World Challengers - A fantastic life changing achievement (Part 4)

The day of the trek has arrived and we are all packed up, waiting for our Guide to arrive and the jeeps to transport us to the start! We are all excited but also very nervous, as we are not quite sure what to expect!

We will be starting our 12 day trek into the Great Himalaya Range - the Marka Valley trek. It is 115 kms in total and we will be trekking from 3500m up to 5240m.

The journey from Leh was quite hairy, as the road wasn't really a road, single track just stones and sand, barren land, the river Indus and a huge drop to the side of us! We noticed many packs of horses, pony's and mules carrying heavy packs with the sherpas along the track. Two of the animals tried to run into our jeep and just missed! The landscape was brown, dusty and really barren. We noticed a family - father, mother and tiny baby, building the stoney track; they were black with the sun, there was no shade for them and it was quite upsetting for us to see this scene.

We eventualy reached our first camp at JingJang and set up our tents for the night. It was next to the stream and our team of sherpas and 30 animals for the next 2 weeks were already there.

It's hard to believe we are in India in the Himalayas! We are all so lucky! It's an early night tonight as we are up at 5.30am tomorrow!

It's a beautiful clear crisp morning, with the sun kissing the peaks. We were on our way with a good breakfast inside us and it wasn't long before our first river crossing! What excitement and freezing cold water straight off the glacier, brrr!

Our destination today was Snow Leopard Camp at Rumbag. Really hope I don't see any snow leopards as i think this will be the end for me!!

Four hours of trekking for everyone, I must admit i had it quite easy as i was snug inside the day sack! Just as well as the air temperature at night was minus degrees!

The next few days saw us trek higher and higher, we saw many herds of goats and sheep, donkeys, yaks, marmots, birds of prey and ram horns!

We reached the first of our highest pass of 4900m - Gandi La Pass. This was some climb, we were all gasping for air and our breathing was fast. Some of the students were sick and one passed out! we had to give everyone time to recover but we all made it!

What a fantastic feeling and breathtaking views! Miles and miles of the Himalayas, snowfields with an avalanche and prayer flags adorning the peak-so beautiful.

We became quicker & more adept at taking down and putting up our tents, packing our big rucksacks and coping with the high altitude, eating rice, noodles and dal each day, dealing with sickness and fatigue and living outside our comfort zones! I think all the young people became stronger characters and supported and helped each other on a daily basis.

No sooner had we climbed high but we would be sleeping low to allow our bodies time to recover.

We climbed four high passes with numerous river crossings

in between, which were real fun and very refreshing for our feet!

I know that by the time we reached the highest pass of 5240m Chaktsang Pass we were totally elated and emotions were running high. It was a proud moment as you can see from the pictures.

Trek phase completed, what's left to do?

Oh yes I remember now!

Sue asked if i could have my photograph taken at the Taj Mahal!

Well this was quite a sticky situation,as it was very hot and humid in Agra.

Little did we know but on entering the Taj, you get frisked and all bags are searched!

I was pulled out of my plastic shopping bag and put on view for all to see. The guard asked Gill what she was doing with a sheep in her bag!

Gill explained where I came from, about Sue being a writer etc. Gill was told NOT to bring me out of the bag as she could get fined 1000 indian rupees!

Oh dear, I'd travelled all this way especialy for this moment at the Taj Mahal only to find out I wasn't allowed in !!

However, as you can see from this photo, Gill took the risk and here I am in all my glory with Becky & Lily siting infront of the Taj Mahal.

Apologies Sue, we couldn't take the chance of sitting on Lady Di's seat, it was too public and too risky! If you would like one of Gill sitting on Lady Di's seat just let her know!

So folks this was me in India. it was the most amazing month away.

The young people are the only team so far this summer to successfully complete the Markha Valley trek.

We are very proud of their achievements!

Hermitage World Challengers (Part 3) - What a bunch of Stars

Part of the work we were involved in with REWA was to help a 77year old lady whose name sounded like 'Grandpa', to clear, clean, and decorate her dwelling.

This was an enormous challenge for all of us and at first we were overcome by the enormity of the work involved. However, the young people showed great resilience, commitment, effort and emotion to tackle this head on.

With encouragement, hard work and initiative the transformation was huge in such a short time.

I didn't get actively involved but I was watching and encouraging all the young people who helped out.

They were STARS!

While half the students were helping the old lady the other half were at the REWA centre helping the young children to play, sing and talk. Also they had started painting a lovely wall mural on the outside wall of the centre, tidying up the grounds and preparing a puppet show.

We were all very happy with the finished wall painting, as were most of the locals in Leh!

After our project phase was complete, we continued with our acclimatisation phase. This included several 4/5 hour walks in and around Leh to help us prepare for our main trek phase.

The young people were very kind to me and took me with them on all their walks. Each time we reached the highest point they would unroll their banner and pluck me out of their rucksack and hold me up to be photographed with the rest of the team!

I think I must be one of the most photographed sheep! I definitely think I must hold the record for getting to the highest altitude.

Hermie in the Himalayas with the World Challengers (Part 2)

Once we'd cleared customs we were met by our in-country agent Dawa, he had several jeeps waiting to whisk us away to our accommodation.

You can see that i am in control of the driving to the Dream Ladakh Guest house.

On our arrival we were greeted warmly

by our host family.

It looks very comfortable here and I see they grow their own vegetables-there's hope for me yet as i might be able to eat some of this. It will sure beat rice, noodles and dal!

There also looks to be plenty of land to stretch my poor squashed legs!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, getting used to our new surroundings and drinking plenty of water. Our poor bodies needed time to adjust to this high altitude.

This is Dolker, she is one of the Assistant Directors of REWA. This is where we are going to be based for the next five days for our project phase.

REWA brings hope to the disabled children and adults who live in Leh and the surrounding area.

I feel very honoured to be part of this work with the students. I shall tell you more in the next email.

We have been given permission to camp in the grounds of the centre and use the limited facilities

such as the 'drop toilet', collect water from the mountain stream to wash ourselves and clothes and the main room in the REWA centre for our group meetings.

You can see that I am helping to purify the water bottles. Each litre of water needs four drops of chlorine, this was a very important task I was given!

Hermie goes to India with the World Challenge students

As you will remember, the students from The Hermitage Academy have been preparing for their month away in india for almost 18 months.

The day 8th July finally arrived, I had been packed away in a huge rucksack, along with a tent, sleeping bag & mat, not so many clothes for a month and orthopaedic shoes for the disabled children. My rucksack weighed in at 21kgs, mighty heavy!

I could hear how excited the students were. We travelled from Durham to Heathrow by train and checked in for the 9 hour flight to Delhi. Goodbye England!!!!!

The next thing I knew about was when the rucksack was opened and the heat hit me, I must say i felt very over dressed in my wooly coat! As you can see my new friends, Becky, Lily and Charlotte hugged me and passed me on to Lauren so i could share breakfast with them in Delhi airport. First time i had tried banana sandwiches!

Once breakfast was finished we checked in for an internal flight up to Leh. Leh is in the Ladakh region almost on the border with Tibet, China and Afghanistan.

It was a short flight of 45 minutes and when we landed it was at 3500m high!

Leh is one of the highest airports in the world- we could hardly breathe when we stepped off the plane, the air was so thin and the sun was scorching! This is something we are going to have to get used to! Wow the views were just fantastic, but i did notice there wasn't much vegetation and greenery around, wonder what i'm going to eat for the next month!!

I'm sure my new friends will help me out :)

Zoe" of Hartburn visits the Calgary Stampede

Dear Friends

I am thrilled to report that I attended the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth- the Calgary Stampede.
It was wonderful. I visited a real Indian Village and saw the most beautiful beadwork.

With my friends Tricia and David I toured the huge agricultural displays- and yes, I met my long lost relatives. They are lovely sheep but they tend to brag a little.

I also encountered the most amazing critter who had the most massive horns I have even seen.

And to top it all off, sailors from HMS Calgary a navy vessel that has sailed the seven seas took my picture in one of their life rings.

Now I have a couple days off and I head for the Maritimes- the east coast provinces of Canada. Hope you are having a wonderful summer, I'll have so many stories to tell you when I get home. Hugs to all ZOE

Oliver of Otterburn goes west to Steep Point

Oliver of Otterburn goes West to Steep Point

The objective of today’s trip is to reach the furthest west point of
the Australian continent. It is named Steep Point and it is quite a remote spot. It is possible to drive there but to do so requires a
well equipped tough 4-wheel-drive vehicle and the time to undertake a return journey over 300 kms of dirt road and soft sand.

So, I am going with Ray & Margaret and we will do it the easy way, in a light plane from the small town of Denham in Western Australia.

It will be a flight of about an hour and we will fly over the beautiful
blue waters of Shark Bay. This is a World Heritage Area and the
extensive sea grass meadows of the bay shelter some of the most
diverse marine life anywhere in the world.

The view of the surrounding landscape is stunning. It is dry and remote and few people live here.

The land ends with stark steep cliffs dropping dramatically down into the Indian Ocean.

Steep Point pokes itself out into the sea, there is no sign of humanity, not even the
campspot of fishermen.

Across a shallow passage from Steep Point is Dirk Hartog Island.

It is long, narrow and sandy but has a special place in Australian
history. In the year 1616 the Dutch trading ship ‘Eendracht’, en routeto Batavia landed here.

The captain, Dirk Hartog hammered flat a pewter plate, inscribed some details of his voyage, and nailed the plate to a tree. It was the very first European object to be placed on
the Australian continent.

It remained there for many years but is now displayed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

So, there you have it, a Northumbrian sheep at the

western edge of Australia.