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We've raised
an amazing
£3770
November 12 - 22, 2009
What an amazing experience! Last summer I was asked to join a group of charitable adventurers in a trek across the Sahara Desert in aid of Help for Heroes. The trek took place in November, and we did all 100 miles in just 5 days!
Enjoy looking around my H4H website - find out about the charity itself, how the money will help, how I prepared for the trek, and, most importantly, how you can sponsor this incredibly worthwhile cause. Please help me to reach my target of £4000 - you can still donate money to the fund.
The auction has now closed - thank you for your generous bids!
The Trek Has Finished! To see video from the trek, please click on the link called 'Videos'!
And here's a summary of each day...
Thursday Nov 12 Arrived in Marrakech late in the evening after a short stopover in Casablanca. It's so hot here; can't wait to look around this exciting city tomorrow!
Friday Nov 13 Loving the hustle and bustle of one of the market squares. There are snake charmers, acrobats, tortoises, lizards and delicious, fragrant spices. It's friendly, noisy, hot and sweaty and I'm covered in a fine layer of teracotta dust. Love it!
Saturday Nov 14 Woke up at 5 am today to the sound of morning prayers coming from a local mosque. Breakfast was warm crepes with apricot jam and fresh pomegranate seeds. Started our 7-hour drive by 4x4 into the desert. Side stalls alongisde the main road with locals selling desert crystals, minerals and fossils - amazing! Set up camp at Zagora.
Sunday Nov 15 Day 1 of the trek! We set off at 8 am from a mountainous region on the edge of the desert. Due to the bumpy terrain it was quite slow going - not like my speedy marches along Sandbanks Beach and the Purbecks! For most of the day we were descending towards the desert plain, but progress was not as quick as our guide had hoped, so we ended up walking for 12 hours, the last two of which were in the dark using our head torches! After a massive 28-mile walk we stopped for the night and set up camp. All fairly exhausted - only another 4 days to go!
Monday Nov 16 Another hard day's walking, this time all on the desert sand. Walked past Morocco's largest sand dune and met a group of nomadic children - a joyful experience, and they seemed to enjoy the healthy snacks I gave them! Had to stop after 21 miles due to a huge sand storm - this stuff gets everywhere! Wondering whether I dare take my socks off as I don't want sand getting in what could be the beginnings of a couple of blisters.
Tuesday Nov 17 Only slept 4 hours in my tent last night. The sandstorm was so strong I wondered if I'd actually have a tent left in the morning! Only walked 13 miles today as it was sand dunes and hot sandy wind all the way. Lost a toe nail today and blisters getting a bit more painful. At the end of the day we enjoyed a delicious Moroccan soup, gazing at the stars and following the International Space Station as it orbited overhead.
Wednesday Nov 18 Walked 22 miles today. Took it slow for 3 miles to hunt for fossils in what used to be a sea a million years ago. Found lots of fossils of fish - amazing! Feet in pretty bad shape today, but with just 18 miles to go tomorrow, we all sense that the finish line is within reach.
Thursday Nov 19 Finished! We walked another 18 miles today, making a total of 102 miles. Didn't take in too much of the scenery this final stretch, just wanted to get my head down, block out the pain of the blisters and get to the end. Elation at the end as well as a great deal of respect for the servicemen and women who operate in these conditions while trying to make the world a safer place. Sat down with a beer (my first for many years!) and began nursing my 25 blisters!
Friday Nov 20 A 10-hour drive from the desert back to Marrakech along long, dusty roads. Very hot and very tiring. Stopped once in the Atlas Mountains for a delicious tagine. All of us mentally and physically exhausted and just beginning to reflect on how mammoth a challenge we've just undertaken.
Saturday Nov 21 Shuffled around Marrakech bazaars in my flip-flops - all other footwear was too painful for the blisters! Absorbed the electric atmosphere of this vibrant city one last time. Bought some interesting spices - can't wait to try them out when I get home.
Sunday Nov 22 Flew back to Heathrow with my two sore feet, 20 great friends and countless memories of an amazing country of lovely friendly people and one huge desert!
