The Bronze Expedition was held on 4-5 April. On the first day, participating students assembled at the foyer. We were split into two groups, introduced ourselves and proceeding to the canteen for breakfast before boarding the bus for Gunung Datuk in Negeri Sembilan. The journey was several hours long.

When we reached our destination, we left our bags inside the hall, sat down and listened to Encik Salleh giving useful tips on hiking. Then, we pitched our tents according to how the teacher had shown us earlier.

We gave suitable names for the respective groups and created our own war cry. We then played games that helped build teamwork and trust amongst teammates.

Many students cheered when Encik Salleh announced that “War Games” was next and happily headed off to help prepare “ammunition” – plastic bags filled with red syrup.

Just when “War Games” ended, a drizzle started. Everyone scurried to their own tents only to realise that the rainwater had began to flood the tents. Everyone hurriedly grabbed their bags and gathered inside the hall. Cold and miserable, everyone sat down and had tea silently.

We spent the evening drying ourselves. At night, Encik Salleh announced that we were to prepare for our night performance with the theme “Gunung Datuk”. Extra points would be allocated to those performances which contained the words “twenty-five” and their own group names. The performances were interesting and unique.

The next day, everyone was up before sunrise as we were excited about the hike and we chatted while having breakfast.

Just before the hike, we were given a two bottles of water, an apple and a Cloud 9 chocolate bar each.

The two-hour long hike to the peak of Gunung Datuk was treacherous as the path was steep. Several fallen logs made the ascent even more difficult. When we reached the top, we rested and admired the beautiful scenery.

The descent was more difficult as the steep path have loose stones that dislodge sometimes. From a distance, a rumble of thunder sounded and we looked anxiously around us before hurrying down. Most of us managed to come down before the rain started. However, the last two groups were caught in the rain.

We then had lunch and packed our bags before departing. It was evening by the time we reached our school. The Bronze Expedition 2008 to Gunung Datuk was a memorable experience and those who participated would keep the experience close to their hearts.