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





Alpha teams get out there

This is it. We have come to the most highly anticipated part of PM induction -- project allocations.


In Phase one of the expedition there will be two groups out on treks, two groups working with communities and three groups on environmental projects.

For the next six days the Project Managers will travel to their respective project sites for planning visits, getting to know their project partners and finding out everything they need to know so they can run a safe and happy project with the groups of Venturers.

Let's meet them.


Alpha One: The Maribios trek
Project Managers: Giles Mason, Alice Dixon and Catriona Bisset


In the far north of Nicaragua, close to the border with Honduras, this group will walk along a mountain ridge through the pine forests above Achuapa. From here they will eventually reach the string of volcanoes called ‘Los Maribios’ which are named after an ancient tribe who lived in the area. They will follow as closely as possible to the line of volcanoes up to the Cosiguina Peninsula for one final volcano ascent. Volcano Cosiguina is the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the history of Americas and from the summit the group will hopefully get spectacular views across the Gulf of Fonseca to Honduras and El Salvador. The last day will be spent on the beach and swimming in the Pacific Ocean.

  Getting familiar with the maps

Alpha 2: The unnamed trek (so far!)
Project Managers: Polly Mason, Lawrence Kidd, and James Lee


Alpha Two's mission is to trek up and over Volcan Turrialba, through the Cartago province, and ending at the Pacific Ocean, in 19 days. There will be incredible views and the Monumento Nacional Guayabo, Costa Rica's largest archaelogical site. This is a completely new trek designed by Country Director, Julian Olivier. The PMs and their team of venturers will go down in Raleigh history books as the group that inaugurated this trek. They will also have the honour of naming the trek after they complete it. What a meaningful way to begin the first phase of 10L. We're all jealous!

 Polly, James and Lawrie studying the maps



Alpha 3: La Cangreja National Park
Project Managers: Euane Naismith, Laura Woodward and Sarah Ellard (Wellard)


Alpha 3 will make their way to La Cangreja national park, southwest of Turrialba. Raleigh has built trails in this park in the past. This expedition we will continue to improve the public facilities by constructing a look-out tower which will make it possible to enjoy the spectacular views over this beautiful place.

Tea and project planning

Alpha 4: San Lucas Island
Project Managers: Tony Taylor, Esteban Castillo, and Andrea Meredith


San Lucas Island is home to Costa Rica's once most terrifying prison. A local Chateau D'If or Alcatraz, if you like. Convicts sent to San Lucas Island prison would have expected no to live very long nor have a decent send-off. The prison is now a local heritage site opened to visitors. Alpha 4 will be assisting the San Lucas rangers to clear paths and make the place a more visitor-friendly site.

Going to jail

Alpha 5: Camaronal Wildlife Refuge


Project Managers: Louise Olverson, Elena Ourris and Adrian Hughes


Camaronal is a newly protected area covering tropical forests, mangroves and beaches. The focal point of this project is turtle conservation. Four different endangered speices of turtles return to the beaches of Camaronal every year to lay their eggs. This will be Raleigh's fourth project at Camaronal and Alpha 5 will be building a trail that will run behind the beach and carry out turtle patrols to guard against egg poachers. The eggs will be transferred to a hatchery for incubation before being released into the sea when they hatch.

Planning in the sunshine

Alpha 6: Achuapa, Las Tablas (Nicaragua)

Project Managers: Pamela Martinez, Annie Glennie, Phil Tibbs

High in the hills above Achuapa, in one of the poorest most remote areas of Nicaragua, Alpha 6 will be working on a series of small projects to bring clean and safe drinking water to a community in Achuapa. At present the local people get their water from the river which often dries up in summer or comes from polluted water sources. This project is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the local community, the Cooperativa Juan Francisco Paz Silva, Nottingdale International and Raleigh. The group will be working with the local population to dam small streams, build tanks to collect the water from where it can run through pipes to all the local houses. The benefits of clean water will be enjoyed by many generations to come. The participants will be living directly with families in the village and will help out with their day to day tasks.

Reading through the many planning documents on the Terrace at Fieldbase

Alpha 7: Miraflor, El Rodeo (Nicaragua)

Project Managers: Victoria Harrison, Piers Tufnell, Rachael Armitage

The Miraflor reserve is 206sqkm of beautiful mountainous terrain with various different ecosystems such as tropical savannah, dry tropical forest and mountain cloud forest. Within the reserve there are a number of communities living through subsistence farming and gaining income from coffee growing, cattle farming and some small tourism initiatives. However the people have few resources and lack access to basic services such as health and education. Alpha 7 will be building a community centre which will be used for community meetings, cooperative meetings, adult education, pre-school education and recreational activities.

 Having fun and project planning

While the Project Managers are out visiting their projects, everyone at Fieldbase is busy getting everything else ready for the expedition and the arrival of the Venturers in just one week. Everything is getting very exciting!

What I learned in Jungle Camp

Hello 10L followers!

We're back from the thick of the jungle; a little bruised and blistered but strangely energised. It was an intense two-day practise of navigation, trekking, setting up radio communications, risk assessments, river-crossing techniques, and emergency evacuation.

Jungle camp is a great way to see how the teams worked together in challenging situations. We experienced how working in bad weather with empty stomachs and wet boots can very quickly cause morale to fall pretty low. As project managers we are taught to be aware of such situations and how to cope. A simple thing like calling for a short break for a sip of water and a snack can do wonders to turn things around.

In all, the PMs learned plenty of practical skills which will soon be put to good use during the community, environmental and adventure projects for which they've all been allocated. Who will inaugurate the new trek through central Costa Rica which hasn't even been named yet? Who will be off to build water projects with local communities in Nicaragua? Stay tuned for project allocations and further detail in the next post.

Pack well and light before your trek. Decide what's essential and what isn't.

Pork and beans? Definitely essential.

Plan your route. Get your bearings right.

Clean, dry and ready to roll!

Don't forget to say goodbye to the local livestock.

Let the leader lead.

But don't neglect those at the back.

When danger is present...

... assess the risk. Discuss it with your team.

If you feel too stressed. Take a chill pill and start again.

Be prepared for muddy boots and damp feet

Don't be daunted by the long, winding...

and often boggy, road

Because you will be stunned by breath-taking views over...

... and over...

...again!

This is how you cross a river in theory

This is how you do it in practice

Putting a hammock together

Don't forget to test it

Bashas good enough for a platoon

Euane loving his bed

Be prepared for emergencies 

Always radio in for assistance and support

Stretchering the patient for immediate evacuation

The highs at the finish will be priceless.

Give your kit a good scrub

Laundered and ready for the next big adventure