Alpha group allocations - then off to jungle camp

An important day today, the venturers were told which projects they will be doing through the first phase of expedition.  The project managers took to the stage and performed project based skits - hence the kilts, mutant turtle masks, monkeys and shell suits that appear in the photographic record.

So here is the running order...

Alpha 1 - Coast to Coast Trek

Left to Right: Pedro Ocon, Florentine E van Selms, Jonathan Gerardo Corrales Marenco,Vera Juarez Vargas, Aisha Green, Sophie LaMarre, Benjamin Avern, Natalie Metcalfe, Matthew Wilkinson, Benjamin Hilton-Delhaye, Nicole Ferris, Rory Thompson, Dave Myer

Alpha 2 - Miratombo Trek (Nicaragua)

Left to Right: Claudia Fiedler, Diego Molina Rodriguez, Arlenne Rodriguez Leandro, Puck van der Vet, Archie Finlayson, Benjamin Persofsky, David Rosam, Suwen James, Harley Decker, Shannon Potter, David Agombar (Omar Antonio Amaya Ochoa will join in Nicaragua)

Alpha 3 - Playa Hermosa/Carara National Park

Left to Right: Henry Anderson, Tracy Heyburn, Callum Blues, Angel Roberto Mejia Quintero, Marco Mora Jimenez, Eveline Kroese, Rahim Hassanali, Laura Perry, Jim Howard, Lilian Keller, Clare Skelton, Lydia Auty, Matt Whiteside (Max Smith arrived today to join the group and Andrea Grundke will join shortly.)
  
Alpha 4 - Carara National Park/Playa Hermosa

Left to Right: Hidde Van Lent, Ben Byers, Victoria McIrvine, Carlos Lugo, Patrice Hollywood, Gustavo Granados Bolanos, Zahir Parri, Yorleny Bermudez Murillo, Paul Darius, Antigone Taliadoros, Jae Quiroz, Sarah Crawford, Charlie Cox, Pauline Wright

Alpha 5 - Water project, Achuapa (Nicaragua)

Left to Right: Florian Cross,  Jose David Quesada Murillo, Sarah Flynn, Vic Lapsins, Jonas Koch, Hester Van Marwijk Kooy, Anika Kandola, Melania Piedra Castillo, Nicholas Masters, Alexander Robertson, Anna McManus, Luke Waldock (Jakeling Escoto Rivera will join us in Nicaragua.)

Now that the Alpha groups are formed each will head out to learn campcraft and navigation skills, bonding over basha beds and trangias.  Bags packed they headed off to spend the night at jungle camp.

The adventures of Alpha and Bravo One

How many people does it take to get a Landie out of some really nasty mud? An entire Nicaraguan village, it seems.

The Alpha teams are back at Fieldbase with some fantastic stories of their project planning visits. Drinking salty orange juice with members of the local community, and bats flying into your face during a midnight loo-visit, were among the wacky ones.

Team Alpha 1 who went north to Nicaragua to check out the Maribios trek, returned with a particularly muddy tale to tell. Joined by Raleigh drivers, David and Maryann (day jobs at Raleigh: Photographer and Comms Officer, respectively), the team had set off in Bravo 1, a  tough and menacing Land Rover Defender;  the very same make of 4X4s deployed by the British Army in Operation Desert Storm.

Bravo 1... Eat my dust, Humvee!

Nicaraguan immigration at Penas Blancas

With confidence and caution, thanks to hours of Raleigh driver training, crossing the border was smooth in spite of aggressive motorists and sometimes confusing road signs. We spent the second night at Ciudad Dario, a town in the Matalgapa province. We then planned to get to El Sauce (el sa-oo-say) by mid-morning although fieldbase had forewarned that parts of the major road were closed due to landslides.  

Ciudad Dario, Matalgapa.

Day three, turned out to be a chaotic day for Nicaraguan roads. We found our detour route to El Sauce, bottle-necked by a queue of trucks and trailers with an unlucky few getting stuck

We turned around and took a smaller bumpier road to El Sauce, finally getting there at about midday. Alpha 1 dropped into Marcello’s, the local Raleigh liaison who provides updates and advice on trail and river conditions. 

El Sauce

The next task was to assess one of the major river crossings. This was where the adventure really began. The roads were basically sand, gravel, rocks and mud most of the way, although with differential locking it wasn't anything goold 'ole Bravo 1 couldn't handle. Until...

We knew it was time to get dirty. Thanks to hours of Raleigh driver training, there was no need for panic.

Digging mud and rocks from beneath was hard work, but made easier with help from the amused villagers.

Finally freed and with few new friends, we back tracked. Unfortunately, we found ourselves back in the mud after about a kilometre. By sunset we knew we’d be stuck for the rest of the night. Even if we did get Bravo 1 out, Raleigh safety standards prohibit night driving.

So it was tents up by the road, feasting on pork and beans, and some stargazing while we mused about the tragicomical state we were in.
Out in the bucolic countryside of Nicaragua, there’s always a good Samaritan around the bend. We met one that night who offered to haul Bravo 1 with his tugging apparatus

Muddy water is better than no water

Nothing beats local knowledge

Finally getting some real work done

Making energy bombs with oats, condensed milk and trail mix

The moral of the story:

1. It’s not pretty getting a Landie stuck in mud

2. It’s worth checking the road by stepping on the ground you are about to cross. Look for firm surfaces on which you can drive over.

He offered us spiced meat

3. Go slowly but don’t hesitate or stop midway. You’ll need the momentum to take you across

4. If you must get stuck, make sure it’s in the Nicaraguan countryside with friendly and helpful folks willing to help with the digging and lend some muscle.



5. Always keep your spirits up. Laughter helps ease the frustration. You may be stuck but you will get out eventually!



Alice



Sunrise at San Jorge, Rivas by Lago de Nicaragua





Expedition 10G signs off

That's it, Expedition 10G is done and dusted. And what an expedition it has been!

Three amazing schools built in remote indigenous reserves, thousands of turtle eggs collected and safely nested in a new hatchery, four days of tough trekking and a phenomenal Adventure Challenge set in a beautiful island location... it's had it all.

After four days of trekking through mud, rain and breathtaking mountain views, our Zulu groups gathered on San Lucas Island for their final survival challenge.

Located off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, San Lucas is a truly special place. It also has a fascinating history. From 1873 to 1991, San Lucas was home to some of the worst criminals in Costa Rica. The island is now a wildlife refuge but the prison buildings still remain as a reminder of the island's dark past. It's quite spooky touring the old prison at night so sleeping in the old cells was a real experience for our Venturers.

Woken at dawn by King Banana and his tribe on the day of the challenge, the Zulus were faced with a series of tasks: building a raft from bamboo, string and a few inflatable tires; making a fire big enough to burn through a piece of string two metres from the ground; a low ropes course and a collection of problem solving tasks (which were all timed for the overall competition, won by Zulu 2), before finishing on an isolated beach with just a few basics to survive for the night.

Later in the afternoon, "the boatman" came to visit with fresh fish, which had to be gutted and cleaned, and supplies for damper bread, which they cooked on an open fire. It was turned out to be a very wet night but none of our Zulus even thought about coming back to the prison even though they only had a leaky tarp and a few sleeping bags for protection, which was impressive.

The rest of the time was spent catching up with friends from the Delta groups and relaxing on (and jumping off) the pier, which was absolutely brilliant - definitely one of the most glorious locations this correspondent has ever had the pleasure to while away an afternoon.

But all too soon it was time for everyone to say their goodbye and head to the airport for their flights home.

It really has been a special expedition. Everyone involved - from the PMs and Venturers to the Fieldbase staff and everyone working behind the scenes - has been magnificent.

10G brought together a great group of young people who really gelled together to form some formidable teams and achieve some awe-inspiring things. We really hope they've had an amazing time with Raleigh and can take a lot of what they've learnt back with them to their studies or careers or whatever they have planned for the next phase of their lives. We wish them all the best.

Last call for 10G blog messages

Sadly there are only a few days left for Expedition 10G. Tomorrow our Zulu groups will complete the final day of their trek before beginning their survival challenge!

Most of Team Zero (Fieldbase staff) will be heading out to the secret location to join them for the final days of the expedition so this is your last opportunity to post blog messages and have them delivered to your friends and family before they depart. All messages must be posted before midday on Thursday, 5 August (UK time).

Thanks for all your messages throughout the expedition so far - our Venturers and PMs have really looked forward to receiving them and appreciated all your love and support.

10G Adventure Challenge: It's Zulu time

Our 5 weekers had an amazing 24 hours back at Fieldbase and are now out in the wild on the first night of their Adventure Challenge: a four day trek phase followed by a competitive survival challenge in a secret location! 

That means our mighty Delta groups have now been consigned to history - 10G has gone tribal with all new Zulu teams:

Zulu 1: Andy Martin, Bethany Round, Graham Snyder, Emily Marley, Hannah Bishop, Ranald Stewart, Issy Kelpie, Laura Dickinson, Polly Roberts, Randall Vargas Barrantes, Seona Stalker, Valentina Toledo. PMs: Karol Ostaszewski, Oscar Saborio, Natalie Smith.

Zulu 2: Alice Whittle, Daisy Bareham, Ffinlo Moore, Henry Lonsdale, Kara Forsyth, Luke Sparrow, María Gorethy Morales Valverde, Max Kiralyfi, Nicky Gale, Shehlina Karimi, Susannah Sconce, Tim Cook, Vicky Palmer. PMs: Emi Uzar, Sue-Lyn Cashman-Pugsley.

Zulu 3: Alexandra Corrales, Daniel Alpizar Peréz, Glyn Worthington, Hannah Love, Jessica Rivas-Furlong, Johnny Rowles, Laura Buss, Lucile Smith, Samuel Harris, Sophie Hammill, Stephanie Davis, Tim Carden. PMs: Lizzie Phillips, Owen Nicholson, Sarah Neale.

Zulu 4: Alice Mathews, Ariadna Venegas Li, Dan Cowell, Emily Rigby, Esteban Aguilar Güendel, Gaby Cichonska, Grace Abel, Martine Kruseman, Rachel Allen, Rahul Ghelani, Robert Pritchard, William Handy. PMs: Amy Roberton, Eleanor Williamson, Matt Lyes-Wilsdon.

There was a fantastic atmosphere around Fieldbase as the Venturers and PMs caught up with the other groups and exchanged stories from their project sites. 

The highlight came with the group skits which were truly amazing. All the Deltas put in an incredible amount of time and effort which really showed in their performance. And in a fiercely competitive contest, Delta 1 emerged victorious. Congratulations to them!

And we've got heaps of photos of our new Zulus preparing to deploy, courtesy of Photographer James: