Page 16 - RADC Bulletin 2019

ADVENTUROUS TRAINING
Externsteine to Hermannsdenkmal
LCpl Lawati RADC
Sometimes it is best to explore nature
and break out of the ordinary, which is what we did on 22nd March 2019. The route I planned was from Externsteine to Hermannsdenkmal, with an elevation gain of 395 meters - not very arduous, but not easy either. The objective of this adventure training was to cover a distance of 12.5 kilometers, in under 3 hours, and also learn a little about German history.
Although the week started wet and cold, it turned out to be beautiful on the day of the hike. The temperature was just around 15 degrees with clear skies, so we couldn’t ask for more. We set off from the Externsteine car park. Externsteine is a 40m high stone formation which was a religious site in medieval times. This place turns seriously busy in summer, popular for walks and picnics.
After an hour, we reached Falkenburg,
a medieval hill top palace. We stopped
for 10 minutes to admire the castle and beautiful surroundings. The palace also
had sight of Hermannsdenkmal, it could
be seen across the horizon in a turquoise color. We then continued our hike towards Hermannsdenkmal, and the best way to endure the long distance is having a good conversation. We covered many topics from BFG drawdown, the missing Madeleine, to the main topic – BREXIT. We were also in a standby situation to evacuate Capt Watson if need be - he was a soon to be new dad! I’m glad it didn’t happen during the hike,
as with very limited resources I would have
We were also in a standby situation to evacuate Capt Watson if need be - he was a soon to be new dad!
had to leave the group behind and run with him either to the starting or finishing point, whichever was the nearest to transport him to the hospital. After a long steady uphill climb, we finally reached Hermannsdenkmal. This is a 24.82 meter bronze statue of the great German warrior Hermann, who fought against the Romans in 9 AD. With the whole expedition finishing in just under 3 hours,
we headed back to Sennelager before dispersing off for the weekend.
I would like to thank Capt Watson for supporting me with the plan, Lt Col Murphy for giving me the permission to lead the event and Cpl Romain who helped me
with the transport. This was the first AT I organized and I have learned a lot about planning and coordinating such events in the future.
14 RADC BULLETIN 2019