Alpha 1: A life changing experience on Los Maribios

Chris Taylor reflects on Alpha 1's epic trek along on the Maribios volcano chain:

From the start it must be stated that nearly every member of Alpha 1 made it to the end of our trek. To say that it was easy, however, would be as far from the truth as could possibly be found. But would I do it again? Without a second’s hesitation!

We all learnt the importance of group cohesion, encouragement and a positive attitude, but most importantly I don’t think that any one of us has ever taken such good care of our feet despite blisters being in abundance.

It is something none of us will ever forget: the stupid giggles about defecation in various forms of solidity, the constant fantasizing about what we would rather eat instead of Pork & Beans and most definitely the incredible sense of achievement when we reached our final destination at the beach having covered a total of 232km in 14 days, climbed two volcanoes (one of which was 2000 metres high) and enduring temperatures up to 40 degrees with stifling humidity.

This is not, I hope, a discouraging picture for the views from the volcanoes were, without a doubt, unparalleled; the friends we made were diverse and hilarious and it was, I think, life changing. Everyone felt that they couldn’t make it at one point but with the help of a great group of mates around you, a trail before you (you had to slightly ignore the hills) and the terrain covered behind you, the only thing you could do was keep going.

                

Nature pitched a pretty good fight against us with high rivers, heat and storms. It is a testament to everyone’s commitment that we all came together in the end and finished it as a team, in the pouring rain, thunder and lightening. Everyone learnt something about themselves whether it was about commitment to the trek, exceeding your own expectations, or just simple understanding of what Raleigh is doing. It was an invaluable experience and one to which words cannot do justice.