Dorset Expeditionary Society's blog

I want to go on an expedition but...

'I can't afford it'.

Sound familiar?  I hear this most days, shortly after the same person was saying, 'I'm so going to do that'.

I've been reading a lot of articles recently about the credit crunch and how people are less keen to commit to trips, but overwhelmingly the response from our seasoned think-tank of explorers is actually, you can afford it.

How?

Well firstly look at what it is you want to do. Is there a specific place/mountain/wilderness you want to explore?  Have you set your heart on achieving one objective or are you keen to just be adventurous somewhere?

If it is the former then look at the activity providers and shop around.  I've had numerous phone calls from parents saying that they have forked out £3,000-4,000 for their kids to go on an school run expedition with a company and they have discovered we do it for substantially less.  They ask why the difference in price and I tell them; We are a non profit organisation and our leaders fund themselves, so the trip is run at cost price no more.  We've never run an expedition more that £2,500 and that includes everything but your personal kit. If you shop around and save £1500 just by choosing a high quality, non profit adventure provider, then you will be pretty pleased with yourself! :)

If you don't have your heart set on a specific location and just want to be adventurous then think about micro adventures.  Alaistair Humphreys has some great advice for trips that don't cost the earth, but that will feed your soul.  You could also check out our Micro expeditions blog for ideas.

You might have restrictions on the time you can be away (due to work, school).  You can achieve a lot during the weekend!  Our next trip away is the Download Three Peaks Challenge - 2011 on 29-31 July where we will climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon all in a weekend!  Cost £140; it's a great opportunity to do something truly adventurous that doesn't cost the earth! 

Finally: fundraising! 

Don't waste your time and effort sending hundreds of identical letters to complete strangers asking them to fund your trip.  If you do want to ask for sponsorship by letter then come up with a clever way of asking and offer something in return.  Say you will do a presentation on your return with photos of your trip.

1) Try applying for a grant; local ones to your area are best.  Local council websites can also point you towards local charitable bodies. For instance see Dorset for you Community grant page.

2) Browse the internet for grant-giving bodies.  The RGS has a huge list. 

3) Sell stuff you don't need anymore (clothes, dvds, toys, junk). Ask friends and family whether they have anything they don't want that you can sell to raise funds. You can shift secondhand items at a car boot sale, in the free section of the local paper or online via auction pages.

4) Organise a pub quiz or a collection bucket at the entrance to a night club (arrange in advance with the establishment).

5)Do some bag packing at the local supermarket (arrange it with the manager in advance). Take some information about your trip with you to explain why you are raising funds.  Go in a group with matching t-shirts to make it more effective. Pick a busy weekend (bank holiday, easter, xmas).

6) Make cakes to sell at school/work (people love cakes on a friday)

7) Get a part-time/saturday/evening job. 

8) Baby sitting, dog sitting, dog walking, gardening, hoovering etc.  You'd be surprised how many people need a few hours help.

9) Ask for money for your birthday and christmas presents

10) Do a sponsored event: walk/cycle 50 miles (it'll be good training), grow a beard, sit in a bath of baken beans...it doesn't real matter the point is you are actively showing people how determined you are to achieve your goal.

Ultimately, if you can't be bothered to raise the money to go then you should think long and hard about whether you do actually have an adventurous spirit.  It is the easiest thing in the world to give up at the first hurdle. 

I was told recently by a young leader that 'the hardest part of an expedition is actually deciding you are going to do it; everything else falls into place'. I think he's right!

Lucy Wyman

 
Leading Edge Expeditions    Twitter @expeditions     E:[email protected]

2011 Stephenson Award for outstanding service to youth expeditions

 

 

The Stephenson Award is given annually to an individual who is a  member of the Young Explorers’ Trust for outstanding service to youth expeditioning.

There are many ways by which such service may occur. It might be for a long period of involvement with the youth expedition scene, for a young member who has later developed active leadership skills or a young member who has made a particular contribution to an expedition in the field. 

 
 
The 2011 Stephenson Award winner is MARK SALMON, expedition Leader for Leading Edge Expeditions and a long standing member of the Dorset Expeditionary Society.

Mark has run many youth expeditions including ventures to Nepal, Canada, USA, France, UK and Spain. His previous trips have received both the Goldsmiths and Sir Vivian Fuchs Awards.  He is a Churchill Fellow; Head of PE and Outdoor Adventure at The Wey Valley School. He is also the Unit Leader and assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition.

Mark's last expedition in 2010 was to Alaska and this won the Sir Vivian Fuchs National Youth Expedition award.  

His next Mountain biking & trekking expedition is to the Canadian Rockies in Summer 2012 and he tells us it is currently recruiting.  Visit www.leadingedge.org.uk/expeditions for full details.

Ted Grey at the YET said of Mark's award

'I am truly delighted by this'. 

Mark commented that it was 'a complete surprise, but that he feels very honoured'.   

Mark is dedicated to fostering the spirit of adventure in young people and actively encourages many from disadvantaged backgrounds to 'have a go' at outdoor activities.  His latest venture is the Wey Valley Wheelers, which is  an after school club for young people in the local community to learn mountain biking skills. Children without their own equipment are able to borrow a bike for the club nights after Mark successfully gained outside funding for club equipment.

The WVW's group has some excellent young talent including one young future Olympic hopeful. Several of the team have already competed in National Mountain bike events in Wales.

Opportunities for students outside of the classroom have always been essential to the development of young people and it is to Mark's credit that he provides such high calibre opportunities for them.

Well done Mark from us all at the Dorset Expeditionary Society; a very worthy winner!

 If you would like to read more about the Dorset Expeditionary Society and our aims to encourage outdoor pursuits please visit our website at www.dorsetexp.org.uk

  

 

The importance of water - Nepal Expedition

High up in the Langtang we reach Therapati where apart from 3 teahouses and some grazing horses there is nothing. The views , however are superb and we watch the sun setting over some 6 thousand metre peaks.

 
To get here the trek has been quite arduous and some in our group now pay the price with diarrhoea and vomiting. The teahouse has one outside crouch toilet but no running water and the water in the bucket quickly runs out as many pay visits during the night. With the bucket empty, there is no way of clearing up the mess but at first light one of the hut staff disappears down the side of the col and reimmerges 15 minutes later with a basket of water. Our problems of the night are over but the message it  brings home to us is immense.

 

Up in the villages, Bimal has planned for us to spend 2 nights in Raipali, a village where we have yet to install an electric pump. Our campsite is 45 vertical metres above the water tank and the villagers have kindly carried water up for us to use that night.' What about tomorrow ?' I ask bimal and of course we both know the answer.

The next morning we go down to the tank and meet up with the village ladies who watch with much amusement as we sort out the canisters, baskets and webbing and then face the daunting task of carrying the water back up the hill. In fairness, it was not that difficult and most of us carried 10 litres each but the thought of doing it every day is not a good one. Even now we have to ration the water. Half a bowl for washing, two 5 litre buckets for the latines and the rest for cooking. I promise the villagers that the Okhle Village trust will provide the electric pump but that they must see to the extra pipework required and its installation.

Kot Guan and the poorest of the 5 villages we are helping. We meet up with 4 village committee members and 2 ladies carrying their water baskets on the ridge above the village and descend on the other side to a spring some 40 vertical metres below. The idea is to install a small tank with an electric pump by the spring and pump water up to a much larger tank on the col and from there via a series of pipework to 4 standpipes  situated throughout the village.

Being on the north side of the hill, the path to the spring is quite slippery and 2 of the strongest in our group carry the ladies water back up to the col. it is a daunting task and one is left with huge respect and admiration for these ladies who do this every day. I promise the villagers that we will take on the project
 

The cost of completing the Raipali project should be about £1000 but starting from scratch the cost of supplying waterto the 300 inhabitants of Kot Guan will be in the region of £6000. I have come up with what I hope will be a novel but successful way of raising money. I have brought back some water baskets with me and plan to do 2 sponsored Water Carrying events  on 9 July.

The event will be held from 2-6pm at the Wessex Waterwork grounds, Sutton Poyntz, Weymouth. Dorset.

.  At present the ladies of the Got Guan village walk the equivalent of from Sutton Poyntz to the White Horse and back to collect their water. We hope to carry the same amount of water ie. 3000 litres as the villagers of Kot Guan carry each day

Activities

1.         Carry as much water as you are comfortable with in provided milk cartons round the Spring Head, a distance of 1 mile. (Some Nepalese Baskets can be used but as there are not enough to go round, please bring your own water carrier eg rucksack).

2.         Family and children's water games.

3.         Cream teas, Nepalese Music.  Water museum open with DVD showing recent visit to Kot Guan and other villages.

 Cost - £5 per adult including cream tea. £1 per child.  

 Please come along and support us, email me for further information if required ( rtbackwell@ hotmail.co.uk)
                                                                                 Richard Backwell

www.okhle.org.uk - Okhle Village Trust