TRIPS & EXPEDITIONS
We quickly learnt essential new skills; how to collect and purify water from fresh sources, and how to create a shelter from just five ropes, one tarpaulin and odd bits of driftwood. These skills were later put to the most severe of tests during the ’24 hours in solitude’ phase when torrential rain battered our makeshift efforts. It was just my luck that my tarpaulin was riddled with holes and was also too short — the lower half of my body was exposed to the elements. So, in spite of my self-proclaimed impressive shelter-building skills I had no chance of spending a dry night out alone in the wilderness. After some quick thinking, and with my legs wrapped in a bin bag, this adventure trip suddenly felt very much like a real-life survival episode with Bear Grylls. Fortunately, my wolf-proof door made of sticks never got tested. Notwithstanding all of this, and having been dive-bombed by mosquitoes all night, it was an experience not to be missed and one that will remain with me for a lifetime. I think for all of us one of the biggest challenges was waking up in the freezing cold and having to put on the same, cold, damp, sandy wetsuit 14 days in a row. Some mornings the weather was really foggy and we would set off in a still, eerie, atmosphere, as if paddling into the unknown. With 360-degree views of fog and no landmarks in sight, we soon became proficient at taking compass bearings and reading coastal charts, and we developed an understanding of tides, currents and eddies and how to use these to our advantage. I’m sure I’m not the only one though who thought, one wrong turn here and it is next stop Japan. For me, a moment of great joy was reaching the hot springs at our half way point. This was a real bonding moment for the group as reaching this destination depended upon our paddling speed and efficiency on the water and of course our teamwork. There was a real sense of achievement and we were able to celebrate together, luxuriating in the natural hot
springs. This was a chance for us to reflect on our experiences so far, and it also made us realise that we smelt pretty bad, given we were rejoicing in the fact that we were bathing in eggy-smelling water! Perhaps other outward-bounders will understand the small significant things; before breakfast an hour of work needed to be done; after a 12-mile kayak, eight heavy boats needed carrying 100 metres up the beach before unloading. Then the kitchen needed setting up, the tarp had to be erected to cook under, dinner needed cooking for the group as four tents were set, the ‘toilets’ established, firewood collected and wet clothes removed - before doing it all over again the next day. Resilience really was key on this trip and I soon realised that when the going gets tough, I have the tenacity to keep going. The thought of giving up never once crossed my mind. We also all really valued the break from modern technology and after two weeks of life pared back to the basics — warmth, shelter and food — we were reluctant to switch our mobile phones back on. This was a wonderful trip: an adventure that was physically and mentally challenging, and truly life-enhancing. I am very grateful to SSLP for the opportunity.
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