So the leader team are currently busy recruiting Explorers to participate in the upcoming Nepal in 2013 expedition. We’ve done a number of presentations to explorers across the county to promote this exciting opportunity but if we haven’t managed to get to your unit here’s the low down!
The expedition will consist of a 6 weeks in Nepal undertaking a range of activities including:
A community development project with the Himalayan Trust, founded by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to summit Everest in 1953.
Trek to Mont Everest Base Camp
Climb Kala Pattar, a 5,545m peak on the opposite side of the Khumbu Glacier to Base Camp see the sun rise behind Everest
The opportunity to climb Island Peak, a 6,189m snow-capped peak
Interest? For more information HSX are holding a presentation into the expedition in the Sky High Conservatory at Ferny Crofts, at 11am on Sunday 4th March. We look forward to seeing you there!!!
Can’t make it? No worries. For more information contact expedition leader Chris Slater at chris.slater@hsx.org.uk and he’ll send you all the information you need.
Calling all Hampshire Explorers for HSX Nepal 2013!
Following the success of Sky High and Nepal 2007, HSX will be visiting Nepal again in 2013, with a group of 20 explorer scouts, with the aim of trekking to Everest Base Camp, Summiting Island Peak (6189m) and carrying out a 2-week community project with the Himalayan Trust.
The six-week expedition will be in September/October 2013 and is open to all explorer Scouts from across Hampshire.
Expedition leaders; Chris Slater, Joe Doherty and Ollie Robinson will be holding an info presentation in the Sky High Conservatory at Ferny Crofts @11am on Sunday 4th March 2012.
Our January training weekend took us to the Black Mountains & namely Ystradgynlais, a small town north of Swansea. For thos of you who went to Smudge’s Stag Do, it’s the same town.
Anyway, we travelled up on Friday night. 10 of us left from our various bases and we met at the Scout Hut in Ystradgynlais, where Richard Brimelow (event director) greeted us with Hot Cross buns… Yum!! Before myself & Chris Laws (Atacama veterans 🙂 ) gave the most amazing and educational lecture ever on nutrition. With the group all feeling very informed & educated we got our heads down for some sleep, which evaded some of us as we were battling with ‘first night camp excitement’.
On Saturday we split into two groups which were being lead by Steve Knaggs & Chris Slater as they are working towards their Mountain leader qualification. We agreed to rendezvous that evening at Llyn Y Fan Fach about 10km north of the town where we started for our overnight camp.
We set out carefully navigating our way through the town and across the road, which seemed to take for ever, before finally hitting some hills.. We then completed navigating legs, whilst also picking up some of the Black Mountains famous Air Craft crash sites…
Now either this was luck or perfect linked groups, but both teams arrived at the overnight camp at exactly the same time. It was at this point and we had been thinking it for a while, that we realised how blooming cold it was. So we wrapped up as warm as we could and put our tents up and had dinner. Luckily for us, there was a rescue hut there, so we did get to sit inside. when I say inside, it had walls, a roof & some benches.. Luxury in this instance.. Dinner was light weight obligatory Cous Cous, veg & Chorizo…
As some of the group headed to bed, Adrian, Steve, Chris & myself headed out for some night nav practice and with 100% success rate we headed back to our tents for a very very very cold night sleep… My 1 season sleeping bag, thermal top, jacket & gillet struggled to keep the cold at bay even whilst i was being sandwiched by Chris & Steve..
The next morning, we had breakfast (muesli cereal bombs) and headed back to the hut. Whilst walking back, we did get to enjoy the snow that started and then laid after we had left…
A great weekend with some great hill walking & wild camping… Thanks to Richard Brimelow for organising and thanks to all who came along..
