Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha One

Sunday, 1 February 2009

Alpha One – The Corcovado Trek

So here we go with the phase one project allocations, starting at the beginning with …

Alpha one and the Corcovado Trek!

In Alpha 1 we have...

Johannes de Waal
Rosie Ford
Juan Gomez
Bart Overakker
Nicholas Penney
Laetitia Pot
Louise Rea
Andrew Riding
Catherine Treherne Thomas
Johnney Valasqez
Maarten van Keulen
Sophie Wilson

Led by Trek Leaders Stu and Nick and Deputy Expedition Leader Anna, Alpha one will start the Corcovado Trek in the stunning montane La Amistad National Park, the largest national park in Costa Rica and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The group will then walk through beautiful mountain scenery and towering cloud forest. After passing by waterfalls and hot springs the group will cross the Coto Brus valley to the Fila Costena – a chain of mountains that run parallel to the sea.

Once they are out of the mountains the group will finish the trek by crossing the famous Corcovado National Park that straddles the Osa Peninsula, walking through the best preserved tropical rainforest in Central America. The group will have a chance to see monkeys and tapirs before finishing the trek with a spectacular three-day walk along the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.

13 comments:

Anonymous2 February 2009 at 04:31
To: Laetitia
Zet 'm op!
Your support team
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 04:33
To Laetitia
Zet 'm op!
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Anonymous2 February 2009 at 10:25
Hey Rosie

Good luck on the Trekking, you will have an amazing time. Hope the hot springs are amazing. Tell me how it goes.

Scott
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Anonymous3 February 2009 at 03:21
Hi Roo,
I guess you may be pleased you practised 'yomping' about before you left England---we're now bathed under 6 inches of snow which in London is turning to dirty mush.
Enjoy the trekking and the gallo pinto--makes a change from cornflakes.
All love Dad
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Anonymous3 February 2009 at 14:29
Dear Bart, do not forget to take pictures. We are excited seeing all the smiling faces and hope to hear the stories soon. Your sponsors.
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Anonymous3 February 2009 at 15:27
Hi Roo

glad you are doing the treking first as we worked hard enough getting you vaguely fit!!! dogs missing their walks although cant say that I am as cant walk anywhere without slipping on the ice or snow. have fun

all love Mum
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Anonymous4 February 2009 at 07:28
Hi Soph., Thinking of you trekking through mountains and rainforest..hope the Sedbergh fell race training is holding you in good stead!
Imagine you won't read this for 3 weeks, by which time you will ultra fit! Glad you've got a good group to banter with! love Mum x
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Anonymous5 February 2009 at 10:26
Hello Amy! How is the trek going? 80km is hardcore – puts our 8 mile assault course to shame!! You’ve missed loads of snow here, London came to a standstill on Monday but has been getting better. The rest of the country has been hit today – including back home where I am due to go tomorrow evening. 18 hour days don’t sound fun – a bit like being back at Trimedia!! Good luck with the rest of the trip. I can’t wait to come and visit in April, it’s doing a lot to keep Ruth and I going (no 80km trek surprises please!). Miss you loads xxxx
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Anonymous6 February 2009 at 12:52
Hi Roo
just to say I miss you loads and cant wait for you to come home as nobody here to give me the proper attention that i deserve.Wish I ws on the trek with you as I would easily do it!!!!

all love Barney
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Anonymous8 February 2009 at 08:43
hi Rosie

have just done some cooking we made rock cakes and banana cake!! do you wish you were here! are you having fun?

love from marley
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Anonymous10 February 2009 at 15:27
Hi Sophie!
Many Happy Returns for 12/2, no doubt spent far off in the mountains having wonderful adventures! Watch out for leeches in the Tropical Rainforest!! Hear all about it on your safe Return....

Lots of love, Henry and Susie.
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Anonymous16 February 2009 at 16:36
Hi Sophie HAPPY BIRTHDAY from all the Stokers.
Hoping that you are having a party and lots of special food?! News of Morgins - there is MASSES of snow which should still be there for your family's visit to the chalet.
love from us all....hope you and Holly and Tom all get together soon.
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Anonymous1 March 2009 at 18:56
FOR LUCY SCARAMANGA - NOW ON ALPHA 1

Hi Lucy, hope you are enjoying the trek and your boots are coping, and you too! We've just come back from Egypt after 5 nights - lovely weather and great snorkling! Thinking of you lots - seems like your group are really going at a pace - amazing! Hope you get time to relax too!! love you lots, Mum and Dad xxxxxxx
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Raleigh Lingo

Copy that?

Sometimes our Raleigh technical terms can be a tad confusing so we've put together a glossary for you blog followers. This will appear as a quick-reference section on the right-hand column so you can translate our Tico-terms into something a bit more palatable. And for those keen to brush up their Central American Spanish, we've included some handy translations. Here's a few to get you started...

Alpha, X-Ray and Zulu groups
(Grupos Alfa, X-Ray y Zulu)
The official name for project groups during the phases of CR&N 13A. Alpha will be out on project from 3rd to 23rd February, X-Ray from 24th February to 15th March and Zulu from 17th March to 5th April. Project groups are allocated during induction

Basha
Jungle ‘bed’: consists of a tarpaulin for shelter, a hammock and mosquito net. A basha is hung up between two trees and supported by rope, bamboo and canvas straps

Bodega
A Spanish word meaning store or warehouse

Bravo
A term of endearment for our hard-working Land Rovers. The four vehicles are officially, and imaginatively named Bravo One, Two, Three and Four

C.A.T.I.E.
The agricultural and development research institute on whose campus Fieldbase is situated. Find out more at http://www.catie.ac.cr/

Changeover (Cambio de Fase)
Two day period where all staff and Venturers return from their project sites for some respite before they are all reallocated and sent off to do it all over again...

Chicas, Chicos
Spanish term meaning girls (chicas) or guys (chicos) or both (chicos aswell). As in “Vamonos chicos!” or “Let’s go guys!”

Craic
A way to gauge how people are feeling, usually measured from 0 to 90. If your ‘craic’ is high, you’re pretty happy. If you announce a low craic, people will probably fix you up with an energy bomb and a nice big hug

CR&N 13A
Costa Rica and Nicaragua expeditions 13A

Day Leader (DL) (Líder del día)
Every day on project, one of the Team is designated DL – they are in charge of the day, including organising the day’s briefing, keeping group morale up, dealing with any problems, sticking to schedule and de-briefing at the end of the day. The DL role rotates round the whole group so everyone takes a turn

Energizer (Actividad Levanta Muertos)
An activity to gather the group together and raise energy levels. Can be used at the beginning of the day, or whenever a quick pick-me-up is required

Energy bombs (Explosión de azucar)
A trekking treat – mix together oats, raisins, condensed milk and chocolate powder and roll into little balls of gooey goodness to power you through the day

Fieldbase (FB) (Campo Base)
Refers to the Raleigh ‘office residence’ which is where the Fieldbase staff eat, sleep and work, whilst organising the expedition, manning the radios round the clock, supporting the projects, planning transport and logistics, keeping tabs on the finances and much, much more

Field Base Volunteer Managers (Equipo Logístico Voluntario del Campo Base)
Volunteer support staff for the expedition. The team looks after the ‘behind the scenes’ of the expedition and ensures everything runs smoothly. This consists of three permanent staff members - the Country Director, Country Project Manager and Country Expedition Manager - plus a team of volunteer staff including the, Medic, Photographer, Administrator, Finance Officer, three Logistics (logs) team members and the Communications Officer

Gallo Pinto
A traditional Costa Rican dish of rice and beans (yum!)

Icebreaker (Rompe Hielos)
A getting-to-know-you game

Longdrop (Letrina)
The camp loo. Literally a deep hole in the ground, it is one of the first tasks to complete when setting up jungle camp for obvious reasons! Short drops are similar, normally used for overnight stops when a shallower trench will suffice

Longs (Pantalones)
From 6pm onwards, we all don long trousers and sleeves to discourage the bugs that aren’t deterred by DEET

Maxis
Short for Maxi Pali, the stock-everything shop about a kilometer from Fieldbase where you can buy all those things you forgot/ran out of/lost

Nicas
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Nicaragua

Ninja
A popular game/energizer used by venturers and Project managers alike. Everyone stands in a circle and tries to hit the team members either side of them on the hand via a single ninja movements. Sound effects welcome

POPS
Legendary milkshake and ice-cream parlour chain found all over Costa Rica – perfect for a sweet splurge

Pork and beans (Frijoles con cerdo)
Another staple foodstuff for trekkers: tinned beans with a slightly sausage twang, served cold for lunch. Usually accompanied by dry cracker dust, sprinkled liberally on to the top. If you’re in a hurry, this can be consumed without cutlery straight from the can

Project Managers (PMs) (Guías)
Project staff for the expedition. Each of the groups has at least two PMs who work with the Venturers to develop skills, lead projects and challenge themselves

PURA VIDA!
A very special Costa Rican phrase that means hello, goodbye, I’m great, it’s good, pure life, basically any positive, feel-good thing can be Pura vida!

Radio check (Chequeo de Radio)
As well as a daily SITREP, all Alpha projects are required to complete a second radio call-in each day to check in, receive messages and report any developments

Review (Revisión)
A round-up that assesses how everyone feels, what went well and what needs work. This is sometimes an ‘activity’, sometimes a chat around the campfire, or sometimes just a bit of time to reflect. It’s an important part of everyone’s personal development so we make sure it happens every day

Roadtrip (Paseo Volando Rueda)
The logistics team and some of the Field Base team drive the Bravos on a loop round to each of the accessible project sites once per phase. They deliver kit, supplies, site visitors, messages from the blog and of course the all important post

Ropa Americana
Purveyors of the finest second hand American threads. Perfect for fancy dress/obtaining that long coveted college sports jersey

SITREP (Reporte de la Situación)
Literally Situation Report. A special radio message sent from the satellite project sites back to fieldbase once a day. It follows a certain format and includes all sort of handy information like where they are, what they’ve been up to, what they need and what they’re planning to do next

Tang
A fruity powder that is used to make squash. Jolly useful for taking away the chlorine taste of purified water

Ticos
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Costa Rica

Trangia (Mini Cocina)
A portable cooking stove. Used primarily for trekking, a trangia’s compact design makes it perfect for easy transportation. Literal translation in spanish - mini kitchen. Makes sense

Turrialba
The location of Fieldbase

Venturers (Aventureros)
Participants in the Raleigh expedition. Aged 17 to 24, they come in three varieties: Host Country Venturers (from Costa Rica and Nicaragua), Partnership Venturers (positive young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK who participate in Raleigh expeditions as part of a longer term development programme) and UK and International Fundraising Participants (who work hard to raise money to contribute towards the charities work and expenses in order to take part in the expedition)

Wash up (Revisión Final)
The last few days of expedition, spent debriefing, returning equipment, performing skits, and most importantly enjoying the farewell party (tears alert)

Zero (Cero)
A radio term that identifies the radio controller at Fieldbase. Fieldbase monitors the radios 24-7, listening out on three frequencies for calls from our satellite project sites. When the radio alarm sounds, we might answer something like this: “Hello unknown call sign, hello unknown call sign, this is Zero, this is zero, do you copy, OVER?”