I am referring to the training week for the Himalaya 09 Expedition which saw the whole team of Leeds Met staff and students travel to Bavaria for 5 days of preparation and planning for the trip to Nepal in October this year. The team will be aiming to reach Everest base camp as well as volunteering with a community project at a school for children with cerebral palsy, for which the team are aiming to raise £20,000. The week combined briefings, mountain skills training, snow shoeing and that all important team bonding, in perfect clear blue skies which resulted in certain team members returning home with an unexpected lobster appearance.
Having been unable to attend the first training meet in North Wales I was meeting some of the team members for the first time. From the outset I was struck by what a friendly, motivated and diverse group of people have been put together for this ambitious project.Unlike many commercial trekking expeditions where you simply turn up at the airport, this one is unique in that each team member has a specific area of responsibility from fundraising to coordinating the physical preparation. This results in the team developing personally and also learning vast amounts about expedition planning which contributes to a more rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Coming from a sporting background I have always enjoyed being part of a team and all the camaraderie and friendships that come along with having that collective identity. The group of individuals that arrived on day one, through the activities, the fantastic setting and a few bar games thrown in for good measure, left a focused, motivated and above all bonded Team.
As the team left for the airport there was a real buzz of excitement in the air, that one day in mid October, after much preparation and a great deal of hard work, we will be standing as one at Kala Pattar in Nepal, looking up at the top of the world.By Dave Green
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