Way down deep in the middle of the jungle…

Yesterday you saw all of the Volunteer Managers set off on their first day trekking in Costa Rica, putting all of their training into practice. Day 2, and Whiskey 1 to 5 channelled Willie Nelson (on the road again!) awake at 4.30am packing up camp in order to set off at 6am. 

6.30am: stunning Costa Rica

We had a few hours of walking through beautiful scenery with our destination: a bit of training with Simon and Pedro, learning water safety and how to cross a river safely.

Water safety: our classroom for the morning

A great save, res-q disking

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman huddled across a river

The line astern method, a bit of PM congestion in the river

We arrived after a full morning of trekking, river crossings and a bit more trekking to our jungle camp, to learn campcraft, including how to dig a long drop, and enjoy the first night sleep for many in the infamous Raleigh basher.

Pedro attempting to levitate the basher with his mind

Dav, Shane and Antonio learning the finer points of a bamboo basher bed

Greg ready for a good nights sleep in his basher hammock

Yes, Simon is squatting and demonstrating exactly what you think he is - I'll say no more 

Lou, Katharine and Vanessa taking afternoon tea

Zoe, slightly potty

Emma, Marie, Chris and Sara enjoying a cuppa after getting their camp up

Helena prepping for a three course dinner, undoubtedly a jus was included in the main

Whiskey 2 definitely won the prize for best camp

Our final day was another early 4am wake up and a short walk to Fieldbase which turned into a rather more stressful experience than first expected with our mock Casevac training - a 2km trek from where our 'patients' (all of the medics had a lovely time being carried back to Fieldbase in a stretcher) all jokes aside it is a brilliant exercise, where everyone put everything they had learnt into practice.

Marisa being tended to by our well trained Project Managers

Completed mission - Casevac training over and a short walk to Fieldbase

Home, clean and ready for allocations! Find out where our project managers will be based for their first phase tomorrow.

Trek by name, trek by nature

The Volunteer Managers have been training hard over the last few days and we thought you would like to see pictures of them trekking through the foothills of Turrialba, looking calm, collected and without a drop of sweat anywhere - oh the dream! Encompassing some challenging terrain, camping 4 to a tent and learning the finer points of cooking on trangias, it was a fantastic few days, although everyone was pretty glad of a nice cold shower upon return Fieldbase.

First of all we were put into our 5 teams, so here they are:

Whiskey 1: Rich, Liz, Sacha, Victoria, Angie, Claire, Marisa and Colin

Whiskey 2 (I think they were asked which way they unanimously decided to go?): Sally, Denise, Sarah, Shane, Alice, Dav, Antonio and Holly

Whiskey 3: Kate, Zoe, Lou, Lady Glynn, Gemma, Paul and Simon

Whiskey 4 (bloggers team - I have the power to say we were the best): Katharine, Gabby, Sarita, Greg, Emma, Chris and Marie 

Whiskey 5: Clive, James, Helena, Lena, Sarah, Jess and Pauline

So off we went trekking with our maps, tents, trangias, 3 bowls, spades, medical kits, radios, gadgets and gizmos a plenty.

Chilvalry at the stream

Dr Katharine, the height of stability

We were privileged to trek through stunning scenery

Risk assessment training - don't worry we didn't cross that rickety bridge

We put our radio training into practice with an evening sitrep and morning radio check back to Fieldbase:

Dr.Marisa making the evening sitrep radio call-in

We were taught navigation and how to read a map - we were sent off with our compasses and our end point. A few groups got a little lost, but all a learning curve!

Where to go?

Sarah, Holly learning navigation from expert Denise

Kate, Gemma and Zoe planning their next move

Tomorrow jungle camp - stay tuned for basher beds, basher hammocks and long drops...

And then there were more

Expedition 12L comes in two flavours - a 10 week and a 7 week option.  The 10 week venturers, who arrived a few weeks ago are now coming to the end of phase one and will soon be joined by explorers who are here for the 7 week option. The explorers will choose to do 2 project phases (Community, Environmental or Trek) rather than all 3.

So the new 12L explorers arrived in San Jose last night and made their way to Fieldbase this morning.  Welcomed, as usual, by a breakfast of rice and beans (Gallo Pinto) and the Fieldbase crew.  This morning will be busy with admin, money exchange, swim assessments etc, and then this afternoon it's straight off to jungle camp to learn the joys of building a basha bed and cooking on a trangia (for newcomers please see the Raleigh Lingo on the right hand sidebar, and don't worry you'll get the hang of all this new vocabulary very soon).

Back row: Vinnie, Franklina, Phil, Barney, Carlyn
Front row: Louis, Jack, Bodyl, Claudia

So as we bring 7 new explorers into the Raleigh fold, the adventure continues...

Jungle camp, muddy boots and energy bombs

Just to report that all of the Alpha groups made it back from jungle camp - safe and sound, if a little dirty around the edges. 

Callum setting off in the sunshine

The sun was shining when they left, and I'd love to tell you it stayed that way throughout, but the truth is that it did rain.  And it rained Costa Rican style.  Most groups managed to get some kind of shelter up before the downpour which meant that spirits stayed high, buoyed by pasta or rice and energy bombs.

Bright and early this morning the venturers headed back to Fieldbase, but on the way ran through the procedure for a medical emergency.  This involves some Oscar winning performances of injury or illness, the creation of a stretcher and then carrying the "victim" back to Fieldbase. Everyone dealt with the emergency really well, another set of skills acquired and understood.

Once back at Fieldbase there was work to be done cleaning off tents and equipment, so everything will be ship shape and ready to go when the expedition starts on Friday. 

Lunch and showers were a welcome sight - and the local launderette is doing a roaring trade thanks to Raleigh venturers.

Jungle Fever

The weather Gods conspired against Expedition 12B in truly spectacular fashion yesterday, as the proverbial heavens well and truly opened to drench man and woman alike to the bone. Raleigh venturers however, are made of sterner stuff, and once they made it to their respective sites it was all hands to the coal face to get camp ready as the rain continued its onslaught.

Venturers were given demonstrations in using bamboo to construct basha beds and hammocks, hanging the communal tarp (handy for keeping bags dry) and of course, digging the long drop, before settling in for hot drinks – is there anything a cup of tea cannot solve? Our trekking groups had a slightly different itinerary as they undertook arguably the most fun part of trek – river crossings – perfecting the huddle and conga techniques in the Rio Reventazon.

Today began with an early start at 3.30am, celebrated with that timeless culinary classic of porridge, before it was down with camp, and onto tools training, getting to grips with the mattocks, spades, shovels and wrecking bars in anticipation of some on-phase labouring in just 4 days time. Mercifully by this time, the sun had emerged bashfully from behind the clouds, but the morning’s events were far from over – it was time for Casevac (Casualty evacuation). I’d like to reassure you readers, that this was a drill, rather than an emergency situation with groups ringing in reports, constructing stretchers, and carrying their ‘injured’ member to Fieldbase, where remarkably, each and every one of them made a complete recovery.

Congratulations to all our venturers for their achievements in such adverse conditions and for maintaining good humour throughout. Top effort, and as my old rugby coach used to say: “If it’s not Raining, It’s not Training!”.

Marching to the Jungle Beat

You’ll be pleased to know dear readers, that after 2 days trampling the terrain around Turrialba, the VMs have returned safe and sound to fieldbase. Hip Hip Hooray etc.

Rewind to Wednesday morning. Four groups were allocated and designated a Mountain Leader, who kindly gave a refresher of that timeless recreational activity – map reading. Following a few hours getting to grips with the finer points of (compass) needle-work, the Whiskey Groups were on their way. One factor which became apparent after only a few minutes trekking was the heat – Central America is a far cry from the Cairngorms, and a water bottle, sunhat, sun-cream combo was essential under the afternoon sun. 

After a ‘refreshing’ nights sleep camping on various football fields in the Tucurrique region it was a 3.30am rise in order to make the next scheduled meet point – for river crossing training! Two techniques can be adopted for this. First of all, there is the huddle – a 3-4 man effort which shuffles sideways like a corral rotating on the ebb/a planet of the apes’ style ritual. The second approach is the Gandalf conga – the lead person wielding a staff in the face of the flow (for balance) as the fellow team mates hold on in a column behind as they side-step across in unison. Both beautifully effective, dryness however cannot be guaranteed.

Thankfully it was yet another sun drenched day and clothes dried quickly in preparation for the biggie – Jungle Camp. After some impressive demonstrations in basha bed and hammock construction, it was the groups turn to set up for their camp for the night and the VMs didn’t disappoint with some truly enterprising camp craft – Whiskey One’s DoJo (Joseph Donovan) taking the plaudits for best bathroom; his concealed, and tastefully decorated design, gaining admirers throughout the VM’s. Maybe he’s in the wrong profession....

 The unique experience of a night’s stay in the jungle was perhaps disturbed by the incessant rain on the covering tarps through the night, but it was yet another early start in time for tool training before the march back to base in time for lunch. If only it were so simple. In a spate of ‘accidents’, all medics were struck down with an array of ‘injuries’. I would like to reassure you all, it was just a drill, enabling the groups to practise their medical skills, with all groups making it back to base safely. 

Just as you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does. It’s Project Allocation time! Check back soon for info regarding first phase projects, and which VMs will be undertaking them.

Until then

Pura Vida!

Venturers 1 Jungle 0

The venturers are back at fieldbase after their first night in the jungle and while they were tired, muddy, and a little wet there were still smiles on their faces. No one was going to let the jungle defeat them.

Having left fieldbase with rucksacks perfectly packed and navigation tips ringing in their ears, the teams trekked for an hour or so before reaching their campsite for the night. Alpha 1 and 2 were in tents for the night but for the other teams it was basha beds (see Raleigh lingo) and hammocks.

With expert advice from the PMs camp was set up: beds, group tarp, short drop etc…Thankfully this was all done before the heavens opened for an almighty storm. Now there is no greater test of the quality of a basha bed and its tarp cover than a Costa Rican storm…and it has to be said some beds failed the test! However, while it was a steep learning curve for many, spirits remained remarkably high.

The night survived, alarm call was at 3.30am, camp broken, breakfast eaten and no trace of our presence left in the jungle. It was then onto tools training before the venturers went through a mock CASEVAC. This involved radioing filedbase to report an injury and then stretchering the ‘injured’ person to suitable meeting point.

With all the tidying up done, there were some health and safety talks today before a salsa night led by some of our Costa Rican PMs.

With the training in full flow, time is flying by and the Alpha groups will be deploying on Saturday, so only one more full day of preparation to go!

Keeping dry under the group tarp!

Basha beds!

All smiles - the return!

Casevac training