Sahara Diaries
Posted on 24. Nov, 2009 by admin in Challenge
SAHARA CHALLENGE NOVEMBER 2009
“No man can live this life and emerge unchanged. He will carry , however faint, the imprint of the desert, the brand which marks the nomad; and he will have a yearning to return, weak or insistent according to his nature. For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match.
The challenge set was to surpass the distance of 100miles or to beat the distance of the previous year of 107 miles set by the the previous 3 challengers, over undulating desert terrain and the elements including high mid day temperatures and sand storms.
Day One .
8.00am A group of 24 individual set off from base camp , following the nomad who set the pace and the way ,
The morning brief , the plan was to walk along the mountain side until we found the pass to take us over, after 2 hours the mountain path reared upon us as the sun beat down . The group had already broken into 2 distinct groups and the distance between was anywhere upto 1000m. The trek up the mountain to get to the desert plains was approx 1200m and slogged up slowly to conserve both energy and water , the view down the valley opened up to wide expanses and nothing but the odd derelict building or bush to break the open plains,
The ascent completed to meet with 3 of the group for a drink break which turned into lunch as we waited for the rest to re-group.
Little did we realise that the ascent wouldn’t be the talking point of the day.
After a 1hr stop we set off with the notion that we had completed half the days distance of 15k .
Again the group gradually split into 2 groups, within an hour the trek leader was rushing up to see if anyone had spare water as one of the back markers had come down with dehydration and was suffering at the rear, after consulting him in regards to distance and time left to finish I gave up my entire supply as I was sure I was good to go for another 1 and half-2hrs.Little did I know then that this was the start of the game of imaginary distance and time scenarios that would unfold over the week ,
4 hours later still plodding over uneven stony ground we were informed we still had a good 2 hours to get to base camp as we discovered that our support crew did not check their communication equipment before departure and was dead!!!.Now we knew we would have to travel the last section in the dark so we waited for the group to reform to ensure no one was left or lost. 2 of the group set off for camp to get the support crew to extract those that needed and to re-supply much needed water.
As we trekked on it was with great relief to see the headlights cresting the dunes , as I guzzled down 2l of water to much laughter and jokes cracked as the relief swept over the group we slogged on for the last 45mins to make camp after a 12hr slog over varied terrain,
After some impromptu foot surgery acting as the assistant to the group appointed foot doctor, watching the reactions to each iodine injected foot, much laughter and sore feet we fell into slumber.
28miles
Day Two
After a hearty breakfast of cream cheese and bread, copious amounts of tea and coffee we set off for our first real day of desert . To our relief we carried extra bottle of water to ensure no repeat of the day before.
The pattern was changed as the berber guide kept the stronger walkers to the rear to push on the rest of the group, this worked well until again lots of seemingly false information over time and distances caused the group to fracture and find there own places as it was feared a repeat of the day before with night walking across the unforgiving landscape,
It was now evident that several members were struggling after the over exertion of the first day and gradually fell towards the back of the group. So myself and a couple of the others fell back to help cajole, joke, push them towards camp.
A sandstorm broke and we amended our plan and headed towards a fixed Bedouin site to ensure that we would be able to sleep out, Relief to find almost normal size mud huts with a reasonably decent bed to sleep on.
As the group and now infamous blister doctor sat for supper I decided now would be a good time to lance my feet and pour in liquid hell , but at least with the knowledge that few would witness my string of verbal obscenities. As it turned out I just laughed a lot as the guide looked on with a bemused smile at this bizarre sideshow,
21miles
Day Three
Today was re-scheduled to be an easier day to try and enable some re-cuperation as the previous days and now taken there toll.
Today was the turning point and the group split into several groups with 3 or 4 of us helping the wounded and carrying additional supplies whilst the rest made there own way without much regard for their fellow travellers
Again gravitating towards the back to ensure that the back markers had support , my kit bag loaded with enough water for 5 people and supplies of food and sundries to make today a pleasant and enjoyable stroll.,
Was good to be able to chat as we ambled across sand dunes and to get to know several of the other challengers and their motivations and reasons for taking part.
15miles.
Day Four
The morning brief was to carry light and to share day rations with a fellow traveller as today was going to try and break back of the trek to ensure we completed challenge.
Fully loaded with 14L of water and a couple of other small bottles we set off for a hard days slog . again the stronger group held towards the back to try and push on the rest . Hard day loomed as the skies were grey and the wind blowing,
For the next 6 hours I watched the guys feet in front of me as we battled in the rain and ensuing sandstorm to stop for our lunch break ,All I could see from under my peaked cap was the a 5ft area to left right and front as I tried to plot a course through a maze of stones and rocks. After lunch the storm subsided and the rocks gave way to rolling dunes of sand and proved to be equally as arduous as the morning session we finally made camp which was set inside the bowl of 3 impressive dunes of 30m or so.
The mood lightened in camp as we knew tomorrow would be the finale and we all had a good chance of walking over the finish line. 21miles
Day Five
The mood over breakfast of ibuprofen, paracetamol and a mixed bag of any other drug available was upbeat and jocular as we set off to the promise of a beer and a real bed for the night.
The day’s journey was easier as the landscape and prevailing conditions allowed us to walk in line for a change so the banter was constant as each step brought us closer to the promised goal.By 11am I was suddenly running on empty all my reserves shot so went on a hunt for any sugar based foods and nuts to try and replenish my lost energy after a few liquid gels and a pocket filled with nuts to munch on we proceeded to trek the last leg,
Finally cresting a dune the castle walls were visible and the town would surely not be far behind, the energy levels pumped by such a sight got us over to the boundary only to realise we still had at least 4 miles to go to the luxury of the hotel,.
The view of the swimming pool was a joy to behold on finally completing the distance , and would have been a great night if I wasn’t to later succumb to heat stroke and only get to use the double bed for less than 1hr as the porcelain riles and toilet where tonight to be my bed fellows.!!!!
18Miles Total 103Miles
Conclusion
I did not beat the previous record as was my intention as I got on the plane nor did the desert leave many a lasting image as one sand dune lookslike any other after the novelty has worn off.
But the satisfaction and reward of helping several others complete the distance was beyond doubt the highlight to listen to their stories and watch their determination to make the finish line was an inspiration .
Not that inspiration was required much as Mark walked with me everystep of the way and made me smile when the day got hard or my feet started to burn , I would recall some of the memories of our past and picture his smile which would give me the strength I needed to get through each day.
So to finish I would like to thank my brother for being by my side and to the friends I met and to the challengers who like me, helped and made it memorable you know who you are……
Kevin Hale
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