My name is Jayden Williams and I’m a cadet Lieutenant at CMA and a member of Troop 38 at Camden Military Academy. Over this past weekend, our troop went on a camping/hiking trip to Poinsett State Park in Sumter, South Carolina. We left school around lunchtime on Friday and arrived at the park that afternoon. As soon as we got there, we set up our tents and had a quick briefing before settling in for the night. That night for dinner, we grilled burgers, which were delicious after a long day of camp set up. The first night of the camping trip was pretty cold, it dropped to around 18 degrees. The water inside my bottle even froze! Thankfully I packed my cold weather gear, which made the elements bearable. The next morning, we woke up around 9am and started the 10-mile hike through the park. The terrain was rough and uneven which made it a difficult but rewarding adventure. We also stopped a few times throughout the hike to do map reading and learn how to use a compass to orient ourselves as we traversed the route. After finishing our hike, we returned to camp and took some time to rest after being on the trail all day. On Saturday night, we played a game of Manhunt, which was a lot of fun and a great way to end the trip! The next morning, we packed up our gear and headed back to school. Overall, it was a great time, challenging but also rewarding.
– Jayden Williams
