That's all Folks!

Thanks for listening!

The thankyou letter

Just wanted to thank you once more for your brilliant support, and to give the final installment.

I finished the trek no problems, and had a great time doing it. In fact the whole year has been a real adventure, not just the 10 days in the Sahara.  It’s one that I shall always remember, in particular for the heart-warming generosity of my family and friends. Thank you so much – it has meant a great deal to me.

And the good news is that we have raised already a grand total of £4,623.05 (including Gift Aid), and I still have some more money to come from people who have pledged, as well as a car boot to do, stuff to sell on e-bay, and money still coming in from the poetry book. So who knows, we may even make the £5,000 mark.

If you want to see photos/hear about the trek (and the whole year), I did keep up the blog (after a fashion), and have also re-opened my Facebook account, where there are more photos.
The blog is here: http://lynnestreeaidtrek.blogspot.com/ , but you’re on your own with the Facebook thing, I’m afraid, I’ve no idea how you do it. But if you ask, I’ll be your friend.

Like me you may have been moved by the stories on the Sport Relief programme on Friday, and responded to their message of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. It’s true, but I believe it could be taken a stage further. It seems to me that those children were  suffering as a result not just of a lack of access to basic healthcare, but because their families had been forced by circumstances often beyond their control to leave their own rural communities and live in poverty in the squalid conditions we saw in  the films.

By sponsoring me and supporting TREE AID, you have helped families to remain together in their villages, because they have access to enough food, a little spare money, and the hope of a future. You have saved countless children from getting sick in the first place. And you have helped in a small way to hold back the spread of the Sahara desert further south into Africa. 

Well done us!

Just a few more photos

Because they are so much better than words

Lynne of Arabia

This was a little worrying as we entered the desert - shades of Popeye

Home  from home

Our camp - note the toilet tents and the luxury shower

Sunsets were amazing

Hokey Cokey round the campfire - but where did they get the wood?

Lahcen and local friend

Approaching the sleeping dragon - Chagaga

The whole  team

Our leaders - a little too attached to the camel, perhaps

Well, you've got to really

Luxury in Marrakech - a shower at last, and a chair!

And the high points?

Well, the walking mostly. It's not often that you go through a day with no idea of what you might see - and there was actually an incredible variety in the desert - a multitude of different surfaces to walk on, as well as the sand. There was hamada (a bit like walking on gravel, but harder), hamada with rocks scattered (and what amazing rocks - beautiful irridescent greens were my particular favourite - and some containing fossils of sea creatures), sand that was hard with a dried crust, like walking on crisps, and salt flats - sometimes resembling shiny cobblestones. And the salt flats was where we saw proper mirages.

A floating city ... or do my eyes deceive me?

Then the night sky. We had a full moon, which was extraordinarily bright - no need for torches at all. Then when it set (mostly about 4:00am), the stars looked close enough to touch - and filled the entire sky. I slept out one night - and it was fab. Although so cold even my eyelids felt it, and I had to wear my buff over my eyes, peering out from time to time to 'ooh' and 'aah' over the stars.

Passing groups of nomads with their camels, including little baby ones, goats and donkeys. And meeting some local children.

nomad mother and daughter bringing donkeys to the well

There was a surprising amount of wildlife as well - my favourites being the swallows - presumably on their way from South Africa to Europe. They gobbled up the small moths that hadn't made it home in the early morning.

Swallows warming up on the tent before breakfast

Sliding/walking down the big Chagaga sand-dune. And the dust storm that followed us - not enough to bury tents (although it did feel a bit like ours might blow away), but enough to coat us and all our possessions inside and out with a patina of red. Luckily I didn't have a mirror.

And the camels who followed us so patiently with all our luggage, and Mohammed, the cameleer, who was so lovely - and completely unable to sit or stand in anything other than a guide-book pose.

Mohammed strikes a pose

And I can't even begin to describe the ride back to Marrakech through the High Atlas Mountains. So I won't. And can't show pictures either, because my camera had packed up by then. You'll have to go yourself - I truly recommend it.

So, what was it like then?

Good question. But where to start?

Maybe describing a typical trekking day is as good a place as any.

4:00am     Wake up in my corner of the tent because:
                      a) I'm cold (can't believe that I suffered more from the cold than the heat in  the desert), and
                      b) I've been in bed since 9:30, and probably had all  the sleep I need. Doze till

6:30          Official start to the day. Crawl out of sleeping bag, remove the 3 layers of clothing I've been sleeping in, and replace them with the day's wicking T-shirt (I decided to wick after all - due to 70% discount in Debenham's January Sale) and trousers with multiple pockets. Then do battle with the big bag, squeezing in mattress and sleeping bag plus sundry clothes and accessories to be carried by the camel for the day. Usually twice, since I invariably left something vital which I needed in my day pack in the bottom of the big bag. And all before even a cup of tea, and in the tightest of spaces since 6 others were similarly engaged in the tent we called home. My least favourite part of the day.

7:00           Breakfast! Steaming bowl of porridge and glass or two of coffee, then fill up the water carrier with 2 litres for the morning and choose snacks to replace salt and sugar between meals. Meanwhile, blister clinic in full swing - but luckily not for me.

Ready to roll

 7:45          We all stride out in to the cool morning air, chatting in twos and threes, or just enjoying the rhythm of walking. We generally walked until mid-day, the heat building up gradually as the day progressed. Lahcen, the Berber guide, set a steady pace, and we had a couple of rest stops built into the morning, under the shade of a handy tree.

Here's one I planted earlier ...

 It was often the only tree for miles around, and on a couple of occasions, I believe, was one planted a few years earlier by the trek organisers - such consideration, for the shade did make an incredible difference.

12:00        Lunch under another tree, provided by the cooks, who had somehow overtaken us unseen in the jeep. Then a welcome siesta till 2:00

I loved our lunches

2:00         Set off in the hotter part of the day for a 2or 3 hour trek to the night's campsite - where the tents were already pitched, and a pot of delicious mint tea was waiting - sometimes with home-made biscuits. My favourite part of the day! We were free then to perform our ablutions (wet wipes - water far too scarce in the desert - except for a couple of occasions when we were near enough to a well for a makeshift shower), do a little gentle exploring, or compare blisters, until dinner time.

7:30        Gather  in the communal tent for dinner and briefing for the next day - and a few laughs (quite a few actually).

9:30        Bed.

FAQs:

1. Toilets? 2 toilet tents in camp (God bless the hole-diggers and fillers-in), then wherever you could find cover (behind a small sand-dune) during the day. When no cover was available, we just agreed to all point in the same direction, and look away if not actively engaged. Worked for me! Luckily no-one was ill, due to the hygiene precautions we all adhered to. Well done us!
2. Food? Simple and tasty. Salads for lunch, with the most delicious oranges, and soup, vegetable stews with pasta or cous-cous, and your favourite tinned fruit from childhood. And wine for those who wanted it. All very civilised, since the food for the entire trip had to be carried in  the lorry and cooked in a tent. Got a bit fed up with sitting on cushions on the floor all the time though.
3. The heat? Strangely, it was bearable, although I don't really do heat. In the mornings the temperature rose relatively slowly from the night cold, but by the afternoon it was in the mid-thirties (not sure what that is in real money, but hot). It still wasn't too bad though - possibly because it was dry heat?
4. Walking in  the sand? Yes, that was hard, but easier if you did a Good King Wenceslas and followed in the footsteps of the person in front. And probably only about a third of the trek was in soft sand - there were plenty of other, easier surfaces.

   

Well, I made it!

Actually about 2 weeks ago now .. but then you know what I'm like.

And here's the proof:

In fact it was a brilliant team effort. Whether leading from the front and providing footsteps to follow in the sand, or bringing up the rear with a jolly song, we seamlessly supported each other when a little helping hand was needed, and all crossed the finish line together.

Inspired by the brilliant example of our leader Mandy, doctor Gemma, and Berber guide Lahcen (pronounced Larsson, wierdly). But it was that sort of group anyway - a great bunch. Well done us!

Back tomorrow with a bit more detail and a few more photos.

And don't worry, if you haven't gotten around to sponsoring me yet, there is still time - the Justgiving page is still open, and I'm always happy to accept cheques (payable to TREE AID).

Thanks to everyone who helped me raise 102% of my target!

Part 2

Wednesday 7th March:  Chgaga Camp – Chgaga – Jebel Bani Camp
The day starts with the spectacular dune climb and incredible views from the top of Chgaga – a 100m height gain. To the south are rolling dunes as far as you can see; to the north, hamada and the Jebel Bani. After taking in the view, we have fun descending the dune along one of the narrow ridges. Regrouping at the bottom and meeting up with the camels, we refill the water bottles and walk through low dunes. We spend the whole day in amongst the dunes, passing the occasional nomadic encampment and small clump of palm trees. In the late afternoon we finally reappear from the dunes and head out across flat desert and acacia trees to our campsite near a well and just below the Jebel Bani. Night camp.
Trek approx 7 hours

Thursday 8th March: Jebel Bani Camp – Saltpan Camp
Today is our day of mirages and flat saltpans. We firstly walk across several kilometres of hamada with dunes lying to the south. Gradually the acacia trees vanish and we are left in a spectacularly flat open saltpan. Once again distances are impossible to gauge and the views shimmer in the heat. There is no cover for lunch so we put one of the tents up to give us shade. We are getting close to our hundredth kilometre now; the last few are completed crossing this remote and desolate place. Our last night is spent on the saltpan with its (usually) incredible sunset. Night camp.
Trek approx 7 hours


Friday 9th March:  Day 8: Saltpan Camp – Foum Zguid – Marrakech
The day starts early for our sunrise walk towards the edge of the desert – an unforgettable experience. We load into the trucks and landrovers and drive the last bumpy section across the desert piste to the tarmac road. The exciting journey in the back of the open trucks is great fun if a little dusty. On arriving at the tarmac road, we transfer to our bus and cross the stunning High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, where we will celebrate in style! Night hotel.
Trek Approx 2 hours; drive approx 5 hours
 

Saturday 10th March: Free Day Marrakech
We have the day free to explore the amazing sights of the Jma El Fnaa, the main square, and shop for souvenirs in the bustling souks for which Marrakech is renowned.

Sunday 11th March:  Early transfer to airport; depart for London