Ready and waiting....

Current weather conditions: Cloudy

Field base team are busy doing behind the scenes work in preparation for the venturers arrival. Food stock in the bodega (storage unit) has been replenished, tents aired and swept, id cards and paperwork completed and venturers allocated to their initial teams.

Rachel and Chris sorting out the tents



















Nik getting the ID cards finished















Nik and Rachel- Vehicle checks















Lou presenting ideas on the magazine
























Various personal skills training has been underway including listening and coaching sessions and discussions on giving and receiving feedback.

Roly, Cam and Stu, group discussion



The team has also dug out a trench to lay down cables to support faster internet access to field base.




Ladybird Lou’s quote of the day: ‘Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.’

Getting Out and About

Current weather conditions: Sunny

The VM team have been busy visiting local partners in their community, environmental and trekking sites in preparation for the venturer projects in phase 1. The projects are:

Alpha 1 with Just-In-Time James, Party Man Pedro and Rambling Rose working in the Chirripo Indigenous Reserve to build a secondary school in the community of Roca Quemada. This remote community, a 6 hour walk from the nearest road, is found in the foothills of the Caribbean slope of Central Costa Rica and is inhabited by the Cabecar indigenous people who maintain their own language and culture. The school that Raleigh built in a nearby community (still a three hour walk) only last year is already oversubscribed, so this school is vital in order to give the many children in the community the chance of a secondary education that they are desperate to have. The Raleigh group will also have a unique experience where they can learn about the lives of the Cabecar people and understand the challenges that face this indigenous community at the beginning of the 21st century.

Alpha 2 with Calamity Cam, Scottish Stu and Rowdy Roly walking across a continent in 19 days to the Pacific Ocean. This energising trek begins through the Caribbean lowlands, hiking through the jungle at Barbilla National Park before heading to the climb over the continental divide through Tapanti National Park. Once up to nearly 3,000m the group will descend through the stunning cloud forests of Los Santos to the Pacific Ocean at Playa El Rey, part of Manuel Antonio National Park. This trek will be challenging but achievable by all, encompassing a wide range of scenery and habitat. It will be an awesome achievement to have walked coast to coast and it is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Alpha 3 with Soccer Steve, Loud Libby and Virtuous Viv working in La Cangreia National Park developing an environmental trail for wheelchair users. This is one of Costa Rica’s newest National Parks which owes its name to the striking 1,305 metre peak Cerro Cangreja. The park has a mixture of tropical humid forest and pre-montane forest with a number of species of plant found nowhere else in the world. This makes the area important for research purposes and for conservation and the government is developing many of the facilities. It is through such projects that the National Parks can generate income from tourism, which allows the conservation of the incredible flora and fauna, and prevents these areas being felled and used for other profitable ventures such as logging or cattle ranches. The park is also blessed with amazing waterfalls only to be found through exploring the forest.

The team celebrated their return from project sites with a birthday party for James who turned 21 again on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES! As part of the evening entertainment, the group smashed up a SpiderMan piñata and woke up Raleigh India who were just starting out on their morning activities.

Ladybird Lou’s quote of the day: ‘You can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.’

Meet the team

Current weather conditions: Light rain after a lovely sunny morning

Welcome to our 08J expedition blog! For our first post, we wanted to introduce the Volunteer Managers (VMs) and let you know how our training and induction has been going in preparation for the eagerly awaited arrival of the project venturers.

The team includes Julian, Ross, Anna and Ale who are leading the way in teaching the new volunteers their roles and responsibilities. Our fighting fit Project Managers- Cam, Stu, Steve, Libby, Viv, James, and Pedro. Our capable medics- Rose and Roly. Nik our highly organised admin officer and Chris and Rachel who are doing a tremendous job already with managing Logistics. And of course me, Ladybird Lou, the slightly loopy Communications Officer who will be keeping you updated with all our news here this side of the globe….

It has certainly been a busy time for all since we arrived over the last couple of weeks. The training and challenges have been relentless in preparing us for expedition, including a gruelling 2 day jungle camp where we had to deal with a mock casualty, build and sleep in basha beds, operate remote radio systems and hike for miles with heavy rucksacks full of equipment to prepare us for the weeks ahead. The team worked well together in their first river crossing, getting everyone across safely and learning the skills required to manage expedition in various environmental and weather conditions.

Delta 2, Delta 2, we will be in touch again shortly. Over.

Ladybird Lou’s quote of the day: ‘Do not fear risk. All exploration, all growth is calculated. Without challenge people cannot reach their higher selves. Only if we are willing to walk over the edge can we become winners.’