British Exploring Society-Himalayas 2014

On the 22^nd of July this year I finally stepped foot on the plane bound for Delhi, the first step of an adventure I had been planning for a long time. Way back in the previous summer I applied for and was accepted on to an expedition headed for Ladakh, in Northern India, the aims of which were to explore and investigate the geology of the area. I was immediately drawn to the idea of combining my interest in science and learning with my love for mountains and exploring.

Arriving in India was a bit of a culture shock. Coming out of the cool, air conditioned airport was like walking into a wall of heat and noise. There were people everywhere shouting and scurrying about, and it got even more chaotic when we reached the roads. Driving in India is a nail biting experience, overtaking as many people as possible whilst narrowly avoiding oncoming cars seems a crucial part. As is continuously beeping your horn. I felt a great sense of relief when we reached base camp and were no longer at risk of crashing, breaking down or falling off the narrow, steep sided roads; and it was definitely worth the journey.

Base camp’s location was up a 4800m in a huge isolated valley surrounded by high peaks and glaciers. There we split into groups of 14 which were known as fires. Our fire was involved in exploring the geology of the area and trying to explain how the valley had formed. The first 3 weeks were spent studying the outcrops surrounding base camp and identifying the types of rock. This was done by looking at the physical characteristics of the rock and plotting it on a map. By the end of 3 weeks we had visited 11 outcrops and were able to use the data collected to draw a cross section of the valley and form our conclusions. The results showed a repeated banding pattern of different metamorphic rock types up the side of the valley. This led us to believe there were a number of faults in the area causing a phenomenon known as piggyback faulting where one bit of land is thrust up on top of another. Erosion down by the river has exposed the layers of rock to the open air. I learnt a lot in these first few weeks and we were lucky to have some
fantastically knowledgeable science leaders with us.

For the final 2 weeks the expedition focus switched from looking at science to exploring the valley further and climbing peaks. This phase presented us with challenges and gave the opportunity to really push ourselves and develop our skills. One thing we were all excited for was reaching the top of a mountain. Adjusting to the altitude took longer than expected. It gave a constant feeling of breathlessness, so it was a couple of weeks before we finally made it to 6000m. The views from the tops were stunning and worth the wait. The difficult terrain surrounding base camp and the heavy rucksacks made the hiking particularly hard and regular rest stops were a necessity. Of course it wasn’t all hardships, there were some great rewards too. Learning how to use crampons and climbing up a glacier was fantastic and unlike anything I’ve experienced before. There was also a surprising abundance of wildlife. There were many more plant species than expected and, close to the rivers, it was often quite green. The animal life was pretty amazing too, we saw lots of enormous birds of prey including what we thought were Golden Eagles. There was always a shout of joy and rush for the binoculars whenever birds were sighted. The smaller mammals also provided lots of entertainment as we were surrounded by Pika and Marmots. Being in such a remote area was a fantastic experience, we saw some breath-taking sights. This gave us all a great opportunity to use our cameras and try out some of the techniques we had been taught. Throughout the expedition I felt a constant sense of wonder at being in such a spectacular place and took many, many pictures to remember it by.

After months of hard work and planning it was amazing to have finally reached my goal. I found this expedition to be an extremely rewarding experience. As well as opening my eyes to a new culture I really stretched myself and developed confidence in my abilities. I am very grateful for the support given to me by the Jack Bloor Fund and everyone else who assisted me, I couldn’t have done it alone.

Kim Stephens

Junior European Cup 2014

My last race for GB as a junior inthe Lommel region of Belgium started with travelling very early on Thursday the 1st with a 3.45am alarm for a 6am flight. The morning was spent relaxing and sleeping and eating in Brussels airport before meeting the rest of the team coming in on different flights. After a long day travelling only a few people went and ran the model but after an early night me and some other W20s headed down to look at the terrain. We jogged around some controls for 25/30minutes and then discussed what we thought of the area etc. Sandy forest with some areas of contour detail and other areas very flat and featureless.
Friday evening was the first race – Sprint. Due to start blocks being decided the day before I had been given the first start (of every competitor!) at 5.30. Straight into the area and the course demanded some quick thinking but was very running dominant. I was trying my hardest but one change of plan and lapse in concentration 3 controls from the end and 1min30 lost! Disappointing to be so close to a decent run. Final result was 40th.

After an early night to try catch up on more sleep it was time for the Long distance. Now this is more my cup of tea and I was really excited! Somehow an early start block had again giving me a very early start – 10.32! So there was in fact 1 W20 ahead of me but considering a start block is 30minutes I was pretty unlucky! I didn’t let it get to me and ran my own race, overtaking the Russian girl who started at 10.30 by number 2 and hitting control after control bang on. Through the spectator I was tiring mentally and physically but pushed on and tried to stay in control. Unfortunately at control 30 (out of 33!!!) I was distracted from my bearing and lost 3 minutes. I was pleased to finish after 75 minutes and then cheered everyone else in, especially Alexander Chepelin who came a fantastic 2nd in M18! My final result was 21st and best W20 British result!

Relay was the final day and I was in a team with Lucy Butt and Tamsin Moran, 2 other final year W20s who I have grown up with so that was good. I was second leg and went out a couple of minutes down but still in contention with a big pack just ahead. It went well until the final loop after spectator and I lost 5 minutes on 2 different controls which I was disappointed about. Team final position was 9th nation.

After a relaxed afternoon we travelled back and reflected on our races and the weekend as a whole. I had such a fun weekend and after having surgery in February involving a lot of time resting and doing rehab I was just pleased to be back racing! In January I move up to senior racing so I’m not sure what’s coming next but I’m excited for a winter training in Edinburgh!

Many thanks have to go to the Jack Bloor Fund for helping me with this trip.

I have returned from my expedition to Morocco which was a great success and a wonderful experience. We managed to reach the summit of Mount Toubkal, (at 4167m) after a two day trek across the spectacular Atlas mountains. It was a great achievement and something I would consider doing again.
During the expedition, we also helped renovate a school in a local village, visited waterfalls in Ouzoud and sampled the culture of Marrakech.
Thank you again for helping me reach my fundraising goal and attached is a picture of me at the summit.

Emma Brook

Lagganlia is a training camp for second year M/W14s who were born in 2000 and for some M/W16s who were born in 1999 for this year. Lagganlia Centre for Outdoor Education is 9 miles from Aviemore. There were 6 junior coaches and a lot of senior coaches. Each training group of 3 or 4 juniors had a senior and junior coach.

On the first day we learnt about using pacing and bearings together, to become more accurate and competed in a star relay against the junior coaches as well. In the afternoon we did two courses on the checkerboard area at the top end of the wood next to Lagganlia. On these courses the junior coaches tried to distract us, whilst running round the courses. I also got drenched on this day.

On the second day we went to Roseisle but in an area that was only visited by M21E at the Scottish 6 days last year.  We did attack points and catching features on the same map and then we did simplification course. We then did an odds and evens relay and a course in a green area.

On day 3 we went to Loch Vaa, to practise our bearings and accuracy. We then moved to north Granish where we used sketch maps that we had drawn ourselves earlier in the day to complete a course, and then compete in a relay.

On the 4^th day we did a sprint qualifier in Moor of Alvie and Speybank and a final in an urban area.  On this day we also went on a monkey swing over water which had some funny results and we went to a Loch where we all went in the water in our orienteering clothes. A few other girls and I stayed in until we were told we had to get out.  We also had a look round Aviemore and went to a sweet shop.

On day 5 we did talk-O. This is where you have to tell someone what you are doing and you must not stop talking. We also did a peg race (see map) but I got really lost on this.  In the afternoon we returned to Lagganlia and did some maze-O courses, of which I was the mass start champion.

On the last day we did a classic race, seeded in the reverse order of the results from the sprint qualifier, meaning I had to go first. After this we did a relay where we had to take a balloon around 2 legs each without popping it. The junior coaches surprised us all by dressing up in silly outfits.  In the evening we did ‘Lagganlia’s got Talent’ and had a prize giving where all the juniors were given an award for an achievement or something else e.g. I got the “Pippi Longstocking Award” for the best long socks.

Overall I enjoyed the whole week and learnt lots of new things as well as making new friends.  I would thoroughly recommend the week to any junior who is given the opportunity to go. I would also like to thank the Jack Bloor Fund and EPOC for their financial grants to make sure I could go to Lagganlia.

Megan Harrison