Let's go for a walk

154km=~95miles, The Scottish Highlands, rain/fog/mist/possible snow/hopefully sun, 7 teenage boys, 5 group leaders, 1 mini-bus, about 140 bags of crisps/chips, a hell of a lot of biscuits/cookies, and a brick of cheese that weighs almost 8lbs. And that's just a beginning of it. With 7 months of planning, multiple Health and Safety measures being taken into account, money approved, money raised, meetings, arguments, medication sorted, assuring parents, a few hundred £'s just on food, we aren't going to mention the amount on lodging...., finding this person's favorite CD's, that person's toys, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PILLS?!", checking out hostel after hostel...even some camping wig-wams (yup, they've got 'em, I can only imagine what the Native Americans would say about it), the packing lists, the re-packing, borrowing a horse trailer, and the it goes on and on and on. Nevermind the distance, look at these boys that are taking on the distance. These kids are all special needs in some for or another. More likely than not, these boys have been told at one point that they "won't" be able to do something because of their condition or disability. They've all been put into other groups/classes because they "can't handle the 'normal' class", but here they are, together, learning responsibility for themselves and others in a totally un-natural environment. Not doing the daily set routines that they've all be accustomed and attuned to. They have to WAIT for things that would normally have been gone out of the way to have done first for them. THey are eating with people they don't know, not having the creature comforts of everyday life. Maybe for you going for a hike doesn't seem like it would be all that bad, or even it IS normal for you. But this isn't these 7 boys. These 7 don't understand why their feet ache, how to deal with the stress of being away from home. Hell, some of them can't even speak. That is what makes this trip so damn important for them, doing it in the face of "you won't be able to". AND THEIR DOING SO WELL!! Besides some blisters and sore feet, their doing so well. Smiles on their faces, hopping around. Even my guy was showing genuine happiness by chattering away his happy scripts from cartoons earlier today. Even though this is only the second day, it still is so good to see it heading off on a great start. And God willing it keeps up.