that everybody would be able to make it as they had showed such determination throughout the previous difficult tasks. Many of us slipped and we all have the bruises to prove that we did the climb but the smiles on our faces at the end made it all worthwhile.

The award for the most accident prone team member was voted by the team as...........

 Still smiling after slipping an amazing 8 times (no real injuries though as his smile shows!) Miss. Convey came a close second.

The team also wanted to make a special mention of.....

They were so proud of his determination to overcome his fears throughout the day and he successfully pushed himself to complete all tasks. Well done, we are so proud of you! The team cheered as he reached the top of the waterfall as this was the most difficult challenge of all.

We certainly were a fantastic 'A' team today - we all thanked each other for the encouragement and kindness and are looking forward to tomorrow!