In between days

 Hello!

 We completed our practice expedition on Sunday (see previous post) and the next Saturday we had our assessed expedition. In the days in between - hence the title - I had a lot to do to prepare for our final expedition.

 First I went with my Mam to a big outdoor activities shop in Bolton called Decathlon where I got a waterproof poncho (good for wearing at camp if it is raining), a fleecy cardigan (good for wearing at camp to keep warm) and finally, perhaps most importantly, a pair of walking poles. They proved indispensable during our assessed expedition.

 We also bought some Kendal Mint Cake - I love Kendal Mint Cake. 

 I remember on my Silver D of E expedition we came across a couple in the hills; the woman explained that the man was diabetic and badly in need of something sugary to eat. I offered him a Kendal Mint Cake and afterwards his wife said he was feeling better and the mint cake really helped! 

 So there you have it, Kendal Mint Cake is another indispensable piece of kit for D of E and could even save a life.

 After our shopping trip, there was route-planning session for the group - now christened REAL, standing for Ruth, Elizabeth, Andrew and Luke.

 We worked together to work out the best routes to take to get from each campsite to the next and to mark them on the maps. We also had to fill in route cards; for each leg of the journey we had to estimate how long it would take us, and say how many kilometres we would travel and when we intended to have our rests and stop for lunch.

 We had good fun and it was really nice spending time with the others in a more relaxed environment than trekking through the mountains. I felt that we were becoming stronger and stronger as a group as we got to know each other better.

 We were ready to set out on our assessed expedition! Bring on Saturday!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Training, planning and preparation

 Hello!

 Once I had decided to undertake my Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition in summer 2012, there was a lot of planning and preparation to do. I started doing a lot more walking on a day-to-day basis; for example I would get off my bus a stop early.

 I also worked on my general fitness by playing badminton, exercising and attending zumba classes. I feel that all of these things helped to build up my stamina and fitness.

 We had our first expedition meeting, where I met the team for the first time. There would be five of us - Ruth, Andrew, Luke, Ethan and me. However, Ethan had to drop out because he was ill, which of course is a huge shame for him, and also for us because he's really nice and would have been a great member of our team.

 So, we ended up being a group of four. I really liked the first impressions I had of the others, and was glad I was part of such a nice group.

 The next thing that happened was our training day, which we had with Dave and Wayne, two of our D of E instructors. We learnt so much in one day: map skills, navigating and compass technique, first aid, campcraft, what food to bring, how to pack a rucksack, and much more.

 A lot of it I had learnt for my Silver D of E, but there was some new info as well which I found really useful, and it was good to refresh the older stuff in my memory.

 We also picked up our rucksacks and equipment like tents, waterproof clothing and trangias (the small gas stoves we use for cooking our food at camp).

 For homework we had to learn about the Countryside Code, which I did, and I found it very interesting and learnt a few things about it I hadn't known.

 I really enjoyed the training day; Dave and Wayne made it fun as well as informative. I felt much more ready for my Gold expedition once I'd had that training day.

 After the training day we had a week until our practice expedition. I went out with my mum to buy some last-minute bits and pieces, such as spare walking socks and Kendal mint cake. I decided what clothes, food and snacks to bring, and then I packed my rucksack according to what we'd learnt on the training day.

 I felt physically ready for the expedition; it was emotionally where I was worried - I was scared I would get homesick as I had in the past on D of E expeditions. But only time would tell; for now I just had to hope for the best.

 Bring on the practice expedition!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x