Mount Kelly entered four teams in to the Ten Tors Challenge at the weekend, with 22 of our pupils taking on the 35, 45 or 55 mile routes over two days. All of our teams performed superbly, successfully completing the route. Thank you to everyone who supported our pupils in this incredible achievement. More photographs can be found on Facebook.
Here is a moving description of what the Ten Tors challenge means to those who undertake it, written by Year 12 pupil, Isabella:
'The moment had come, the moment we had all been waiting for. The roar of the cannon is still ringing in my head, the surge of people rushing down the hillside. With that shot, the fear and the doubts that had accompanied us to the starting line had been temporarily scattered: we were confident and excited. I barely noticed the patchwork of gorse, boulders and elephant grass at my feet.
All that training whilst the rain beat down on us incessantly; whilst the sky was iron grey. Underfoot, the ground was sodden and tried to suck us into its depths at every opportunity. One step at a time, each step a struggle, again, and again, and again. We had been singing, specifically ABBA – but we no longer had the energy to utter a single syllable; and anyway, the vicious wind would snatch our words away before they were even fully formed. No wonder the few scattered trees stand so crookedly, barely taller than I am.
Now though, the sun is shining and the moors are dry but the boulders have become mountains, the gorse is a forest and the elephant grass is a wild animal to be battled with over and over until I am broken and exhausted. All I can see is the rucksack in front of me, all I can think is that soon, surely, we will reach the next checkpoint; soon, surely, I will be able to lie down and sleep.
But now we have completed this addictive challenge, some for an amazing third time. We have conquered the untamed moors and navigated our way through its beautiful landscape, taken on the endurance challenge of a life time and survived both the physiological and psychological demands. Looking back, all those weekends were worth the blood, sweat and tears we put into them because now we have achieved, now we have succeeded in what we set out to do and that feeling is amazing.'
Categories: Expeditions
