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Issu e 6, Ju n e 2019
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Adventure She magazine
June 2019, Issue 6
InThis Issue MENSTRUATIONTHEBIGTABOO
RUNNING WITHPERIODS PAGE13
PAGE6
MIDLIFECRISIS - NOW AY, NOT ME
MEGAVALANCHE
PADDLEBOARDINGAND SELF BELIEF PAGE27
PAGE18
BOOKREVIEWS
PAGE8 PAGE34
6 PP AA GG EE46 2
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WILDLIFECONSERVATIONIN SOUTHAFRICA PAGE56
HIKINGTHEGR5 PAGE48
WHALESHARKCONSERVATION
CANOEINGTHEZAMBESI
PAGE70
PAGE86
PAGE93
INTERVIEWWITHVENDEEGLOBE CONTENDERPIPHARE PAGE94
SUSTAINABLETRAVEL IDEAS
APATHLESS TRAVELLED - HIKINGETHIOPIA
COMINGUP PAGE117
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Adventure She magazine
June 2019, Issue 6
FromtheEditor "I've got my period". How many times have you heard that phrase, not as a statement, but as an excuse?
is getting stronger in her 50s. Extreme mountain biker Katherine Goodey shows us all that should one door close, another can open.
Whilst rags, ashes, or earth might be used in some of the world's poorest communities to mop up the blood, as explained by Perchita Bhan, its not just dealing with periods that's an issue, but the whole taboo thing, with which periods are treated in many places. If periods hinder your adventures, then Lucja Leonard's article will hopefully help you.
Can you imagine what a diagnosis of aggressive breast cancer could do to one's self belief? Fortunately, I can't, for I was lucky, my lump was benign. But Allanah Bird can. What did she do? She didn't just build herself up again, she's gone and hiked the alpine part of the GR5. Now imagine you want to be a single handed ocean sailor. Pip Hare wanted just that, yet lack of self belief held her back. Not any more. Pip kindly interrupted her programme of preparing for the Vendee Globe, a solo, unassisted, round the world yacht race, to give us an interview.
Self belief, or the lack thereof, is something I frequently read about. Imagine my surprise when a whole load of articles on self belief landed on my desk. With hormones running amok, a sudden lack of self belief is something which can hits many women in their 40s and 50s particularly hard. Well this time around we have three women in their 50s regale us with their adventures. First time marathoner Gilly Nickols was determined that menopause would not derail her life. Paddleboarder and environmentalist Jo Moseley, is another one who
Believing in ourselves may empower us, but what is the point of being empowered if the world has crumbled at our feet? So in this issue we also dive into conservation, with stories from Rosie Dutton on projects in South Africa, Sophia Chan on whale sharks, and myself on what it used to be like in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools national park,
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a world heritage site since 1984. Yes as recently as 1992 there were so many elephants, I didn't even try to count them all. So this issue looks at some steps each one of us can take, to help conserve this amazing world of ours. Just in case you're injured or ill and can't venture out at the moment, you'll find book reviews for two very different books. Finally, if having devouring this issue you now have all the self belief that you need, to go
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adventuring, but have no idea what you would do, if you found yourself in the middle of an emergency, you may want to look up Nikki McLeary. She writes about trekking way beyond the beaten path in remotest Ethiopia, a trek undertaken with a view to holding an emergency extreme medicine course, in a location far away from medical help. After all, even the most confident amongst us could have, or encounter, an accident whilst out adventuring. Finally, remember that on the African plains, no lioness will survive unless she believes in herself and her pride. Be like a lioness, believe in yourself. It may take a long time to go through the process of up skilling yourself, so that you can pursue your dream, but that's fine. What matters, is that we start now, for far far better now, than never.
Jane Founder and editor
Adventure She is published by TNA Consulting Services Ltd, the address of the registered of which can be obtained from Companies House. The entire contents is protected by copyright 2019 and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom, Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any 5 information which is contained in the magazine. Neither TNA Consulting Services Ltd nor Adventure She magazine accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used or claims made. Copyright © 2019 TNA Consulting Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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June 2019, Issue 6
Menstruation The Big Taboo by Perchita Bhan Here at Adventure She magazine, we were shocked, horrified and distressed, on reading of a woman and her two children suffocating to death in a menstruation hut in western Nepal. In 2005 Nepal's supreme court had in fact banned the practice of banishing a menstruating women to an isolation hut. Yet the practice continued. In 2017 it was criminalised, with the new law taking effect from August 2018. Anyone enforcing the practice, could be imprisoned for up to 3 months and fined. The practice of banishing a menstruating woman is a Hindu custom practiced in certain areas only, including remote Western Nepal. ome see it as essential to avoid the wrath of their gods. Some argue it is essential for the purpose of cleanliness, contending women only have an old rag to deal with the blood. Some may see it as an issue associated with poverty and misinformation. So when Perchita Bhan wrote to us stating "Menstruation whilst a reality is still a taboo in Indian Society", we knew we had to share her story. For Perchita isn't from a desperately poor, or ill educated community. Perchita is a Brahmin, which in Hindu society (yes we know, India and Nepal are totally different countries, but both are predominantly Hindu), is regarded as the highest of the four classes.
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?INDIA?, when you say it out aloud what is the first thing that comes to mind? I don?t know about others but for me it conjures an image of running around freely in the hot sun, where the breeze smelled of food and could leave a flavor in your mind. A place where Bollywood music played loudly on almost every terrace during the kite flying festival(Makar Sankranti), and splashing of colors and water on Holi. The nonstop honking of vehicles and a sea of faces. It invokes the memories of carefree childhood but at the same time reminds me of a time where being a young girl felt like a punishment. Before you jump to any conclusions let me start this story from the very beginning. I was the first born girl in a middle class but educated Hindu Brahmin family. Even though my parents were very well educated my birth was not a welcome affair for them. My birth didn?t bring joy to my paternal grandparents because I was a girl. My parents were cautiously happy because I was their
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first born but again very well affair of the fact that I was a girl, a responsibility. The word middle class in India means having the means of providing a good education and basic necessities for the kid but all the while being bound by Hindu culture and norms. I was expected to be an ideal daughter good in studies, always listening to my parents and the most important aspect of it was never questioning anything that was asked of me. And just like so many other girls before me I was an ideal daughter always abiding by what my parents wanted. I was sent off to a private convent all-girls school. Years passed by and I grew up to be a fine young girl. I grew up in a house where besides me there were 5 other women, my mum and grandmother, 2 aunts and uncles wife. Throughout the month one or the other women in my family would be menstruating, but never did I see or hear anything that would indicate what it would be like to 8
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become young woman. When I was in 6th grade I had a faint idea as to what sex was but still completely oblivious as to what menstruation was. By this time many of my classmates had their first periods, but again it was kept very hush hush. This was all going on in a school full of girls and the teachers were women too.
"M enstr uation whilst a r ea lity is still a ta boo in I ndia n Society." -Perchita Bhan
Around the Christmas holidays of 6th grade I was hospitalized because I was suffering from acute appendicitis. It was important that I get operated or else it would be life threatening. After the operation I started eating and feeling much better and soon I started transforming from lean and lanky girl to healthy and athletic looking girl. In India and especially Gujarat summers are extremely hot
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and long. The schools are off for summer holidays. While I was basking in the new found glory of being this pretty little thing, one day I had a terrible ache in my belly. I thought something bad was going to happen again, probably my appendix had regrown and this time it would definitely kill me. Panic set in but then I soon realized that the ache was a lot different, it was under my belly button and it came in waves ranging from mild to severe. This was new, and so I decided to find out what exactly it was. This was the pre google era and so the best place to get an answer was the library. I found the biggest book that I could lay my hands on regarding human diseases and after briefly going through it, came to the conclusion that I had cancer. As I sit here and write my story it sounds pretty hilarious even comical to think that I came up with such a grim prognosis, but I was terrified and went through pure agony with this self-diagnosis. Moving on, after those belly aches for a few days one night I had this wet feeling in between my legs as if something was flowing out of me and I could not control it. I went into the bathroom to check and saw a pool of blood gush out of me and down my legs. My first though was, the end is near followed by sobbing. It was a very scary moment and I had to bear it all alone. I remember getting a new pair of underpants putting the blood stained one in a polythene bag and spending the entire night in the bathroom to keep myself clean. The following morning when I realized that 9 www.adventureshe.com
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"Socia l ta boo of a n unspoken topic will a lways be a r oa dblock towa r ds incor por ating cha nges.." -Perchita Bhan
there was nothing more that could be done I went to my dad and with tearful eyes told him that, I was going to die. At first he had this grave look on him and he asked me what made me think that I was going to die, I showed him my blood stained shorts. To my amazement the grave look gave way to a well-hidden smirk and then he asked me to go see my mother. I remember being
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angry and feeling hurt for his lack of concern for me. I went and saw my mum about it and narrated the whole story again. After hearing it she left me there and went somewhere. When she came back she had a long piece of cloth, scarf of some sort and a pair of scissors. She cut the scarf into 4 square pieces and showed me how to fold them. Then she asked me to put one of them in my underpants and that?s it. I expected her to tell me the reason why I had to do it and explain what was happening to me but nothing came. This was my first day as a young woman. I used the cloth for the entire first day
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and was sore from all the rubbing against my thighs, besides that the bulkiness, the wetness and the inconvenience associated with using public restrooms made the experience even more unpleasant. The next day I expected that my mum would ask me to throw the cloth away but instead she asked me to wash it and hang it somewhere inconspicuous for it to dry. While I washed it I remember the stench of blood, the smell was overwhelming and it burns into your conscience. To add to this all I was forbidden from the kitchen and Pooja room (prayer room) and asked to stay out of the way of my father and brother. Having periods was considered a ?ritual impurity?.
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I was not allowed to wear new clothes or wash my hair during this time. I was being ostracized for being a girl. I never got any explanation as to why I was being treated in this manner nor could I question it because that's how it's dealt with in our culture. This was my introduction to womanhood and I came from a privileged background. My parents did eventually get me disposable pads one for each day of my periods and only to be used when in school. Today, nothing much has changed since when I was a girl. There is still a lack of education on the matter of menstruation; still the family matriarchs continue to uphold the age old traditions down to a 'T'. Menstruation is still considered to be an impurity and women having them as untouchables. In many places it's a practice to keep the menstruating woman in out houses commonly known as the menstruating huts. They are not allowed in the kitchen, Pooja rooms or temples and
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any place where they would come in contact with the other members of the family.
of them, 70 percent, the main obstacle to using sanitary pads is their prohibitive cost.
The issue of hygiene is never addressed. The fact that an old piece of rag is used as a pad for the whole day washed once and hung to dry in some dark corner to keep it out of sight, makes it prone to harboring microbes which can result in vaginal infections.
In Indian culture there are ample numbers of goddesses and we celebrate them
In rural and impoverished areas even a piece of clean fabric is very precious so women resort to using soil, dust and ashes. This results in many of the women suffering from uterine infections and even cervical cancer. A study that was published in 2011, revealed that only 12 percent of Indian women have access to sanitary pads during their periods. The study says that the remaining 88 per cent use "shocking alternatives like unsanitized cloth, ashes and husk, sand". Genital infections are 70 percent more frequent for these women. And for the majority 11
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"There is still a lack of education on the matter of menstruation; still the family matriarchs continue to uphold the age old traditions down to a t.. " -Perchita Bhan
throughout the year but we fail to take care of our girls. Social taboo of an unspoken topic will always be a roadblock towards incorporating changes. It will need a lot of counselling and spreading awareness. And more than anything else it will need an open mind to change situation for scores and scores of girls and women across India.
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About PerchitaBhan Perchita Bhan was born and raised in India. who now lives in the Pacific North West of the USA, specifically in Seattle. By profession she is a research scientist in microbiology. She moved to the USA to pursue her PhD after obaining a Masters in the UK After taking a career break to raise her son, she now concentrates on writing, photography and art. You can follow Perchita and her art work on Instagrams using: www.instragram.com/perchita_
Th e au h or , Per ch it a Bh an . All ot h er ph ot ogr aph s in t h is ar t icle ar e gen er ic ph ot os of w om en in In dia pr ovided by Pixabay.
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Racing wit h my period
by Lucja Leonard 13 www.adventureshe.com
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I've got my period! This cry out loud comes when you get your first ever period and it takes you by surprise. It?s a full slap in the face to say ?Hello womanhood?. It comes again before that steamy date night you?d planned with the hot guy you?re seeing. It might go again when you?re trying, or not, to get pregnant. And then it comes the morning of race day.
I have to admit that I get it pretty easy; my periods when I choose to have them are light and only last a few days, I do feel I?m lacking in energy a couple of days before I get my period and I?m insatiably ravenous alongside that and I manipulate the use of the contraceptive pill to plan my periods to avoid being stuck in that situation. As I?m writing this I?m on a plane to Beijing, China to run Conquer the Wall marathon which will feel, and take as long as, an ultra marathon and I realise I?ve left my contraceptive pill at home so I?m going to no doubt get my period bang on race day. Not only that but I normally use a Mooncup for my period as I love the fact that I only need to ?change?it once at night and in the morning, so now I?ll be back to having to use a tampon. The best laid plans can also come undone after all.
OMG
Menstruation affects all of us uniquely, some might suffer severe cramps, bloating and heavy bleeding, others feel light headed and lacking in energy, some might feel there?s no impact at all. Then there?s figuring out what to do with your period. Do you use pads, tampons or a moon cup? And what effect will the race have on the flow? Will you need to change more or less often, will there be toilets with somewhere to wash your hands to deal with that? If there?s no toilets along the way how are you going to deal with this situation in the bushes, if there are bushes, what if you?re in the big open desert running Marathon Des Sables for example where theres no toilets along the way, no privacy and certainly no taps with running water.
If you haven?t yet heard of the MoonCup check them out at www.mooncup.co.uk, they are made to last for years so not only is it an easy way to dramatically reduce the amount of waste as an alternative to pads and tampons but its healthy, convenient and less time consuming in the less amount of changes required during your period. Visit the MMIEEP website where there?s some great blogs and a long-term research project which aims to identify & explore issues around menstruation in extreme or challenging environments around the world.
It?s almost enough to put you off and unfortunately it does put some women off adventuring altogether which is very sad.
I also spoke to a couple of my fellow
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adventurers from different walks of life and abilities to get their take on how menstruation affects them and any tips they have to share with all of us. As Anna-Marie Watson who is a performance coach as well as a top class athlete, puts it:
"There's no way I'd spend approximately 4 days a month, 36 days a year, 180 days every 5 years curled up on the sofa doing nothing. That's a lot of time! We only have one life and I want to make the most of it? ?Working around the monthly fluctuations in my hormone levels is key to managing my ultra running training programme for optimal performance. It?s impossible to schedule races around my period though I?ve learnt over several years how to manage things. Previous races where I?ve been menstruating include the Everest Marathon, GeoQuest 48hr Adventure Race and ULTRA-X Sri Lanka 5 x day multi-stage race. Anything is possible!?
Anna-Marie's top tips are:
"Test out using a menstrual cup which gives you far more flexibility - it?s better for you, your wallet & the planet. Win, win, win. Get to know your body by tracking your monthly cycle with an app & being aware of your physical, emotional & mental changes throughout your cycle. Understanding your body is key to working around training & racing. The book ROAD by Dr. Stacy Sims cuts through the medical/biological jargon. " You can find her on Instagram @drstacysims
I also sought out all round adventurer 57 year old (going on 21) Wendy Brant's thoughts:
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?I have a personal kit that I still carry on the trails for other women as my periods officially ended a year ago now. I have a special problem as I had colon surgery when I was 41. My special little pack includes a baby wipe, mini pad, supersize tampon and a dog poop bag for used items, I keep them all in a small snack size zip lock freezer bag. ? ?Here?s the deal - I keep at least 2 of these in my bag as some girls start their period on the trail so more than one is useful when another woman says do you have a tampon? They double as first aid kits to clean up after a fall too? .win:win. When I was at my heaviest cycle it looked like I killed someone on the trail or had given birth. Gross but can squat over the poo bag and take care of business and drop the wipes, tampon plastics, old tampons and pads into the bag and then seal it all back up to keep it sanitary until I find a bin to dispose of later. I find this the easiest and lightest solution.? Talking about periods was for too long a taboo subject but more effort is being made to get this out in the open. The more we talk about it the more we can understand the impact on not only the logistics but also on a woman?s performance. Keep sharing your experiences and your stories and through this we can all help each other.
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About LucjaLeonard This is the second time Lucja has written for Adventure She magazine. Her first story in our December 2018 issue (which you can still buy using the link to Issuu at www.adventureshe.com), dealt with conquering obesity, getting off the couch and her journey to becoming an ultra runner. She now lives in Chamonix with her husband Dion Leonard, who has written a book called Finding Gobi, about how a dog attached itself to Dion during an ultra marathon in China and Dion's journey bringing the dog back home with him to Europe. In her latest big race, the 'Conquer the Wall Marathon at the Great Wall of China Marathon', Lucja was the second placed woman. Despite being a three and a half hour road marathoner, this race was that tough, it took Lucja ten and a half hours. In fact it was so steep in places, she had to go down on all fours! You can follow Lucja Leonard, Anna-Marie Watson, Wendy Brant and Dr Stacy Sims using the following links. Lu cja Leon ar d Instagram:
@runningdutchie
Blog:
www.runningdutchie.org
An n a-M ar ie Wat son Instagram:
@rfmcoaching
Wen dy Br an t Facebook:
@wendy.a.brant
Dr . St acy Sim s Instagram:
@drstacysims
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MID LIFE CRISIS? NO WAY, NOT ME. By Gilly Nickols Mid life crisis, three short words, three comparatively short, three words which when strung together, we so often use to justify all that goes wrong. But as Gilly Nickols has discovered, the mid life years can in fact be amazing ones, years where we achieve rather than fail. Here Gilly shares her story.
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR
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Tot al coin ciden ce,. Tu r n s ou t Gilly h as a yellow labr ador t h at is alm ost t h e 3 MAGAZINE NAME spit t in g im age of ou r edit or 's an d it 's jsu t as soppy!
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As middle age and the ghastly menopause struck, my confidence plummeted and my waistline expanded. With hot flushes, lack of sleep and a general sense of discontent my glass half full approach to life was in danger of being spoilt, but salvation lay just an email away! When my son Tom raced across the Sahara desert in the 2017 Marathon des Sables [editor 's note, in coming third, Tom is the highest ever placed British man and also a super nice guy, yes I've met him], he raised money for an amazing charity, Walking With The Wounded (WWTW).
A month later I formed Team GundogGirls with three amazing friends to take on the charity?s flagship event, the Cumbrian Challenge, in the summer of 2018. We would be spending a day with up to 150 teams navigating and hiking 30km with 1800m of ascent. Billed as the ?Tougher ? route we would go from Grasmere to Wetherlam via Wetherlam Edge and Blake Rigg above Blea Tarn. The four of us trained hard, meeting up a couple of times a month for day long hikes over the hills of the south east of England, but nothing prepared us for the scale of
the challenge around Grasmere! However, we did it, raised a few thousand pounds, and basked in a warm glow of achievement along with being unable to walk for two days afterwards! In Grasmere, at the pre-race briefing, we met an extraordinary young man, Jonny, who was one of the charity?s beneficiaries. We were all humbled by his account of what had happened to him, and how WWTW had helped. And whilst his progress to fully reintegrating into society through employment was still
Inspired by Tom, the weekend after he returned from Morocco, I undertook a WWTW 50 mile bike ride with zero preparation ? not even a spin class - other than asking Tom to pump up my trusty steed?s tyres. Team Gu n dogGir ls t ak in g on t h e Cu m br ian Ch allen ge in M ay 2018 r aisin g m on ey f or WWTW. Fr om lef t t o r igh t Jan e, Gilly, Cat h y an d Sam
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ongoing, he thanked each of us for taking part, so that more ex-servicemen and women like him could receive help. Shortly after Cumbria I realised I wanted to continue both fundraising for WWTW and in challenging myself. It was a win win situation, for by combining personal challenges with fundraising for WWTW, I could plan and enjoy an adventure with a charitable motive!! I had a few conversations with Andy Sloan, WWTW?s partnership and events manager, and was offered a place in the Great North Run (a half marathon) which I declined as not being ?big? enough! Andy then asked if I had ever considered running the London Marathon? Deciding it was probably not the time to tell him that I had only ever struggled round a couple of Parkruns and an occasional muddy obstacle race (some 6 years previously around the time of the London Olympics). I cheerfully declared that it was a long held secret ambition and I would love to do it! I duly entered the London Marathon ballot, sat back and forgot all about it! Come October I received an email telling me my application had not been successful and, feeling a slightly strange mix of relief and disappointment I emailed Andy and more bad news 20 www.adventureshe.com
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followed as he told me that WWTW had not been given any charitable places by the organisers. It looked like my London Marathon would be over before it started. But, I had forgotten just how persuasive Andy can be (think dog with a bone!) and what a wide range of contacts he and WWTW have and a couple of weeks later I received an email from him which began with the rather terrifying words ?Bad news. You are going to have to hit the pavements this winter? ? ? ..we?ve got you a
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London Marathon place? And my journey to running 26.2 miles around London in April 2019 was underway!! With no background in running although a good base level of fitness thanks to regular visits to the gym my first step was to download a training plan. Looking at how the long runs increased in mileage almost every week was daunting, and as for what a tempo run was, I didn?t have a clue. But, my son?s motto for running is ?Process, not Outcome? and I thought if I
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follow that, I will probably be alright! I joined the local running club, Heathfield Road Runners and purchased a new pair of running shoes. I was ready! I would like to write that I loved running right from the start; that my feet flew across the pavement; that I was in tune with my body and could push myself for miles. But the truth was I didn?t love it at all. It was hard, really hard. I couldn?t seem to make my feet go any faster than a seriously slow snail?s pace and every time I stopped my
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legs seized up. A three mile run felt never ending and I quickly realised that I might have bitten off more than I could chew! However, I?m not one to take no for an answer and after a few more weeks I entered my first race, a hilly 10k. All sorts of worries went through my head on the start line ? would I be able to finish? Would I be last? Would I hurt myself? Thankfully the answers were yes, no and no, and slowly, very slowly, my middle aged marathon began to come into focus! I never enjoyed the long runs but I did make some wonderful new friends who supported me by joining me for part or all of my Sunday miles. And my legs stopped hurting as I worked out my best recovery ? food, Epsom salts bath, stretch, ice, sleep!! There were plenty of blisters and an injury that stopped me running for five weeks along the way, and I enjoyed writing a regular blog to keep my friends and potential donation givers updated as to my slow progress.
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Hand in hand with the need to prepare my body for the marathon was my fundraising plan. It was important to me to raise as much money as possible for WWTW and I made a bold decision to set a target of £5,600 ? a hundred pounds for every year of my life. Amazingly with the incredible generosity of friends and family I hit it a few weeks before the big day. I had said that every pound donated would not only make a difference to the invaluable work which WWTW does but would inspire and motivate me to keep going in London and the donations kept coming. Undoubtedly my enthusiasm for my new adventure was helped by knowing that my friends were supporting me all the way to the finish line. I definitely made the most of the preparation process, planning my diary, my running, my nutrition, visits to the sports physio and regular yoga classes. I loved the Meet the Experts day when every question I might have had about the Marathon was answered, and in the final 22
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couple of weeks I had a trip to London to walk the second part of the Marathon course in the hope that familiarisation would help when the going got tough. Finally Marathon day dawned. I was going to be running on the same course and crossing the same finish line as British Olympian Mo Farrah. More importantly my 26.2 mile challenge would be raising money for an amazing charity with incredible beneficiaries. At the start I met up with the other WWTW runners. We had formed a friendship already through a WhatsApp group but it was great to have a team hug to calm our nerves. And when ex-marine Tim and I crossed the start-line together, closely followed by a rhino and Batman it was the beginning of one of the best as well as one of the hardest six hours and nine minutes of my life! The first six miles passed in a blur and there was the Cutty Sark closely followed by my family. Time for a hug and a selfie, then off again. Next landmark Tower Bridge (mile
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Team WWTW at t h e Gr een St ar t of t h e 2019 Lon don M ar at h on
12) and I was feeling positive and confident. Nothing can prepare you for the crowds of well-wishers who line the streets, shouting out encouragement and support, offering jelly babies and witty signs as well as hands to hi-five. Londoners are incredible! Mile 14, Docklands, and another family moment although I initially ran past them and had to telephone my daughter before doubling back to find them. More hugs, more selfies, more encouragement, more love, more pride. ?You?ve Got This? shouted my daughter as I dragged myself away and started running once more and she was right.
Gilly w it h h er su ppor t cr ew , dau gh t er Soph ie an d h u sban d Clive
I had got it. I was taking part in the most iconic marathon in the world, I was having fun and I was confident I was going to finish. By mile 17 I was walking more than running. My feet felt sore and my hip flexors were pretty uncomfortable. ut, amazingly, I was enjoying it! Mile 20 was a huge landmark for me! Only 10k to go ? that?s two park runs; on a good day a little bit over an hour. Mile 22 and almost at the Embankment. Every time I slowed to a walk it seemed that someone in the crowd shouted out my name, encouraging me to keep going. Slowly different landmarks came into view 23
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and as I approached Westminster Bridge and the reassuring splendour of Big Ben the end was almost in sight. Birdcage Walk seemed to stretch for miles but before I knew it I was rounding the corner and passing in front of Buckingham Palace. Don?t sprint yet, it?s still 385 yards to go. Now I can see the finish line. Come on legs. One last push. Smile. Be proud. Thank the volunteer putting a medal round my neck ?Congratulations. You?ve done it. You?ve run the London marathon? she said!! I?ve had some very special days in my life before. The amazing landmarks of children being born and in the dim and distant past
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there were career highs when I was a political lobbyist. In my second, gundog training, career I?ve been fortunate to achieve something not many do my making two labradors up to Field Trial Champions. But finishing the London Marathon is right up there with my proud moments. The whole process, running, fundraising, new friendships, self-discovery, was just the adventure I needed. The outcome took care of itself. And the incredible bonus ? I raised over £11,500, more
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than double my target, for Walking With The Wounded. The finish line and glorious pride inducing medal marked the end of my marathon journey . But the challenge has opened my eyes and made me believe in me again! Since then, I have run the Vitality London 10k and as part of my 1962 Challenge (see box) will be walking the final 100k of the Camino de Santiago this Autumn. In a moment of madness, I have
entered the ballot for next year ?s London Marathon. For the first time in a few years I have a sense of fulfilment and with plenty of adventures just around the corner my glass is full to the brim again! Middle age does not define who I am but gives me the opportunity to reflect on half a lifetime?s experiences and look forward to many more. As Bob Bitchin once said, ?Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure?
Gilly w it h son Tom en r ou t e t o t h e lau n ch of Walk in g Wit h Th e Wou n ded's 'Walk in g Hom e f or Ch r ist m as' cam paign .
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We asked Gilly Nickols for fundraising tips. This is what she had to say. The logistics of fundraising were very straightforward. With a few clicks I set up a Virgin Money Giving page with details of Walking With The Wounded and the reasons behind my London Marathon challenge. I published details of my page on Facebook and included it in several of my blogs. And donating via the page couldn?t be more straightforward. Two wonderful gundog friends held special Charity Gundog days raising over £1000 each. I spoke to everyone I could telling them what I was doing and why and made a presentation at my gym. My family and friends were more than generous and son Tom plugged my challenge and fundraising on his Instagram feed. My amazing sports physio donated his fee on several occasions and several of my customers were happy to donate rather than pay me for help with their dogs. I worked very hard at my fundraising and donated part of what I earned through dog
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training each week but was blown away by how much money I finally raised £11,647. "
and their families, empowering them to regain
We also quizzed Gilly as to
their pride and self-worth in
her future plans.
order to thrive and contribute to the community they live in.
"To mark another step forward into middle age I decided that my 57th birthday in June should herald the start of a big yet achievable adventure! I am planning to walk, run and occasionally cycle 1962 miles before I?m 60. Broken down that?s only a smidgen over two marathons a month! You can follow my adventure on Strava and I would love to hear your suggestions for favourite hikes around the country." Our third question to Gilly was about Walking With The Wounded. It was established in 2010 to help vulnerable veterans, many suffering with physical injuries or mental illness such as PTSD, reintegrate back in to society and sustain their independence, particularly through employment. The 25
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work the charity does supports those who have served in the Armed Forces
Adventure She magazine wishes Gilly all the best for your 1962 Challenge, which we think is a great one. It's big, and barring bad luck or nasty illness, it's still doable. If you are currently undertaking a challenge, big or small, go one, share it with us. and you too might featured in Adventure She magazine.
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NURTURING SELF BELIEF By Jo Moseley How many of us dream of doing something, but are put off for some reason or another. In this very candid article, Jo Moseley explores the role self-belief plays, in how she lives her life.
?You?re doing what and, um, why?? she asks, with more than a hint of disbelief.
?Paddleboarding 162 miles from Liverpool to Goole? I reply, ?fund raising for The
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Wave Project and 2 Minute Beach Clean community. Oh, and picking up litter from the
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canal!? She raises her eyebrows and with a ?seriously, you?? tilt to the head, changes the subject. The message is clear. She?s not sure I am up to the challenge. A 54 year old mother of 2, working and keeping a watching a brief over my 85 year old Dad, why would I even attempt such a thing? I smile and the conversation moves on. It is not the first time my goal or ability to stand up paddleboard coast to coast has been questioned. But this time, in March 2019, it?s different. It was December 2016, when I first had the idea that I would like to SUP the Desmond Family Canoe Trail, incorporating the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and Aire & Calder Navigation. A northern crossing that at that time had not been completed on a paddleboard. I was excited. I had started
paddle boarding that year and loved it immediately. I was enthusiastic, dreaming big.
You see I am not the woman who looks a challenge in the eye and winks.
And I made 2 mistakes: 1) I started talking about my adventure before I fully believed in the idea myself. 2) I listened to the people who said I couldn?t do it. When someone suggested at a party, that the idea seemed ?really hard for a woman my age?and logistically, ?a bit of a nightmare to organise? I listened to him and I stopped thinking it was possible. How silly of me to imagine I could
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do such a thing!
I?m not the badass who when told she?s not up to it, replies ?Watch Me!? No, I?m the woman who when told she can?t do something, agrees and comes up with 5 really excellent reasons why the naysayer is right. So I tucked my dream away in 2016. Filed it under ?I would so love to do this, but it?s probably too hard and logistically very tricky?and went on with my busy, joyful
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life. I paddle boarded, wild swam and flew across the grey North Sea waves on my wooden bodyboard. I started Couch to 5K aged 52 and began lifting heavy things at the gym. I added litter picking to my trail running and became a plogger (picking up litter and running). I was invited to speak at Love Trails Festival with Adventure Uncovered about beach cleaning and making small, sustainable choices to protect the places we play in. I gave a talk at the Women?s Adventure Expo on the joy of tiny adventures, why there is freedom in being a beginner and putting our health and happiness higher up the priority list. For my 53rd birthday present my family gave me 3 days of surf lessons at Surf Snowdonia and for 4 glorious seconds I rode a wave, screaming with delight. The wonderful outdoor and active lifestyle clothing brand, FINDRA, whose merino jumpers and neck warmers I
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had been cycling in for 3 years invited me to be a Brand Ambassador.I joined Team FINDRA at Kendal Film Festival to discuss the concept of ?playing out?as adults and everyday adventuring. I made two short films: Small Things, Great Love about doing a 2 Minute Beach Clean or Litter Pick every day and Finding Joy, a poem about discovering happiness in the sea and hills of Yorkshire. I watched my sons grow into young men and begin to spread their wings. I saw my Dad face operations and diagnoses with resilience and hope. I laughed as he complained that the hospital had referred to him as an elderly gentleman in a letter. ?I?m 83!? he grumbled, ?I?m not bloody elderly!? I healed a knee injury with aqua fit and hobbled with plantar fasciitis. Both still flare up. I spent night after night for months icing my frozen shoulders, first the right and then the left, with a few months?respite in 29
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between. There were many days I wondered if I would ever put my coat on properly again or reach the spices on the top shelf. And I went to too many funerals of friends who didn?t reach 50. I watched the brightest and bravest of lights fade far too soon. I said goodbye and thank you, holding back my tears, knowing that we would never drink tea and laugh over cake again. I sat in churches as the winter sun streamed through the stained glass window, my heart breaking. When you know which gift shop sells the kindest of sympathy cards and have bought them all, you understand the world is sending you a message. I listened hard and learned graciously. The SUP adventure was still filed away, but I was taking notes. Life, I realised, is too short to wait for other people?s approval, permission or encouragement. If there is a thing you want to do, you must try. None of us know
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Paddleboar din g on t h e Roch dale Can al. Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jason Elliot t
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what is round the corner or what life has in store, so make the most of what you have and who you are. Follow your curiosity and if there is a spark of a dream that fills your soul, nourish it and let it grow. Quietly, gently, out of sight perhaps, but let it grow.
almost a week now without needing to ice my shoulder or take painkillers at 3am. It was unfreezing and I could start to get strong again.
You may not know at the outset where an idea will take you, how demanding it will be or if you will ultimately reach the goal you set yourself. You will, I?m sure, fall and you will fail. And you will rise again. You will have moments of doubt, despair, triumph and joy.
?Would really love to do, very hard and logistically tricky.?
You are here, the world told me, 54 and despite the bumps and bruises, the broken and the healing, healthy and strong. Allow your gratitude for simply being alive, the joy of fresh air and your wish to make a difference be the reservoir to draw upon when you lose faith in your own ability. On a chilly morning in January 2019, I woke early for the school run. I realised I had slept through the night for
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As I busied through my day, the dream I had filed away appeared in my mind?s eye:
I looked at it again, and with fresh perspective and a grateful heart, made a decision. The intervening years had nurtured a tiny spark of hope and self belief. It was time to be my own encourager and take this idea forward. To give myself permission to, at the very least, try.
?I?m going to standup paddleboard from Liverpool to Goole in July,? I told my son. ?I?m not sure how it is all going to go, and I?m really as terrified as I am excited. But I?m going to go for it.? This time, no matter what anyone else says, I mean it. Life is short and precious. My friends are no longer here but I can take their memory and the lessons I learned with me. Bright and bold and brave, they will guide me forward to Liverpool and to the start line of my summer PaddleboardTheNorth adventure.
Wh ilst paddle boar din g in Sk ipt on on t h e Leeds Liver pool Can al , a voice called over ?h ello Jo f r om Tw it t er !? It w as Liz Sm ailes of Blu e Ot t er Boat s. 31 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Liz Sm ailes.
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On reading Jo Moseley's article we instantly loved it, we loved her approach and we loved her father's attitude to being 83.
The accommodation on the route element is what I?m working on. It?s just me and I don?t have a back up crew! So that still remains a logistical challenge! "
But, we had a few questions. Specifically, on logistics and what issues was she concerned about in 2016 that she had now overcome.
We think Jo raises a very valid point "How could I fit it all in"? But Jo has fitted it all in. Step by step she has embraced the challenges that have come her way. She hasn't allowed the events of 2016 to hold her back. Rather she embraced what she had and has worked with it, not against it. She acknowledges there are still challenges to face and facing them she is. After all, challenges are a part of life. But Jo now has self belief and with self belief, challenges whilst still hard, can be tackled. Jo, we salute you.
This is what Jo had to say. "Logistics: originally it was working around my youngest son & limited annual leave. How could I fit it all in? I?m a working Mum with lots of responsibilities & I simply didn?t know how I would fit all the elements (training, planning & obviously the places I?ll stay along the route etc) in and around my boys/work/Dad.
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About JoMosel ey Jo Moseley will be stand up paddleboarding the Desmond Family Canoe Trail in July and August 2019, raising money for The Wave Project and 2 Minute Beach Clean network. You can find out more about Jo and her challenges at: https://healthyhappy50.com/update/paddleboard-the-north/ You can view her films at on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zWiJM9FXH0 and; and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV50jEhfmpk
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MEGAVALANCHE
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In the third of our articles this issue about the fabulous 50's Katherine Goodey takes us beyond the endurance, determination and tenacity required of newbie marathoner Gilly NIckols . She takes us beyond the self belief now deeply instilled within paddle-boarder and environmental campaigner Jo Moseley. For Katherine Goodey takes us into the world of risk, danger and pain, a world where self belief is a crucial as the air that we breathe. Between them, these three women demonstrate that being 50 doesn't mean being past it. True being 50 might mean several years worth of injuries, it will probably mean mean menopause and its associated issues, but it most definitely doesn't mean giving up. On the contrary, in fact, it can mean starting out on a whole new journey.
So, the mountain biking chapter of my life begins, somewhat dramatically, with me sitting slumped onto the belay of a stunning alpine rock route sobbing with the crippling pain in my left foot. My life?s raison d?être - rock climbing, alpine climbing and all things mountain was, so I thought, coming to an end. The worsening arthritis in my foot, following a number of nasty breaks, couldn?t any longer be ignored and overcome with naproxen and gritted teeth. Surgery followed, and with my left forefoot now fused,
the pain had gone but so had the ability to bend, twist and generally use tiny foot holds and ?smears?which are simply essential for high level climbing. What to do? Take up a new mountain based sport of course! Enter mountain biking. What can I say? I fell out of love with climbing and head over heels for riding. Rob, my partner and I, totally embraced it and within a year we had new bikes; me an Orange 5 and Rob an Orange Alpine, all the kit and were out on our local trails and the mountain paths of
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Snowdonia every second we could spare. We quickly realised that our ability to read rock and alpine paths easily translated to reading line choice on bike trail terrain. Our ski touring and my early ski racing skills meant we picked up bike handling quickly and we both improved rapidly. What really didn?t slot into place were bike park features like jumps, drops and berms. We watched and studied Fabien Barel videos and concluded that speed was what was needed. Cue first injury. Rob blew a double resulting in a separated
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shoulder. Ok, speed clearly is not the only answer so we got some coaching as soon as Rob was able to get back on a bike. When still out injured Rob decided to enter something called the ?Megavalanche?as motivation for getting back on the bike again. This was in January 2011. We?d been riding, full on, for about a year. ?I?m doing it too then?I announced. We watched the iconic Earthed 3 DVD which features the Mega in all its glory... We watched, silent, open-mouthed, as a rider falls and the camera follows his bike as it bounces and falls, and falls and eventually comes to rest, battered and broken on the screes of Pic Blanc hundreds of metres below the trail.. ?Oh shit, what the hell was I thinking to enter this?? Still, never being one to duck a challenge preparation began in earnest. I had six months to prepare for this beast. Preparation begins. I join a
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local gym and show the personal trainer some of the video clips of the race. Silence and he looks at me, small, not especially athletic, 43 years old and completely serious about this. ?Ok, I can help you?he says; ?give me a week to put something together that will combine the endurance, strength and power you will need.? For those who don?t know; the race begins on the top of Pic Blanc at 3330 metres. The first part of the race takes you down a black graded ski run; the amount of snow varies year to year. You then cross a dry glacier (meaning exposed grit and stone dotted ice, no crevasses though!), a long flat, snow or ski road section into the exposed, rocky, loose and in places, very technical single track which continues down to the resort of Alpe d?Huez. Below the resort, after a lung busting climb, the trail plunges steeply down through alpine meadows, into the forest and then the 36
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rooty, steep switchbacks and chutes begin. It finishes in Allemont at 730metres around 28km later? Gym work begins, I?m already pretty strong from all the years climbing and training, but I know I?m not good at altitude and there?s not much I can do to prepare for this element other than possibly running through deep, untracked heather on our local hills with a plastic bag on my head with a small breathing hole cut into it!!! The neighbours in our Snowdonia, sheep farming community already think we?re pretty nuts so I decide to give that a miss! Next step is to try to recreate the very long downhill distance we will cover. Clearly not possible in our little mountains but Snowdon is local to us so we ride it top to bottom many times even back to backing it twice on one occasion. This is still nothing to what we will face but it will have to do.
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Skills need to improve too so I enlist the help of Ally Campbell, local coach and Mega veteran. Off we go to our local DH trails to tackle roots, steep chutes and other assorted features which are new to us. I learnt a hell of a lot about the race from Ally as well as how tricky wet roots are and how terrifying steep switchbacks are. As my preparation gathered momentum and weekends were spent floundering on steep DH trails on my little Orange 5 among huge, armour plated blokes on huge DH rigs, I began to realise with more and more clarity just what I?d got myself into. Yes, I felt nervous but more than that, I felt excited and just couldn?t wait to get out there and give it a go. Fast forward to the week preceding the race. We arrive in Alpe d?Huez and check excitedly into the hotel which is already full 37 www.adventureshe.com
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of ?fully psyched?riders from all over the world. So, this is the Alps in summer, familiar to me, yet oh so strange to be there with a bike instead of climbing and mountaineering kit!
sky, not a breath of wind. Up we went and pretty soon I was looking down a black piste which I remembered finding pretty challenging on skis, only this time I?m sitting on my bike..
First job is to find the qualification track which is different to the main race track and a notoriously hard 11km. Going up the lift to the Grande Rousses, the start point for the ?quali track?my heart quailed and I felt slightly sick as the telepherique soared over a catch net bedecked maze of rock steps, small cliffs, scree and what actually looked from above, impossible to ride terrain.
Eh? How to do this? How to approach it? Ok, here goes... ooft, I?m off and sliding, sliding, snow is everywhere, up my back, down my socks, in my helmet, glasses, everywhere!! Bike chain rings, brakes and suspension choked with snow now not working very well. Push back up, gasp, wheeze, try again, no good, puff, gasp for breath, damn altitude. Give up, make decision to bum slide instead of ride. Yup, it works. Bike in lap, off we go, feet up, wheeeeee!!
With trembling legs and a pounding heart I set off on my first recce of the track. It was desperately hard and I felt woefully inadequate and in fact fairly foolish for even thinking I could do this.
Now, off the snow and time to get to grips with the surprisingly grippy ice of the mini-glacier. No problem.
Time to re-group, dust myself off, ice bruises, swallow ibuprofen and get damn well back on.
What is a much bigger problem are the fields of big blocks of rock that have to be crossed. Momentum is your friend but, get it wrong and its going to be a very painful fall. I see more and more injured people littering the side of the track. Take it easy, walk a big rock step, get on ride, walk, ride, push up a savagely steep incline just above the resort.
Next day, I decided to approach it more systematically, like red-pointing a hard climb, break it down into manageable chunks, work the sections which I couldn?t do until either I could or make the decision to scramble down and hop back on as soon as I could. This worked and it began to slot together and become mentally and physically manageable.
Drop below resort into glorious alpine meadows, wild alpine flowers everywhere. I seem to be the only person who notices them though plenty of riders are getting close up views of them as the trail winds evermore steeply downwards. Super-steep chutes, roots, switchbacks, drops a steep little road climb,
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more woodland single-track and suddenly we?re down in Allemont.
really advantageous later on in the race! So, qualification day arrives. We?ve signed on, got number boards on and bikes are ready. I?ve already had to replace one rear mech and gone through two sets of brake pads... We?ve made full use of the excellent Shimano and Hope service areas in the trade stall area. I set off into the huge queue for the telepherique journey to the Grand Rousses for the ladies qualification ?vague?or group which I?ve been
Weirdly, that evening, we talk through the track and I remember all the hard bits and feel that I will survive it and am prepared to take it steady. We realise that on race day, where we are likely to be, there will be traffic jams on all the hard sections so we plan to hop off and take detours around them, down climbing with bike on shoulders. This proves to be
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put in.
for 6am.
There are around 150 ladies racing and about 1000 men! I line up, stomach churning, feel sick, legs trembling, aaargh what the hell am I doing here... the countdown begins, ?Alarma?, the euro trance Megavalanche anthem begins pumping out and the tape lifts, off I go..
My efforts in the qualification have paid off and I?m proud to be in the second row, directly behind the absolute legend that is Anne Caroline Chausson. The alarm goes off, I haven?t slept, and sick with nerves, running over the whole route in my head again and again like a film on a constant play... I get up, eat some bread and jam, drink coffee, take 2 x ibuprofen for my poor ribs and battered leg, 2 x Imodium (race nerves have inevitable consequences and you really don?t want a description of the toilet at the top of Pic Blanc ? unspeakable will have to suffice!).
Pedalling furiously into the first hideously loose corner, avoid the carnage as loads of girls go down, I go wide, around them. Into the steep, rocky section which I found so hard, the girl in front of me hesitates, then, noooo, actually stops dead. I can?t avoid her, I can?t stop, and so I hit her back wheel, overbalance and tumble into the rocks.
I shoulder my ready -packed bag and off I go into the cold and dark. I arrive at the top and nervously chatter with other waiting girls. We have a very long wait and I?m glad of my down jacket and big, plastic bivvy bag which I share with a girl from Yorkshire.
My ribs are killing but a marshal, pulls me up, sorts my bike out and I?m off again, adrenaline coursing through my bulging veins... eyes out on stalks, I ride as hard and fast as I dare and start gaining ground, overtaking steadily until I reach the final plunge down the 4 x track below the resort to finish in the little village of Huez as I ride gasping for breath into the finish arena I see Rob waving and shouting for me.
Finally, stiff and cold, I dump my jacket and extra stuff in the huge bag which will be taken down to finish area and get ready to be called into the line up. I don?t feel good. My body is hurting and I?m so damn stiff. Lots of warm up exercises and jumping up and down start to do the trick.
I?m beyond tired... 11kms of pure combat done. My body is hurting and I?m shaking with the exertion and adrenaline. After glugging down water we gather ourselves and get in the queue for the lift back up to the main resort. Cold beer, shower, food and an early night. I will need to be up at 5am on race day as the ladies need to be at the top of Pic Blanc
I?m grinning like an idiot as I know that forcing yourself to smile even when you really don?t feel like it releases feel good serotonin into the blood stream... I?m employing every nerve calming trick I know to try to get into a positive and excited frame of mind and suppress the 41
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blind panic which is threatening to overwhelm me... In the line, I?m looking around, looking at the other fear etched faces and hear the thrumming of a helicopter, Christ, I feel like I?m in Apocalypse Now about to face a hidden, nameless enemy... pull yourself together Kath, c?mon. Then the 10 second warning is given and Alarma blasts out over the perfect, crystalline alpine morning... so weird, but no time for musing on the madness, that?s it we?re off!! I?m running, sliding, slithering, falling, riding down the now bullet hard snow, too fast, too fast, dab brakes, and bike slews round and I?m off again. I run over someone, someone runs over me, we scream and holler, we?re both ok. Get up and onwards... The next section passes in a blur until I come off on a rocky drop and turn around to look back up the mountain and can see that the first of the men?s groups have begun to descend. They are started 20 minutes after the women and I seriously don?t want to be caught up on the single track before the resort. I get cracking and the sections I remember go by. I?m tired and hurting but press on as best I can. Just above the resort the fastest of the men catch me up. I pull over to let a few pass me. I can?t get back on until one guy comes off and screams in pain. This causes just the gap I need to get going again. Brutal.
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I puff my way up the hill before dropping into the meadow section to shouts of encouragement from the crowd ?bon courage, madam?, ?merci?I gasp. Things are going well until I make a silly error and crash into the edge of an avalanche barrier thing, I?m ok but as I begin descending again I realise with absolute horror that I?ve got a big problem with my front brake ? It isn?t working. I fall off again trying to slow down and look at what has happened... brake fluid is pouring out as the cable has been torn out of the calliper. I?ve had it. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I could barely make it down the bottom section with both brakes never mind one... well, I?m determined to finish so on I go, being overtaken by what seems like a never ending stream of people, even at one point by a bloke on a hard tail in a purple, Milka cow outfit ? was I now hallucinating?!!! I find a pace and method of descending which kind of works and a good group of other wounded and bike broken folk to share the experience with. We are an international group and find a fellowship of sorts with each other and our misfortunes. A Dutch guy whose wheel is trashed, a French rider, with what looks to me like a separated shoulder, and an Italian guy with no front brake either. We limp down, supporting each other, picking each other up, cheering each other on! I tumble down one steep chute, off the trail and through a huge pile of crunchy dead leaves and lie there with my helmet full of leaves and feel that I just can?t continue. 42
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Another lovely marshal picks me up, gets my helmet off, empties it out, gives me drink, bangs the helmet back on my head and urges me on with a volley of loud and enthusiastic French encouragement... So, I finally arrive in the finish area 2 hours after starting. It is about 35 degrees C in Allemont and I?m sweating like a beast, slightly unsteady on my feet, covered in dust, leaves and oil and grease from my poor little bike. Rob is there to meet me having somehow overtaken me without seeing me at all! We sit in the shade and babble incoherently at each other, re-telling the epic tale of both our races. I can honestly say that it had been the hardest two days of my life. After finally getting back up to the resort after beers, a shower I got into bed and didn?t wake until the next morning. I?d absolutely emptied myself on that mountain! Out of 150 women only 105 finished and I?d come in in 85th place. I was in actual fact, chuffed!
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Abou t Kat h er in e Goodey Aged 50, Katherine and was born and spent her childhood in Llanfairfechan on the north Wales coast, in a climbing, skiing and generally 'mountain mad family'. She?s climbed, skied, biked and adventured in mountain ranges around the world her whole life. Her early career was as an outdoor education professional until a serious climbing accident forced a re-think on this particular pathway! She then trained as an English language teacher and taught in Greece, Spain and Colombia before returning to the UK to complete a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics. She now works in what she describes as ?a wonderful independent school in Ruthin, North Wales? and lives with her partner Rob in a little hamlet, high above the Conwy valley in the heart of Snowdonia. She claims to have miles and miles of fabulous mtb trails on her doorstep and says these are ?Happy days?! Her riding targets for this year are: -
To do ( and pass!) British Cycling Level 2 mtb guiding assessment Race the PMBA Enduro series round at Grizedale (Lake District) http://www.pmbaenduro.co.uk/ Race the Naughty Northumbrian Enduro. https://www.naughtynorthumbrian.co.uk/
You can follow Katherine on the following social media channels: Instagram:
@kathgoodey
Facebook:
Katherine Goodey
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Book Reviews As much as we love adventuring, sometimes (once you've finished the latest issue of Adventure She magazine of course), nothing beats a good book. We've recently been asked to review these two books. So what did we think of them? Rather than assign them to easy reviewers, we gave them hard task masters, our editor (who loves an adventure story but who is not into poetry) and Viven Drake, who travelled in the Yukon way back in the 1980's.
Waymaking Edited by Helen Mor t, Clair e Car ter, Heather Dawe and Camilla Bar nar d. Published by Ver tebr ate Publishing Reviewed by Jane Har r ies Waymaking is a very different book to the usual adventure type book. This isn't a single story of adventure to race through. This is a book made to last, a book to relish, a book to dip in and out of wherever and whenever. It makes me think of Wordsworth rather than explorers, whether the explorers and adventurers of today, or yesteryear. For it's a book where the words really matter, they are there to be savoured. 46 www.adventureshe.com
If you want a fast read, this isn't the book for you. But, if you want to be entertained, to be reminded of the joys of nature, to be enthralled by the world around us and yes, to be inspired, then this could most definitely be the book for you. There's poetry, art, short stories, extracts from longer books, photography and even cartoons. It is a book that makes you sit back and reflect on the glory all around us and how we too can be a part of the glory of nature and all its adventures. What's more, this book keeps inspiring, not just to explore, but to write, to photograph and to paint too. For me, it's definitely a keeper.
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The Sun Is A Compass by Car oline Van Hemer t Published by Little, Br own Spar k Reviewed by Vivien Dr ake This book is so much more than just an adventure story. The writing reflects the author ?s deep respect for the natural world and wild places. Biologist Caroline Van Hermert and her husband Pat embarked on a truly adventurous 4000 mile journey from the Pacific coast, through the Yukon, to the Alaskan Arctic by rowing boat, raft, canoe, skis and on foot, developing as she describes, the instincts of indigenous people, survival depending on knowledge gained from the land. Both Caroline and her husband showed an amazing resilience. Trekking with very heavy packs, capsizing in Arctic waters, experiencing a charge from a Grizzly bear, running out of food for five days, camping with mosquitos in the MacKenzie delta. Apparently, for a brief period every year the biomass of mosquitos outweighs that of caribou.
the pacific coast and witnessing groups of Humpback whales bubble-netting to catch fish. Particularly vivid was a description of an encounter with a predatory black bear revealing what it is like to be hunted. The adventure aspect of the journey and achievements of Caroline Van Hemert and her husband are almost understated. As she explains? we?re here because we need wilderness like we need water and air not for escapism or setting a first?.
Wonderful descriptions of wildlife and wilderness are linked in with the journey. The migration of birds such as geese and ducks and the Whimbrel, travelling thousands of miles north to breed. Canoeing alongside migrating caribou. Camping on
For me, this book came as a very enjoyable surprise and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in experiencing wild places.
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June 2019, Issue 6
LifeAfter Cancer HikingtheGR5 ByAllanahBird
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"L
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ooking for your next great adventure then why not consider the GR5.?
swim in the refreshing Med. Secondly you get to trek through the stunning Parc National Du Mercantile.
That?s what cancer survivor Allanah Bird thinks. Here she shares, facts, tips and her own personal experience.
You can get excellent guide books of the walk. The one we used was broken down into 7 stages over 32 days. It provided an indication of timings, and a description of the days walk, ascent and descent and if the author found the stage easy or not.
The GR 5 is a footpath that starts in the Netherlands, crosses Belgium and Luxembourg before crossing France from north to south. It is part of the European walking route E2. This trail is famous for its route through the French Alps from Lake Geneva to Nice called Grande Traversée des Alps.
A word of caution, despite what our guidebook said, we didn?t think there were any easy days. We also found it took us longer to cover each day that what was indicated in the guidebook. At times we felt like the timings in the book were calculated for a super human carrying only the bare essentials and possibly a jet pack.
As much as we would have loved to tackle the whole thing we are mountain girls and last time I checked ,Belgium was pretty flat. So it was an easy decision to head straight to the Alps.
It is possible to do this walk by making use of the mountain refuges or the local towns accommodation each night.
The Alpine section begins with a toe dip in the shores of lake Geneva in Thonon les Bains and officially ends in Nice. However this last day will have you crossing motorways and walking alongside busy roads. This didn?t sound like a perfect end to us, so we detoured on to the GR52 for the last week and headed for Menton instead. This does make the walk longer but the benefit of doing this out weighs the extra miles you walk. Firstly it keeps you high up in the mountains all the way and spits you out directly on the sea front. Where you can celebrate the end of this epic walk, by a
The benefits of this are you will have a comfortable bed for the night, your meals provided and you will meet like minded people doing the same trek. Also if you are sensible with what you pack, your rucksack should be quite light making the daily miles pass by easier. However this option can work out to be an expensive choice, so if like us you are on a budget and not adverse to sleeping out underneath canvas you could camp.
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If you decide to camp on this trek be mindful of the weight you are carrying, there are some epic ascents and descents on this walk so the weight in your backpack will be key to your safety and enjoyment. We spent a lot of time researching what type of tent, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr. cooking set up and water filtration equipment we would need. Everything was weighed, and evaluated for performance. We needed to make sure that the kit we used and carried would keep us safe and comfortable, but also that it didn?t weigh too much as once you added in food and water, things can Lorem ipsum heavy. dolor sit amet sadipscing get very Inconsetetur the end our elitr. base kit before food was around 8-9 kilos each. Then you add 5 kg of food for 5 days, and 2 litres of water, soon your pack is weighing in at 15 kg. That is a lot of weight to carry every day, so it?s really important to make sure that you only take the bare essentials. Food for trekking also Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.
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needs some planning as you will not have the luxury of a nice restaurant at the end of each day if you are camping. The food you take will be down to personal choice but make it as light and as calorie dense as you can. You can buy special dehydrated trek foods, but these can work out very expensive, we found that a simple bag of flavoured dehydrated pasta and sauce provided as many calories
"Despite what our guidebook sa id, we didn?t think ther e wer e a ny ea sy days." -Allanah Bird
and protein as some of the fancy trek meals and for a fraction of the price. As we decided to tackle mainly the high level routes, we researched the best opportunities for resupplying 50
food, were on average 4-6 days apart, so we needed to make sure we had enough food to last. Also we carried a couple of spare meals in case we were delayed by bad weather. If we were passing through a village then we picked up fresh bread, cheese, fruit and consumed our own body weight in delicious cakes. The benefit of such an active holiday is the ability to eat and eat and eat, the more calories the better. The more training you can do before a multi day hiking holiday the more you will enjoy your walk. Training will make a massive difference to your stamina and ability to haul yourself and a heavy pack up and over mountain passes day after day. To prepare for a walk like this, you want to make sure you are fit, yes the best way to get stronger walking is to walk, but do not
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underestimate the need to build up your leg and upper body muscles at the gym first. We spent a lot of time preparing for this walk with daily cardio and weight sessions, we did a few weekend backpacking trips in the beautiful Lake District, to get used to carrying the weight and to test our
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equipment, and it was still hard and hurt at the end of every day. Our walk took us 32 walking days, plus rest days to recover and explore towns in between the stages. You really do need to factor in a couple of rest days a stage, I say a couple as the first day will be spent resupplying and 51
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doing washing and this is a holiday after all. An average days walking would be anything from 8 - 12 hours, this included our lunch stops, photo stops, snack stops. We started off trying to match the days in the book, but soon abandoned that idea and set our own stages.
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We would walk on average 20 - 25 kilometres a day, our normal routine would see us pack the tent up, just as the sun rose and head off in the cool shadow of the mountains. This way our first climb of the day would be in the coolest part
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of the morning, making life easier. Mid morning we would stop for a while for a second breakfast, before walking a few more hours, and then a slightly longer lunch, where we would unpack the tent and sleeping bags to dry off and air from
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the previous night. As the day wore on and the energy wore out we would begin to look out for suitable spots to pitch the tent, if we could get next to a water source we would, but if there were too many cows or rocks in the way we would collect water and pitch
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higher up. Depending upon the amount of ascent and descent each day we would start the mornings if we could with a climb, as going over a mountain whilst its in the shade is easier than climbing it in full sun. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.
We tended to walk most days in silence, both lost in our own thoughts and just enjoying the rhythm of one foot in front of the other. Some sections were so physically demanding that all you could do was count a hundred steps before a rest and keep repeating that till you eventually got to the top. Again some descents are very tricky and you really have to Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet pick consetetur sadipscing elitr. concentrate and your way down slowly and carefully, remember you are carrying a lot of weight on your back, so any slip or trip is going to hurt a lot. Other sections through ski resorts or long flat forest paths can become a bit monotonous so we would play the ABC game which is think of a band beginning Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.
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with A, B etc. This helps to pass the time when your surroundings are not as stunning as normal. At night our routine would be, a pan of water on the boil for a refreshing cup of tea. Whilst we pitched the tent and sorted out sleeping things. Organisation is crucial so you can find things in the order that you need them. Teabags at the bottom of your pack will just annoy tired people when all they want is a refreshing drink. For diner we would then prepare our delicious ?pasta in a bag ? gourmet meals, and sit outside the tent watching the sun set, it soon gets very chilly once the sun has left for the day so it soon becomes too cold to be out. Then we would ease our creaking bodies into our sleeping bags for warmth, snuggled up toasty and warm with a nightcap of port for medicinal purposes, before falling into a deep exhausted sleep. Most days I kept a journal of our walk each day , it was enjoyable to write up our 53
days experiences and capture what we did and how we felt, I have copied some extracts below that I hope will give you a true representation of the walk and what it felt like. The GR5 was an amazing walk, it was challenging from both a physical and mental point of view. However the views and the scenery you were rewarded with every day made the effort worthwhile. The solitude was calming, a long distance walk is mediative, as the only thing you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and think about what you are going to eat. But remember there is no great epiphany waiting when you finish something. There is only an acknowledgment of what you have achieved and a small relief that it's over, then there is always the excitement of what's next A perfect long distance walk.
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Allanah Bird has very kindly shared wit h us some of her cancer st ory. We are in absolut e awe, at how she dealt wit h her diagnosis, t reat ment and following years. She says she has always found walking t o be t herapeut ic,. Here is t he st ory of her relat ionship bet ween walking and cancer. You can follow her on Inst agram @brownandbird
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W
alking also helped me recover from cancer. In November 2011, I was told I had stage 3 Triple negative breast cancer, I was 40 years old, a small lump that I hoped was a stray M&M, was in fact a very aggressive tumour. Getting a cancer diagnosis is like getting on a roller coaster, you have no control over what happens to you, you just have to buckle up for a bumpy ride. I had surgery followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and then a month of radiotherapy, it wasn?t great, I lost all my hair
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my eyebrows and my eyelashes disappeared down the plug hole like wasted wishes.
much longer journeys, we celebrated finishing treatment by a 3 week trek to Everest base camp which was physically one of the hardest walks I have done, 6 months after finishing treatment is was exhausting. However It was also the most rewarding and symbolic to be at the foot of the worlds tallest mountain on New Years eve. When 12 months before you were just starting chemo, and were not even sure you would live.
For the best part of a year you are in the hands of your medical team, there job is to kill the cancer thats trying to kill you, so the abnormal soon becomes normal and you go from appointments to appointments in this safe little bubble of people that are looking after you. Then the treatment finishes and you are discharged for 6 months.
A few years later we tackled the TMB which is a circular walk around Mont Blanc, then the year after the spectacular GR5 .
Hair starts to grow back, you look in the mirror and start to recognise the person looking back, its you, but a different version of you. My lovely thick hair came back thin and wispy, my eyebrows are ghosts of what they were and I look older than I did. Inside though you are still a mess, ever ache or pain you feel you are convinced its come back, after every scan I jump every time the phone rings as I?m convinced it is bad news.
...no idea what adventures await, but it will involve mountains and walking thats for sure. Have I learned anything from all this, yes I have learnt I am stronger than I think I am, I am my own worse enemy and how I think about things can switch me from light to darkness.
I returned to walking slowly, building up my strength with walks along the beach and canal paths, I went from sitting in the car looking at the mountains to once again sitting on top of them looking down. It was such a wonderful feeling, to have the physical strength to make the tops and the mental peace that comes from just having to put one foot in front of the other. It takes time to forget the fear, thats the worse part of cancer, it will always be part of me like my shadow , but as long as that shadow is behind me then thats fine.
Any advice yes. Always check your boobs, it could save your life, and always put your walking boots on as they will take you to the most wonderful places, where everything becomes insignificant.
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June 2019, Issue 6
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN SOUTH AFRICA
W ords andPhotographyBy
RosieDutton When wild animals are maimed and / or orphaned before they can fend for themselves, what happens to them? How are wild animals treated by poor communities that need to somehow make a living? Should animals be abandoned to nature's will, or should people intervene?In 2017 Rosie Dutton learned about some human interventions 56 in South Africa. www.adventureshe.com
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THE CALL It was June 2017 and my last few weeks as a student when I received the email. One day whilst in the bedroom of my student house share, my computer ?s inbox pinged. ?Our proposal would be that you would travel out to South Africa to get footage
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(and photos) for a number of the programmes that we have out there.?
opportunity of a lifetime.
It was Oyster, asking me to film their conservation programmes in South Africa. For me, whose goal in life was to be a wildlife photograher and film maker, this was a truly dream come true. A real
Two months later I was in Knysna Elephant Park, watching a family of elephants walk over a hill, to the background of a magnificent sunset. 10 silhouettes stood there, all majestic, proud and strong.
ELEPHANTS
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Around them, the evening sunlight coated everything it touched with a soft golden glow. The next morning, I rose early, and headed out with some of the volunteers to see the eles (this was a shortened nick name for the elephants). The staff and
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volunteers?work here is critical. They research the elephants and learn new things about them, things that can help with their species survival in the wild and so on. We found the 8 girls: Sally, Nandi, Thandi, Keisha, Thato, Amari, Shanti and Madiwa and 2 boys: Shungu and Mashudu, in one of their favourite spots. They were at the top of the ditch slowly making their way down to the cover of the trees, but before they did that, they stood munching on some sticks and logs. I set up my camera to film one of them. The individual I chose to film first was Sally. Sally is the matriarch of the herd. Elephant families revolve around females. Males leave at puberty and become socially independent, but females remain within their families for their whole lives. They rear their calves alongside their mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts. Elephant families are however extremely fluid in their association patterns,
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meaning that not all members are together all the time. This wonderful flexibility and fluidity in elephant society, which we call ?fission-fusion?, is one of the things that I find so fascinating about elephants. I found a nice composition, adjusted the settings for a beautiful image on the live view setting, and just as I was about press record, stopped. I saw Sally pick up a branch with her trunk, take it to her mouth and soon realised she was picking her teeth with it. Clearly something was caught in there, so she was just ?flossing?. I find it so important to appreciate and really look and study your subject before you start filming. So I watched her do the simplest of things and it filled my heart with happiness that I could behold such a h respect for the entire herd. I was aware the sun was rapidly rising and I was losing that lovely soft light, so I started to film. I feel my shots benefited from my 59
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waiting and observing, than if I had jumped straight in with my filming. For four days I filmed sunrise and sunset. I watched some of eles sleeping in the shed (it was their own choice if they wanted to sleep in or out). I watched them feed, I walked with them, I became familiar with each of their little quirks. I saw the love and care from the volunteers and staff towards the elephants. Plus I saw the family love and feuds between the elephants. I laughed when they chased the zebras and I cried when I thought about the future of elephants all over the world. But I filmed them and this, to me, was something that had to help. After all, the aim of this film (as with all the others) was to encourage people to volunteer on the projects and help this fantastic species. SHARKS OF GANSBAAI A car, a flight and another car got me to Gansbaai. This was the start of my Shark filming. I
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have to say, since I was a little girl, I always loved sharks. They were (and still are) my favourite animal, so being able to film them was an absolute privilege and a real dream come true!
volunteers' job to feed the birds and give them any necessary medication. I filmed away, trying to capture their quirks and their personalities, whether funny or feisty personalities.
the briefing (I must admit all this was a blur because I was so excited to get in the water) I was on the boat heading full throttle out to see some big predators. I wanted to go in first.
On arrival, I met the staff and volunteers at the programme who settled me in straight away. We discussed how I was going to fit everything in in the few days I was there, and the next morning it started.
Next on the list was cage diving. However, Gansbaai isn?t called the ?Cape of storms?for no reason. Because of the severe weather conditions, there was no way we were getting a boat out there, so instead we went to a local dog shelter and showed them all a little tender loving care.
GoPro at the ready. I had thoroughly checked all my settings that morning to enable fantastic shots of these incredible animals. This cage did not require scuba gear, we had a pocket of air at the top and we just held our breathes when we stuck our heads under the water. An earie silence when we were level with the sea. Now being at sea level, funnily enough you have no idea where the sharks are, whether they are under you etc. So, the skipper and staff on the boats would
I followed two volunteers to the penguin sanctuary which is located on site. This was a rehabilitation centre for the injured penguins and sea birds affected by extreme weathers, some shark attacks and other incidents. Its the
The next morning, I rose early, today was the day!! I was going to come face to face with the love of my life. Sharks! So, after attending
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shout ?DOWN, LEFT?or ?DOWN, COMING UP FROM THE RIGHT?. We would hold our breaths and follow their directions, low and behold, there he was.
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me angry that mankind can give an animal such a complex and how it sticks. I need people to understand that it is humans who are the real monsters here?
lens. But watching the whales glide effortlessly with the moving tide was a sight to behold, and one I wouldn?t be forgetting any time soon. KWANTU AM E RESERVE
I have no words to describe it. His swim by was peaceful, there was no threat from him, he just looked at us as he passed. He was so graceful and weightless under the water. You could see the power he was capable of, but never once did I feel remotely scared. I knew I wouldn?t. I got the shots, YES! As I climbed out of the cage, I was so full of emotion. I cried at the thought of sharks still being deemed as ?monsters? and ?ruthless killers?, when they really are not. It makes
The next day I boarded ?Dream Catcher ?. This was the whale watching tour that the volunteers also help on. They help to spot any whales nearby, record sea temperature data, take in the health of the seal colony and to glide past ?Slashfin?the shark boat and see if there are Great Whites around. We saw Southern Right Wales, a Humpback and lots of porpoise. It was hard work filming on a boat that rises and falls constantly, knocking you off balance with an already heavy camera and
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It was time for the great African bush. Att Kwantu Ame Reserve I was greeted by a family of exceedingly cheeky wild vervet monkeys. The reserve is located in the middle of nowhere really. It?s well and truly, off the beaten track, and I guess that?s one of the reasons its such a great reserve. I awoke the next morning, early to the sound of roaring lions. Something that never grew old to me, but
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something that grated on the rest of the volunteers. I suppose after a very long day of hard work you would like a sleep in every now and then? Anyway, camera in hand, I walked to the reserve entrance where a jeep waited for me. My own private game tour so that I can film the wildlife that made its home here! I could seriously get use to this! As the gates opened, I was that excited I felt like they were the very gates to Jurassic park! Once through, I was greeted by a herd of Wildebeest (better than a T-Rex). This was the start of my wild journey. On this 3 hour drive we came across giraffes, elephants, wildebeest and a number springbok, blesbok, vervet monkeys? But no king of the jungle? yet? We also came across the volunteers working out on the reserve. They were repairing the ?roads?I say this term lightly as they were just hard mud tracks, but as the rainy season hits, they can be washed away, so the volunteers and staff put rocks and brick down for tyres to grip.
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The strangest bit was getting in the car with one of the rangers, Alex, who asked me about how I got into wildlife film making. I told him I went to University in a place called Falmouth in Cornwall, where he soon replied, ?Penryn??we looked at each other ?I?ve just finished my second year in Falmouth?. What a small world, anyway we were soon back out on the reserve looking for more wildlife! As they days went on, I was getting more and more creative with the shots I wanted to get. I wanted spectacular sunrises and stunning sunsets. I wanted my audience to be almost moved to tears by how amazing our world is. I cried anyway? The early mornings were silent, bar the cracking of branches created by something deep in the bush. It was magical. On my last day, we saw them. We saw the lion pride. They had obviously just been off doing their own thing, staying out of sight, but there they were, laying, sleeping and the two young cubs play fighting. As the sun set lower, the golden 62
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light that South Africa offered so well was back and making everything it touched so exquisite. The lioness came closer, she wanted to check us out, see if we were a threat to her family. She laid down, right next to the Jeep and watched us. Soon, one of her older cubs came closer and laid beside her. This was when I cried. I thought how can we not protect the wildlife that shares out earth with us? It was an amazing way to finish this project. CINSTAWAS This was a beautiful little project in which young students who were studying to become vets could get some real hands on experience in veterinary care. This saw the students doing ?dog dipping?. The students would go to a town ship (the corrugated iron houses) and offer to ?dip?their dogs in a liquid which killed any fleas and ticks. They would offer to neuter dogs because keeping the population under control was very important and stops the chances of diseases and for any females that were still
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puppies themselves, it stopped complications. They also saw to game too. This would involve rotating animals such as zebra to different reserves to stop inbreeding ? something that must be controlled. They would take blood samples and so on. They had fantastic relationships with farmers who wanted to know if their livestock were pregnant, these included cows and horses. Afterall, these animals were the life source to these farmers success, so it was so important that their animals were well looked after, and these people were incredibly grateful to the care and love that these young vets were giving to their animals! These were the practices that I saw, but there are so many different procedures that these students carry out! It gave them confidence to become the vets they so wanted to be. Again, the volunteers were so kind, helpful and inviting. PHALABORWA This project was one of my favourites, and like none other I have ever been on. It was the orphaned baboon project. I have to say, until you have really looked into the eyes of these amazing animals you have no idea how much they are like us. They think like we do, they interact like we do, their hands and feet and so similar to ours and they can be so loving. These baboons were orphans. Parents hunted by farmers to keep them off their lands, the babies would soon die with no care. That?s where Riverside comes in. The babies are found and taken in, they are integrated within 64 www.adventureshe.com
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family groups where females claim them as their own. They soon grow to adulthood and can be released high into the mountains where they can be free and wild again but with no chances of them wandering onto farmers? land.
be old enough to look after herself with the adult baboons when she was eventually integrated, otherwise they may have killed her. But on the walks, Amber came along and played with them in the wild. It was heart-warming to see.
My first day saw us filming the ?river walk?we literally open the baboon?s enclosures and they all run out, they walk with us to the river, they jump onto our shoulders and sit on our heads. We get to the swimming pool and they swim, they play, they climb trees. They are completely free for 2 hours every day. It develops their social and climbing skills. It helps their mind set and muscle development. It is so privileging to see.
FINAL THOUGHTS There were times throughout this 4-week trip that I was stressed that I wasn?t going to get all the footage I needed. There were times I cried in the airport because my because bag was too big for one flight while it was fine for another. At the baboon project, the baboons ripped off the foam coating of my tripod leg, they stole my Gopro and it fell from a tree (thank god the Gopro cases are built so well!) My camera was almost stepped on by a massive elephant, I got sea sick at the end of the shark dive and had to lay on the front of the deck seeing the horizon then watching it vanish then reappear again? over, and over again. This was because we were anchored in one spot for several hours! BUT! I would never have swapped any of this happening. With problems that need solving the better a photographer and filmmaker you become. It?s all part of the experience, and I cannot wait for my next adventure!
We also did this with the vervet babies that were also in the projects?care. These little monkeys played on the lawn and could run and jump and climb all over us. It was something I had never in my life experienced. I filmed this routine all day, every day, as well as the cleaning process of the cages, any medical treatment the monkeys needed and the food preparation, which was a major task. As night crept up on the daylight every day, you could hear the monkeys chattering to each other. You could hear the insects in the woods and all the other sounds in the bush. The one memory I?ll keep with me forever is little Amber. Amber was a very young baboon baby who needed 24hr care from humans. She showered with the volunteers, slept with them, ate with them, everything. She had to 65 www.adventureshe.com
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ABOUTROSIEDUTTON Rosie Dutton is a photographer and film maker who believes in not just in pursuing her dreams, but in taking the necessary steps to make them happen. Here at Adventure She, We love that attitude. After all, we only live once, so let's make that one life matter. This is her second article for Adventure She. You can read her first article about becoming a camera operator and film maker, plus her adventures with bears in Romania, in our December 2018 issue. You can follow Rosie on the following social media channels: Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ rosieduttonphotography/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rosieduttonphotography/
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3 MAGAZINE NAME
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Thoughts on the ethics of shark diving and keeping elephants in captivity What should Adventure She do, when it receives an article that includes activities such as elephants in captivity and shark diving? The elephant question we resolved quickly, as the park works in rescuing and relocating elephants. It is not a zoo. As for the shark question, we found that one a lot harder to answer. After all, we know that at least one of our repeat writers is totally against it, believing that baiting, i.e., the process of attracting the sharks, to be responsible for changes in shark behaviour, including their being more likely to come towards and attack people. On the other hand, does diving with sharks provide locals with a better livelihood than fishing and potentially overfishing? At present, the Adventure She team is very small and alas we don't have the resources to carry out independent studies. But if you have information on this issue, then please do get in touch with us, either via our Facebook group, or using the contact page on our website. For the record, we did consider editing out the part about cage diving with sharks, but decide to keep it in, to help generate the debate and thereby to further educate all of us. According to its website, Oyster International for which the author was filming, states:
"The research trust is well-respected in the field and includes expert scientists and entrepreneurs among its trustees. It has worked in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs; CapeNature; SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Care of Coastal Birds); research units at the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria; the WWF and various local conservation organisations".
It continues: "This research is done by recording sightings, tagging and tracking and dorsal fin identification. Thousands of photographs are being built up to help further understand the shark population in the area.
Sharks are attracted using chum, which creates a scent trail to the boat. Research suggests that this does not have an adverse effect on the natural behaviour of sharks, as long as the chum is only dispersed where the sharks are already active (following their seasonal behaviours) and the sharks are not fed. This organisation follows strict protocols to that effect and has been at the forefront of campaigns to ensure shark products are not included in chum. Chumming is used to formulate research on the great white shark, which is severely lacking to date."
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W HAT CAN WE DO? - Resear ch, r esear ch, r esear ch. - Befor e tr avelling, check out the ethics of the com pany you intend to go w ith. - Use local oper ator s, so that m or e of the m oney you spend, stays locally. - Tr avel to destinations that suppor t conser vation pr ojects. - Avoid eating local 'delicacies' such as cr ocodile. - Bew ar e 'not for pr ofits'. W hy? Because all 'not for pr ofits' ar e cr eated equally. Rules differ depending w her e they ar e based in the w or ld. W hile m any do gr eat w or k, in som e countr ies, they have no legal status. Check out their status and if in doubt, w hy not give to a r egister ed char ity instead. 68 www.adventureshe.com
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CANOEING THE ZAMBEZI By Jane Harries When I was 7 or 8, a retired teacher returned to my primary school, and gave a talk and slide show on her recent trip to what was then called Rhodesia, now of course Zimbabwe. Whilst others seemed bored, I was mesmerised. Now it was my time to spend a month in Zimbabwe, including nine days canoeing the mighty Zambezi. Just one thing, the photographs in this article are photographs of photographs taken in 1992, so the quality might not be that good. Still, I hope they convey the magnificence of what it's like to canoe down the might Zambezi. Africa had captured my heart. Three months of travel from Zimbabwe through Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda
and Kenya, had changed me, for I'd fallen in love. Not with a man, but with the African bush, the African skies and
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the African wildlife. I couldn't bare to leave it. It was August 1990, Africa was probably at its most peaceful in perhaps decades. Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait, but the First Gulf War hadn't yet started. Terrorism was more likely to happen in Britain by the IRA, than by Islamic fundamentalists anywhere on the planet. As I sat on my bed in Nairobi I stared at my airline ticket. It was fully refundable! I couldn't believe my luck, for I could cash it in and travel back overland through Sudan (which then included what is now Sudan and South Sudan).
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23 year old me phoned home, told of my plans, and only then ran the numbers. Would getting a refund on my plane ticket actually get me enough money to do what I wanted to do and return home? I called home a second time, announced I would come back after all, but that in two years time I was definitely going travelling again. Back in the UK I bought a book 'Africa's Top Wildlife Countries' by Mark W. Nolting. That book became my companion as I travelled up and down to London to see friends. No more boring train journeys. Instead train journeys were savoured, for they gave me valuable research time. The Drought
Time flew by. Two years later and now a fully qualified solicitor, I walked off the plane into the heat of a drought stricken Zimbabwe. I already knew about the drought, as I'd been devouring news of it back in
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the UK. For I was in Zimbabwe, predominantly to canoe and raft the Zambezi River. Only the drought was so bad, it was uncertain whether the usually mighty Zambezi River would have enough flow for it to still be navigable by canoe? If it was, I would have the time of my life; after all, Nolting's book had described Mana Pools on the Zambezi River as having 'one of the highest concentrations of wildlife of any park on the continent during the dry season.' In fact Mana Pools was so special, it had been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Am I exaggerating about the drought? No. In fact on 7 March 1992 the New York Times' front page contained an article headlined "Southern Africa Hit By Its Worst Drought Of the 20th Century". Several other press reports I've recently found online, refer to the 1992 -92 Zimbabwe drought, as having killed more than 1 million cattle. According to the website www.thestandard.co.zw in 71
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2015 the Meteorological Department reported that the "drought experienced during the 1991/92 season, for example, decreased maize production by almost 75%, leaving a large percentage of the population in dire need of food aid." Politics and the drought
Prior to my 1992 trip, I'd briefly been in Zimbabwe twice before. On those occasions no one mentioned politics. Now in the midst of this terrible drought and without my asking, locals raised the issue. The black driver who took me from the airport told me how he'd fought for Ian Smith. I said and showed nothing, but was rather shocked. For Ian Smith was white. I'd grown up thinking the war in Zimbabwe had been black against white. Clearly I'd been wrong, at least in part? The driver shared his fears for the future and his love of the past. He told how under Ian Smith they had plenty of food to eat. Now he feared
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they would all starve. Two years earlier in the main shopping street of the capital city, Harare, I'd seen no beggars. No one approached me for food or money. One day into this trip and I was approached by a few small children. I went on my way. They returned, this time cornering me against a building. They were desperate for money. Their clothes weren't rags, their leader spoke excellent English. What to do? I'd been told not to give to beggars, that giving
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encourages begging. It took a lot of persuading on my part, for them to let me go. Was it the drought that had caused this change in a mere two years?
up at one school and gave them 24 hours to clear out. How another had managed to remain open due to its proximity to numerous white farms.
The following day I flew to Lake Kariba, near to the start of my canoe adventure. A white teacher originally from the northern hemisphere (I won't share exactly where, in case this comes back to bite him,) sat next to me. He told me how in the wars many schools had been forced to close. How guerillas showed
Now, the problem wasn't guerillas, it was food. At one point the school had only a week's supply of food left. The school decided to send the pupils home when their food supply got down to just 3 days. That very day, just before the school would have to close, food arrived.
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Canoeing
Some claim adventure only exists when it is hard. Others claim adventure is doing something beyond the norm. For me, this canoe trip with 9 days on the Zambesi River was an adventure. So what if it was organized? So what if that company had a truck to take us to within a mile plus of the river? So what if that company provided the canoes, paddles, food, mosquito nets etc. Each of us 'tourists' still had to paddle, still had to drink the river water with whatever we had brought to treat it, and still had to camp next to elephant dung.
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they were desperate to carry our loads so they could be paid for some work. Our guide, fearing robbery, ordered us to carry our own stuff. We'd already stopped elsewhere to buy some drinks. So whilst I hauled my own sleeping bag and personal gear, I delegated the carrying of Coca Colas and Fantas to a local.
For the stale bread at lunch once again reminded me of the drought. Clearly nothing went to waste here. It was now our guide saw fit to tell us of his days in the wars. Yet another local who'd fought for Ian Smi th. Parachuted behind enemy lines, he was promptly captured, having landed in the headquarters of an opposing chief.
Walk over we found ourselves in the stunning Kariba gorge. Canoes loaded, basic river rules instructed, we were off down the Zambezi River in our double open canoes.
Three weeks of ill treatment followed. Finally they believed the story he concocted, of how he'd actually come to help them. He quickly rose through their ranks to become a leader. Then he was tasked with leading a
This was the life. Or was it?
Day1
The truck dropped us off in a bone dry place a few kilometres away from Kariba. The grass, long since burned dry by the sun. As for the trees, each was totally dry, with not a green leaf in sight. Instantly the truck stopped men appeared out of the bush, clambered on board and grabbed our bags, for 73 www.adventureshe.com
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group into Zimbabwe (or Rhodesia as it was them known). Once there he used his radio to call up Ian Smith's troops. But the code had changed. Still he managed to reach some South Africans. Working with them he "led his men" into a trap. Back on the river politics took second place to the wildlife. I tried to photograph impalas and waterbuck drinking, but they ran off as soon as we approached. Photographing hippos waddling in the water proved easier. As for other humans, there were none to be seen, just a few huts built
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of mud and straw. That night we camped on an island in the middle of the ri ver. By the time we'd set up camp, elephants appeared on the river bank. We sat there watching them silhouetted against the setting sun. Day2 My canoe mate and I got into trouble. Our guide told us off for not paddling quickly enough. The problem was, we were both mesmerized by the animals. Watching them, taking their photographs, we kept hitting sandbanks that
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wouldn't normally be an issue, save for the drought. Finally a solution was worked out. We could both stare at the animals, butJohn paddled whilst I took photos with both our cameras. No more accidentally drifting onto sandbanks. It's a good thing we'd encountered the sandbanks, for later good navigation became critical, as we frantically had to change direction to avoid colliding with a hippo. Hippos may look cute and cuddly, but are said to be Africa's most dangerous animal. With an
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aggressive nature and a territorial instinct when in water, we did not want to confront one, especially given their strong jaws and sharp teeth could snap our canoe in two. On the food front, today it was tasty and plentiful, even the bread was fresh. Clearly yesterday had really been a case of not wasting what was available. Day3 A 1 0 kms paddle brought us to the Chirundi Bridge, which links Zimbabwe and Zambia. If you go there now, you'll find two bridges and might even be able to take photos of them. At least I've found plenty of photos of them on the internet. But at the time, there was only one bridge and as is often the case with border bridges, we were not allowed to photograph it. Shortly after the bridge we pulled up. For here the others were leaving me and new people would instead take their place. I took advantage of the break and wondered along bush tracks to the village, carrying a case of empty beer and soft drink bottles. Seeing a sign to a shop which read "under new management open 6am to 1 0am" I followed a track heading that way. Alas the shop had no drinks for sale, so seeing a petrol station in the distance, I headed off that way. Next door to the petrol station I finally found the one shop in the village that was both open and had supplies. A line of mostly locals stood ahead of me, the 75 www.adventureshe.com
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majority clutching an empty bottle. For here returning a bottle was part of life. Bottles were reused again and again. Two years earlier I'd noticed plastic carrier bags were reused again and again. Recycling was rife, not because of green issues, but because of necessity. Nothing, be it bottles, bags or stale bread was wasted. The goods for sale were piled up behind the shop's counter. Not just drinks but soap, plastic buckets, biscuits and almost anything else imaginable (at least in 1992), bar books and clothes. Shoplifting would not be an issue in this place. Outside, drinking a cold drink in the shade whilst the sun beat down on the African bush, I watched the others play table soccer with some local children. There was no crying, no complaining from those children, just smiles, laughter and sheer joy at playing a game. Back on the river I now had a different guide. The other 6 westerners had gone, to be
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replaced by 10 new faces (yes more canoes had arrived too). With new people the atmosphere changed. Friends who'd come together formed their own cliques. I missed the camaraderie of the first group.
distance and green islands nearby, as our lunch digested, we watched buffaloes and waterbuck graze and drink. As for tonight, it was hippos hippos hippos.
Whilst the camaraderie might have gone, the river became even more magical. We paddled until it became too shallow. Then we dragged our canoes. We encountered reeds 1 O sometimes even 15 feet tall, never knowing if an animal might be lurking within them. On the banks men, and women too, fished for their next meal.
What an incredible, really memorable, extra special day. Sure the paddling this morning took some effort as we crossed and recrossed the Zambesi, always trying to avoid running into the hippos. But the animals we saw! This is what Nolting must have meant in his book. For here in the heart of Mana Pools National Park, it was a treasure trove of wildlife.
I was now sharing a canoe with the guide. He told me to slow down! A bit of a change from the instructions of the previous days. By camp the newbies were tired. Perhaps I was getting the hang of this. Day4 At times it was hard work this morning. The upside, by working hard, we had a three and a half hour lunch. With the Kafue Mountains in the 76
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Days
Lunchtime as we rested high up above the river for 4 hours from the mid day heat, we watched 31 crocodiles lounging on the river bank. By the time we returned to our canoes, all but 4 had disappeared. We hoped they weren't hiding nearby waiting to pounce upon us. More incredible was watching a standoff between elephants and hippos. Elephants started
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crossing the river aiming for a rather green island, only to find their path blocked by a lone hippo. The lead elephant stood her ground.As the others joined her, she really really stood her ground. Then a second hippo surfaced. The elephant turned on it for she wasn't giving way. More hippos swam over. Who would be triumphant? Finally seeing all the hippos, it was the elephants who gave way, changing their path of travel to the other bank. By the time we left our lunch spot, there must have been three elephant and over 30 hippos grazing on that island. Further downstream we camped that night on a different island. Seeing elephant foot prints and dung, someone asked our guide how safe it was? "Oh they'll all have left the island by now", he replied, adding "they don't sleep here". So we lay down our sleeping bags on basic camp beds and strung up mosquito nets from trees, ensuring not one mosquito could get inside our individual cocoon.
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Then it happened.An elephant approached. Slowly, purposefully, yet elegantly, as only elephants can. It stopped by a tree from which four Dutch women had hung their mosquito nets and proceeded to eat from the tree. Cameras clicking, we didn't know whether to stare in wonder, laugh at the comedic element, or flee in fear of our lives. Wonder won. We photographed, we stared, and we relished the moment. After grazing from a few more trees, but somehow always avoiding the mosquito nets, the elephant vanished. Still the entertainment wasn't over.As I chopped up vegetables for dinner on our fold up kitchen table, another elephant appeared. People raced to my side of the table as the elephant sauntered past on the far side.As if a table could protect us should the elephant wish to attack! Later after dinner, there was yet more elephant shenanigans, this time with an elephant headed for the 78
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river. Only our canoes were in its way. One wrong step with its giant feet could have destroyed a canoe. But what did the elephant do? It lifted a foot, and then ever so slowly placed it down between our canoes. Twice it tried to find a way through without touching our canoes. Ultimately it backtracked and found another path off the island and into the river. When you think about the damage we people do to nature, but those elephants, they did nothing but entertain us. They could have attacked us, they could have destroyed our camp, they could have damaged our canoes, but no, all they wanted was to go about their life in peace. Day6 Another change over day.At least it was meant to be, but would it? Would the water level allow me to continue? According to the Dutch women, some companies had already stopped paddling the section from Mana Pools National Park to Kanyemba, because of the low water level and danger from hippos.
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The guide had already told me how once a hippo had stood on this canoe and broken it in half! A short paddle to what would be either the get out for me, or the change over spot, was made to feel even shorter by all elephant, hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck, impalas and buffalo, we saw enroute. How could one not be enraptured by such a morning? I was in luck, as four new paddlers plus a trainee guide joined the guide and me for the final stretch, that would take us to just short of the Mozambique border. I'm not quite sure what the others were expecting, for just after lunch they were ravenously thirsty. Not surprising really, as they had just one small bottle of water between them. As for me, I'd been refilling my water bottle from the river in those places where it flowed fast, hoping for less contamination there. I didn't filter it, (something looking back I can't quite believe, but true), but I did
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throw in water purification tablets into the brownish water and then added some orange crystals for colouring and taste. After all, I could at least pretend I was drinking some fancy orange drink, rather than straight from an African river. That night as the guide fished and the others chatted in their native French, the trainee guide told me about Zimbabwe post 1980. Oh how I wish I'd written his stories down. Why didn't I? I can't remember any of them now. All my diary says is he told me stories. Perhaps I forgot them because of what happened next. For a hippo walked out of the river, lay down on the far side of our kitchen table and went to sleep. We were downwind of him and he stank. I was glad when the wind changed direction.
Day7 It was hard work today, physically and mentally. 30 kms of paddling against the wind, with few animals to entertain and distract one. Mentally it was hard as I felt
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all alone. It's true; sometimes one feels more alone when with others, than when alone. That's the thing with joining a tour; one never knows who else will be there. If there isn't a common language, what does one do? I tried to join in with my basic French, but it didn't work.
Days Until now sleeping out in the open, cosy in my sleeping bag and with a blanket of glittering stars overhead, had been idyllic. During the night the wind picked up. The sandy river bank did it's best to take up residency in my eyes and my ears. By morning, my ears were full of sand. Into the wind we paddled. The guide kept shouting at me to paddle harder. The other day he'd told me to go slower, now he was telling me to go harder. He swapped boats with me. Now I was alone in a canoe, though supposedly being towed by the guide and his assistant. Only the rope was never taut. I was paddling a loaded
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double canoe by myself, and being constantly told to paddle still harder. I was learning something on this trip. I was learning I didn't like being isolated when in the company of others. For with the other Westerners speaking French and the guides speaking Shona, I was effectively alone. The only words I understood were "go faster, paddle harder". Not exactly the most motivational of leaders.
river, rather than work it. Once the river broadened huts and people appeared on the Zambian side. We paddled nearby one village where all the men seemed drunk. The assistant guide told me they'd been on the local brew. By 3pm we'd reached Kanyemba, our destination. Over the past 9 days I'd paddled over 230 kms, I'd drunk from the Zambesi, I'd seen one lion, probably dozens of elephants and too many hippo to count. Canoeing and camping had truly given me a chance to get up close and personal with the African bush. It had really been an extra special experience.
Fortunately my solo paddling effort was short lived, for after the next break we swapped back to our original positions, with the guide having his own boat and me paddling with his assistant. Still the scenery and the overall experience was amazing. The landscape had changed too, for during the day's 40 kms paddle, we'd entered the Mapata Gorge with its stunning red cliffs. Once again the wind picked up during the night. I kept waking up to check up on my belongings, particularly my camera, in case a gust of wind had picked it up and was blowing it away.
With hind side, I also learned the importance of team work, and how critical it is for teams to get along if everyone is to get as much as possible out of a trip. This of course was a tour, and as such I had no say in the guide or in the fellow clients. Feeling so isolated in a place so beautiful was a surprise to me. The good news is I have since learned tricks on how to deal with isolation, be it carrying lots of paper to keep a detailed diary, a good but tough book to read (so that it takes time and therefore lasts longer), or a phrase book in the local language. For sometimes I wonder, what stories would I have heard, had I too spoken Shona?
Day9 35 kms to Kanyemba and the end of our paddle. We left the gorge behind us and thanks to one of the French who suggested fewer breaks, but a more leisurely pace, the paddling was easier. Not so much of multiple sprint legs, for yesterday we'd stopped for at least 4 long breaks, more of a slow endurance session with time to enjoy the 81 www.adventureshe.com
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Editor's note Ian Smith was the Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979.
I loved my time in Zimbabwe. It really is a special place. Alas, it also has a troubled history.
Very briefly and purely to give context to parts of this article, from July 1964 to December 1979 Rhodesia was in a state of conflict/ civil unrest/ at war with itself.
I definitely suggest reading up on Zimbabwe before any visit. After all, surely the more we understand about a place and its people, surely the more we get out of our adventures and surely the more we can give back too. Plus, that way, one can hopefully time a visit during a period of calm (of which there will hopefully be many) and can avoid possible future fractious and dangerous times (of which there have been far too many to date).
T he leaders of the various groups in conflict were the Rhodesian born Ian Smith, supported by South Africa and until 1974 Portugal; the Zimbabwe African National Union led by Robert Mugabe (of the majority Shona tribe) supported by China; and the Zimbabwe People's Revoluntionary Army of Joshua Nkomo's Zimbabwe African People's Union, supported by Russia. (Nkomo was of the Ndebele tribe). Several other countries were also involved in the 'conflict' for example through provision of training camps or aid. T hese included North Korea, Libya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
As for the wildlife, the opportunities for viewing are incredible. But, they will only exist if poaching is stopped. Too many elephants and rhinos have already been slaughtered. Lions and giraffe too. Alas animals are far too often the victim of people. How can the human race dare call itself superior, when it is us, that destroys so much?
Robert Mugabe was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and thereafter President. Numerous media organisations and independent reports have reported human rights violations and murders in Zimbabwe. Mugabe was eventually ousted from office in 2017following a coup. Earlier this year there were fuel riots in Zimbabwe. On 20 January 2019 Bloomberg reported 12 deaths and at least 78 people as having been treated for gun shot wounds.
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M ANA POOLS AN UNESCO W ORLD HERITAGE SITE M ana Pools, w hich for m ed the m iddle por tion of this canoe tr ip, together w ith adjoining Sapi and Chew or e Safar i Ar eas, w as m ade an UNESCO Wor ld Her itage Site, in 1984. At that tim e, about 500 black r hino lived in the ar ea. Poaching how ever w as so endem ic, that by 1994 only 10 w er e left. These w er e r em oved for their ow n safety. On 20 October 2013 it w as r epor ted in The Telegr aph new spaper that over 300 elephants had been poisoned in Zim babw e's lar gest national par k, Hw ange, by poacher s using cyanide. How dar e w e hum ans destr oy on such a scale? One elephant killed by a r ifle is bad enough, to m ur der 300 is beyond im agination. Accor ding to the w ebsite http://w or ldelephantday.or g/about/elephants:
Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 remaining. An insatiable lust for ivory products in the Asian market makes the illegal ivory trade extremely profitable, and has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of African elephants. Between 2010 and 2014, the price of ivory in China tripled, driving illicit poaching through the roof. If the elephants are to survive, the demand for ivory must be drastically reduced.
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YES WE CAN HELP Yes it is a difficult situation. Ther e is no easy solution. Clear ly though, for poaching to exist, ther e m ust be a dem and for elephant pr oducts. So if you know a hunter , w hy not have a conver sation w ith that per son, so that even if they choose to continue hunting anim als, they do not hunt r ar e or endanger ed anim als, even w ith a per m it. If w e can w in over people like those 'm oder ate hunter s', then hopefully they can influence m or e 'har d cor e hunter s' and w e'll never again see im ages on social m edia of a w ester n hunter holding up a gir affe, elephant or lion head., or som e other r ar e or endanger ed species. If you live in, or know people in Asia, then you can do even m or e, to help save species such as elephants and r hinos. Talk to as m any people as possible. Tr y to get to the bottom of w hy people think r hino hor ns and elephant tusks, m ake for good tr aditional m edicines. The m or e w e under stand about the 'consum er ' the m or e w e can all w or k together to educate the consum er as to the consequences of their actions. Thir dly, if choosing to go on a safar i your self, do your r esear ch, and ensur e your m oney stays w ithin the local economy and doesn't go to an over seas par ent com pany. For the m or e w ealth that can be gener ated in the local com m unities, thr ough the use of local guides and local accom m odation, the low er the need for people to feel for ced into a life of cr im e, including poaching. The m or e w e give back, the m or e w e can help. Let's give r ather than sim ply take.
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WHALE SHARK CONSERVATION BY SOPHIA CHAN Conservation tourism, eco tourism, environmental friendly holidays, what do these terms mean to you? When we visit a place, do we really give back to the local economy, or do we in fact really take from the local environment whether through using too many raw resources or leaving a negative impact on the local culture, perhaps even gradually eroding it? After all, who are we to impose our culture on another culture? Why do we people so often think our own way, is the right way? Sophia Chan shares some of her thoughts after spending time with Whale Sharks off the East African coast. 86 www.adventureshe.com
Ever since I had first learned how to scuba dive 5 years ago seeing the rare and revered his time last year, I was back in London and about to start a new full-time job again. Despite having just travelled for 4 months in South America, I already wanted a new adventure to look forward to. Whale Sharks, had been on my bucket list. I Googled 'where to see whale sharks in February', and according to PADI's website, they are only 5 places in the world you can spot them. 'Mafia Island, Tanzania'
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Ph ot o cou r t esy of San dr a Kn igh t
caught my eye, and after more Googling, the a Mafia Island Whale Shark Expedition beckoned. On the first night, Bex gave us an introductory talk about the whale sharks and what is known about them, as well as going through standard protocol of how to safely snorkel alongside them without disruption to their behaviour, something that is vitally important when observing any wild animal. For the trip, we were swimming with a locally-owned and run tour group on the island; Afro Whale Shark Safari, who were a super friendly group of
former fishermen who now worked closely within the local community to ensure that the growing Whale Shark tourism is sustainably handled with care for the animals. As former fisherman, they were experts in knowing where the whale sharks would be, since where there is a whale shark, there?s inevitably going to be a lot of fish. Previously the island fisherman would perhaps have killed the whale sharks, but given the importance the sharks now bring to the local tourism, this has changed. Afro himself first worked as one of the first guides for another whale shark tour group, before saving up 87
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enough to buy his own boat and start the current ?Afro Whale Shark Safari?. With both Bex and her husband Gil?s help, they?ve transformed the business into an eco-tour group - with initiatives such as ensuring the proper conduct is followed for the snorkelling tours, working to clear up beach and ocean rubbish, and visiting local schools to educate the children on the whale sharks. On that first morning, I was definitely feeling first-time nerves but loads of excitement at being out at sea. At first, it seemed slow going, as we spent a few
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hours on the lookout for dark shapes in the water. But then, we spotted a growing group of boats in the distance, which could only mean one thing ? whale sharks!
www.whaleshark.org database. Someone asked ? how does this data help? To me, it seemed insignificant and not very useful. However, Bex explained that any identification that could be gleaned around things like shark numbers, migratory habits were useful to marine biologists as we simply know so little about the largest fish in the sea.
Once in the water, I vaguely made out a fast-moving black shape underneath, but visibility wasn't clear and I soon discovered that whale sharks can swim extremely quickly. Back on the boat afterwards, I was slightly frustrated I hadn?t been able to spot them properly, but still, it was only the first day of eight, and I'd already managed to have a tantalising glimpse.
I had previously done some turtle conversation volunteering on Lang Tengah island in Malaysia, but didn?t realise how many other citizen science schemes existed. It's definitely a great way of adding that little bit of conservation to your next seaside holiday.
That night, we got given much more explicit roles in how we were to collect the data on the whale sharks for research purposes. As part of a ?citizen science?program, anyone worldwide can take specific pictures taken of a whale shark?s left side & record details of the animal & sighting area, then upload onto the
With the whale sharks, we soon came to realise the reality of gathering data ? it isn?t always easy. Conditions could obscure photos, and the sharks swim so fast that a lot of the time it takes all your effort just to keep up in a sea of madly kicking fins! There was one
Ph ot o cou r t esy of Bex Ban d
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situation in which a man from another tour group was snorkelling beside a shark and reached out to try and grab the fin, showing how people get carried away and stop thinking about the animals?welfare when in the moment. Hence why it?s always so important to make sure you do go with reputable tour groups that are extremely strict about protocol and protection for the animal. Bex?s mantra was always try and give back to the rather than foreign owned organisations, and it?s something I have really taken to heart with all future trips.
Ph ot o cou r t esy of Kim Willis
Bex made sure this philosophy was reflected throughout our trip, including the tours we took and our accommodation. We were staying at Bustani B&B, a sister hotel to Butiama Beach hotel. We had delicious vegetarian meals there all week, to ensure that we weren?t contributing to any local over-fishing problems. One of the reasons neighbouring island Zanzibar doesn?t really have any marine life anymore, is that the busy tourism and demand for seafood has ensured the seas around the island have been over-fished and depleted.
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As well as local charitable efforts, the family run hotel was the only other business, alongside the Big Blu diving school, to still contribute money towards patrol boats monitoring for illegal fishing activity within the Marine Park. The staff were exceptional, even going so far as to arrange for a local tailor to visit so we could get items made up with brightly coloured cotton fabrics from the
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market. We were also incredibly lucky to have Mama ?kitumbua? come to the hotel and demonstrate the traditional way to make kitumbua, a local rice flour cake (and massive hit with our group at breakfast every morning!) All throughout I think she probably thought we were a completely bonkers group of foreigners, but her visible emotion when we tippedher the money for the cooking demo was very moving.
located inside park. A truly special island, it saw just 200-odd visitors in total in the last year. At one point I did feel a bit like a minor celebrity, as having befriended some schoolchildren and telling them my name was Sophia, they proceeded to follow me around the island yelling my name excitedly. It turned out that ?Saffiyah?is a popular muslim name, as well as the title of a catchy song, hence my moment of fame!
On one particularly frenetic day of shark sightings, I had begun swimming next to one shark but soon lost sight of it and couldn't really see anything in the murkier water. Only after I saw frantic waving from some of the others and dipping my head underwater again, did I realise a whale shark had been swimming right towards ? I frantically had to scramble sideways to get out of its path as it joined in the feeding frenzy.
My final encounter with the whale sharks came on the penultimate day of the trip, although I didn?t know it would be my last at the time. Visibility hadn?t been great that morning, and sightings had been rarer. I got incredibly lucky and just happened to be in the right place, when all 12 meters of the whale shark moved past out of the murky "soup" water and into the incredibly clear part of the ocean, right in front of me. Transfixed, I didn't even bother swimming alongside it, as time stopped and it seemed to move past in slow motion. No one else seemed to be in this part of the water at that point, so it really seemed like it was just the shark and I alone in the blue. It was a heart-stopping moment worth waiting for.
These hectic moments were contrasted with other calmer ones, such as the magical early morning experience of a juvenile whale shark, only around 4 metres long, coming right up to the boat and swimming slowly around underneath, seemingly curious by this oddity in his home.
On our final day, I headed out with bittersweet feelings, knowing it was to be the last time we?d be on the sea. As it turns out, we didn?t even see any whale sharks, but something arguably better, given how many whale shark sightings we?d already had. After about 2 hours of sailing around, and nearly ready to head back - someone shouted - fin up ahead.
During the week, we had one day off from whale shark swimming, where we took a trip to the marine national park to do some data gathering on the coral-reefs (another citizen science scheme!) and meander through the unique mangrove ecosystems. We also visited Chole Island - a tiny car-free community 90 www.adventureshe.com
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We started speeding up, and gave shouts of surprise when we saw it was actually a dolphin! Dolphins love surfing alongside boats, particularly when they speed up, so we started cruising along and excitedly observing. Another pod joined the first, and at one point there were probably around 20 dolphins swimming next to the boat. Our shouts and screams of joy continued to encourage the dolphins, and we were treated to the spectacle of a tiny baby dolphin doing leaps and flips out of the waters. What a way to end our final boat trip. Looking back on the trip, I have so many epic memories to treasure; singing Disney?s ?Under the sea?to a pod of dolphins, beaming children shouting in excitement, crazy partying with the Afro boys on a sunset cruise.But ultimately, the moment that is imprinted in mind is that final, surreal, out-of-this-world encounter with the whale shark.
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Even now, 4 months later, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
with such different stories to tell, gave real meaning to the adventure.
This trip made me realise that conservation isn't just for the biologists and degree qualified scientists of this world, but that inspiring everyone to protect and care for the natural world is something that anyone can participate in. Above all, sharing this experience with an incredible group of women (Love Her Wild is women?s only adventure group), all invested in the same cause and
Next mini adventure on my list ? the Blu-ee Fest, an ocean conservation festival in November, which was literally dreamed up by 2 fellow expedition members during our afternoons lounging by the pool!
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M or e abou t Soph ia Ch an Sophia Chan uses her Instagram account to blog about ethical style and affordable ways to be more sustainable. You can find her on instagram @sustainablesophia
M or e abou t Love Her Wild Her Wild believe "Adventures build confidence, forge friendships and help realise potential." That is something we totally agree with. To access their website, go to https://www.loveherwild.com/ M or e abou t Blu -ee Fest Blu-ee Fest is a weekend festival for people who love the ocean. To be held in Swanage on the UK;s south coast from 15 to 17 November 2019. It includes opportunities to conduct ocean surveys, listen to talks on conservation and to learn more about marine life. Tickets are £250. More information can be found at https://www.blu-ee.org/blu-ee-fest/ A r equ est t o ou r r eader s Remember, we can only share stories like this one, plus other conservation projects and groups which help women adventurers, if you support us. Think of the hours of empowerment, education and entertainment your friends could get it they too subscribed to Adventure She. Whilst we fully support other initiatives such as Blu-ee Fest, at just £15, we're a whole lot cheaper than attending a festival. So please, do help us keep up our work, by telling your friends about us, perhaps even buying them a subscription for their birthday or some other festive occasion. Su bscr ipt ion s ar e available at w w w.adven t u r esh e.com / su bscr ibe A huge thank you to you, our current subscribers and hello and please support us, if you are reading this magazine using a friend's account. 92 www.adventureshe.com
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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL IDEAS FROM THE ADVENTURE SHE TEAM How can we reduce our impact on the planet, whilst still living life to the full? Here are some ideas we have at Adventure She magazine. Remember, please do share your ideas with us. After all, the more tips we share, the more we all learn about the alternatives , the better our decision making processes can be and the more we can give back, rather than take.
Use public transport whenever you can. Yes we know in some countries it's ridiculously expensive. So go online and find out when cheap deals are available. Organise your weekends away around those cheap deals.
Consider an overnight train instead of flying. Yes it might be more expensive, but it can be an adventure, plus you save on overnight accommodation.
When flying, find our if your airline has a carbon offset programme and if so, contribute to it.
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Why not divide the carbon footprint cost of your trip, by the number of days you are away? One long trip to the other side of the planet , might work out to be 'cheaper ' than several weekends away using a budget airline. In other words, make each trip matter.
For weekend trips - car pool with friends rather than meeting at your destination. If you don't live near your friends, search overnight parking and meet part way. It'll save miles on a car, be far more sociable, if everyone is insured you could share the driving and it's more carbon friendly.
Don't wild camp. Yes controversial perhaps, but isn't wild camping all about the camper and the camper 's needs? What about the local environment? Does your urine really help the soil? What about burying poo? Will sharing photos of a wild camping spot make it a popular place that in time damages the local plants, and attracts vermin, lured by the smell of human food. Plus in many places locals need the money they earn from working at or running a campsite, bunkhouse, or bed and breakfast, to survive for the rest of the year. Why not stay at a hostel, go for an evening hike a mile or so up the road, and enjoy the night skies from there. Then you can return to a warm bed. 93 More give, less take.
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TheBigInterviewW ith PipHare ByJaneHarries Photographs courtesyof PipHareOceanRacing, al l rights reserved
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When you imagine an ocean going sailor, what do you picture? Does the picture in your mind change when you swap the word sailor for single handed yachtsperson? Would the picture in your mind change if I?d asked you to instead imagine a single handed yachtswoman? Well, there is no need to imagine any further, for earlier this year I chatted with Pip Hare about her life on the ocean and her goal of competing in the 2020 Vendée Global Challenge. Pip Hare, is a name currently unknown to many, but 18, 19, 20 months from now, Pip Hare could be front page news on every UK newspaper, plus a few French papers and many other international newspapers. For Pip Hare is attempting the Vendée Globe, in other words, sailing solo, nonstop and without assistance around the world. That?s right, nonstop. No calling at Montevideo, Cape Town, Perth, Auckland, or
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even Tierra del Fuego for coffee and cake, whilst a local boat yard fixes any glitches or fine tunes her yacht. One cup of coffee, one borrowed hammer, one tiny bit of help, would mean a rule infringement and exclusion from the race. This race is nonstop, this race is unassisted and this race is solo. True you can return to the start and seek help to fix it, within the first ten days of starting, but after that, you are on your own. This race is brutal and in 1997, this race was front page news in the UK, after Tony Bullimore?s yacht capsized in winds up to 100 mph on 5 January. For days the nation waited with baited breath as The Royal Australian Navy frigate Adelaide, headed off in search of both Bullimore and another capsized yachtsperson, Thierry Dobois from France. Capsized, about 2,500 kilometres from Australia, in those frigid waters and in those winds, how could they possibly survive? I remember with 95
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each passing day the press reports sounded ever more dire. The country was losing hope for them. Then the big news. Dobois had been saved. Could Bullimore too possibly also be alive? He was. He?d survived in an air pocket of his capsized boat. It brought tears to one?s eyes. Alas whilst both Bullimore and Dobois were rescued, another contestant, Gerry Roufs, died in that race. The race once more became big news in the UK when (the now Dame) Ellen MacArthur, then aged 24, finished the 2000/01 race in second place. The truth is, whilst I recall those names, I can?t name a single other person who?s attempted the Vendée Globe. But why is that? Why is it that such a difficult, dangerous and demanding race doesn?t have more coverage? This race isn?t an ultra tough adventure holiday? This race is serious business. By the end of the last Vendée Globe, fewer than 100 people have successfully completed the Vendée Globe. Yet well over
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5000 people have summited Mount Everest. 100 versus 5,000. Of course, the Vendée Globe has only been in existence since November 1989 and is held only every 4 year, so there has been less opportunity for people to undertake the challenge. Still as challenges go, which is the harder? Everest?s death zone, or the infamous Southern Ocean? Everest?s Khumbu Ice Fall or the monster waves of ocean storms? Everest?s trek in and acclimatisation climbs, or about 2 and a half to
3 months alone at sea (the record is 74 days)? The truth is that both are phenomenally hard. For some reason though, Everest has captured people?s imagination. Well it?s time that the Vendée Globe does too, because each person who starts that race is an amazing athlete and explorer, and deserves to be acknowledged as such. So now for more on Pip Hare.
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Whilst Pip got into sailing as a child, it?s only as she was finishing school that she fell in love with sailing. Taking a year out before university, Pip realised she desperately wanted to sail. So whilst still a teenager, she moved to the South Coast of England, which in the UK was her best chance of making a living from sailing.
and no she doesn?t get sea sick. I also asked Pip if she?d recommend a voyage on the Lord Nelson or its sister ship Tenacious, to a budding sailor? The answer was a definite yes, whether able bodied or disabled. In fact she emphasised disability is not a barrier on these ships, as they are set up for all, and that sailing can offer freedom in so many ways. As to what budding sailors learn on board, that includes boat maintenance, watch management and group dynamics, as well as experiencing miles on the ocean. Whilst Pip loved it, and continues to love what she describes as an always changing seascape, she mentioned some people do however get freaked out by not seeing land.
I asked Pip about this, specifically, what tips would she have for someone who nowadays wanted to make a living out of sailing. Her advice to others, closely follows what she did, namely doing the right courses and getting the right qualifications. Not just boat handling, but first aid and sea survival too. Plus being helpful and taking whatever jobs were available, including the role of cook on a yacht, for that too would mean time at sea, getting to know people, and the opportunity to prove oneself.
For Pip, her year out confirmed her passion for sailing and emphasised that sailing is how she wanted to spend her life. Plans to go to university were thrown out, and instead, Pip dedicated herself to sailing.
Obtaining her yacht master ?s qualification was then, as now, an essential step, for it meant Pip now had her commercial license.
Around that time she became aware of single handed ocean racing. It appealed to her, but she didn?t follow through. She was of course sailing professionally and gaining incredible experience, all the time building up her sailing cv. Yet she stayed quiet about her own ambitions to compete in single handed ocean races. Finally aged 35 Pip vocalized her dream, mentioning it to certain people at a corporate sponsor, for which she had been skippering a boat. She told them of her ambitions. They believed in her, encouraged her and gave her the opportunity to do her first race.
The first time Pip sailed far enough out to sea that she couldn?t see land, was aboard a Tall Ship, the Lord Nelson. Pip loved it, finding the whole experience to be incredible. For those of us who prefer the land, she compared the sensation of being out on deck at night, to being in the middle of a desert, surrounded by nothing but the night sky's stars. She found that to be magical. Even the bad weather days didn?t dent her enthusiasm, for Tall Ships are big, very big and she felt safe. Yes I did ask, 97 www.adventureshe.com
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I asked Pip what had changed, for her to seek out her goal of single handed ocean racing? As Pip told us, if she didn?t try, she would only have had herself to blame. She wanted to prove to herself that she could do it.
women. Then in 2017 Pip (who also runs marathons and does adventure races), applied for and received special permission from the race committee to return to the Three Peaks Yacht Race with just one team mate, Charles Hill.
Pip?s methodical. She had her dream and whilst she might have stayed silent about it for several years, she had been thinking about it, including how to fund it? She was now determined to do it. Still before leaping in, she carefully analysed everything, she ascertained where she was and she identified what resources were available to her.
Given the Three Peaks Yacht Race involves sailing from Barmouth to Caernarfon, followed by a run up Snowdon (all in Wales); then sailing on to Whitehaven in England, cycling to the foot of Scafell Pike and running up it (and back of course); and then sailing on to Fort William in Scotland and running up and down Ben Nevis; to do it as a team is tough. But teams generally have specialist sailors and two specialist runners. To do it with one team mate meant Pip and Charles had to do everything.
Along the way Pip has undoubtedly made sacrifices. This included selling her home (yes it was a boat home) and moving to France (apparently the place to be as a single handed ocean sailor) where she lived in a van. But this sacrifice meant she could buy a mini (ocean yacht) for single handed ocean sailing.
This led me to ask Pip a question about sleep deprivation when single handed ocean racing. To our horror she explained that she doesn?t have a bunk. Instead, she falls asleep whilst still in her wet weather gear, on a waterproof bean bag that?s on the floor!
Her sacrifices and dedication have seen her progress from the mini class, to racing a Class 40 (a 40 foot mini), to her current yacht, a Class 60. Whilst in the mini class she twice finished the Mini Transat, which is the biggest trans Atlantic race for that type of yacht, and certainly at that time (possible still is), the only British person to have completed it twice.
Mind you, the word ?sleep?is rather optimistic. It?s more a case of temporarily closing one?s eyes than sleeping. Pip explained it?s a case of training herself. She?s now incredibly self aware about understanding the lowest level at which she can operate and not to drop below that level. All the time she asks herself ?what does my body need?? She never pushes beyond that point. Instead, she tries to get small, regular, amounts of sleep, banking it for
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when she needs it. At home though, she assured me, she does have a fluffy pillow and duvet. Sleep is an essential in life. So is food. Now how much food does one pack for a non stop, around the world, unassisted, yacht race? Pip explained that for the Vendée Globe, she can narrow down to about a two week window, how long the
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race will take (the record is 74 days). When racing she relies on freeze dried meals, plus lemon juice for vitamin C, olive oil and the odd snack that?s easy to pick up. Food is packed into weekly bags and she is very strict about finishing one bag before opening the next. Absolutely no cheating is allowed. Whilst she?s incredibly focused on her racing, she really enjoys her food and has
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found that for her, it needs to be hot. Enter a Jet Boil. Boil water, pour over dehydrated food in a thermos bowl, eat. Each meal pouch is around 800 to 1000 calories. She eats half, then later, the other half (still warm thanks to the thermos bowl). Each day, she?ll consume 3,000 to 3.500 calories. Her ideal would be to work with someone to make up her meals, though she knows the
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Sailin g w it h dolph in s
brands she likes and there?s a shop in France where she buys them.
salt water. She then sprays herself with fresh water to rinse off.
Several times during the hour that we spoke, Pip said she thrives on a challenge. ?I like things that are hard to do. I like to push myself ?. Washing is of course another challenge on board a racing yacht. For Pip this means a bucket of
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could delegate and share responsibilities, even sleep for possibly a few hours at a time. But to Pip, it?s the challenge of solo racing that appeals, explaining that racing solo, is the biggest sailing challenge you can have. She still enjoys sailing with a crew, but not so much racing with a crew and that deep down the Volvo is ?not
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mine?. So how does Pip cope when things go wrong? For we all know things do go wrong in life. What about rogue waves? Pip explained she hasn?t particularly noticed any, but then, they only really take form when crossing a continental shelf. What about the electronics on board, after all, today?s racing yachts have a lot of gadgets. Pip has two sets of everything. She?s also adept at fixing things. In fact on her first two boats, she didn?t just fix stuff, she installed the electronics and by doing the installation work, she upgraded her capability at fixing stuff. Once again her attention to detail comes in here, for she stressed the need to be meticulous about keeping things dry. If water gets in, she pumps it out, then uses a sponge, before finally drying it. Pip might be meticulous, but then she needs to be, for her life is at stake. After all, in the single handed ocean racing environment, help could be
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days away. She claims to be driven to be the best she can be, but knows and says, it?s not possible to be perfect. It?s about base layer safety, then layering on performance. Before Pip had to go, we again chatted about any tips Pip might have for budding sailors. She emphasized the need to build up skills, to learn to understand, and only then to progress, plus the importance of working with a good skipper / instructor when learning. It might be strange, but I also asked about drugs, for I?d heard a story about young people in Europe being invited onto glamorous yachts as crew, only to be expected to do drugs with those on board. Pip?s advice was to ask around about a boat and its crew, to check out the crew and to join a trial journey before accepting a job. That way, one could stay clear of those types of boats. As for jobs on super yachts, she said they can be well paid and are great way into the sailing scene. But most of the 101
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jobs are hosting, not actually sailing, so to go for a smaller yacht with a crew of only 4 to 5 people, if the plan is to develop one?s sailing skills. I could have spoken with Pip for hours. After all, her life story is interesting, her goal to do the Vendée Globe is amazing, and her personal development and evolution is absolutely fascinating. Pip was so wonderfully chatty, the information rolled off her tongue. She was an absolute joy to chat with and I wish her well as she continues with her campaign to qualify for the Vendée Globe. For yes, even with a CV as impressive as Pip?s, there?s a strict qualifying criteria with five qualifying races and only a maximum of 30 yachts will be allowed to start. Pip being Pip though, she is meticulously aware of the qualifying progress, what she needs to do and when. Pip now believes in herself and she believes in her dream. With that self belief, meticulously, step by step, Pip is getting there, ever closer to her dream, the start line of the Vendée Globe.
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If you would like to follow Pip Hare on the journey, you can do so on social media. You can also donate, should you choose, on her website - link below. Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/piphareoceanracing/
https://www.facebook.com/PipHareOceanRacing/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pip-hare-87901617/
Web
https://www.piphareoceanracing.com/#donate 102
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A PATH LESS TRAVELLED BY NIKKI MCLEARY PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKKI MCLEARY AND MARK HANNAFORD In 2018 Nikki McLeary travelled to a remote part of Ethiopia where Westerners simply don?t go, to recee a potential location for World Extreme Medicine, an organisation that trains medics for hostile and remote environments. The outcome of this recee would be the development of a course introducing medics to an expedition environment, in a remote location, without immediate access to emergency services or definitive care. This training prepares people who may encounter medical emergencies in extreme situations outside of the confines of a hospital in challenging circumstances. This is her account of getting to and making that trek. 105 www.adventureshe.com
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28 Sept em ber Heathrow airport. Board flight to Ethiopia to help recce a location for a project World Extreme Medicine plan to launch. It?ll be 5 days across 120km following the ancient trade route of the Amharic people, concluding with a trek through the Samien National Park and over a 4430m peak, before descending and eventually meeting up with the support vehicle. From my research, I can?t find information on anyone (apart from local farmers) who?ve trekked the route, which is really exciting. It?s very remote so if something goes wrong, we?ll have to rely on each other as there?s no quick way out. Evacuation by helicopter would be a no hoper, since the location has no rescue helicopter to activate in an emergency. Our group is me (Rapid Response Adventure Medicine), Mark (World Extreme Medicine), another Mark (Tefla Tours
Ethiopia), a local guide and an armed scout (job creation rather than necessity) plus two mules (carrying three tents, cooking utensils and food). Hopefully nothing bad will happen to the mules, as my medical capabilities only extend to beings with 2 legs, not 4. 29 Sept em ber Landed in Addis Abiba at 0635 local time to organised chaos... eventually found connecting departure gate to Lalibella in the North of Ethiopia.
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Got a minibus to town based at 2400m, checked into accommodation (basic but really nice room with lovely hot shower). Lalibela?s in Amhara region of Ethiopia. The population is mostly Orthodox Christian. Headed off for an afternoon exploring the local monolithic church structures which are stunning. No wonder they were made a World 106 Cou r t esy of Nik k i M cLear y
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Heritage site in 1978. Also got to walk through one of the pitch black tunnels which was cool. Most were constructed during the reign of King Lalibela with the purpose of creating a new Jerusalem, after the Muslim leader Saladin took Jerusalem in 1187. Spent the evening eating goat burgers and drinking whisky with some ex-pats we bump into. Fun to hear about their life, I lived in the middle-east for 7 years so their tales are familiar. 30 Sept em ber Drove down to 1300m through Sakota and then onto Ziquala Wag Harma where there?s evidence of an aid project (they have a manual pump to access clean water). Our local guide explained the older people remember the 'Ferenj' (foreigners) but the young kids don?t and are scared of our pale skin, blue eyes and clothes. They ran away screaming. Turns out we are portrayed as the bogie men, ?If you don?t help with the harvest the ferenj will
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take you away!? That explains their reaction then! 10 minutes later a stunning gorge stretched out as far as we could see. We made camp there, though well away from the dry river bed in case of flash floods from the surrounding mountains. We opted for sleeping bags with mosquito nets rather than tents (we?re still inside the malaria belt). Through the mosquito nets we looked at the stars, which were incredible, thanks to no electric lights anywhere nearby. I lay there hoping none of the scorpions that were running around as if they were on drugs, would infiltrate our defenses. Never seen scorpions move that fast? 01 Oct ober Drove through Snefru. There were some road blocks with armed locals asking for money, but it was more curiosity than anything and they let us through with a friendly wave and smile. They stopped the wrong trio? all of 107
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us are used to bartering our way through roadblocks and boarders without actually parting with any cash? most of the time anyway!. Found a little hut with someone cooking local pancakes with thick orange spicy substance on top. Delicious. The nearby drop toilet (probably the last we?ll see for a while) but it was filled with wasps and guarded by an irate donkey... decided it wasn?t urgent and could wait. Finally arrived in Guaroch which is the start of the trade route we?ll be hiking. At 1700m it?s still just inside the malaria belt so again opted for sleeping bags and mosquito nets. No toilets anymore so everything is ad-hoc. Rest of the team are guys but I?m used to this type of travel, just have to careful of cultural sensitivities from the Ethiopian perspective, and also need to be very hot on washing hands regularly particularly prior to eating. Local village kids were again terrified but also curious, so
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we started shouting out English words until they repeated them altogether, in the end we had about 40 kids counting to ten, naming things around us and laughing, which we hope dispels the myths of ferenj! 02 Oct ober Stunning sunrise. Last time we?ll see the support vehicle until after the trek. We?re hiking from 1700m up to 4430m so need a range of kit with us. I?ve the same clothes for the duration - light coloured long sleeve men?s XS
shirt with high collar, dark but really thin Mammut hiking trousers, light wool socks and trail/hiking trainers by Meindl (I never wear boots above the ankle unless there?s snow). I?m carrying 3.5 litres of water (1.5 of which is in a camel pack); passport, credit cards, local currency and US dollars; clothes wise it?s base layer top and bottoms (to sleep in), 2 t-shirts, ski socks (to sleep in), fleece hoodie, down jacket, rain jacket, woolly headband, thin gloves, underwear, sun hat, light cotton material to protect 109
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neck from the sun; camp wise there?s my 800 Mountain Equipment Helium sleeping bag (a mule has the tent); plus essentials of water pump filter and straws, toothbrush and toothpaste, head torch, and medical kit. The medical kit has altitude acclimatisation tablets Diamox, anti-malaria tablets, broad spectrum antibiotic, cranberry tablets, antibacterial hand gel, bar of soap, eye wash, steristrips, antiseptic, plasters and compeed, range of bandages, rehydration sachets, tablets from local pharmacy for
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bacteria causing stomach cramps / diarrhoea and vomiting, water purification tablets, scissors, tweezers and wet wipes. It all fits in my 40 litre Osprey backpack (incidentally hand luggage world-wide) and weighs around 13 kilos. Anything else is probably pointless, if something happens no help is coming anyway. The villagers are used to rigging makeshift
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stretchers and making a quick descent, so they would be our first option to access the nearest point with a vehicle. If the route is later used for tourist hikes then a satellite phone will be part of the kit ? we don't have one on this trip given the lack of rescue helicopter in-country but this is something that would have to be in place for the future. Today?s trek was a long route gradually climbing up to Awuchare village based at
2800m, a gain of 1100m in height, the scenery and route was nothing short of spectacular. This is one of the most remote villages in Africa, inhabited by the Agaw. The Agaw are born from a much older race and don?t even speak the local Amharic dialect so our guides can?t communicate with them. Luckily some of the older people who used the trade
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route have learned Amharic. They showed us the water pump installed ?long ago?by white people. During dry season the water stops and they revert back to drinking dirty water (there?s problems with stomach parasites, diarrhoea and vomiting, and eye infections from the flies which buzz continuously). One woman from another village is based there as a ?nurse?, she was shown how to vaccinate and the men bring medicine back from their travels to the towns so there is at least very basic care. Old picture posters from a US aid agency showing when to descend the mountain to seek help (childbirth, child fever, hemorrhage etc) are pinned up in one of the huts. They let us sleep in their fields. We used the tents but still got nibbled by fleas, however no mosquitoes at this height bonus! 03 Oct ober 8 hour hike across the route up to Timbara based at 3200m, again absolutely breathtaking scenery through narrow steep gorges opening
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up to mountain ranges as far as the eye can see, but we get our timing wrong and ended up hiking the last hour after nightfall, using our head torches. This situation shows the importance of predicting things that can go wrong, the temperature plummeted once the sun disappeared, easy to see why people get caught out by hypothermia in a mountainous environment.
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We were happy to arrive at huts with stone beds and mattresses. The villagers offered us food as well which was delicious and much appreciated, as we?d skipped lunch (given the distance) and had just eaten snacks on the go. Tonight there was a huge lightening storm in the distance towards Gondar which was mesmerizing.
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04 Oct ober Tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs with fire baked soda bread and plenty of sweet tea. I stuffed my pockets with soda bread to eat along the way (I get Hangry!)
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Passing the mud hut of a local family, they beckoned us in. They make coffee the traditional way by washing then frying the coffee beans before grinding them down with a stone. To make 6 small cups takes 50 minutes and the mother takes great pride in the process. Their cattle have the downstairs area, the family sleep above for warmth and there is an area with the fire and stone seating. Chickens peck at any scraps of leftovers on the floor. It was a 6-hour hike with lots of up and down to Sakba (3700m), our camp for tonight. We?re on the side of the mountain and a glad of a rock face sheltering us from the wind. Local farmers brought us goats milk which we swapped for some of the uneaten soda bread and sugar. We boiled the milk and enjoyed a goat milk cuppa with our dinner, which one of the Mark?s rustled up; pasta, potato, garlic, ginger, onion, spring onion and loads of spice. Simple but tasty. I fell asleep
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listening to the howling of hyenas. 05 Oct ober Woke up to 4 degrees and a bitterly cold wind. Farmers and kids gathered around the tent to watch us - they were intrigued by our electric toothbrushes and toothpaste - they chew on the bark of a tree to keep teeth clean. Today we summited the Buwahit peak at 4430m, a climb of 730m over about 20 kilometres. First part was steep. Case of continually up, up, up and chipping away at the distance as the altitude slowed our speed. Wild jelaba monkeys were everywhere which was incredible (they look like baboons but a study by the University of Michigan determined they are monkeys). They played alongside ibex with vultures circling overhead (if they?re waiting for us they are out of luck as we are all feeling great!) Saw a jackal sprint in the distance. Took a 10 minute sandwich break then we were on way again. The last 250m push up was a steep rocky climb. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped as it clouded over. We hit the peak... to a round of applause by God as a huge thunderstorm came our way completely out of nowhere and the heavens opened with hailstones! Bit unexpected.
on the ground! We pitched the tents and make hot sweet tea which couldn?t have tasted better. 06 Oct ober Despite lots of clothing and a warm sleeping bag we slept badly and everything was damp inside when we woke. Brrrrrrrrrrr! Opened the tent to blazing sunrise but 0 degrees centigrade. We had to knock frost off the tents. Today was an easy 4-hour hike from 3620m up to and over the other side of the Enatye peak at 4070m. As with every day, the hiking was superb and the scenery breathtaking. As we finished our descent and reached the road. We passed about 60 wild jelaba monkeys that have made their home by the side of the road. They are so used to humans they allowed us to sit 1.5m away whilst they fed, groomed and played with their young, before deciding to get saucy with each other... monkeying round! The local guide said he knew of a waterfall close by with the best views, only a short descent through the woods... so off we went again? pretty spectacular ending to what can only be described as a remarkable trek that follows in ancient footprints on a path less travelled.
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Wilder n ess M edicin e The December 19, 2015 issue of the medical journal The Lancet (Issue 10012, P2520-2525), contained an article on ?Extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine?. A summary to the article stated: Extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine are modern and rapidly evolving specialties that address the spirit of adventure and exploration. The relevance of and interest in these specialties are changing rapidly to match the underlying activities, which include global exploration, adventure travel, and military deployments. Extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine share themes of providing best available medical care in the outdoors, especially in austere or remote settings. Early clinical and logistics decision making can often have important effects on subsequent outcomes. There are lessons to be learned from out-of-hospital care, military medicine, humanitarian medicine, and disaster medicine that can inform in-hospital medicine, and vice-versa. The future of extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine will be defined by both recipients and practitioners, and empirical observations will be transformed by evidence-based practice. Cou r ses by Wor ld Ext r em e M edicin e 'If you are a qualified medic interested in medicine in challenging environments why not contact World Extreme Medicine' https://worldextrememedicine.com/ which arranges a variety of course, including polar medicine, Dive Hyperbaric Medicine & Saturation Diving; Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, Jungle medicine and conservation medicine, to name a few. Abou t Nik k i M cLear y Nikki McLeary operated her own adventure company overseas for 15 years across desert, mountain and ocean environments. She is a Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter (Sports and Health Sciences) and also operates an Adventure Medicine company in the U.K You can contact Nikki McLeary on Facebook or email info@responsemedicine.com to find out more about Adventure Medicine courses for people who love the outdoors. If you mention Adventure She magazine, you will get 20% discount. Diam ox Diamox is a drug that is sometimes used when trekking at altitude. It is only available on prescription. You should discuss with your doctor any intention to trek at altitude and the drugs you may require if any. 116 www.adventureshe.com
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comingupinfutureissues HIKINGOMAN
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