A 16-year-old from Langley was one of just 16 B.C. army cadets chosen to participate in the 2015 Regional Cadet Expedition.
Brad Hazelton wound up his nine-day adventure on Monday, Aug. 31.
The expedition included two days of biking on Vancouver Island and four days of lake and ocean kayaking in the Gulf Islands.
The cadets were put in challenging situations and over the nine days they learned to work together as a cohesive team.
Each cadet also took a turn as team leader.
Cadets honed their skills in planning a route, map reading, navigation, bike-maintenance, using a GPS, equipment and clothing selection, low-impact camping, and promoting environmental stewardship.
Hazelton called the experience “a crash course in kayaking.”
“The cadet program has been a great experience and a great challenge” Hazelton said.
The R.E. Mountain Secondary student has been with 1922 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps for five years.
Every one of the five people in his family has been part of the cadet program at some point.
There are more than 2,000 army cadets in B.C. All participate in expeditions appropriate to their training level and high-performing cadets are chosen to participate in regional, national and international expeditions. The next international expedition will take place in Chile in the spring of 2016.