Adventure She magazine, September 2019 - Issue 7

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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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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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FromtheEditor How many times have you heard someone lament "if only I had" or "I though of that first but ..." I've heard those phrases a lot, for I'll admit it, I've uttered them quite a few times.

Wright did despite what the naysayers said. If you think you recognise the name, yes it's the Katie Wright who earlier this year became the first woman to win a last man standing running event.

Our UNESCO feature also comes from Wales.

The thing is, it doesn't matter what we have done in the past, whether we have utilised opportunities or let them go, we can still seize any opportunities that come our way in the future.

You guessed it, the theme for this issue is seizing the moment.

Sometimes I dream of heading off like Katie Wright on a long distance challenge. But then start worrying about my dog. How could I possibly leave her behind for such a long time?

Well thanks to Rachel Frei Bandieri, I no longer need to leave my labrador behind, for Rachel shares how she and her two rescue dogs hiked 700 kms in the Arctic. Whether or not you are a dog lover, her tips and tricks are definitely worth checking out.

Post divorce, Belle Sinclair seized the moment to do up a canal boat and travel widely. Here she writes about crossing Australia's SImpson Desert.

On finding herself single at 52, Sally Doyle took up cycling. She now runs cycling holidays in Spain and here shares her experience of cycling across England between sunrise and sunset. Family prompted Jo Turner, her sisters and cousins to have a girls weekend including a 'home made triathlon'. Yes, albeit it a differet way, all three articles share the theme of seizing the moment and making the best of one's new found situation.

If your children rather than pets keep you from long distance hiking, meet the Robinson family.

Hannah, then aged 9 and a half, spent last Christmas hiking with her parents in Tasmania.

Hopefully her story will inspire more families to go hiking together.

One person who knows how to seize the moment is Sarah Williams. I asked to interview Sarah about her trip cycling the Pacific Coast Highway and Baja California, but ended up getting so much more.

The Mah Meri Aboriginal people of Malaysia are in a different situation, for their home and culture is under threat from industrial development.

Nuraini Arsad explores how they are seizing the moment to embrace tourism, as a means of trying to keep their culture alive.

What do you do when your 'moment' is snatched away and instead you end up in hospital with several fractured and and one crushed vertebrae?

Enter the world of Janey McGill who shares her story from breaking her back, to hiking 500 miles across Oman's Empty Quarter.

If you prefer your adventure more physical than cultural, Judy Thomas's article on the do's and don't of cycling Utah's White Rim trail is for you.

Or, if you fancy a longer adventure, how about running around my homeland, Wales, as Katie

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Fr on t cover , Her Faces of Ch an ge - Cr ossin g Oan's Em pt y Qu ar t er . Ph ot o cou r t esy of Baida Al-Zadjali.

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Oman is of course one of those countries that intrigues many of us. In fact, the whole of the Middle East, Arabia and the Islamic world fascinates me. We hear so much about it on the news, but what do we really know about the culture, the places and the people who live there? Pakistani Hamna Bilal shares with us a mini adventure she took in her own country.

hopefully before the end of September. Subscribers to our 2019 issues will of course get it for free. Just access it using your normal password.

Finally, we have a new regular feature, 'What a Woman'. This isn't a competition and anyone can nominate anyone, including yourself, just be sure to tell us why the person (or yourself) should be nominated.

We also have a couple of book reviews. It would be great if some of you submitted reviews of your favourite adventure books. We can't promise to publish them all, but we'll try. We also love publishing your stories, so please, do keep them coming.

Finally as Malala Yousafzai says "Do not wait for someone else to come and speak for you. It's you who can change the world". So go on, what are you waiting for, go seize that opportunity, for that moment may never come again.

Jane

Now it's confession time. We had hoped to bring you a special feature on UTMB week with this issue.

But the reality is, our special feature has grown so big, it's taken on a mind of its own. So, we'll publish it separately no later than early October and

Founder and editor

Howtofol l owAdventureSheonsocial media If you'd like to follow Adventure She on social media and / or join our Facebook Group, we'll be delighted to see you.

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Adventure She is published by TNA Consulting Services Ltd, the address of the registered of which can be obtained from Companies House. The entire contents is protected by copyright 2019 and all rights are reserved. Reproduction without prior permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom, Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the magazine. Neither TNA Consulting Services Ltd nor Adventure She magazine accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used or claims made. Copyright Š 2019 TNA Consulting Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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TheBigRed byBelleSinclair

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Nowadays, too often, adventure is regarded as some physical feat of endurance. But the truth is different. An adventure does not of necessity involve physical suffering.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the noun adventure as "Daring enterprise; unexpected or exciting incident; commercial speculation; hazardous activity;" with the verb being "Incur risk; dare to go or come; dare to enter. Hazard, imperil".

Here Belle SInclair who says she is "a serial wanderer, and have been ever since I can remember" shares an adventure she undertook into Australia's Simpson Desert. Whilst only the fourth largest desert in Australia, the Simpson is still about the size of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania put together.

Belle doesn't have much of a social media profile, so if you'd like to get in touch, please do so via Adventure She magazine.

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he Simpson Desert is Australia?s fourth largest desert and home of the world?s longest parallel sand dune. It?s named after a washing machine manufacturer from Adelaide ? who also happened to be the President of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia.

fascination for me. So I decided I had to go.

I usually just take off and work things out as I go, but being a desert, and a proper one at that, the Simpson required some serious planning. It would be both stupid and arrogant to go unprepared into such a dangerous place.

The terrain is brutal, the climate is tough, the area is remote, snakes, spiders, and dingoes live there, and a theme park it is not. You must be self sufficient, able to rescue and manage yourself, and able to help others needing help.

You don?t want to be ?that tourist?who somebody else has to go looking for.

Straddling the invisible lines of the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia, its slap bang in the middle of nowhere, an inhospitable place, closed in the summer due to excessive heat, a vast dusty expanse sitting right on top of the Great Artesian Basin, the Simpson Desert has long been an object of

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So having persuaded a good friend it was

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somewhere she also definitely needed to visit, especially as it?s not really somewhere you should go alone anyway, off we went in my well prepared 4WD ute (truck). Both of us are regular off road drivers ( dirt driving is a way of life in much of Australia, albeit I am originally from London) and we are comfortable on sand, know about tyre pressures, have winched and snatched ourselves and others out of trouble before, can change wheels, perform basic bush mechanics, and bodge well when needed. We were confident in our combined abilities to live out there for a month with just what we had.

shops out there in the desert, 80 litres of drinking water in an under tray tank, 60 extra litres of diesel in three 20 litre canisters, several ways to cook food and boil water, a roof top tent so we could sleep above the snakes and spiders and dingoes, a UHF radio ? no phone or even much radio reception out there ? a 3m sand flag so that approaching vehicles could see us in the dunes, an EPIRB, a snake bite, sting, heatstroke, dysentery, sunburn first aid kit, a signalling reflector and a small grab bag of essentials should we become separated from the vehicle in an emergency, a wide brimmed hat, and an all important head net each. Bush flies are a severe and unbearable nuisance.

And ?just what we had?comprised food ? no

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Birdsville is the north eastern entry point for the Simpson, and we drove down from Townsville, where we live. Nappanerica or Big Red, the highest dune in both the Simpson and just 40 kms from the town, marking the start of the desert proper. At 40ms or 130 feet tall, it is an impressive sight for miles around, which can be bypassed, but why would you when it highlights the desert drive that you are there to do?

But before anybody gets irate about driving over dunes, the track is actually an established road, created by French geologists in the 1960 for prospecting access across the ergs (a dune sea/ plain of little vegetation). There are actually three tracks and they are all straight, unsealed and across deep sand which is blown smooth every day.

It is not a case of driving at random over vegetation and habitat or encroaching on animal sanctuary.

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So having reached the base of Big Red, we let down the tyres to 25 psi (for a better footprint and less chance of sinking in the fine sand, easier to let down than pump up en route), made sure everything was secured, then drove up her, starting off in ordinary 2 WD then flicking her into 4WD as soon as we had sufficient revs. The important thing is to keep the revs steady and consistent and just do it; if you don?t, you?ll roll back and sink just like the various blokes who didn?t bother, and set off without changing anything. We met several of them a few days later and they confessed to being

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both impressed and irritated to see us manage the climb with ease while they became bogged. We just smiled politely and didn?t gloat.

grains tumbled from the top and settled lower down, then gradually built up, pushing the edge of the dune forward in a barely discernible creep.

The view from the top was stunning; miles and miles of sand dunes and heat haze in all directions. The sand blew around in little rivers at ankle height, whipping our legs as it did so. We watched the shape of the dune edges change, as

And then there was the sand music. As the wind skimmed up and over the top, it picked up grains and somehow bowled them so that they resonated and hummed, a sound reminiscent of distant whale music.

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Once down the other side of Big Red and into the Simpson proper, with another 1199 dunes to go, we started seeing animal scats (poo) and tracks. Roo Poo is easy to identify ? think giant rabbit droppings, usually accompanied by ?Y?shaped parallel paw prints and perhaps a tail slide. But there were also goanna trails (claw prints and tail slides), small reptile prints, dingo prints

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(dog prints) snake tracks and bird prints.

And we got vegetation too. Low scrubby bushes, sometimes samphire on damper patches, spinifex and other grasses and acacia. Areas were notably verdant, although that?s not actually surprising since mound springs abound in the area.

These follow a line roughly north to south and mark areas where water from the Great Artesian Basin finds its way to the surface. As it emerges from the ground, it lays down sediment and over the years that sediment builds into mounds, sometimes many metres high. Water collects at the top, often in a large pond or lake, often flowing down from the top to drain away into surrounding sand, supporting all sorts of life as it does ? plants, snails, amphibians, fish.

It?s a very bizarre site and defies the laws of physics, with water at the top of a hill, pushed up from below rather than collected from above or gathered by gravity, and rich in water life, yet surrounded on all sides by featureless and desolate sand plains.

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Artesian water also gushes out in springs, at places like Dalhousie Springs, usually warm or hot, to form deep pools of crystal clear fresh water. It?s estimated that the mound and spring water takes three million years ? yes, three million - to rise from the earth?s centre to the surface.

played. But as soon as there was any noise with which they were unhappy, they?d yelp a warning ( pure bred true dingoes, as opposed to those which have bred with domestic dogs, yelp; they don?t bark) to the pups and they?d all slide off back into the bush, leaving only their prints.

Because these waterholes, along with manmade bores drilled to provide water for cattle and human life, abound with pond life, they also attract birds and animals; wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, mice, skinks, dragons, lizards, dingoes, corellas. Loads of them, and we spent many hours over the month, after setting up camp, sitting quietly and watching what turned up to drink, or later on, hiding in the roof top tent waiting for what might be nearby in the bush, to emerge under the cover of darkness to poke around our camp.

Then of course there were the stars; millions of them every night in a crystal clear, cloudless sky. It?s true too that there are more stars in the southern hemisphere because the Milky Way is overhead at 32 degrees south. The Southern Cross, the planets, shooting stars, the International Space Station were all clearly visible in a stunningly fabulous display that you just couldn?t better.

We saw several dingoes, complete with pups that way, parents sniffing the air while the babies frolicked and

Remember at the start I mentioned preparation? Well Simpson is actually a National Park and to enter it, you need a pass. It?s partly a fund raiser but more importantly a means of keeping tabs on who is out there.

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When we bought ours (at the Tourist Information in Birdsville) they scrutinised us to ensure we were properly prepared and actually capable of surviving.

They asked us far more questions than expected, about our experience, our backgrounds, our individual skills. It was a bit odd, until they revealed that two older men were stuck out there in a broken down vehicle, and although OK with sufficient food and water until they could be rescued, they were starting to panic. The fear was they might try to walk out rather than stay put, and die in the process. So they asked us to take them a sat phone so that they could speak directly to them and check on them.

It took us three days to reach them, but when we did, they were nowhere to be seen. No note, no sign of where they might be; nothing. It turned out that they had cadged a lift with a passing vehicle and were on their way to Birdsville. However, others stumbling across their

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abandoned and clearly not very well prepared vehicle had no idea of their whereabouts, and had started to search for them, and leave water ? water from their own rations, which they needed for their own survival. That is how people get into difficulty in the wilderness, not necessarily because of their own actions, but because of others not thinking things through.

So we taped a note prominently across the window, Sat phoned the Birdsville Police, dragged the water into the shade to prevent it evaporating, and carried onto Mount Dare, another two days drive away, on the other

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side of the Simpson Desert.

Our desert drive complete, we nipped into Adelaide via the Oodnadatta Track ( another desert route), restocked our food and water supplies then set off up the Strzelecki Track, north, back to Townsville.

Was the Simpson worth seeing? You bet. Was it a hard trip? Absolutely. Did we have any problems? No, none at all.

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AFamilyAffair byJoTurner www.adventureshe.com

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Richmond Park is royal park, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation.

It is the home to hundreds of Red and Fallow deer and a place with thousands of Londoners go, to relax, to explore nature, and to exercise.

Jo Turner is one of those people who makes the most of what's at her family's doorstep. For that's right, we don't always need to travel, to encounter nature, joy and adventure.

Unfortunately, too many people who do visit the park try to feed the deer, or chase the deer, or try to get too close to the deer for the sake of a selfie. The deer are of course wild animals. Wherever we travel, and however far we travel, let us all try and leave the local wildlife in peace.

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Adventure She magazine

My Mother remembers sitting huddled under the stairs with her older brother and sister listening to the doodlebugs flying overhead. Thankfully they survived. The three subsequently grew up, marrying, living and working all over Britain, moving frequently, the eldest travelling internationally.

Between them they had 10 children of their own, six of

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them girls; and that?s us.

Having known each other from our youngest days, periodically meeting up at family events and parties, we have known each other for a long time and seen our lives unfold.

We are disparate in circumstances; our ages range from 46 to 58; work

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ranges from full-time through part-time, self-employed, and voluntary. We each have between one and four children or stepchildren, their ages ranging from 5 to 33, and have all at times faced various of life?s major challenges; personal health issues, caring for parents, divorce, loss of parents, grappling with the local authority for adequate

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educational provision for a child with additional needs, and recently the loss of a spouse.

chocolate, laughter and swapping news, and by the next morning I woke up feeling better.

Last year four of our group undertook the Blenheim triathlon and definitely got the bug, one especially for open water swimming, another already a veteran cyclocross bike racer, and the other two just generally all round fit. I cheered them on in awe following progress online. I?m one of the mothers of four teenagers, I last did a park run six weeks ago, and occasionally take the bike to the shops. The prospect, proposed by our Richmond-based cousin of a weekend with sisters and cousins at a civilised child free home, where she would be doing the cooking was extremely attractive and much anticipated! I arrived freshly wrung out and exhausted following educational tribunal the previous day. Our first ever cousins?weekend, I had visions of gales of laughter, wine, chocolate and maybe a chick flick. We arrived on Friday night to food, wine and

?Let?s do the Richmond Park run?, my sister had suggested, member of a running group to do a couch to 5K, and now an avid Park run tourist.

I hope I can keep up. I think.

I?ll just have to keep her talking. That morning she graciously slows down, and is happy to chat rather than pursue a personal-best. The open water swimmer has a foot injury and is unable to run so walks/ jogs? . and keeps up with us easily. The other three, the cyclocrosser, ex-triathletes and general all round fit-ers, declare they are not sufficiently running-fit but will do a brief 15 minute run independently in the park.

They greet us beaming and cheering as I wheeze towards the finish line at the end of 5K, having completed a 5.7K of their own in far less time!

Yes we did all just run 5K, now we?re home for coffee and croissants!

Somewhere between a second breakfast, a delicious soup lunch, emergency bike maintenance and supper, the others, having come by car and brought bicycles saddle up, and I join them on a borrowed bike.

We cycle along the river, crossing by ferry, then through Richmond Park, meeting a lady who asks us if we are part of a cycling group, and that she is struck by all the smiles. We laugh uproariously and explain we?re a bunch of cousins on a girls?weekend. Though to be fair, the cyclocrosser does have all the gear and definitely looks the part! The lady introduces herself as Jane and asks us if we would like to write an article for the magazine she edits, Adventure She. Ten leisurely miles later, chatting as we ride through beautiful parkland, and past stunning views we arrive back home muddy and wet for showers and a delicious evening meal.

We talk, laugh, share stories

Th e Th am es at Rich m on d t h is Sept em ber Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

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of our parents, memories of communal family events, look at old pictures of our grandparents?and great grandparents?generations.

We discuss triathlons, or a ?sprint?version, which I come to understand is about half the distance of an Olympic triathlon, and usually a swim (750m), bike ride (20km) then run (5km). We will have done the reverse over the weekend if we go swimming on day two. Some have already entered for another triathlon, others plan to enter and join them soon while there is still a discount on the price. I am

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not sure if I can fit the training into life; the swimming would definitely be a stretch. I can?t commit just now, but know that like the others, getting out in the fresh air, and exercise makes me feel better.

Over the weekend we?ve talked about ourselves, parents, families, work, the menopause, education, health, terminal care, our challenges, hopes and dreams. We?ve laughed, talked honestly, and sometimes wept. The disparate challenges we?ve

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faced despite being completely different still overlap in ways that allow us to understand in part, and offer support.

Sunday sees us up, thorough breakfast and heading out to swim in an OPEN AIR pool ? it?s February and I?m horrified!

I?m lent a cap and told it will keep me warmer. I gladly accept. We shiver out towards the pool in these caps and I feel like my childhood memories of my grandmother and great aunts going swimming. With an inordinate amount of

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shrieking and screeching we get in. I feel sorry for the other swimmers. One woman who has paused at the end of a length assures us that once you are in and get going, it?s quite pleasant!

Caps like this are very ?Triathlon?and essential for visibility in open water, but they still remind me of my Granny!

We swim lengths up-and-down, steam visibly rising from the surface, since the pool is actually heated. I used to be a strong swimmer,

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but I can feel I haven?t used these muscles in a long time. I get into a rhythm and muse to myself; Swimming outside is nice; I did surreptitiously look up an open water group local to me last night; maybe I could build this into life in the future; if it comes together there?s still time to join the group doing the tri as a late entry; even if it is full price; maybe I would be able do it; maybe I could? ..

We return, lunch, say our goodbyes and return home, ending the mini adventure over the weekend braving the

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rugby crowd on the train. It?s been a lovely combination of exercise, fresh air, talking, listening, connecting, loving support, laughing, food and fun. Inspirational!

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RegeneratingHeritageTheMahMeri byNuraini Arsad

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How much are we prepared to pay for something, not just in cash, or with a credit card, but in total.

For how much does a product really cost?

Globalisation is well and truly here. Globalisation of course means we have the opportunity to learn more about other places, other people, other customs. But what is the true cost of Globalisation? How many of those customs practicised, or languages spoken in the last century, will survive to the next century?

Nuraini Arsad visited the Mah Mari to learn more about how they are trying to keep their culture alive in today's world.

T

he Mah Meri are an aboriginal people of Malaysia, belonging to the Senoi ethnic group who are found across the Malay peninsula. Their territory is the coastline near Carey Island, on the west coast of the heavily urbanised state of Selangor.

Yet, in spite of their convenient vicinity to the mainstream communities of Malaysia, and not far from the capital Kuala Lumpur, they remain obscure.

I first came to know about them when exploring the edges of my own state.

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Hearing of a cultural village that you could visit to learn about the Mah Meri people, my friend and I checked it out.

M ah M er i cu lt u r al evolu t ion & exist en t ial ch allen ge Comprising only 5 villages and a total of about 4,000 people, the Mah Meri have long been a minority people.

Uniquely among the indigenous peoples of the peninsula, the Mah Meri?s oral history places them as later entrants compared to the coastal city-building peoples, whereas anthropological

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traits link them to the Mon Khmer people in the Indochina region.

Settling north in Carey Island after the collapse of the Malacca sultanate, the present-day Mah Meri community developed new ancestral connections with their new homeland. For example, the coastal villages have rituals venerating sea spirits of the Carey Island coastline.

Thereafter, long years of assimilation, modernisation, and new beliefs such as Islam brought gradual dilution to the Mah Meri?s aboriginal

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roots, a melting pot effect that merely began a little later for them than for the city-building peoples of the region.

Today, the Mah Meri are mainly employed in the modern economy. Most have jobs in the surrounding oil palm plantation, which was first cleared for a rubber plantation by Edward Carey during Malaysia?s colonial occupation by the British (hence, why the locality is called ?Carey?island).

However, evolution was about to be replaced by extinction. Carey Island happens to be close to the biggest port of the country, Port Klang. Massive port expansions are being planned, which would take over the Mah Meri?s sacred ritual beach.

Indeed, the tour organiser had told me that even their primary festivals - the Ancestors?Days - were in decline, before the cultural village was developed, and the tours organised.

So, with the help of friends, the Mah Meri turned to tourism as a means to revive their aboriginal culture and make themselves known. They built a cultural village to curate their history and customs, showcase their best crafts, and opened their Ancestors?Day celebrations to outsiders.

Sign at u r e ar t s of t h e M ah M er i The craft that the Mah Meri of Malaysia are most acclaimed for, are the surreal, almost grotesque wooden statuary of their wood artisans, inspired by their animist traditions. The UNESCO Seal of Excellence was conferred on specimens of their craft, which are on display at the Mah Meri Cultural

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Village gallery. The cultural village is worth a visit for this alone. ?Kampung Bumbun woodcarvers are the most skilled,? the head shaman of Kampung Judah had told me on a subsequent visit, when I joined the village of Kampung Judah?s Ancestor ?s Day. He was referring to another Mah Meri village. Indeed, the pieces are amazingly imaginative.

But there is a second art of the Mah Meri that lies in plain view, even though it has not been endorsed by any awards. Complicated plaited decorations are heavily featured in their culture, using marsh palm fronds called nipa. While palm frond weaving is an art found across Southeast Asia, I have not seen any as elaborate as those woven by the Mah Meri women.

The tour organiser translated the craft as ?origami?, which I thought was a pretty good word choice. If the wood carvings are the craft of the 35Mah Meri men, then the nipa origami is the craft of the womenfolk.

They do not go on display in the cultural village.

Instead, they are everywhere around it - marking the steps leading up to the galleries, making up the totem cone of the Mah Meri, and lining the pathway to the Ancestor Hut. Sure, compared to the Mah Meri statuary, the woven leaves are more fragile, and less permanent.

Perhaps you can say, the women?s arts are also less fantastical. But I did wonder, could they become more elaborate still, if it received recognition as an art form?

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An cest or s?Day of t h e M ah M er i people

"Education wa s a bout to be r epla ced by extinction."

A reflection of the original animist and ancestor revering beliefs of the Mah Meri, Hari Moyang or Ancestors?Day is a day to honour their ancestors. Held by all of the Mah Meri villages at slightly differing times (but roughly in the same part of the year), they are not identical, as the different villages have different traditions.

-Nuraini Arsad

My first Ancestors?Day experience was the second part of Kampung Judah?s celebration, which involved summoning and trance dancing with Moyang Getah, the Sea Spirit. Its first part was not open for visitors.

But my second experience was with Kampung Bumbun, whose Ancestors?Day involved a blessing hut. Visitors were invited for its entirety.

Rem em ber in g t h e an cest or s, in t h e w ay of Kam pu n g Bu m bu n We arrived at the festival site just as the last of the village procession was filing onto the path. The four of us - my two Argentinian couch surfers and I, as well as a local fan of my blog who had asked to join in - followed behind. The path led into an oil palm estate, flanked by mature palms - the tall kind, which were harder to harvest, but I?d read that they yielded more oil.

We marched loosely to the cadence of the drums, and in the distance there were intervals of brass gong. Ahead was a rustic arch, assembled in wood and draped over with nipa marsh palm fronds, and topped by the signature intricate plaited nipa origami of the Mah Meri women. The arch had been assembled days earlier, as the fronds had mostly dried to a bright yellow. The repetitive beats grew louder, and the wail of a string instrument weaved in a melody.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.

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Passing under the arch, we glimpsed the shamans keeping up the rhythm, dressed in traditional terap bark tunics and palm frond kilts. I recognised the Kampung Judah head shaman from the Ancestors?Day festival I attended the previous year. He was dressed in Malay clothing then, because they believe that the local coastal spirits had been Malay, i.e. the coastal people of the peninsula. So it was polite to attend to Moyang Getah in the culture it prefers.

Other tourists were already there, lining the path. So were the villagers, parents minding little children bearing origami offerings. Most of them dressed in mainstream city clothing, some casual and some in more festive garments of the Malays. A few of the girls wore both a headscarf and nipa tiara, reflecting the ongoing cultural merging.

A few select maidens dressed more traditionally Mah Meri, bark and palm garments draped over modern underclothing, hair gathered up in a sanggul bun style, dripping with plaited strands of nipa - but even so, some had swapped the terap blouses for more modern fabric ones. I knew from past experience that these were the festival dancers.

Today, he bore aborigine origami strands of ?dreadlocks?from his nipa crown lined with sacred yellow, and he carried a wooden hide drum slung around his neck. His fellow shamans manned surprisingly modern instruments - a brass gamelan gong, and a violin.

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A day of blessin gs Before long we saw what we were waiting for. The popular masked dancers of the Mah Meri came down the path.

Youths in palm skirts over their jeans, and long locks of plaited palm ?hair ?, bearing the heavy wooden masks carved in the bizarre Mah Meri style. They sashayed onward, bouncing lightly towards the predictable crowd of camera-bearing tourists.

After delighting the crowd, the masked dancers took

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turns to kneel at a designated threshold, marked by a nipa woven mat laid on the ground. An elderly woman sat on a chair, a clay pot beside her. Her face was flecked with white, a traditional women?s habit of applying face powder of ground rice or other natural ingredients, common to the region. With each supplicant, she drew water from the pot with a batok, a ladle made of coconut shell, and poured a blessing. The villagers all followed after, and us tourists as well.

The ritual area beyond was a

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clearing within the plantation.

At the far end was a shaman?s hut, a simple and rustic structure of slender wood and palm. The shaman?s platform was built of red-painted wood and draped with cloth in sacred yellow.

One of the shamans was already on it, and incense smoke wafted from his side.

Before the platform was a section roofed with plaited marsh palms against the hot sun. It was where all the children gathered with their plaited offerings, waiting their turn with surprising patience to be blessed.

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To the side was a tall conical totem, constructed by a winding line of plaited nipa. ?Feathers?of nipa origami were stuck onto it, especially around the pinnacle. It was similar to the one from the other Ancestors?Day I had attended, but the totem was a lot smaller then! Perhaps it couldn?t be so big, if you had to carry it across the mudflats at low tide.

A dance around the totem

The children were called for their blessings, which involved the sprinkling of water onto upturned palms.

One by one, they rose, received the blessings, and sat back down with their offerings. Come to think of it, the offerings looked like tiny totems. Tiny little plaited cones with origami sticks bristling up the top.

The line led back to the elderly lady at the blessing threshold. Little red money packets were held in her hand, for each child. The Mah Meri Ancestors?Days are timed fairly close to Chinese New Year, which is also a major Malaysian holiday. It was one of the cultural influences from the Chinese minority that has assimilated into mainstream Malaysian culture, and I found it interesting to see that even the Mah Meri absorbed it as well!

I took advantage of the lull to chat with the tour organiser again. ?Who blesses the shamans?? I wondered aloud.

Perhaps shamans didn?t need blessings themselves. ?Why, other shamans, of course!? was the answer.

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It was clear that this village?s Ancestors?Day revolved around the children. After the ritual at the blessing hut was completed, they were organised into a line by the older maidens. Here was yet another sign of cultural adoption, for we discovered that the children were lining up to receive angpow!

Finally, the patient children were allowed to let down their little cone offerings.

Guided to the totem, they lay their offerings at its base,

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forming a ring around it.

Adults, by contrast, brought feather-shaped origami sticks, similar to those already on the totem, and added theirs. Tourists were invited to do the same, so the four of us got a few, sticking them onto the totem. By this time, the young men had donned their outlandish wooden masks once more, and got in character to entertain the little ones.

The purpose of the totem was revealed shortly, and it seemed to be one of the constants of Ancestors?Day. The music struck up again for the Jahai dance. The Mah Meri maidens began the dance line, circling the totem, with the masked dancers behind. The shamans invited everyone to join, and we danced the ceremony to closure.

Revivin g t h e M ah M er i h an dicr af t s Afterwards, the villagers broke up for the post-ceremony feast. The tourists?buffet was nearby, simple and tasty local fare.

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My Argentinian guests wax lyrical over Malaysian food; indeed, it is a key feature of travelling here.

?Nah.?

But there was something more to do after lunch! I had spied a verandah on coming in, that was now occupied. Long leaves of nipa lay on the floor. The villagers had set up a crafts station where tourists could learn how to weave the birds and the fish and the grain and the flowers ourselves.

?Nope, the children don?t want to learn. Now, to make the head? ?

?Well, there won?t be future weavers then??

A younger woman taught me to make a bird, but I can?t hope to remember how. Nearby, another showed off her lightning fast hands.

But, there were not enough young hands.

?All the children learn this skill?? a local tourist asked a woman weaving a bird.

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Abou t Nu r ain i Ar sad Nuraini Arsad, or Teja as she is known, is an environmental scientist from Malaysia with a love for nature, travel and discovery.

You can follow Teja on the following social media channels: Website:

hhtps://www.tejaonthehorizon.com

Facebook:

@Teja.on.the.Horizon

Instagram:

@tejaonthehorizon

Pinterest:

@tejaonthehorizon

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HikingOmanHer Facesof Change

byJaneyMcGill

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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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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.

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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

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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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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

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they were wearing traditional Omani dress and I rememberedI?d been told that Eastern men think western women are sluts.I couldn?t help but think, what would they think of me and my plans?

Fortunately Mark agreed to meet me and we discussed what was then, my very loose plan.

That meeting with Mark was pivotal to what followed. I was in a rush to get hiking. But Mark knew my trip could be so much more. He said ?if you put it back a year, if you do it with Omani women, you?ll see a world no one sees.

Make it really special?.

Thinking about Mark?s words made me realise, this trip was no longer about only me and my needing a sense of purpose. It wasn?t about me visiting the Middle East, or me doing some big hike.

This trip was becoming so much more.

My whole mindset changed. I now wanted to lead a team of women across 500 miles of Oman?s Empty Quarter, to learn and communicate to others about cultures which are misunderstood or misinterpreted by Western press.

You n am ed you r t r ip ?Her Faces of Ch an ge?can you explain t h at a bit m or e I love bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and nations to

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learn about themselves and each other. I believe expeditions are a great way of doing this. They strip us down to the bare minimum, needing to survive, to supporting one another. They can be so enlightening and empowering and because of that, they can help facilitate change, whether in our understanding, attitudes, or actions.

A 500 mile hike would certainly give us plenty of time to learn about each other, to get to know each other, and also to explore, observe and learn about each other ?s culture and identities, the similarities as well as our differences. It would hopefully also enable us to develop and encourage respect and understanding for each other ?s cultures.

Going into it we would be relative strangers. It would be quite an experiment.

You?ve previously stated ?The planning was very much an evolution of chance meetings with people that shared my vision and helped me achieve it?. Can you tell us some more.

I knew that if I was going to lead a hike through 500 miles of one of the world?s largest deserts, I needed to be prepared.

I?d already hiked 630 miles of the SW Coast Path in the UK and I knew about team work. They were not an issue, though leading a mixed culture, mixed gender team is something I had never Ph ot o cou r t esy of Baida Al-Zadjali

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attempted before. I?d never operated in a desert before. I needed to know what that was like.

I?d already been planning to go to Oman on a recce in December 2017 when I learned that World Extreme Medicine in conjunction with Outward Bound Oman, was going to be running a course in Sharqiya Sands a desert a couple of hours from Muscat, exactly when I planned to be there.

After the course I stayed in Oman for a couple of days with a military friend that I had been introduced to through work colleagues over my time living in rural South West France. Through him I met many people in the Muscat expat community.

Eighteen months earlier, I was working in an estate agent?s in London, which I hated.I got talking with a Saudi Arabian lady. I like chatting, she liked chatting, we chatted. It turned out she and her husband mainly live in Oman. I told her of my plans and we stayed in touch.

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I met with them on one of my recces and they took me to tea with a British General. I also found my self at the British Ambassador ?s Christmas drinks party. That?s where I met Maggie Jeans (a key figure in Oman?s British Business Forum). Promoting cross cultural understanding is fundamental to her. Maggie had spent the last thirty years in Oman. She is one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure of meeting. Her advice and hospitality were worth their weight in gold. I could not be more grateful to her for everything she did for me and later on, the team.

The help she gave me, was invaluable.

The tea, the drinks, in fact so many things happened by chance and the expedition evolved into a completely different beast to what I had initially considered.

How did you select your team?

Through chance meetings and introductions.

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Tell us more Baida Al Zadjali is a construction consultant, around my age, thirty seven.

She established her own business after she suffered stress related migraines.

Baida is from a creative family of poets, writers and artists from a conservative town in the interior and has the biggest heart of anyone I have met. Much to her mother ?s dismay she rescues cats and has on average around fifteen at a time!

Baida was injured when we first met. She didn?t know if she could join me until a couple of months before our planned start date. I took a gamble. I?d been injured before and had overcome it. I believed that Baida would too. She went for it. I was so grateful that she did.

I met Atheer through Mohammed, the Omani that I had first been so intimidated by at the Royal Geographical Society, who now remains a friend. She is a dentist and was searching for something.

Atheer had found solace in

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Ph ot o cou r t esy of Baida Al-Zadjali

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Ph ot o cou r t esy of Baida Al-Zadjali

the outdoors after suffering from severe depression. Something that is taboo in the Middle East, much like it was here in the UK. She sees the expedition as opportunity to bring greater awareness of mental health issues to the region.

So your plan was for you, Baida and Atheer to hike 500 miles across the Omani part of the Empty Quarter. Wow. Very few Westerners have attempted to cross the Empty Quarter. In 1930 -1931 Bertram Thomas, in 2016 Mark Evans and his team followed in Thomas?s footsteps. Some others have ventured there too including Alistair Humphries, Leon McCarron, and yes Ben Fogle and James Cracknell. The exact journeys people have done though have differed somewhat. Our journey would go straight through from Al Hashman in the South to Ibri Fort in the north at the foothills of the Hajar Mountain range.

Atheer and I also shared a common trait. We avoided telling our families until our plans were more solid but for different reasons.

Atheer, because she didn?t want to bring shame on her family, which is very serious in the Middle East. Me, because I didn?t want the fear and worry of my family, the unknown and my safety, to influence any decisions that would stunt my ambition of completing this expedition.

Later on after staying with a Bedu family we learnt that we were walking in the footsteps of Bedu women. They would walk with their camels to find work and food for their families. That is something that us Westerners I think forget. We believe we are pioneers, but in fact, locals often do the journey?s many times before us to survive, that we celebrate

Some might query my team selection, and some did, given we?d be walking through desert for hundreds of miles. But I didn?t want the fittest or strongest team, I wanted people who had faced adversity just like I had.

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as firsts so often.

human behaviour.

I?d started off thinking about a 200 mile hike in Libya, but for me this whole experience was no longer about trying to attempt an unaided physical feat. For us, for Baida, for Atheer, for me, this was not about completing this as fast as we could unsupported.

This was about learning and understanding each other ?s cultures and understanding

I queried whether I wanted the support team to also be female. I thought about it for a while and I decided it didn?t matter if our support team were male or female. What mattered was having people with the requisite skills who were available for the duration.

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So it was, once again, an

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evolution of meetings.

Ultimately two men joined the team. An Omani called Tariq Al Zadjali, an experienced desert driver and turned out to be an absolute pillar of support for me. An Englishman named Mark Vause-Jones would also drive for us.

There was relief from my English and Omani contacts that there would be men on

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our team. Regardless of culture, right or wrong, or individual opinion, there was comfort that men would be on our team. If honest I was also comforted by this. There are areas where we might well have encountered smugglers crossing the Saudi border on their way to Yemen. There is no way of knowing what way these people would have reacted to us.

I understand you got sponsorship for your support vehicles. Can you tell people a little bit more about that?

Through a contact from

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school that had always supported my endeavours over social media,I secured sponsorship from Land Rover MENA. They provided two Land Rover Discoveries in return for footage of the expedition. I had never produced or directed a film before. As a result of last minute delays with obtaining the correct permissions, the production team I?d secured fell through. My costs were at this point spiralling on the credit card. Fortunately Matt, a film maker from LA, who I?d met only a month earlier, was able to step in at short notice.

I think it?s important to

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point out that I didn?t have an enormous social media following, and I still don?t.

What I did have was a purpose and a story and an absolute belief in what I was trying to achieve. This must have shown through and outweighed the need for thousands of followers. Land Rover didn?t ask me about my followers until I arrived in Muscat to collect them.

They say a picture shows a thousand words and I know you do have a film coming about your trip, so I won?t ask you to share too much, as it could spoil the film. But what was it like in the Empty

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Quarter?

The desert was enchanting.

The life abundant. There had been heavy rain in the previous months so great lakes had appeared on the plains between the towering dunes. People had even swam in them.

Swarms of locusts would take to the air in the morning,their wings would catch the sunlight with huge dunes in the back drop. It was like being in a fairy tale.

The stillness of the desert was a wonderful tonic from city life, an escape. People

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talk of deserts and mountains being extreme environments.

But in those places, away from the constructs that humanity has built for itself, I find peace. Being in that vast landscape makes me feel so insignificant and I enjoy that feeling, I find it very grounding. It puts the importance that we place on ourselves into question.

I would like to add that the film will not only be focused on the desert but on the human journeys of the team, our histories and how we came together in the desert, what we learnt, not only about ourselves but how we

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interacted together, the challenges we encountered between our different personalities and how that can be translated into wider society.

What sort of time and distance did you cover each day?

On average we walked 27 kilometers per day. We rose early and started hiking between 0500 and 0600, so we could cover as much distance as possible before the sun?s heat kicked in. By 0950 that heat would slap us round the face and again at around 1400. Our pace

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dropped significantly in the afternoon to counter the 38 degree heat and our moral might drop a little in the afternoon. On very hot days we would consume up to 5 litres of water. Generally though I managed on 3 litres a day.

Our support team would sometimes pass us on their

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way to recce the evening campsite if the terrain allowed.

The vehicles were heavily burdened with our kit, food, water and fuel. For two weeks and roughly 350 km we had to be self sufficient as access to resupply would not be easy. The steepness of some dunes would have caused

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problems for the vehicles carrying this much weight.

This all had to be taken into consideration on the route plan each evening. The hiking team had it relatively easy as compared to the support team, who would navigate their way around the dunes and plains.

In the desert it is essential

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to use two vehicles for safety in case one gets bogged in the sand, or for any other emergencies, vehicle or people related.

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their lunches. Omani culture is renowned for offering great warmth and hospitality.

What role did the support team play?

Wh at f ood did you eat ?

We took plenty of tinned and dried goods. Breakfast would tend to be oats and Nutella or with coconut milk, or leftovers from the night before. We ate a lot of rice and pasta. For lunchtime we would have tinned tuna salad.

Snacking on the go we would eat nuts, dates and M & M?s, so often the dates would take on a hint of diesel flavour.

The support team would go forwards and recce a suitable campsite each night. As far away from vegetation as possible to avoid unwelcome visitors. At camp we prepared for the next day, we ate and we rested. There was little time for anything else.

On the occasional evening we were joined by friends in the military who might have been staying in one of the various bases within the desert. They would bring us food from the canteen which was hugely appreciated and sometimes a little spicy!

Fire is very important to me.

It?s therapeutic, mesmerising and constantly changing, Tariq knew what this meant and would tend to the fire every night. He would often share a story with me when I was struggling with my own demons and team dynamics.

He knew that nobody comes to the desert in this manner without a reason and he was sensitive to that.

When we hit some tracks further North the workers from the oil fields would stop, slightly perplexed at seeing three lone girls in the middle of the desert, and give us

I always slept under the stars by the fire, except for one occasion when there were many snack tracks, I didn?t fancy waking up to one in my sleeping bag. My team

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mates chose to sleep in tents, they suffered more from the bugs getting trapped than I did in the open, but I guess privacy was key. It was cold at night, we wore down jackets and slept in thick sleeping bags. Sometimes the air would be moist anddew drops collected on our hair and eyebrows.

Did you see any people out there?

We were fortunate to experience the unrelenting hospitality of the Bedu. I think if they could give you a body part they would. We were two kilometres from the Saudi Border when we met the Masan family. They wouldn?t let us sleep in the desert.

They invited us into their home asked us to feast with them. The girls and I with the women, our all male support team with the men. Later we came together over a fire for camel milk and coffee. They were so proud that we were walking the desert in the footsteps of Bedu women and so proud that their girls were the first girls to be achieving this.

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Another wonderful surprise was Ahmed and Salim Al Katheri who found us in the desert with coconuts, bananas and a goat. Their family had escorted Wilfred Thesiger through the Empty Quarter in 1946. They were thrilled that we, women, were walking through their tribes area. Ahmed was so worried and excited for us that later, he joind us with a pick-up full of fresh food. He stayed with us for the rest of our time,

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about a week, out there in the desert. It was very special to experience this selfless kindness.

In the last couple of days Baida and Atheer ?s friends joined us. This wasn?t a closed expedition. I wanted others to be part of this journey too, at least where access allowed.

The aim of the expedition after all, that we are better together.

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On our final day we walked with a group of young men.

One chap in particular, Hamdoon, said something that stuck with me, ?it?s the girls?time to shine now.?

Any surprises?

What surprised me the most about this journey and what challenged my prejudices the most was the support of Omani men. Their pride for the girls was

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indescribable. I will never forget the help they gave us and people need to know that.

To me it now feels both ridiculous and ironic, that the gender thing was one of my greatest fears in the planning.

I?deven wondered whether we?d be allowed to embark on this trip as women? How wrong I was.

I also drew a lot of comfort from Tariq and Baida?s faith in Islam. It was one of the most cerebral and relaxing times of day when I would see them pray as the sunset over this vast landscape. My whole body would warm up when Baida would come and speak to me and she had a little sand on her nose, chin and forehead. She told me that she prayed for me sometimes. I was grateful for that.

What was it like to finish, to have successfully hiked across 500 miles or 800 kilometres across the Empty Quarter?

Technically it was 758 km

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through Oman?s Empty Quarter desert from AlHashman to Ibri Fort outside Muscat. We arrived to news crews, and journalists.

Our journey had made it onto all the front pages, we had live interviews on radio and TV. It was an exciting end and the journey had meant a lot.

But I felt flat after finishing. I had left my father back in the UK not knowing if I would see him again. He?d had cancer for twelve years and was in the latter stages of his illness.

I knew returning home was not going to be easy. I?d been on an expedition, an adventure and can hopefully go on many more. For him, he was about to go on a very different expedition; his final adventure. I spent three months visiting the hospice, until Easter Sunday, when he died.

An d n ow ? How do you f eel?

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decisions that I make. I realised that I am unable to make everyone happy, I don?t need to be liked by everyone and that everyone will have an opinion of what is right and wrong, but there isn?t necessarily a right or wrong, it?s all down to interpretation.

I have also learnt to trust my intuition, only when my head gets in the way, do I struggle. I made a huge number of mistakes over the course of the expedition. I have been very critical over some of the decisions that I made when influenced by external inputs. Now time has passed this has eased and I take the lessons from those mistakes. My strengths and weaknesses were exposed and we have become closely acquainted. At this stage I no longer worry about. We are all flawed and I finally feel a huge amount of acceptance for myself.

Wh at ?s n ext ?

In many ways I feel a contentment that I haven?t felt in years. I feel a lot more comfortable and confident in my own skin and in the

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I believe we are better together regardless of culture, gender and identity.

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To spread this message we will be releasing a feature length documentary next year, Land Rover will be launching their film and there?s a book or two in the pipeline.

I also have a new vision which I am excited to share with you. A grant giving foundation, ?Her Faces of Change?for female led, mixed culture, mixed gender journeys with a purpose.

Watch this space, I am going to need your help, after all, we are #bettertogether I also want to say thanks to the team for all their effort; to all those who supported, whether friends, family, authorities, strangers; to Land Rover; to Metris Leadership; WINGS World Quest and to Rapid Response Adventure Medicine, who generously ensured I was well qualified to look after my team just before departure.

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FromTheAdventureSheTeam There are a three key points we think are worth commenting on, after our chat with Janey about her expedition to the Empty Quarter.

1. In today?s world ?now?seems to be the key word. So often we want to achieve our goals now, yes today. It took Janey from 2012, when she first saw the arrowhead, to December 2018 to start her trek. It?s not that she was holding back, rather her goal was evolving. Some goals do take time to reach, morph into something different and we shouldn?t dismiss them because of that.

2. Instead, like Janey did, let?s do our best to nurture relationships, seize each moment and every opportunity that comes our way,whether in the planning, financial,or up skilling phases.

3. Whatever we do, let?s all practice and hone those networking skills of ours, for none of us ever know when we might get invited to drinks at the Ambassador?s. It happened to her and it could happen to any of us.

Now remember, be like Janey, be curious and go seize the moment.

About JaneyMcGill Janey is currently working on a book about her journey and the Oman: Her Faces of Change expedition. Once published, we definitely hope to bring you a book review and share with you news of any book signings. We?ll also try and keep you posted about the film. We can?t wait to see it.

You can follow Janey on the following social media channels: Website: www.janeymcgill.com Instagram: @janey.mcgill Twitter: @JaneyMcGill Facebook: @janeymcgillexplorer

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MOUNTAIN BIKING THEWHITE RIMTRAIL byJudyThomas When we want to explore and go somewhere totally different, but don't have the time to either plan, or undertake a major expedition, then what? If you are anywhere near Utah in the USA, Judy Thomas has a great suggestion.

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Located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, just outside Moab, Utah, the 100-mile-long White Rim Trail is one of the premier multi-day Mountain Biking trips in the United States. Its popularity stems not as much from the technical difficulty of the ride, but the jaw-dropping scenery you encounter at every turn.

trail in a day, most mere mortals prefer to do it in two to four days so they can stop an enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery.

comfortable with off-road driving. Be sure to check current road conditions with the Park staff prior to starting.

A 4x4 support vehicle is extremely helpful for carrying water (at least 4 liters per person per day), food and camping equipment. Riders often swap out driving the support vehicle to get a rest.

The trail gets its name from the frosting-like white rock that tops its many red rock pillars.

The road can be rough and exposed in areas and towing a vehicle out extremely expensive, so make sure you carry a full-sized spare tire and your driver is

Before you start, make sure your bike breaks are in good working order before you start the steep descent into the canyon. No guard rails here, but the dirt road is reasonably wide and non-technical. Your reward for your efforts will be mile after mile of some of the most beautiful desert landscapes that Southern Utah has to offer.

While it is possible to ride the

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While the ride is not expert level in technical ability, riders should be in good shape and comfortable with areas of road exposed to steep drop offs. Novice, but in shape, riders should be fine.

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While there is spectacular scenery along the entire route, several specific features are well worth stopping to enjoy. Muscle Man Arch is an infamous must-see along the route. Riders looking for an adrenaline can find it by riding across the arch. With huge expanses of air on all sides, it tests the mettle of many dare- devil riders. Walking across is the option of choice for the merely adventurous. Other worth-while stops include Lathrop Canyon and the iconic rock formations of Washer Woman, Moses and Zeus, but every section of this ride is chock full of the red rock, spires, arches and stunning scenery.

The road can be driven and ridden clockwise, from the Island in the Sky visitor ?s Center or counter-clock wise, starting at Mineral Bottom, so you may encounter vehicles and riders coming from either direction. Clock-wise is generally the preferred direction for optimal camp sites and avoiding a very long steep climb out of the canyon on your last day, but you?ll see the same scenery and ride the same road going in either direction.

Camping is only allowed at designated site and is primitive with no water or picnic tables but sites do have pit toilets. Campsites are dispersed along the entire ride, so depending on the amount of riding your group wants to do per day,you can find a campsite that will accommodate you.

Campfires are not allowed. Neither are pets. A full list of regulations and a comprehensive trip planning guide can be found on the National

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Parks website.

places along the ride, but bringing enough water for each person is strongly advised.

Spring and Fall are considered optimal times for this trip and the required back country permits can be competitive to get. The park service releases permits at midnight, Mountain Standard Time, exactly four months in advance of the date you would like your permit. Permits for prime weekends are often taken immediately. Weekdays or off-season permits are somewhat easier to get. Bear in mind that summer temperatures can be very hot in the Utah dessert and plan accordingly for shade and water. It?s is possible to treat water from the Green and Colorado Rivers in

If the logistics of planning a self-supported trip are too overwhelming, and your budget allows, there are several outfitters who offer guided trips and will handle the required logistics. Bike rentals can be found at various shops in Moab.

Many riders consider this to be a trip-of-a-life time, so it?s well worth the effort. If time allows, explore Arches National Park and the world-class mountain biking around Moab, Utah while you?re in the area.

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Pr e t r ip r esear ch If you go, the National Park web site https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/index.htm has comprehensive information on Canyonlands including up to date information on permits needed, prices and availability at campsites in the park. You can also contact the Back Country office at 01+435-259-4351 or by email at canyres.nps.gov At the time of writing, bike rentals were available at Moab Cyclery, Poison Spider Cyclery and other shops in Moab. Check in advance to see who now offers bike rental. It?s a good idea to reserve your bike well in advance during the high season of Spring and Fall.

Again at the time of writing, outfitters who offered multi-day White Rim trips included Magpie Adventures and Escape Adventures. 4 x 4 vehicles can also be rented in Moab.

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RunningAround Wales by Katie Wright

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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.

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Before going out on this adventure I had been reading about the new plans to link trails like this along the entire coast of Wales. I spent the first few miles daydreaming about one day, when the trail was finished, running the thing in its entirety. Then reality (dehydration, hunger, tiredness) hit and I put that little seed of an idea to the back of my mind. In fact I don?t think I even ran on trails again for years: fortunately then next time I was a little more prepared!

Skip ahead through 8 years of studying and a short foray into the world of triathlon and we are in in 2017. We had lost my mum?s best friend to Leukaemia, a lady who was a constant source of comfort throughout my child and adulthood. I wanted to do something to mark how special she was. Not being good with expressing emotions my way of doing this was finding a big endurance event to do in her honour. And so that little seed reappeared and began to grow. The Welsh Coastal path had been completed a few years before with a total length of 870 miles. It was there to be explored!

I mentioned the idea to mum. I googled. I started a list of kit I would need on a desktop sticky note. I?d spent the winter doing the most solid run training of my life which in the end put a slight halt on the coastal path plans: I was obsessed by the idea of breaking 3 hours 30 in the London marathon and combining work as a junior doctor with intense marathon training was taking all of my time and energy.

Then to add to the excuses disaster struck and I tore a calf muscle at mile 11 of the marathon. I

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"For tunately for ever y negative opinion ther e w er e m any other s along the w ay to give encour agem ent and enthusiasm for w hat I w as doing, pushing m e to keep going. " - Katie Wright

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stubbornly kept running in pain and somehow managed to finish with a personal best time although way off my target of 3:30. I tried to put on a brave face but inside I was bitterly disappointed.

It took a few months for the calf to recover, longer for the mental recovery. While I still very much wanted to go out and do something in honour of Brenda I was scared: scared of failing again, of getting lost, of where I would spend each night. I was scared of what people would think.

I kept researching, reading blogs and listening to podcasts of women who had done this kind of thing before. I saved links to kit reviews and distance charts. I turned down job offers to keep September free acutely aware of how fortunate I was to have this as an option.

Then suddenly it was August. I hadn?t put together a training plan, I hadn?t even really been running due to the calf injury. I had never testing out running with a backpack. I was away on holiday for a reunion with some university friends. I had two weeks before the time I had carefully set aside. Getting to the start is often the hardest part. I came clean to my friends and told them what I was planning.

Instead of telling me it was ridiculous they jumped into action and took me to decathlon to start organising kit. I hit buy on the few key pieces sitting in my online baskets (sleeping bag, bivy bag and mat). I uploaded my carefully researched maps, distance tables and path guides from my laptop to my phone. It was happening. I got home and told my family.

A week later I was on a train to Chepstow: the southern start of the Welsh Coastal Path.

It was the start of a 32 day journey covering distances I hadn?t even imagined would be possible in the time frame:

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just over a thousand miles in the end.

Around two weeks into the coastal path I met a couple in a cafĂŠ who had walked the path before and told me about Offa?s Dyke which connects the north and sound of the coastal path. I did some the maths, if I slightly increased the average length of my days I had time to fit it in: and a loop is so much more satisfying that a point to point no!? My competitive/stubborn spirit kicked in and the decision was made I?d run all the way back to Chepstow and make a nice round circle of the thing.

I can?t say the running itself was easy: my legs ached at

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the start of everyday. Then overnight when I stopped they twitched constantly, unable to shut down.

Miraculously however they just kept moving me forward.

My fears of ?what will people think?were not wholly unfounded: The first question from people I passed was always ?what are you training for??followed by a stunned silence when I tried to explain. There wasn?t a single day where my sanity wasn?t questioned by strangers finding out what I was doing or telling me that it was utterly impossible, far too dangerous for a young woman to do alone. This sentiment started to slowly grind me down.

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I don?t mean to say that this challenge wasn?t risky or involved danger: all outdoors activities especially solo adventures have an element of risk to understand and weigh up if you are willing to accept. My experience though was unfortunately, that a number of people who had no idea of my capabilities, plans, or careful risk assessments, felt it was appropriate to try to dissuade me from continuing: sometimes with physical intervention. A B&B owner spent over an hour lecturing me that he wouldn?t let his daughter ?s do such a thing: his son?s were another matter. A woman I met towards dark and checked directions with followed me

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with her car trying to block my way and persuade me to be driven instead. Just two of many examples.

Whilst my actual decision to go through with this run was last minute: my planning for it

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was not. I had a good knowledge of the path and ten years?experience of training and competing in endurance events behind me.

I had careful back up plans for each day and regular safety contact with my family.

For some of the trip I found myself holding back from telling people exactly what I was doing because of this dread of other people?s opinions about how impossible or dangerous it was. Especially towards the start where my confidence in actually finishing was low.

Fortunately for every negative opinion there were many others along the way to give encouragement and enthusiasm for what I was doing, pushing me to keep going. Despite that it wasn?t until my last day of running when I set off for my final 15 miles that I was confident enough to be able to tell the owner of the hostel that actually: it really was possible!

The freedom and monotony of each day was amazing; eat, run, eat, sleep, repeat. I worked on the basis that I could average about 4 miles an hour if I included rest stops and just kept my watch running through the day pushing my limits every time to get to the end. Everyday there was a plan a, b, c for if I didn?t manage to make this

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cut off point. Only once in the whole trip did I have to resort to plan b (maybe I need to start setting bigger goals!?).

Finishing the path was almost a mixture of relief and sadness at getting back to the ?real world?. I had raised over 3,000 for Leukemia research in memory of Brenda and had a new found love of trail running.

It turns out that adventures lead to adventures.

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Just over 12 months after finishing Wales I came across a new type of race, a ?last person standing?. The idea being you have an hour to run just over 4 miles and continue at this pace until you are the last competitor.

In Wales, I had spent a whole month attached to my GPS aiming to run an average of 4 miles an hour day after day: it was almost as if this race in New Zealand (where I had moved to), was designed for me! So another seed of

inspiration formed in my head: this is the race I had unwittingly been training for all along. I signed up.

And that's how in May 2019 I became the first woman in history to win a last man standing contest.

Abou t Kat ie Wr igh t Katie Wright is a thirty something year-old doctor who claims to have a running addiction and who doesn't know when to stop! She's currently living her dream life out in New Zealand, exploring trails with any free time she has.

In May this year she won the inaugural 'Riverhead Relaps' a last person standing event, dreamed up by the brains behind the Barkley marathons (Google the documentary it's great!). Every hour, competitors needed to run a 4.17 miles loop. Failure to complete the loop in time, meant a competitor was out of the race. The last person standing, wins the event. Katie kept going for 30 hours and completed over 200 kms!!!

You can follow Katie Wright on the following social media channels: Instagram

@do_your_impossible

Facebook

@katiewrightdoyourimpossible

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THEUNESCO SITESOF NORTH WALES When one thinks of North Wales, what springs to many a person's mind is Snowdon the mountain, or Snowdonia, the national park. Of course a few may think of the beaches, quaint harbours and coastline, which is of course part the Welsh Coastal Path, as run by Katie Wright. But North Wales is so much more than beautiful scenery.

For approximately 750 years vast castles, built on strategic pieces of land, have towered over towns like Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and Conwy. The castles and the town walls of Caernarfon and Conwy are certainly imposing. UNESCO agrees with us, and designated them with UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1986, under one listing, being the Castles and Town Walls of

Beau m ar is Cast le

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King Edward in Gwynedd.

The castles were built under the orders of England's King Edward I, to shore up his invasion of North Wales. Any hiker, runner, or cyclist visiting North Wales, could do far worse than take some time out to explore these castles and to read into the history of where they are travelling through. It won't just exercise your brain, but will also give your body a rest from sport, be it hiking, biking, kayaking or something entirely different, hopefully leaving your body rejuvenated for the next part of your adventure.

Har lech Cast le

This part of North Wales is one of the key Welsh speaking areas in Wales. Welsh is a Celtic language, unlike English which is a Germanic language. Whether you are travelling in North Wales or somewhere else, why not give the local language a go?

Caer n ar f on Cast le

Con w y Cast le

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Book Reviews As we said last time, as much as we love adventuring, sometimes (once you've finished the latest issue of Adventure She magazine of course), nothing beats a good book. This time around, rather than review some new ones, our editor has dug around her book shelves and picked two which she loves. We'd love it if you our readers, sent us reviews of your favourite books. You never know, we might include your review, in one of our issues.

We of the Never Never

by Mr s Aeneas Gunn This book may not be lauded as an adventure book, but it is, for this autobiographical account of life in a remote part, of Australia's remote Northern Territory in the early days of the 20th century, is a reminder that men weren't the only adventures. Mrs Gunn's account of crossing treacherous flooded rivers in an all or nothing type situation, is hair raising. I can't imagine many people attempting such an endeavour these days.

The joy of the book though is it's diversity. For Mrs Gunn doesn't just recall derring do, but devotes most of the book to life on the remote station and the people who lived there, be they Aborigines, Chinese or Europeans.

For anyone interested in learning about life in Australia in a bygone age, this book is a must read. Be sure to have your tissues handy though.

If you are in the Mataranka area of the Northern Territory you can now visit the site of Mrs Gunn's old home, the Elsey Cattle Station. These days, its about a four and a half hour drive from Darwin.

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Me, my bike and a str eet dog called Lucy

by Ishbel Holmes The horrors Ishbel Holmes recalls going through whilst a child and a teenager, are unimaginable.

In her book, rather than ramming these horrors down our throat,she slips them into her narrative in a way that allows us to keep on reading, instead of our collapsing in pain with horror, disgust and revulsion at what heinous deeds humans can perform.

Rescuing a 20 kg, wounded and starving dog in Turkey and endeavouring to cycle it to a sanctuary, enables Ishbel to explore not just her past, but her present too.

Meanwhile her physical and geographical journey, enable us to learn about Turkey and Syria people, attitudes, customs. Being half Iranian and having lived in Iran whilst part of the Iranian National Cycling Team, also gives Ishbel an unique perspective on how women are treated in that part of the world.

It's quite a short book but very powerful. Definitely worth reading. And, if you get the chance to hear Ishbel speak, jump at it. She's brilliant, one of most engaging speakers we have ever seen.

As for the book, definitely have a box of tissues handy.

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HikingtheArctic WithMyDogs byRachel Frei Bandiere

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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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About the Nordkalottleden Trail

Gear and food

The Nordkalottleden Trail is the most northerly long distance trail in Europe. It is 800 km long and runs through Norway (380 km), Sweden (350 km) and northern Finland (70 km). It has three official names, Nordkalottleden in Swedish, Nordkalottruta in Norwegian and Kalottireitti in Finnish. Because it is entirely above the Arctic circle it is known as The Arctic Trail. It is considered as a demanding, even challenging trail, set mostly in remote wilderness.

As an adoptor of ultralight backpacking, my plan was to go light and fast while having all the required gear. In my 20kg backpack, I had all the food necessary for 7 days in complete autonomy, until the next resupply point. The dogs were carrying about 2kg of food and gear in their little packs.

This trail is little known compared to its Swedish counterpart, the Kungsleden. That?s what made the trail so attractive to me and why I chose it, that and the quiet! When I did it in 2015 there was relatively little information available about the trail. I had heard of only two guidebooks - one in German and a recent one in Finnish. I also found some basic and incomplete descriptions and a few hikers reports on the web. Preparing for the trip took me four months, including a 7 day scouting trip in May, to gather some more tangible and detailed information.

Terrain and weather

With the trail conditions we faced over the next 20 days, it turned out it was a very good decision...

The Nordkalottleden goes through flat swamps and bogs plains, wide rivers and mountain torrents, hilly and rocky mountain paths, rock fields, spongy tundra and thick forests. There was not a day that was similar to the previous.

The three of us were surprised by the amount of water! Especially on the first two days where we spent most of the time "sploshing" our way through the swamps and extremely spongy tundra. Sparta and Nyx had to get used to having the paws in water all day, and so did I!

When to go The best time to hike there is from the beginning of July to the middle of September.

At first I was looking for the end of what I thought was just a difficult section...and then I realised that water will accompany us for the whole journey... so I stopped fighting against it, trying to avoid the wet areas and taking of my shoes off at every single large river. Our

Our hike started near the middle of August.

We started in the north and followed the trail north west before it curved round and headed south west.

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way went much smoother from then on, not less wet, but more fluid and relaxed.

And my feet didn't suffer anymore from the humidity.

National Park due to floods.

They simply couldn't cross one large river anymore without a canoe and had to wait for the level to drop.

Depending on the weather, the terrain conditions evolve

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and change very quickly.

Rainfalls and strong winds happen. The size of the streams and rivers can easily double overnight, making the path look completely different in the morning.

I talked with people who remained stuck 3 days .

Others had to wait a couple of days on one side before any boat could come and get them.

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So expect it to be wet out there! - you can wear knee-level wellies or heavier shoes than mine with gaiters, as many hikers do. I'd personally rather be a bit wet and keep my feet light and fast.

Honestly the dogs and I were really lucky as we didn't get that much rain over the 21-day hike. The snow had also melted in most places,

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except from a few mountain passes, but nothing serious. I was told that only a few weeks earlier at the end of July, some had to use snowshoes in the Dividalen part of the trail.

On the opposite, when the weather gets sunny and windy, it dries out very quickly. To me, it was as if the tundra was drying from the inside out, exposing lemmings and other tiny animals to a certain death due to the lack of water...

My best advice: get the latest local weather forecast before starting on your hike or run!

Be aware that the time planned to hike a section can change dramatically depending on the weather conditions.

Bridges Bridges! They were like treasures to me! We had to cross some many streams and larger rivers without that any time there was a bridge I felt so relieved and grateful! A few times it took me some 40 minutes to cross a river as the river flow was too strong to let the dogs cross unattended. So I was going first with the backpack, then coming back to get Sparta, then once again to cross with Nyx. After such crossings, I can tell you that I always had to rest a while before resuming my walk!!

Sometimes the bridges themselves were tricky and dangerous so it was the same story: the pack and one dog then the second.

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In Finland, I found quite a lot of nice bridges and footbridges. In Sweden as well, but not all in a good state though (which means wet feet anyway!). In Norway, there were very few walkways over the swamps, actually nearly none, except in more "busy" areas. Bridges are mainly built over large torrents that are too dangerous to cross.

Spirit of the North As one used to hike and run in the Alps, I cannot say that the path itself is really challenging. Some sections are airy, some very rocky and harder to hike or run, but it is perfectly doable. [Editor ?s note, keep in mind Rachael is super fit and very experienced]. It is pretty hilly, especially in the mountain areas, and I love that! My favourite part was the Dividalen and I also really enjoyed all the Kilpisjärvi area. The atmosphere there is so special to me. Treriksroset, ?The Three Countries Cairn? is such a magic place...!! It is the geographical point where all three countries meet, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

We were so blessed to find ourselves completely alone there, when it is one of the most visited spot in the Malla Reserve.

Absolutely Magic! Fantastic! The North has a spirit on its own...

Mosquitos Mosquitos weren?t that big an issue for me. I had mosquito repellent and a hooded jacket to cross the wet zones. In the evening one cannot stay long out of the tent as they get

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aggressive. But that was no big deal as we were usually going to bed rather early.

I was starting the day very early too, around 6 am and mosquitoes left us alone most of the day. I found them a bit more aggressive getting closer to Kvikkjokk though.

Apparently mosquitoes were a curse for many hikers I passed by... My only possible explanation: the state of mind. Don't think of the mosquitoes as an issue or a plague; they live here, you are there too, but you don't have to interact :-) Living souls

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When you walk alone with your dogs in the middle of a wide open space for hours, even days, it is always a pleasure to come across a lone walker or a local out there. On the first three days, we met very few people: a German girl hiking the section to Kilspisjärvi, a Sami herder and his son, a couple of hikers, and three lovely Norwegian on a fishing week-end that offered me tea and biscuits at Nedrefosshytta in Norway. I was to meet - completely by chance - one of the three Norwegians, a charming and tough old lady named Jodun, later on my hike at Dividalshytta. She recognised

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my dogs! she gave me plenty of tips and information on the Norwegian sections of the trail as well as some Compeeds she hadn?t needed.

Usually I passed two or three people a day, sometimes slightly more, sometimes...not a single soul!

In any case, every single encounter was incredibly rich and intense.

French researchers exploring the Dividalen for six months.

A Swedish Nordkalottleden supervisor. A bunch of crazy Germans. Two Norwegian guys hiking the whole country for 7 months. A friendly

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Swedish couple met at Gaskahytta, a funky Canadian lost in Europe...and a German guy in Inov8 shoes (same than mine!!) who barely escaped from the flood in the Lautajaure Delta and who suffered from various injuries on his hands, feet and legs...

But some sections were busier, especially the ones in common with the Kungsleden. Right after Abisko where the two trails join (I was heading south), I was shocked by the number of people! But it didn't last long: as soon as the trails divided and I was back on just the Kalottireitti, my dogs and I were alone again for many hours!

Mirror, Mirror, tell me where I am!

This brings me to Navigation.

I am not a great fan of satellite navigation devices and prefer to stick to paper maps. I used the Norge-serien in 1:50 000, my favourite ones as you get many useful details, and one Swedish Fjällkartan in 1:100 000. Actually I like it this way

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because it allows me to have a bigger picture and also gives me freedom to modify the route if need be. I could easily spot most of the wet areas, find drier spots and plan my camping place fairly in advance. The other reason I'd rather use paper maps is the energy cost. I add full autonomy thanks to my solar panel and external battery, that both revealed very convenient, but a sat-nav would have add more battery consumption and I prefer not to rely on a electronic device or on a map downloaded on my phone to find my way.

Also the terrain and paths are changing very quickly, especially in less-hiked sections. In places, the bridges turned out to be in the middle of nowhere as the river has moved to the right or to the left! However I had my In-Reach satellite device, for communication and tracking, and I used it a few times to confirm or check my localisation when the track was unclear.

Most of the Trail is pretty well indicated - and this is quite surprising according to the

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distance. The markings change from one country to the other but are fairly easily recognisable. It is true that on some sections, I had to use the map all day long as I kept losing the track, and mainly walked by comparing the map and the actual surroundings. I remember one afternoon walking and waiting to see a lake that I had to cross... and it turned out that there was no lake at all, it was reduced to a mere river. I know that paper maps represent a certain weight and space, but I like it this way! Again, this is up to you to find what suits you best!

And it revealed damn useful to have paper maps when we had to change the route in Ritsem as the dogs were not at all allowed in the Sarek and Padjelanta National Parks.

Obviously the information gathered before my departure (gathered form Swedish authorities...) were not accurate. But once I was up there, there was no way I could start complaining, arguing that I was told it was ok on the leash, etc.

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Up there, it is the Arctic, Sami country. And if it is NO, then it is NO. It was pointless to discuss and waste more time and energy. And actually we were so lucky - once again! to find all the necessary information and support to find an alternative route to reach Kvikkjokk! Less mileage for sure (100km less...), but at least we could get there and finish our hike in good conditions.

It hadn't been easy for me to admit we couldn't take the planned route. My mood was pretty down for one day. But then I went over it: my dogs were still in fantastic shape, and so was I; the weather forecast wasn't good at all in Sarek and Padjelanta for the next few days; so I looked at the bright side of things and decided that it was meant to be, for the best. And it turned out true! We avoided the serious storm on the Padjelanta side of the trail, we found a place to stay overnight when one day the weather was so bad that it was nearly dangerous to stay outdoors, and the dogs were even welcome for free!!

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Food Always a major topic when you are out there, relying only on what you carry on your back!

Let's start with Sparta and Nyx. I think I had calculated fairly right the amount of what they needed. Maybe they could have done with a bit more calories at the end.

They also snacked on lemmings... I was shocked first! Gosh, girls, don't do that! Poor little things! I had never seen them hunt mice at home before. But let's be fair: it's nature and they knew exactly what they needed under these specific conditions. A Norwegian man told me lemmings were not healthy for dogs...and they had eaten many before I was told that and didn't seem to suffer at all from it. Well,..? I kept on giving them extra portions 2 weeks after the end of our walk and they went back to their normal weight. But you can tell how they built muscles it's beautiful!

On my side, I was a little too

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short! I suspected it as it was all pretty heavy for me and didn't want to take extra load.

I bought some extra food in the three resupply places -Kilspisjärvi, Abisko and Ritsem. In Abisko also I was welcomed by my friend Ziss who treated me with a delicious dinner!! The last week I could feel I had lost a bit too much weight and my backpack felt heavier though it was fairly lighterl! maybe it was also that I was getting to the end and felt a bit sad...?

Generally speaking, I was happy with the dried-food meals taken: they were all tasty and nourishing. Good choice! But let me tell you that the first glass of red wine in Kvikkjokk where I met my mum, was a true delight J nearly as unforgettable as the first hot shower!

We made it! We reached Kvikkjokk in great shape, fantastic mood and damn proud after 21-day on the trail and 700k. We hadn't been able to do the initially planned 800k and it's been a serious frustration. But nothing compared to the joy of getting the three of us

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there, closer than ever before, healthy and happy!

make choices and not look back. We succeeded.

I wanted to do something extraordinary with my dogs. I wanted them to come back happy and healthy. I wanted me to enjoy myself and live an incredible adventure. I am very proud of what we accomplished the dogs and I. These two were amazing, crossing vertiginous bridges, deep rivers, walking long hours and always with an incredible goodwill and lust for life. We handled difficult days and situations, faced harsh weather conditions, had to take decisions and

Facts and figures

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-

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22 days on the trail. 21 days hiked, 1 full day rest, 3 half-day breaks. some 700k hiked maximum distance walked per day 42k , minimum distance 10k, with daily average of 32k the dogs ate 18kg of food during the trek and loads of snacks!

50 dried freeze meals (hunger made me eat two sometimes), 25

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homemade breakfasts (also used as afternoon snacks), 60 energy bars, 4 dark chocolate tablets 20 nights in the tent, 1 at my friend Ziss,1 in AksteFjällstation (dreadful weather conditions!) passed by some 25 mountain huts crossed countless rivers, streams, creeks and flooded areas, sometimes over bridges, mainly not, very often wetting my feet.

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Fr om t h e Adv en t u r e Sh e t eam Given the spartan amount of information available on the trail in 2015 when Rachel and her two dogs hiked it, we hit the internet to see what we could find.

The answer is some really useful stuff. Not too much, but what is out there, is interesting.

We found the Finnish national parks website https://www.nationalparks.fi to be particularly informative. The website applies three categories of difficult to trails, and places the Arctic Trail in the most difficult category, ?Demanding?.

In their instructions and rules section, the following information is particularly relevant to those wishing to hike it with dogs. ?Those wanting to take their dogs on their hike should contact Finnish Customs (www.tulli.fi) well in advance. Contact the Finnish Food Safety Authority (www.evira.fi) for information on mandatory vaccinations and certificates.?

As well as more detailed information, the Finnish national parks website also reminds us of certain basic facts which can sometimes be overlooked, especially by people eager to embark on an adventure at this minute.

They emphasise the need for a first-aid kit and ?a map, a compass and a good supply of food as the distances between etapes are long.?Of course, a map, compass and first aid kit are useless unless one knows what to do with them. Given the remoteness of the terrain, the scarcity of people along the way, and the potential for ?snow?and ?freezing cold during the middle of summer?, here at Adventure She we seriously suggest only people who are proficient in

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map and compass use, and who know how to use a first aid kit and what to do in an emergency, embark on this trail.

There are of course plenty of courses out there where people who are not yet proficient can start to learn those skills.

So if you want to hike this trail, but aren?t yet ready for it, why not use the rest of 2019 and 2020 and even 2021, to build up, practice and hone those skills, and then embark on the Arctic Trail or some other remote long distance trail of your choice.

parks website points out, ?there is no guarantee that there will be space for you on them, especially during peak season. It is best to bring your own tent.? They also emphasise the need for a ?camping cooker ? explaining that ?many people can not cook in wilderness huts at the same time and there are no campfire sites on the trail between wilderness huts?. With regard to possible firewood, the website reminds us that the Arctic Trail ?leads across treeless fells and there are e.g. no fallen branches to use as firewood.?

You may read on the internet that there are huts along the way. Whilst this is true, as the Finnish national

How t o f ol l ow Rach el Fr ei Ban di er i on soci al m edi a Website:

https://thestridersadventures.blogspot.com/

Youtube:

Rachel And The striders Adventures

Facebook:

RFB Outdoors-Adventures

Rachel will be using the hashtag #laplandextremechallenge2020 for her planned Lapland 2020 trip, which she describes as "One woman. One snow-sled.

Solo. No assistance. 30 days for 1,000 kilometers above the Arctic Circle". She is also raising funds for the trip. If you would like to get involved go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rachel-fb-1039000km-solo-arctic-expedition

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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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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.

W

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

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resort were wild and often attacked the tourists for food. I even saw some of the tourists handing ice-cream sticks to the monkeys.The tourists that I had encountered were mostly from China. Some of them had settled in cities like Karachi and Lahore. They were enjoying their summer holidays like us and had fallen in love with the beauty of Pakistan.

telling.

While enjoying all of it, I asked the man about his hometown. To my surprise, he was from the Hunza valley.

Many domestic and foreign tourists like us travel to the region to enjoy the picturesque landscape and stunning mountains of the area. The man kept bragging about delicious fruit, terraced fields and longevity of local people and also for its changing colors in various seasons. He further exclaimed, ?You may have witnessed the colors of autumn

The people of Hunza region have relatively high literacy rates, compared to similar districts in Pakistan. He went on saying that girls are also allowed to study in that district as well as learn domestic work. They are very beautiful people with beautiful hearts and no tourist returns empty handed from there.

I was intrigued to know more about the people of Hunza, as they have a diverse culture. So, I sat near his corn stall and kept listening to the interesting stories he was

Hu n za Valley in 1993 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

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Hu n za Valley in 1993 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

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throughout the world but you will not see a beautiful mountain like Tupopdan behind the colorful trees and valleys. The autumn in Hunza valley is magnificent and an unforgettable experience.?

Another reason for their great health is that Hunzas don?t stress over little things. They are always smiling. Shockingly, there is no sign of cancer in Hunza valley. Moreover, the secret to their clear skin is drinking and bathing in the glacier water. Lastly, he remarked, that people in Hunza are peaceful and hate violence.

Unlike, the news you get to hear from the famous news channels. He took a deep breath and started explaining how the media only shows the negative side of Pakistan and that none of it is true. I agreed and shook hands with him and told him I had a wonderful time.

It was a pleasing moment which had opened some doors that were concealed with a misconception of the Northern people of Pakistan.

I was awestruck at the moment and asked him about the famous life expectancy of their people. As I have heard that they have an average life expectancy of 120 years. The man laughed, and replied with a smirk on his face, ?You are what you eat.? It might sound shocking to you, but Hunzas can readily conceive even between the ages of 60 and 90.

Again, the secret to their youth is their exceptional diet and physical activity.? With that he said that he can sell corns all day and night without tearing a sweat.

Hu n za Valley in 1993 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

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I left the resort after the sunset and moved towards Murree because my Uncle insisted on moving to experience the height of Murree?s elevated mountains. It was a 4-hour long drive. The roads towards Murree were wider and stronger than the roads leading to the highland resort. Through the long hours I managed to take a nap, as the jeep was swaying on the road.

heavenly.

The next day, I went mountain climbing. It was not easy and I was scared because I had no experience in climbing mountains. My Uncle taught me how to keep hold of the rope. It was extremely tiring. However, I was glad there was no snow. After resting for a few hours at a cabin, I went off on a jeep ride from Murree to Nathiagali. It was a two-hour long, bumpy ride but worth the view.

As we reached Murree, there was a pool of people walking aimlessly towards the Murree Mall road. On Mall road small shops were located in a parallel line that had a variety of souvenirs and colorful warm clothes for sale.

Thereafter, I went to the Babusar Top which was 13700 FT. I was completely shaken and awestruck because of the beauty of the area.

The lakes were delightful and so pure that I could see my complete reflection. I took out my camera and captured the ravishing wonders of nature. The atmosphere was so peaceful and

The shops did not have big windows but were open to the street with metal shutters protecting goods at night. Most of them were made of wood. Some of the products were even displayed on stalls. The jewelry was mostly handmade and was very elegant. From one of the shops I bought a pashmina shawl for myself and a stuffed cute toy monkey.

After shopping, I went straight towards a restaurant from where I had a scrumptious barbeque meal. It was mouthwatering and

Tr u ckwww.adventureshe.com , Valley in 1993 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

calming. Heaven on earth I would say.

Travelling to these places was the best part of my summer vacation. I never felt so fulfilled and content in my life.

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Rak aposi, in 1993 Ph ot o cou r t esy of Jan e Har r ies

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Th e f ollow in g h as been t ak en f r om t h e w ebsit e h t t ps:/ / w w w.gov.u k / f or eign -t r avel-advice/ pak ist an w h ich is t h e of f icial f or eign an d t r avel advisor y page of t h e UK;s For eign an d Com m on w ealt h Of f ice.

" Su m m ar y Still current at: 20 September 2019 Updated: 9 August 2019 Latest update: Summary - change to advice against travel; the FCO now advise against all travel to the immediate vicinity of the Line of Control The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to: -

the areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas the districts of Charsadda, Kohat, Tank, Bannu, Lakki, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Buner and Lower Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the city of Peshawar and districts south of the city, including travel on the Peshawar to Chitral road via the Lowari Pass northern and western Balochistan Province travel on the Karakoram Highway between Islamabad and Gilgit the immediate vicinity of the Line of Control

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to: -

the Kalesh Valley, the Bamoboret Valley and Arandu District to the south and west of Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the city of Quetta areas of Sindh Province north of, and including, the city of Nawabshah."

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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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rinse out her top and shorts!

The next day was going to be our longest walk, 16.75km.

This was from Windemere Hut to New Pelion hut. It was very hilly to get there and technical underoot with a lot of tree roots and mud. On the way down to frog flats I accidentally dropped my cap, my only cap and it was badly needed. Thankfully Daddy turned back up the hill to try and find it, 40 minutes later we met back up and thankfully he had found it.

We had lunch at Frog Flats.

(Frogs don?t live there).

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We arrived at New Pelion hut around 4.15pm, our camp neighbor ?s from Windermere and had arrived way earlier (12.30pm)! It has been a bit hard but we managed to get there. Again we had fantastic weather, and we had a swim in the waterhole just past ?old?

Pelion hut - again really, really cold and again Mum managed to rinse her clothes out without getting too wet.

Tonight was Christmas Eve, and I decorated my bunk with Christmas lights!

It was Christmas Day!!! Dad had planned a ?rest?day at New Pelion Hut. In the

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Robinsons' vocabulary there is no such thing as a ?rest?day, so after opening some presents that Mum and Dad had brought with them we went and climbed a mountain!

We were going to climb Mt Ossa (the highest mountain in Tasmania), but instead we climbed Mt Oakleigh because if you go to where you start climbing Mt Ossa, you have less than an hour hike to the next hut Kia Ora (which was where we were heading the next day).

Mt Oakleigh was 1,286m high.

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It was very steep going up but we managed to get there. We had lots of breaks during the climb because it was very steep and tiring. We had lunch at the top and there was even phone reception. We called a few friends and family to say ?Merry Christmas? and then we climbed back down. It was quicker going down than up!On the way back to the hut, we paddled in the creek- which was really nice and once we got back to the hut, we headed again out to the waterhole for a swim. This time Mum did actually get wet all over!

The next day was New Pelion hut to Kia Ora hut and that was 9km. It was very hot. On the way to Kia Ora Hut I fell over it was a small cut but it bled lot. My Dad went to climb Mt Ossa. He was running at the start but then he started to walk, we had CB radios so we could keep in contact with him.

As we were walking we saw a shaking bush just on the right hand side of the track ,not caused by mum or I. We walked away from the bush quickly because it could have been a snake. (All the snakes in Tasmania are venomous). We saw a hut and thought it was our hut but sadly it was the ?Champagne Hikers?hut (these are private huts).

Soon after we hit Kia Ora hut and there was only one person there, so we had lunch inside the hut (it was way cooler inside than out), after lunch we then picked a shady platform and I helped Mum pitch the tent and set the beds up. At Kia Ora hut there is also a creek close by and Mum and I went to cool down, whilst waiting for Daddy to arrive from his side trip.

He soon arrived later and found an even better place in the creek to have a soak, I went in for a second dip. It was very cold, the water seemed a lot

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colder here than at the other places we had had dips.

The next day we were to walk to the Bert Nichols hut, but there were 3 side trips we could do to see some waterfalls. We visited 2 of the 3 waterfalls, Fergusson and D?Altons falls- spectacular!

Lots of water! Today?s hike was predominantly downhill and through trees so quite shaded.

We arrived at the hut before a lot of other people, and anyone who had arrived were setting up their beds in the hut. We picked a shady platform again, because today seemed to be even warmer than yesterday. After setting up camp, I had a snooze, but I wasn?t the only one in the family!! From the hut we had great views of the valley and the mountains on the other side.

We were 2 days away from finishing, Mum and Dad?s packs were getting lighter as we had eaten a lot of the food, so the next day they carried some of my gear hooray!!!

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Here we hiked down to Narcissus hut, this is where most hikers complete their Overland track and get the boat down Lake St. Claire to the finish. We were going the extra mile and walking down the lake. Our last night was at Echo Point, about a third of the way down the lake. We camped really close to the shore, it was pretty special and yes, we had a dip in the lake, this time the water was actually warmer than the other creeks. Again the weather was hot, so the dip was really refreshing.

Last night of camping and yet again in bed for 8pm. For the second night running it rained, thankfully the rain had stopped in the morning and we were back to blue skies and sun. We had about 12km left of the overland track, around the edge of Lake St. Claire. We could tell that were getting closer to the finish and civilisation as we started to see people coming in the opposite direction clean day hikers. Soon we came across really wide paths, paths that you could drive a car along - way wider

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr.

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than we were used to. We then encountered lots of signs and a really important one, directions and distance to the visitors centre. The end was really close and then we were there and finished.

At the end there is an overland track sign, it looks the same as the one at the start, so we had the obligatory photo and then headed to the cafe for some real food. I had fish and chips - yum yum and a really large ice cream!

We had 8 days on the Overland track, the weather was amazing and the views stunning - most of the way along the track you can see Cradle Mountain - it just gets further away.

What an awesome way to spend Christmas with my family!!

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THEBIGINTERVIEW WITHSARAH WILLIAMS

byJaneHarries www.adventureshe.com

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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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But what next? With no fixed responsibilities and no fixed plans, like many others before her, Sarah took to the road and travelled.

As she travelled - Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, South America, chalet hosting in the Alps - she started blogging. then in December 2014 she launched her website.

Sarah knew though that talking the talk isn?t enough, you also need to walk the walk. If she was going to encourage more women to get out there and do stuff, she needed to lead by example. After all, that's what leaders do, they show the way. Sarah entered the 2015 edition of Marathon des Sables, an infamous foot race in Morocco?s Sahara desert, a race the Discovery Channel once called ?The Toughest Footrace on Earth?.

Sarah Williams is not a foolhardy person. With several marathons already under her belt, Sarah knew the importance of training and she trained. She?d trained well for those marathons, but this time around, she over trained. In her words I ?trained myself into the ground?. Always hungry, acne on her face and back, hair falling out, her body was protesting most severely. In January 2015 a doctor told her there was no way she could do the MDS. At one point during this illness, for yes she was ill, Sarah struggled to make it downstairs to eat and had to wear sunglasses indoors, for the light was too bright for her.

It took Sarah 5 to 6 months to figure things out. Then in June 2005 she started working

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with a personal trainer.

Working with a professional helped Sarah, for it enabled her distinguish between being ill, being tired, and being lazy. Sarah?s use of the word ?lazy? shocked us, for nothing about Sarah strikes us as being lazy. You don?t go to Durham University if you are lazy. You don?t get a job in Private Wealth Management and manage to survive that industry for 8 or so years, if you are lazy. You don?t get to the top of Kilimanjaro if you are lazy. Yet Sarah says she?s lazy and used the example of driving to the local shop to illustrate her point. Guess we?ll just have to agree to disagree with Sarah on this one, for we definitely don?t think she?s lazy.

We didn?t need to include that bit, so why include it? Because it?s important. Each of us can be hard on ourselves, too often we are far too hard on ourselves. For Sarah, working with that personal trainer empowered her to train sensibly, properly, efficiently. By December she was dead lifting 100 kgs. (For Sarah and her body, that was clearly doable. For others, it will not. We are after all unique and our uniqueness matters). A month later she was back endurance training and a few months later, she made it to the start and finish line of the Marathon des Sables.

Whilst working in banking, Sarah had served on the London Committee of UN Women UK, which according to its website https://www.unwomenuk.org/ is ?the UK arm of UN Women - the United Nations entity for

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Abou t t h e M ar at h on d es Sabl es Th e cou r se var ies each year ,so n o on e is cer tain exactl y h ow l on g it wil l be, or h ow m an y m il es of san d du n es on e wil l h ave to cr oss. Th er e?s a patter n th ou gh , th r ee war m u p days of gen er al l y 30 pl u s som eth in g k il om etr es each .

It cou l d be 39, 39, 39 or 31, 38, 35 or in fact an yth in g, for th e cou r se is on l y r eveal on ce com petitor s ar e bein g bu sed in to th e deser t. Th en th er e?s th e l on g stage, an yth in g fr om ar ou n d 85 to 90 som eth in g k il om etr es wh ich com petitor s h ave a day an d a h al f to fin ish . Stage 5 is a m ar ath on an d stage 6 cou l d be an yth in g, depen din g on th e or gan iser 's wh im s.

W h il st th e cou r se m igh t var y,th e h ar sh n ess of th e deser t does n ot. W h eth er it is extr em e h eat, or san d stor m s, th e Sah ar a can be an u n for givin g cou n tr y. To go in u n pr epar ed is fool h ar dy an d a waste of m on ey,for th is r ace costs a l ot to en ter.

Day 3 f r om t h e 2017 edit ion of t h e M ar at h on des Sables

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gender equality and the elimination of violence against women?. Throughout the years one aspect that riled Sarah, was the lack of coverage of women in the sports pages.

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had most certainly hit the ground running and her podcast was here to stay.

Around the time Sarah had been ill, a germ of an idea had been implanted in Sarah?s brain by a friend.

That germ was hosting her own podcast.

Another thing that was here to stay, was Sarah?s determination to lead by example. After the Marathon des Sables she could have ?retired? from challenges, for she had walked the walk. But retirement was not on Sarah?s agenda, on the contrary, she had only just started.

Sarah seized her moment.

With no independent financial backer behind her, she moved back in with her parents. In fact as Sarah says, they effectively became her backers, providing her with free accommodation, food and fuel. Their generosity meant Sarah could take her leap of faith and in August 2015, the first episode of the Tough Girl Podcast aired. By the end of the year she was interviewing people as diverse as Felicity Ashton who in 2012 became the first woman to ski solo across Antartica and record breaking GB high jumper and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Isobel Pooley. Sarah

2017 saw her hike the Appalachian Trail in 100 days, yes 2,190 miles in 100 days from Springer Mountain in the southern US state of Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, near the Canadian border. That?s an average of 21.9 rough miles a day, up and over mountains, clambering over rocks, carrying a big pack containing all her food for several days, a tent, sleeping bag, stove, rain gear etc. Anything and everything she needed even down to loo paper, had to be in that pack. Only thing is, with that sort of challenge you need to break into it gently, which meant shorter days at the start and far

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longer days by the finish.

There is a sweet spot with pack weight. One needs to carry enough food to fuel oneself, whilst not carrying so much that the pack becomes too heavy and cumbersome.

But attaining that sweet spot is tough. When food resupply points, be they shops, cafes, or boxes forwarded in advance to some address, are scarce, attaining the sweet spot in fact becomes impossible.

Every choice we make in life has a consequence. For Sarah, her choice to do the Appalachian Trail in 100 days put her body at stress. Her daily distances were such, she hiked 10, sometimes 12 hours a day, burning an incredible amount of calories. She went hungry, very hungry and lost a lot of weight. By the time she returned home in September, she struggled to walk downstairs. It was February before she could venture back into the gym.

One of her knees, her gluts and a foot are still dealing with the knock on consequences of her hike.

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But how do you deal with 100 days of hunger and exhaustion? What is it about her that enabled her to continue? Does she have some character traits that are unique to her, or does she simply know how to make the most of what she has?

We asked Sarah about her strengths. She included drive, and we?d certainly agree with that. As she said, she knows what she wants and goes after it. We asked her about her weaknesses too. As well as ?lazy? (which we dispute), she explained that if she?s not engaged in something, she won?t do it.

Sarah has certainly been engaged with her Appalachian Trail hike, even down to getting videos posted online during the hike.

Come 2018 though, Sarah wasn?t engaged with the idea of another long hike. But she still had the drive and the desire to lead by example, to keep showing that ordinary women can go out there and do stuff. This time, rather than walking the walk, her plan was to cycle the cycle. First though, she needed to finish her Masters in Women and Gender studies, which included a dissertation. Sarah?s chosen topic for this dissertation was Women, Fear and Adventure. This was of course on top of all her podcasting and holding down two part time jobs.

Late 2018 saw Sarah cycle 4,000 kms from Vancouver along the Pacific Coast Highway to San Diego, crossing the border into Mexico and then on through Baja California to Cabo

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San Lucas.

Talking to Sarah about her trips, we got the impression her 2017 hiking trip and her 2018 cycling trip were as different as chalk and cheese, and not just because she'd swapped from hiking to cycling. Whereas on the Appalachian Trail arriving at her day?s destination meant eating and collapsing into her tent, for she was physically ?done?, on the Pacific Coast Highway life was a whole lot easier, with a mere 5 to 6 hours of cycling on a good road, plus it was a lot more sociable.

The distances Sarah hiked on the Appalachian Trail meant she was out distancing others. Others, hiking more normal distances, would often see the same people along the way and develop a ?trail family?. Sarah choice to do it in 100 days meant she had no opportunity to develop her own trail family and all the cammeraderie and support that can come from such social bonding. But her forthcoming Masters course meant she didn?t have the luxury of taking longer. She only had 100 days. Her options were to do it in those 100 days with the added distance and lack of a trail family, or not do it. She knew it would be tough, but she seized the moment and embraced the challenge.

Whilst Sarah couldn't face the thought of another long distance hike in 2018, she hasn?t lost her love for hiking.

In fact she's currently (September 2019) hiking approximately 620 kms along the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, though at a rather more leisurely pace than that at which she hiked the Appalachian Trail. This time, she's planning on savouring the whole experience, including the people she meets and the places she visits.

Of course, before dedicating herself to raising the profile

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of women in the media, Sarah had worked in banking for 8 years. So we asked her, what had she learned during those years which she now applied in her new role?

out the life we want. After all, we?re only here once, so let?s give it our best effort.

What have we here learned from talking with Sarah? Seizing the moment is not enough, for moments are fleeting. If we truly want to make a moment last and turn it into something, we need to seize it with both hands. In other words, we need to seize it with an awareness of both the opportunity that has presented itself and the threats which could derail it. For when we seize the moment with focus, drive and determination, those moments can become our life.

"Leadership, team work, goal setting, return on investment, target setting, reviewing targets set, relationship building, networking, being productive not just busy, not flapping about." Yes, it was quite a list. But it's a list that each one of us can study and reflect upon. After all, to what extent do we use these elements in our own life? If we don't already use each one of them, then should we?

What about regrets, did she have any? Yes she did, in that she wish she?d started sooner, actually whilst still working in banking. Also, she would have 100% saved more money during her banking days.

We started with a question, who is Sarah WiIliams?

We think she's a woman who knows her mind, who is driven and who goes for what she wants. But why shouldn?t we know our own mind, seek out opportunities and work towards our goals? Why shouldn?t we take the time to reflect on where we have come from, what we have achieved and where we want to go? And why shouldn't we be driven? There are absolutely no reasons whatsoever.

With this article we have seized the moment.

What started out as a chat about Sarah cycling the Pacific Coast Highway and through Baja California, has evolved into more of a 'how can I best learn from her '? After all, there's probably several guidebooks and blogs out there about the Pacific Coast Highway and Baja California. Instead, we've seized the moment to share those pearls of wisdom we've gathered from Sarah Williams. After all, there is only one Sarah 'Tough Girl' Williams.

So back to that question, who is Sarah Williams? We figure she's a power to be reckoned with and whilst her love for the bright lights of London's financial district might be dimmed, she'd definitely shining a light for women adventurers in the media.

In fact, we need driven women like Sarah, to help lead the rest of us, so that we too seek

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How t o f ollow Sar ah on Social M edia Twitter -

https://twitter.com/_tough_girl

Instagram -

https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/

Blog/Website -

https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ x

FaceBook -

https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/

Pinterest -

https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/

Patreon -

https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

YouTube -

https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahWilliamsToughGirlChallenges

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher! https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070 https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast

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CONGRATULATIONS Adventure She magazine

Huge congratulations to Jo Mosley on successfully completing her Paddleboard the North challenge.

Regular readers and subscribers will remember Jo wrote about her forthcoming challenge in our June 2019 issue.

With no holes bared she wrote of how a lack of self belief had held her back in the past, but not any more. Yes Jo Moseley is definitely one woman who has seized the moment and well done to her for doing so.

If you haven't already read Jo's article, we highly recommend it. It is definitely inspiring.

Jo tells us that Frit Sarita Tam filmed her paddleboard trip which lasted 11 days and during which she endured thunderstorms, battled through weeds and reeds and was at times horrified by horrendous amounts of litter including rubbish trolleys, traffic cones and even a crisp packet dating back to 1995.

We won't reveal more here as we don't want to ruin the film for you, but hopefully, we will all be in for a treat. We will of course try and keep you posted regarding the release date.

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CONGRATULATIONS Issue 7, September 2019

Huge congratulations also goes to both Lucja Leonard and Zoe Pye who this August, successfully completed the UTMB race, all 170 kilometres of it, not forgetting the 10,000 plus metres of ascent along the way. as they raced around Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak.

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Both Lucja and Zoe have previously written for Adventure She magazine and are total superstars.

They both trained really sensibly for the race, which necessitated a lot of hours and a lot of what others might deem to be sacrifices. But this is something they wanted and something they both pursued totally independently of each other. In fact, they only met during last year 's UTMB Oman race, despite living in the same building in Chamonix.

Lucja is pictured here with her and her husband's dog Gobi, who attached itself to Lucja's husband Dion , during a multiday ultra in the Gobi Desert.

Zoe, who mixes work in the City of London with weekends in the French Alps, is pictured at the finish line looking as fresh as a daisy. We seriously don't know how she does it. We'd have been collapsed in a heap by the half way mark, had we even made it that far.

There will be a lot more on the UTMB race and all the other races from UTMB week in our forthcoming special issue, out no later than early October.

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ChaseTheSun

BySallyDoyle Im age cou r t esy of Ch ar lot t e M ein s

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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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daylight hours.

This undertaking is quite a feat, as it covers 206 miles from the Isle of Sheppey on the East coast of England to Burnham on Sea in the West.Taking pretty much a straight line across the country. From the East the route heads to London and onto the West through Salisbury and Cheddar Gorge, with its descent to take your breath away. All this achieved with only the aid of your body and the cycle you are seated on. The only rule they set was that you set off at sunrise (4.40 am) and arrive before sunset (9.40pm), hence the name ?Chase the Sun?.

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Having completed this venture the group decided to repeat this feat the following year and the next, eventually opening the ride to other friends and acquaintances. This ride has now become an annual event with several hundred participants. All setting off together at daybreak with an orange ribbon tied to their seat post to identify them as ?chase the sun riders?.

When I heard about this challenge, my first thought was ?wow that ride might just be beyond me?. However it was not long before I found myself signing up to give it a go. I have done many long cycle rides over a day, weeks or even months, but this would be the longest distance in just one day.

In 2018 I rode with a small group of other riders, completing the course by about 9.20pm. It?s a long hard ride, with a balance to achieve between adequate food and water stops that revive, but are not too prolonged.

My assessment at the end of that ride was that stops had been too lengthy, resulting in sapped energy and prolonged pain.

So this year, I decided to set off on my own.

Not unusual for me, I have had many experiences as a solo cyclist. Solo cycling is not considered the most energy efficient way of achieving your goal at speed, as riding in group can allow you to be pulled along by the momentum, with less wind resistance holding you back. However the benefits of solo cycling are you make decisions just for yourself.

Where to stop? How long for? When to speed

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up? Or slow down?

I arrived at the start in Isle of Sheppey the night before armed with energy bars, but decided a trip to the local store for a couple of bananas and bars of chocolate would not go amiss. I checked into my room at the start hotel with time for a snooze, before dinner, but first a cup of tea and one of those bars of chocolate. Great thing about knowing you are going to cycle such a distance is that you can allow yourself the treats that generally you might have to avoid.

Feeling a little rested I set off to the evening meal and ride talk laid on by the organisers.

Pasta of course, the only way to cram in the carbs pre ride. Nice to talk to other riders, who are full of questions if they have not done the ride before, such as; how hard is it?

How long did you take? What?s your average speed? None of these is easy to answer. How hard is it? A relative question, depending on your fitness overall and on the day. What?s your average speed? Well, I don?t really look at such things, as I feel you can only go as fast as you can go, but still fun to share excitement and trepidation for the following day.

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start photo with the early morning light in the sky.

As the sun rose we were off, a giant peloton of cyclists flying through the early morning countryside, a layer of mist over hanging over the fields. I quickly got up near one of the leading packs and managed to stay with this group for quite some time. This gave me a great start and I soon felt thoroughly warmed up for the ride ahead. As a ride like this progresses, the riders begin to space out across the countryside, leaving only occasional glimpses of an orange ribbon or brief chats as you come alongside a fellow rider.

So the morning of Chase the Sun dawned, or not quite dawned as I needed to be up at 3.30am to give enough time to eat (first fuel of the day), and be out on my to the start in plenty of time. A little cool at this point, requiring a jacket, which I knew would need to be removed in a few miles. Just time for a

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TITLEHERE First stop Crystal Palace at just under the fifty mile mark. This stop is set up at ?Cadence?a bike shop at the top of a steep climb. They kindly opened their doors at 6.30 am, providing a coffee and for many, an essential maintenance stop. Not too long a stop, maybe twenty minutes, but enough time to replenish, go to the loo and refill the water bottles. From here the roads become a bit more congested, though still relatively early on a Saturday morning, but the pace was slower as I dealt with more traffic lights and navigation of busier roads. Not long before I hit Richmond Park, full of Saturday cyclists out to do their training laps. I was feeling pretty good at this stage, going at a good pace, well replenished from the first stop, with no feelings of fatigue.

The ride can become a bit of a slog from this point, some busier roads and not yet countryside, but that gradually subsides as the route moves further west with smaller roads and lanes to enjoy.

The second stop of the ride at Bramley, is at the one hundred miles mark. I headed for the bakers at the side of the railway track that was inundated with cyclists. Luckily this establishment was well prepared with staff and food and I was quickly seated with a very large egg mayonnaise bap and a coffee. Again I dare not stop too long, just enough for a refuel and then it was time to set off again.

The day was quite warm, in the low 20?s, good temperatures for cycling. By now, a lot of this part of the route involved cycling in quiet country lanes, through lovely countryside and not too much traffic to worry about.

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The small village of Pewsey at the one hundred and forty miles point, was my third stop. The Crown pub in Pewsey has a great tradition of laying on doughnuts for the ?Chase the sun?participants. So, there was definitely no option but to stop!!!

Fuelled with a doughnut (or two), I headed off.

This is a tough part of the ride, with 140 miles and two thirds of the ride already done, a sizable chunk is still left to do. It is also a part of the ride that becomes more hilly as you head west towards the Mendip hills. I was still doing a reasonable good pace, but maybe slowing a little. It was just about this point that small peloton passed me a good pace. I recognised one of the group as a rider from my club. The group had not started in Burnham but in Richmond, a shortened ride of 140 miles (possibly explaining their pace). I accelerated to tag on with them for a while, energising me and allowing my pace to increase. Initially this was difficult, but as I got into the rhythm, I began to feel better and my energy slump subsided.

The next big milestone was Cheddar Gorge, only 14 miles from the finish. I find the signs to the gorge are a real boost, giving me the feeling that the end is finally in sight. However, those last few miles up to the gorge are a bit tough with a steady incline to contend with.

Finally the steep winding descent into the gorge began, where you can really go at speed. However, beware the goats!! Yes, goats that live on the sides of the gorge and have a habit of just wondering into the road. But

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despite this risk it was an exhilarating descent.

I rewarded myself for getting this far with an ice-cream at the bottom. Yes, this is a journey full of food, the only way to keep going.

Now for the last fourteen miles, flat apart from one very steep ascent that appears out of nowhere and requires a speedy change of gear to complete. Then the reward of the ride as the road signs to Burnham appear. With a

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steady pace I reached the outskirts of the town and followed the route to the seafront.

This is a fabulous moment as crowds of well-wishers, including the mayor applaud riders?arrival. Yes, I?d done it!!! And at a reasonable time of arrival at 7.45pm. One last task before a well-earned shower, down to the end of the slipway for a victory photo, with the sun still fairly high in the sky behind me.

Abou t Sal l y Doy l e Sally says that her latest challenge is to "harness what I have learned from the above in a new way. My holiday business ?Sally?s Spanish Holiday Escapes?(my latest adventure) allows me to share with others what I have learned about cycling and travel and endurance. To show people I come into contact with that it?s never too late to start something new or to follow your passion to wherever it takes you."

If you would like to join Sally on a Spanish Adventure check out www.sallysspanishholidayescapes.com through which you can also contact her.

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comingupinfutureissues

LOCAL WILDSWIMMINGEVENTS

PADDLECLEANUP

BROMPTONBIKING

HIKINGHONGKONG

CYCLINGCUBA

UNEXPECTED, UNDERVISTED, USASURPRISES

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or, sendus your stories and suggestions

CYCLINGTHECOLS OF FRANCE

KAYAKINGNEWZEALAND

TRIATHLON- FROMBEGINNERTO THEW ORLDS

ADVENTURES ONHORSEBACK

HIKINGAUSTRALIA'S KAKADU NATIONAL PARK

UTMBWEEK

ROGAINING www.adventureshe.com

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AdventureShe is abrandof tnaconsultingservices l imited London, UnitedKingdom

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