Day Three - Lahfria - Ekfrijer Camp

I thought nights in the Sahara Desert were supposed to be cold!? I researched, somewhat, in advance of the trek, picked people's brains and followed the recommendations of the Charity Challenge kit list. A common factor had been the dramatic temperature drop at night. A typical female always feeling the cold, I had focused on packing requirements to deal and cope with this. Fleece skins, sweatshirt and my two/three season sleeping bag had carefully been selected to ensure I had a good night rest not disturbed by cold nights. I was actually concerned if I had packed enough warm wear. The last thing I wanted or needed was sleepless nights affecting my energy and motivation levels during the trek days.

After a restless night, due to heat and anxiety, we all rise at 06:00hrs, to pack, eat breakfast and commence trekking our second day. We have one hour before we start walking, our deadline is scheduled for 07:00hrs. I remember frantically trying to re-pack my rucksack, ready for our Moroccan family to take away to our next camp. Very organised and tidy pre-packing ready for the airport journey had changed to chaotic, confusion and complete wonder of how I had managed to pack various items in one item of baggage! Pack, brush teeth (remember to clean brush and swill out toothpaste with bottled water only), wash face, grab a sweet coffee, bread, cheese and jams, eat, drink, sit and tie trekking bootlaces secure and comfortably! I feel as though everything is a rush for me, to make sure I do not get left behind when the team start to make their first steps into day three. Water rations are handed out. I had the God send of a hydro pack, loaned to me by Kath. A big thank you to Kath, for saving me money and avoiding further expenses to fund this wonderful charity event, and for the ease of having hydration supplies on tap.

We begin to trek our second day on time. The early start time of the day is relatively cool and comfortable. The footings are dry and as we journey onwards we begin to witness the affects the heat has had on desert grounds with the disappearance of rain for so many years. The area we cross, we are told, has become very isolated. Families have moved away due to the desertion of rain. We climb a few sand dunes, it is not overly tasking at this point, but I am already discovering it rings true from fellow supporters there is a skill in walking in Sahara sands. Soft sand changes rather unexpectedly to a dry, hard, broken surface. Jimbo describes this amicable "I feel like I'm treading on hundreds of broken grey chocolate Easter eggs!" Another perfect description I can relate too.

We walk for three or four hours. It is very difficult to remember exact times due to getting lost in ones mind, entering into a hypnotic state as you continually put one foot forward moving slowly into such open, far, never ending grounds with limited, if any, landmarks. Eventually we reach our rest station. Our Moroccan family have pitched up canvas, for us to rest, eat lunch and cool down. I did not feel too bad, but welcomed the break and a chance to take off my boots. I had no idea at this early stage, that routine for breaks and completion of a days trek would be to take off boots before lying down, washing and changing. We have a few hours to rest and enjoy another amazing lunch. Bodies sprawled everywhere trying to take cover and gather thoughts, eat, listen to music, chat, sing and the odd moments of silence.

On the first day of the trek, after settling into our camp, I had suggested "Pee Watch" with a few co-female trekkers. From my Goa travels I had learnt you have to get over the embarrassment of finding a patch to squat to pee, in privacy, and the hope that no uninvited creepy crawly bites you on the butt. Hence I said to the ladies it would be good to go in pairs, hide each other from view and look out for bugs. Due to this suggestion I was asked on a few occasions to accommodate with my recommendation.

Our rest is disturbed when Jason is visited by a beetle, coated in his black and white tuxedo shell. This clumsy beetle trudges straight to him and is greeted by two fingers sharply flicking him away. He travels with the force a distance, but with attitude picks up his little beetle legs and heads straight back to him! We all find this highly amusing and more so when this event is re-acted for 5 takes. Eventually Jason flicks little tux beetle so hard, he spins back, lands on his tux shell and just lies there! I do not like bugs, creepy crawly, monster insect things at all but found I reacted with"awwww you've killed him!" We watch Tuxy. He does not move, the game is over, Jason wins!! However, after Tuxy recovers from mild concussions, he rolls himself over, takes a moment to brace himself, and walks straight back to Jason. This is absolutely comical to see. I think he was given a break and rescued, due to his strength, commitment and bravery, picked up and rested a side to walk the desert for many more days to come.

Ibraham calls the group to prepare for trek continuation. It is time to pull back on trekking boots, make sure we have adequate water supplies, throw the daypack on and start striding to our home base for the night. We rested for a few hours to avoid the heat, but I do not feel a decrease in temperature as we set out. It is VERY hot, no breeze and as expected very very dry. We walk, and walk for a few hours. I find an even pace chatting as we walk with co-trekkers. At times due to a co-trekker stopping to tie a lace, or stop to drink water, I have sole moments of walking alone. This appears to be a similar pattern for all. Some of us start to feel fed up now, although Ibraham tells us we only have twenty minutes to reach camp. Tom, our Charity Challenge guide, whispers to a few, “When Ibraham tells you the time anticipated add at least another hour to the time he gives to the schedule.” Tom is not far off! It definitely takes at least one hour before we arrive to camp.

A repeat pattern occurs, remove daypack, sit down and take off trekking boots, lie on ones thin mattress for a while, trying to cool down. Sit up and drink water, lie down again, wipe the back of your neck, head, drink water and lie down again. We share in conversation the bemusement of how body temperature rises and sweating continues even when we rest! The only way to cool down is to make use of the make shift shower. A barrel of cold water, although this becomes bath water temperature due to the heat, bowl and scoop to pour water over you within the slim canvas tent. I queue up with Rachel, while passing a bowl of water to Maria, to assist her with the cooling and cleaning process. While Maria bathes, we hear a little commotion from camp. Although Rachel and I had noticed a sudden cast appear we were oblivious a sand storm was fast approaching. We continued to chat, Maria continued to wash, until we had to join Maria undercover to avoid the wind and hard hitting sand. We stood laughing, Maria struggling to cover up as the tent is almost blown away. Eventually, we run to a main tent, Maria wrapped in her bath towel. I have no idea why we thought we would not notice the storm merely running to a larger canvas pitch. Our Moroccan family frantically re-hammer in pegs as Canvas ties fly up in the air due to the strength of the wind. I try to sit at the back of our tent, pushing myself in the centre, hoping this will take pressure of the outside main four rope supports.

The storm is very strong and shows no sign of surrender, so our Moroccan family suggest we all gather in the largest tent to eat our evening meal together undercover. We all gather into what is referred to as the “younger girls tent.” It is time to find a pew, and pass food filled plates and cutlery along in a polite order. We are served a Moroccan beef stew, meat falls off the bone to mingle with the tantalising flavours shared with a variety of vegetables. Imagine Gordon Ramsay, gestering a curled hand kiss fingers to lips approval to palate suggestion, this would not be suffice for tonight’s meal. An increadible and again satisfying dinner, under canvas with candle lit latterns, sharing laughter,thoughts and asking questions for the next day of the trekking challenge. After our meal we share banter and discuss as a team the agreed schedule for our next day trekking. A few co-trekkers spill tears due to missing home, various thoughts that have danced to mind, tiredness and adapting to sleeping in the Sahara sands. It seems very early, but we all return to our resting pads at a very respectable hour, knowing we need to rest to complete another trekking day for Acorns Children’s Hospice and our personal sponsors that have supported us on this event.

family

Day Two - Enter the Gateway of the Sahara Desert - Fezzou - Lahfria First Camp

Sunday 5 September 2010

Allocated room share at the hotel was organised by Tom, our Charity Challenge manager. Unfortunately, odd female numbers caused Linden to share me. Linden was participating on the trek with her partner Oliver. Linden seemed ok about this, although I was concerned I had prevented them from commencing their Sahara trek experience together from the start off point. Tired, still not knowing each other too well at this stage, we go to our room to get some rest before another early start. The first day of trekking and sleeping in the desert waiting for us.

We have breakfast, meet our desert guide Ibraham, receive a quick brief and begin to hand over rucksacks or bags before boarding vehicles at 08:30 hours, taking us to the Gateway of the Sahara Desert. Ibraham had scheduled a quick supermarket stop to purchase drinks and other refreshments one required. I headed straight to the postcards, collecting a selection of topical pictures to add further daily journal updates to post home. Whenever I travel abroad I write postcards to myself. This helps me monitor and create further moments of reflection after my travel adventures.

The start of the journey is a smooth, comfortable tarmac road. We all begin to feel the heat change. Wind blowing into the vehicle reminds me of the heater I try to hide under my desk at work. I forever feel the cold. I turn my office into a sauna for the gents at work, while I still complain I'm cold. My excuse at work for using the heater, even at times during the summer was "its part of my training for the trek!" I already make a vow to myself with the heat I am experiencing blowing into the jeep, never will I complain about being cold again. I am craving for cold at this point. I am trying to visualise ice on my neck and a large freezer door open releasing cold into the atmosphere.

Our Sahara support team prepared and handed out food parcels and 1.5 liters each of bottled water. Taking a lunch break, sitting under a tree to try to cool down, we sit to savour the contents of our food parcels. Basic food, but kindly put together, we fill the hunger gap with local homemade bread, cheese, boiled eggs, a tomato and very sweet orange. Simple food but actually tasty and very satisfying. As we sit together starting to gel as a team, we notice children appear from nowhere. It was actually very uncomfortable for most of us being watched from all directions of "never eat Shredded Wheat!"

We return to the trekker jeeps for a rough and bumpy journey to the Sahara Gateway. At 14:30hrs we suddenly grind to a holt, tyres stir up sand into very hot dry air. Most of are thinking, some verbally ask "Is this the start?"...Sure is! A second instruction to mask ourselves in sun factor, get further water rations and grab our daypack. The mini adjustment to our new environment has commenced. Only a two hour walk to Fezzou camp base number one is scheduled. This provides an opportunity to start the feet and mind working for the rest of the trek scheduled. We were greeted with a sand storm, all trying to mask face and or eyes to enable us to see as we walk to first base.

I am starting to feel excited, although sight is challenged. On occasion I visually capture the sand dancing and witness ripples form on dunes, while there's an amplified sound of silence (so hard to describe) broken with the song from the storm. The heat is fairly strong, although clouds form a dull cast affect. The odd plops of rain are welcomed, warm but somewhat help to cool. At times the wind starts to challenge at this early stage, pushing against me as if trying to prevent me from moving forward.

I have mixed thoughts and feelings as we approach our first base and what will be our first night sleep in the desert. Although the mini trekking taster was somewhat amusing, will I be equally amused when distance, and of course time, increases from tomorrow? One can only wait and see, I remind myself. Three tents for trekkers to find a spot to sleep, three slim canvas tents, two set up as squat toilets and one for washing, are provided and erected by our wonderful Moroccan support crew. Tom suggests that due to being out numbered by female trekkers the ladies have two of the sleeping tents and the gents share the third. Two couples are part of the team and they go along with this to assist and build the group "pull together" relationship. We choose our selected spot for rest take off boots, rest for a while before our evening meal is served.

Naturally there is a variety of age and personality, but I think my co-trekkers will agree, that we all felt excited and acted like big kids settling into our new environment. The Sahara big kids where joined by some of the local Berber children, on looking from a sand dune above camp with immense curiosity. Given time, the big kids and little kids join hands to play jumping down the sand dune. The fear of high jumps or tumbling seemed none existence in the Berber children, jumping as high in the air as possible. There were a few tears from two little ones, but any discomfort experienced from their sand bombing was short lived when comforted by their friends and encouraged to play more.

Eventually the sand dune "high" and "long jump" game had to cease. Dinner is called by our Moroccan crew family. A further explosion of excitement erupts when we are served the most amazing chicken and chips dinner. This was not what any of us expected. I could see that the crew, from the smiles on faces, appreciated our appreciation. We eat our meal outside, night starts to fall fast and the camp seems to settle and become peaceful due to a combination of tiredness and the Sahara stars finding their place in the night sky. I cannot describe how amazing and magical the sight is, but what has stuck fast are the sweet words of Ellie "The stars make me want to cry, they remind me of my loved ones." Sentimentally, I do not think I could have thought of such an emotional description that I too could relate to. A further glamorous and girly description was Justine's who thought the sky reminded her of glittering sequins stitched to a heavy blackout blanket used in theatre backdrops.

Day One - The Sahara Desert Journey begins - Travelling

Jimbo and Janette - Digbeth coach station














Casablanca Airport Cats :o)

Saturday 4 September I woke at such an early ridiculous time, restless, nervous and excited. I sat down at my PC to write a few emails to friends on facebook. Nicky was up at the sametime, emails to each other crossing by seconds. I think this was at 04:30hrs.

Dressed in trekking gear, as advised by Charity Challenge just in case main luggage was lost, I headed towards Digbeth coach station at 0900hrs. The mind racing with pre-advanced ideas of what was waiting ahead. I walk down Alcester Street asking my back and hips to work well for me from this point onwards. I lost count of how many times I re-checked I had my passport. Sitting alone people and clock watching, I noticed a couple walk in, gut instinct added with their dress code was telling me they were setting out on the same charity event.

After 10 minutes or so of the three of us starring at each other the lady finally approached me. Pure, warm, friendly brummie, a smile from ear to ear I was asked "Are you on the Acorns Sahara Trek?" "Sure am! I take it you are too?" And from this point onwards I had met two special people who had instantly become good friends. Janette and Jim(bo) :o).....Team icebreaker and getting to know each other..Name links ;o) to help us remember names..Janette quotes "My name is Janette and for 'J' association I Janette love Jim!" Jim's icebreaker and introduction, "My name is Jim, and for 'J' association I love Janette!"...Awww romantic, mushy pair!

Janette had participated in the Great Wall of China Acorns trek. This was originally the trek I intended to do. Jim had taken part in the Acorns Sahara Trek in 2004. My nerves and slight fear began to dissolve towards the trek when Jim showed me a photo from his Sahara trek, sharing how wonderful it was hence wanting to take part again but this time share the experience with Janette. I bombarded Jim with questions. Nerves creeping back in when Jim in confidence said "It will be a great experience, BUT! it is a tough trek." Noooooo, I thought, fluff it up for me and tell me it will be a breeze!

Our coach sets off on time, heading towards Heathrow T4. The journey felt as though it went quite quickly what with mini snoozes and conversation. We meet the rest of the group, promotional Acorns Children's Hospice t-shirts handed out, introductions, family saying farewell to members of the trekking team they had driven to the airport. Then it's all systems go checking in, handing over luggage and before we knew it we were boarding the first plane. Two groups of Charity Challenge Sahara Trekkers starting to get familiar. One group all in support of Acorns Children's Hospice, lead by Tom, and a second group supporting their favoured charity bringing together a mixture of good causes.

We arrive at Casablanca, chilling for 3hours waiting for our second flight to Ouarzazate. In the very early hours of Sunday morning we are met at the airport and taken to a hotel to get a few Z's before the first day of trekking commenced that same day.

Note Books

My note book I've filled with photo's cut out of travel magazines of places I want to visit.


















I haven't looked through it for ages! I had a flick through to see if I had ever glued in a picture of the Sahara Desert. I found the 'perfect moments' photo shown, camel shadows walking the sands :o)















Good luck postcard from Jay :oD with a very thoughtful message and best wishes

Difficult times before I leave, difficult times ahead

Lucky, keep safe heart gem loaned to me by Chris to take on my travels















Some essentials - Passport, insurance, journal/pen and mp3 player

Sadly Nicola, my stepmother, died Friday 27 August 2010. I managed to be with her when she passed. Dad and Stuart her son, held her hands. This was so difficult to watch. I don't think what has happened will hit me until I return from the Sahara Desert charity trek commencing 4 September. What with rushing around, working long hours, training whenever possible, long sits with my stepmom while she was in St Mary’s Hospice, then moved to Sheldon Care Unit, (which was a period of seven weeks) it hasn't really sunk in! My heart goes out to these two men. Nicola was a loving centre of their lives, as dad and Stuart were for her. They are truly at a loss without her. There have been and continue to remain difficult times ahead.

I'm not sure if I will be here for Nicolas funeral, it may take place when I'm in the Sahara. The funeral date has not been confirmed. Due to dad wanting a Requiem Mass the earliest date available is 13 September, my lovely nans birthday, rest her soul. I have thought long and hard about not going ahead with the trek, cancelling all arrangements to enable me to attend Nicola's funeral, but I know I have to continue with my plans. It also can be said, before Nicola lost all physical and mental abilities, she was pleased I was going away and congratulated me in advance for even signing up for the event. She was excited for me.

Since my divorce in 2002, learning to live as a singleton again, I had promised myself every year I would travel somewhere new abroad and write my “Bucket List.” I've been fortunate to see many wonderful places by cruise with the family and when married, and so far travelled alone to Malta, Goa, Bangalore and Sri Lanka. I also wanted to at least once in my life time participate in a charity event abroad. Not sticking to my "Bucket List ." missing travel abroad for three years, I decided March 2010 to get back on track and kill two birds with one stone to catch up. Hence, the Sahara a new place and for charity this year. Nicola could see I had decided to start to make an extra effort to stop putting things on hold and move forward again. Actually, I'm starting to get upset writing this, the reality creeps in every now and then that I will never see Nicola again and things will not be the same. Oops tears and sitting at work typing this during my break, not good, I must get myself together Quick! Anyway further motivation, when I travel the Sahara she and many other special people will be walking with me in mind and spirit.

Right! so my dining room is upside down, kit everywhere. I have booked Friday off to pack properly and start winding down from work. I've received fantastic support and have many people to thank for various donations and help. From financial to morale support, loan of kit, tips, newspaper article photo, lucky charms, cards and a journal. I remember reading a quote another charity challenger had written "The marathon has changed my life when initially it was about changing other people's." I am recognising and feeling this already.