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Feat u r i n g Cr ossi n g Om an 's Em p t y Qu ar t er H i k i n g t h e Ar ct i c w i t h d ogs M al ay si a's M ah M er i
Al so i n cl u d i n g: M ou n t ai n bi k i n g t h e W h i t e Ri m Tr ai l Ex p l or i n g t h e Si m p son Deser t Ru n n i n g ar ou n d W al es & l ot s m or e
Issu e 7, Sept em ber 2019
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
InThis Issue THEBIGRED
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REGENERATINGHERITAGE PAGE22 - THEMAHMERI
AFAMILYAFFAIR
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OMAN'S EMPTY QUARTER
PAGE34 RUNNING AROUND W ALES WITH ADDEDUNECO FEATURE
MOUNTAINBIKINGTHE PAGE56 WHITERIMTRAIL www.adventureshe.com
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
HIKINGTHEARCTIC WITHDOGS
BOOK REVIEWS
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PAKISTAN'S HUNZA
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TASMANIA'S OVERLAND PAGE92 TRACK
INTERVIEWWITH SARAHWILLIAMS
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WHATAW OMAN
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PAGE112 PAGE6
COMINGUP
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CHASETHESUNONEBIGCYCLE www.adventureshe.com
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
HikingOmanHer Facesof Change
byJaneyMcGill
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Adventure She magazine
In 2010, whilst in her late 20?s, Janey McGill was training for a military horse race. No one in her regiment had ever participated in this race. To Janey, an experienced equestrian who?d been riding since she could walk, competing in this horse race brought escapism, adrenaline, freedom. Whilst wearing an approved hard hat, the feeling of being out there was so great, it was as if the wind was flowing through her hair. Competing in the race would for her also be a massive honour. One August morning as she galloped flat out, her horse tripped. It wasn?t exactly a small accident for Janey, then in her late
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Issue 7, September 2019
20?s. Two rods and eight titanium screws had to be inserted into her back between T6 and T10, so that T8 which was crushed, could be stabilised. In fact T6, T7, T9 and T10 were also fractured. She couldn?t lie on her stomach, lying on her side was painful. The metal work inside her felt like a Chinese burn around her spine. Janey couldn?t take it any longer. So after 14 months, she asked for the metal work to be taken out. The pain is still there, it?s now become her normal and, as she said, ?you just manage it?. When faced with a crisis, some people rise above self destruction, self harm and bitterness. They make the most of what is left
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to them and strive to live their best life. Janey McGill maintains she is not one of those people. Prior to breaking her back, Janey?s two key passions had been her work with the military reserves and horse riding. With her military career over, her passion for riding extinguished and her sense of purpose all gone, Janey says she went into full on self destruction mode. We sat down with Janey and discussed with her all things Empty Quarter. This is Janey?s story of how she regained her sense of purpose after that horrific back injury.
Adventure She magazine
What is the Empty Quarter The Empty Quarter, or Rub al Khali, to give its local name, is the largest sand desert in the World. It covers vast swathes of the southern part of the Arabian peninsula and extends into Saudia Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman. It?s so hot and water and vegetation is usually so scare, almost no one lives there, the exception being a few Bedouin tribes, hence it?s name which means
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the Empty Quarter. It?shuge sand dunes also make it difficult for people to move around and even to survive. How did decide to trek across Oman?s Empty Quarter? I?d read a book The Phantom Major. It?s about the founder of the SAS and various operations in North Africa during the Second World War. In it there?s a chapter which had a profound influence on me.
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It?s about some SAS soldiers who were stranded at a rendezvous after a night raid on one of the enemy airfields. They were just a few miles away from the coast where they could have surrendered. But they didn?t. Instead they took the decision to walk the 200 miles through the desert back to their base, with a couple of bottles of water and some nuts and dried fruit. I was fascinated by that, not just the hike but also their
Adventure She magazine
decision making. What was it about them, that made them choose the 200 mile desert yomp with its limited chance of survival? Why choose to risk dying of starvation and thirst, when others would have surrendered, or simply given up and crumbled? How had they kept going?How come they wouldn?t be defeated? I wondered, would I be defeated if I took on that challenge? But I knew going to Libya to emulate that SAS walk was not safe in current times. The SAS would probably have needed to come out to save me. As an officer in the SAS later told me ?it?s all very well people disappearing off into these parts of the world, but it?s our lives in danger when we have to save them after they?ve been kidnapped?. So how did you switch your focus from Libya to Oman? It was in 2012. I was on a first date with a SAS officer (yes the same SAS officer) and he showed me an ancient
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Issue 7, September 2019
arrowhead. I can?t explain why, but instantly, I had goosebumps all over me. I quizzed him about it and he started talking about the Middle East, Oman and the Empty Quarter. I was fascinated. In fact, the Middle East has always fascinated me. I can?t explain why, but there?s something about the culture, the intrigue, the rumours and the stereotypes. Perhaps because it?s all so far removed from what I knew when growing up (in rural Britain, London and Las Vegas) but perhaps a nod to my own patriarchal upbringing. The book, the date, the arrowhead. It?s as if a seed had been planted within me. Since Libya wasn?t possible, I could explore my curiosity and fascination for the Middle East. I asked around and the area people suggested was Oman?s Empty Quarter. So you now started researching Oman? If I?d attempted the Libyan trek, it would have been
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around 200 miles. Looking at maps of the Middle East, it was clear the Empty Quarter was far larger (see boxed text for more on the Empty Quarter). But I also knew that if I was going to organise a 200 miles trek in the Empty Quarter, then I should do the whole of it, or at least as much as I could. I knew I wouldn?t be able to get access to do the Saudi Arabian part of the Empty Quarter and that the war in Yemen meant the Yemeni part was out. So I focused on the Omani section, which would still be approximately 500 miles. It?s strange but a lot of things that worked out, happened by chance. Mark Evans, a British explorer living in Oman and his Omani team were delivering a talk at the Royal Geographical Society in London about their Empty Quarter crossing following Bartram Thomas?s crossing. I went to it and that night I met Mohammed Al-Zadjali, one of Mark?s team mates. At the time I felt really intimidated. It wasn?t Mohammed, it was because
Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
RunningAround Wales by Katie Wright
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
In our June 2019 issue, several of our authors shared how they struggle with self belief. Imagine our delight when Dr Katie Wright, yes that Dr. Katie Wright, the first woman ever to win a "last man standing race", a medical doctor and a subscriber to Adventure She magazine, told us she wanted to write about the importance of self confidence and trusting oneself, over listening to other people. For Katie Wright isn't of those women who was born wearing running shoes, she didn't hone her athletic ability track side whilst in school, not has she always found it easy. Here she shares her story from novice half marathoner, to successfully running around the whole of Wales.
I didn't start out as a long-distance runner. It just kind of happened. I always loved sports as a kid and am hugely competitive but a lack of confidence in my own abilities always seems to stop me pushing my own limits. I started running ?officially?by doing a half marathon as a fundraiser when I was 18 and remember walking most of the way having done little to no training. It was painful! The aftermath even more so I couldn?t walk downstairs for a week but I was hooked. In 2009 I trained hard and ran my first marathon, London in
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4 hours and 20 seconds. I honestly didn?t care about those 20 seconds. I was just thrilled to have finished and told myself ?never again?. Later that year I was back to just running for fun and starting to pour over maps looking at interesting loops or ways to link paths together: this wasn?t trails yet but just roads around my house. The real fun started on a trip out to the Llyn Peninsula (North Wales) with my mum. She was playing golf for the day on the North coast and looking at the map there was a route the entire way from Aberdaron at the very tip of
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the peninsula to the golf course. I needed something to do for the day, and she could drive me back home from the golf club: I just had to get myself there! I made a vague estimate of how far it was (severely underestimating) and took only some cash and a small bottle of water. The only cafĂŠ en route was shut. I remember those last few miles with dread. Thirsty, hungry, exhausted. I hadn?t done the route before and had no real idea where I was or how far I had to go. That first sight of a golf flag was joyous.
Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
HikingtheArctic WithMyDogs byRachel Frei Bandiere
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
Rachel Frei Bandieri is a Swiss adventurer, coach and blogger with a passion for the far north. She?s completed two major winter races in Finnish Lapland, the Rovaniemi 150 km race and the Rovaniemi 300 km race. She is currently planning for her next challenge in February 2020, a solo winter expedition, the Lapland Extreme Challenge Feb 2020. But one of her favourite adventures didn?t actually involve snow, ice and towing a pulk. Instead it involved hiking 700kms in 3 weeks with her two rescue dogs, Sparta and Nyx, who at the time were four years old. She hopes by sharing some of her knowledge, experience and insights from this long distance hike with her dogs, that it will inspire all of us, particularly those of us with dogs, to go forth and adventure.
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
Pakistan'sHunza byHamnaBilal
At Adventure She magazine we strive to educate ,as well as to empower and entertain. What better way to educate ourselves about other parts of the world, than get local people to share their stories with us . We apologise for the photo quality of the archive photos on the subsequent pages of this article. Alas, digital photography was not available in 1993 and the photographs have deteriorated in quality over time. www.adventureshe.com
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
WARNING. At t h e t im e of pu blicat ion in Sept em ber 2019, t h er e is a t r avel advisor y w ar n in g in place f or t h e Kh ar ak or u m High w ay bet w een Islam abad an d Gilgit . To t r avel t o t h e places m en t ion ed in t h is ar t icle w ou ld n ecessit at e t r avellin g on t h at r oad an d ot h er n ear by r oads an d t h r ou gh ar eas br an ch in g of f it . Con sequ en t ly, w e w ou ld n ot t r avel t h er e at pr esen t . A sh am e, bu t t h at is geopolit ics.
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hen it comes to
scenery Pakistan has been blessed. It's Northern area is famous for its scenic beauty. Last year I visited some of the northern areas of Pakistan including Babusar top, Murree, and the famous Highland Resort. The Highland Resort is a unique recreational resort, located on Pir Sohawa Road in Islamabad. My first stop was to be the Highland resort. The road was so soft and thin it made my heart skip a beat. During the jumpy and dangerous road trip my car bumped into a van. It was dangerous because the road was steep and the mountains were rugged. It seemed as if there had been land sliding recently, which is why the
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accidents are prone to happen. The people nearby gathered and tried to cool down the heat from the minor accident. I was with my Uncle who handled the situation peacefully. He apologized for driving at a higher speed, which was more than 40km/h. However, the man with the van was furious, but when he saw the ladies, including me, he accepted the apology and let us go, without creating a big scene. He respected the presence of women and handled the situation maturely. I was glad that the issue was resolved. Anyway, I managed to reach the top of Islamabad where the Highland Resort is located; a few kilometers away from where we had the
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accident. Upon reaching it, I rushed towards the rooftop of the resort. From there I could see the whole city. The view was breathtaking and for a minute I had forgotten about all the sorrows of life. I wanted to shout from the pavement ?I am the queen of the world?, but that would have been awkward, considering all the strangers I was surrounded with. After getting off the roof, my Uncle and I took a walk near the hills. In the corner, there was a man selling roasted corns. It seemed so appealing that I couldn?t resist to eat them. While I was enjoying the corn during the deep blue sunset, a small brown monkey snatched my corn and started eating it. I was startled, yet amused as I saw the little creature chew the corns. The monkeys at the
Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
Hiking Tasmania's Overland Track by HannahRobinson age9andahalf www.adventureshe.com
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T
he Overland Track is an 82km hiking trail through the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It is perhaps Australia?s most famous hike, passing through alpine and temperate rain forest areas. Hannah Robinson (aged 9½) recently hiked the track with her parents and this is her story. On the 22nd December, I, Hannah Robinson, started the Overland Track. At the start I was really nervous about doing the hike because it?s the longest hike I?ve ever done (8 days). We started at Ronny Creek at the northern end near Cradle Mountain and hiked very steep hills and I got a nickname ?Mountain Goat? because I climbed high, steep, rocky hills quickly leaving my parents behind in my dust. We stopped at Marions Hut ( which was just below Cradle Mountain but at the top of the steep bit we had just walked up) and had some food. Further along was Kitchen hut; we had a look in and the hut didn?t even have a kitchen! My Dad climbed ?Cradle Mountain?and Mum and I kept on going to Waterfall Valley Hut to camp. That day was 10km. The next day was Waterfall Valley Hut to Windemere Hut. It was a very sloppy and rocky track. First thing in the morning it was raining for about 15 min but then it started to warm up. Along the way to our next campsite, we visited Lake Will which had a sandy beach and great views of Barn Bluff. That day was 7.75km but more like 11km with the side trip to Lake Will. It was a very warm day and we took a dip in Lake Windermere, which was very cold but refreshing. Mum only went up to her knees but did manage to
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
THEBIGINTERVIEW WITHSARAH WILLIAMS
byJaneHarries www.adventureshe.com
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
Who is Sarah Williams? Isn't she just another woman with a blog, who's expanded into writing books and hosting a podcast? No way. Sarah Williams is so much more. She has to be. After all, you don't get to beat out fellow finalists Channel 4 Women?s Euros 2017; Same City, Same Passion (Manchester City); and Sky Sports Cricket, to the Women?s Sport Trust #BeAGameChanger Media Initiative of the Year Award 2018, unless there is something special about you and what you're doing. That is some feat for any decent sized organisation, yet alone one sole individual. For yes, whilst technically the award was won by the Tough Girl Podcast, we all know in reality that means Sarah Williams. Hosting a podcast means Sarah is used to asking the questions. We decided to turn the tables and put her under the spotlight. A business graduate from Durham University (one of the UK's most prestigious universities), Sarah like many thousands of other graduates headed south to the bright lights of London's financial district. Whilst the bright lights of a city skyline may look enticing on a postcard, the truth is, those lights only shine bright into the night sky, because a whole lot of people are working late, often very late. But just as a light bulb dims before it burns out, Sarah found her love for the London life and in particular her job in Private Wealth Management, to be dimming. It was time to change her own light bulb and for her, that meant getting out.
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
ChaseTheSun
BySallyDoyle Im age cou r t esy of Ch ar lot t e M ein s
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Adventure She magazine
Issue 7, September 2019
Whenever possible, we like Adventure She magazine to finish with a story that inspires. We think that this time around, we have definitely achieved that. For Sally Doyle's story of how she reacted when life threw her a curve ball, is reminder to us all, that even when life doesn't go to plan, provided we seize the moment, we can still find joy.
I have cycled on and off throughout my life, but decided to take it up as a serious hobby when I found myself single at the age of fifty two. Not knowing how to go about it I searched the internet for groups that would suit me and came up with the Central London Cycling Touring Club (CTC). I started to cycle with this group regularly on a Sunday, enjoying the challenge of becoming fitter and more proficient in this new hobby. I quickly learnt that there were lots of challenges out there for the cyclist ready to push themselves. The first of these that I undertook was to cycle Lands?End to John o Groats (LEJOG) 2012, quickly followed by coast to coast USA 2013. After these two long tours I decided to join a new club (Richmond Park Rouleurs) that was less about long tours and more about speed. This led me to enter number of sportives, (timed day rides) of various distances, many of these abroad (travel is my other great passion). The Mallorca 312 (312 kilometres in fourteen hours) and Chase the Sun (207 miles from sunrise to sunset) are the two longest I've done, going back for second time with both. However my love of touring has not left
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me, pushing me in 2017 to cycling coast to coast USA for a second time and end to end New Zealand. Some may ask (and do) why?? I believe my motivation has come from the realisation that I can do it!!! That I have the endurance (stubbornness) that allows me to push myself in ways that maybe others will not. For me there is nothing more exhilarating than setting a goal and achieving it. This realisation came to me relatively late in life, but not too late to enjoy the pleasure of achieving something with just power of my body (and a bike). A fabulous feeling!!!! But what exactly is the Chase the Sun ride and what was is like to cycle it? Here's my story. ?Chase the Sun?. is a fast and furious bike ride across the English countryside, o be completed in one day. This bike ride was first devised by three friends who wanted to see how far they could cycle in just one day. So they made the decision (some might say foolhardy) to cycle across the UK from the East of England to the West of England. The plan was to ride on the Saturday nearest the longest day of the year to allow for optimum
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