constanttrek

Back into it

October 14th, 2006

 

This is coming to you from – surprisingly sunny – London, where I have been for two days, with two to go before I fly back to the walk.

Dad is flying with me to Marrakech, and it is a real thrill to think that in a couple of days we will be enjoying a final wine on the terrace of the good old Palace, looking down over the mania of the Djemaa el Fna. I can’t wait. Dad is coming to be baggage handler and minder, as I have to do a runner up to Casablanca to get my Mauritanian visa. It will be great to have some company when I first make the transition.

I wish he’d been there on the trip back from Australia. The fact that Qantas even let me on the plane in the first place was a sheer miracle, given that I had about 20 kilos of excess baggage. Hauling that lot up the tube from Heathrow to Walthamstow was a true joy, let me tell you.

But now I am here, and back in the heavenly company of the Bromley Road crew again, being intravenously fed Cava and attempting to deal with the hulking mass of bags, cables, batteries and melekhvas littering Steve’s lounge room. I thought I was organised when I left Australia, but I have run around so much in the last 48 hours that my head has barely hit the pillow, with last minute booster vaccinations, shopping, and general organisation.

I wake up pinching myself every day at the moment. Whenever I think that in a week’s time, I will be lying in my fancy new swag, under the Saharan sky, listening to my camels chewing their cuds, I get a shiver of delight. I am just so thrilled that this next leg is actually going to happen; there were so many long weeks where I just couldn’t see how it was going to. I am more excited, prepared, and ready for this stage than I have been for any of the others, and give thanks every day to all the beings out there that made it possible.

No small thanks there goes to Graeme, who I wrote about in the last post, and who has been a godsend of practical advice and understanding, in the way that only someone who has done solo expeditions can be. I have taken hideous advantage of his good nature, bombarding his phone and inbox at every opportunity; I think his mobile shudders in terror when it sees my number.

The boys from www.feedtherat.com have also been great, kitting me out with walking tops and ratty paraphernalia. There will be a strong rat presence out there in the dunes…

My Mum, Bev, has been a tower of strength, organising my kit, putting up with my manic hours and never once complaining when her little flat resembled Beirut on a bad day, my endless pile of stuff haphazardly occupying every available space. I shall miss her very much.

After just loving being back in Australia, and rediscovering what a fabulous place it is, I have been equally overjoyed to come back to London. It has been great to be able to share the stories of the last few months with the crew here. It was my London friends who picked me up in the dark months where I had no income and could see no way forward in this walk; they fed me, housed me, and listened when I was down. That kind of support is something I will never forget, and it has been brilliant to be able to return with good news and a positive outcome. As I write this Steve is downstairs reconfiguring my laptop, and helping me set up my satellite connection; Maria making tea; and Steph….well, Steph is about to tempt me with another bottle of Cava. I must be strong. I refuse to give in until I address that hideously obscene pile of equipment clogging up the lounge room. Oh, what the hell. Go on then….

Nothing like a good bit of pre-expedition training.

My gratitude to many people knows no bounds, but some really stand out and need to be acknowledged. First and foremost, my heartfelt thanks to the folk at Dove Australia and Birkenstock Australia, who are making this walk happen. I could not be more fortunate in corporate partners – they are forward thinking, adventurous, and generous people to work with. I feel extremely lucky to have the support of them both, on a personal as well as practical level. The same is true of the girls at the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I met them all again last week when I flew up to Sydney for the Dove Star fundraising walk for Breast Cancer Research. It was a brilliant evening, a sea of pink walking proudly through the streets of Sydney (and what a stunning city that is – another place I had forgotten I loved), and a complete carnival atmosphere. My great new custom designed Birkenstocks got their first public outing, and worked like a dream on the five km stroll. I had a great time.

To Tom and Gabriel – thanks for the chats, beers, and support. I love what you are doing with the ratty thing – go for it. To the wonderful Ness, Elks, and Tania – you girls are beautiful and I have loved being back with you again. Loving the gorgeous babies! To Dylan – you have done a magnificent job of the website. Thanks for your support, and for putting this together so quickly. I love it. To Graeme – thanks for everything, and I’ll be back for that bottle.

To my Mum, Gary’s Mum, and all of our respective families, thankyou from the bottom of my heart for your endless support and ongoing enthusiasm. I love you all very much.

A final word for those who have been mapping the route. You may have noticed a gap between where I left off, just before Dakhla, and where I am picking up, down in Nouadhibou just on the Mauritanian border. I am missing a stretch of about 300km. This does not affect the West to East crossing – I kick off from the seafront on the Atlantic Coast – but it does mean that I cannot claim to have walked every step of the way from London. This was a very difficult decision for me. It came down to the fact that I am a/ now two months behind schedule, and b/ there are huge logistical problems involved in trying to get camels across the border from the Western Sahara into Mauritania, not to mention rather too many landmines for my liking. The success of the West to East crossing, in its entirety, has to be my priority now; and I felt that walking that 300km would have compromised my ability to succeed. A tough decision, but the right one, I think.

On this leg I will (or should I say Dylan will) be updating the map with satellite co-ordinates, so you should be able to follow the progress a bit more comprehensively. Any air drops gratefully accepted….

The next update will be a little while coming, unless I get one up in Nouadhibou. The satellite footprint doesn’t kick in until about 200km in from Nouadhibou, so the equipment isn’t relevant until then. It could take a couple of weeks until I have coverage.

But after that, I will be updating regularly, and although I may not see you all in the flesh until the other side of the Sahara, I will be here in cyberspace and carrying all of you in my hearts.

Thankyou to everyone, so very much.

I think I better give Steph a hand with that bottle

Entry Filed under: trekking