Two-day trek brings out best in boys
Two-day trek brings out best in boys
6 September 2022
Ready to set off - The Boys Legion group prepares to tackle the two-day hike up the Broke Back Range in NSW.
James Gallagher, Youth and Young Adults Secretary (ACT), speaks to Others reporter Anthony Castle about the annual Boys Legion hike near Maitland (NSW) and the journey young people take when they climb a mountain together.
The boys begin setting up for the night at the halfway point of the hike.
Anthony: The hike is a decades-old tradition connected with the SAGALA Boys Legion program. What does the journey look like?
James: The hike is a tradition going back over 35 years. Young guys aged 11 and up hike together up Broken Back Mountain [west of Newcastle]. We walk to the top, carrying our food, tents and sleeping bags. Once we arrive at our spot, we camp together, talk over the fire. There’s a devotion talk at night, and in the morning, then we hike down the other side of the mountain to be picked up. The last hike we did was about 30 kilometres, from Saturday morning to lunch Sunday. Boys Legion leader Isaac Bower organises the hike. The leaders on the hike are mostly Salvos, often dads from corps. Many of the young people have some connection to Sunday communities. Captain Lloyd Stanimirovic of Maitland Corps met the group when we made camp and shared a message.
Who takes part in the hike? What type of young people make the climb?
There are young people from all walks of life connected in through the Boys Legion. Some come from a corps; some don’t have a church connection and come from diverse backgrounds. People are drawn to the challenge of the hike and commit to it.
There’s plenty of fun to be had on the journey, including a spot of tree-swinging.
There was a young guy with diabetes making the climb this year. He checked his levels periodically throughout the hike, and leaders trained to use insulin injections if needed. The hike is a way for young people to show what they’re capable of.
What experiences do young people find on the journey?
For many young people, it can be their first experience away from home and immersed in nature. We have to cut through a lot of rough bush. It can be quite overgrown. A lot of young people reach a point where they want to stop but have to keep going. There’s no going back down, and young people must commit to completing the hike. Some young people model leadership, helping the other kids. Once we’re at the top of the mountain, you spend time together, talking and sharing that experience.
Is the challenge of the uphill journey daunting? How do young people face that?
We usually stop for lunch towards the end. It gives kids the chance to see the top of the mountain and think about what’s left. It creates a sense of pride and achievement that rewards their resilience. There are definitely points where young people are like, “I’m never doing this again”, but there are always those kids who say that and come back again, even do it for years. For those older ones, those who’ve done the hike before, they can head up front and lead the way from their experiences. The conditions can be different each time. There was a lot of water this time, where a riverbed might have been dry. There’s problem-solving needed to make the climb, like building crossings across the river and finding the best way up. The group faces the journey together and makes it possible.
The cave where each boy on the hike follows a tradition of climbing in and touching the back wall.
Growing up can feel like an uphill journey, and it’s a challenge everyone faces. What difference does the hike make for these young people?
The hike has these little customs that become part of the learning experience. There is a little cave on the hike. It’s a custom for the kids to climb into the cave and touch the back of the wall. Everyone’s done it over the years, touches the stone. There’s a wooden seat at the start where everyone gets a photo. You can look back at the photos and see the kids growing across the years. It’s a great opportunity to build connections among young people, share stories, and grow relationships with leaders. For the rest of the year, the young people share their stories. It also becomes a leadership opportunity for those who know how to do the hike; they show the younger kids and help them along the way. Young people complete something they thought they couldn’t. They do it together and leave with a sense of achievement.
Comments
No comments yet - be the first.