Page 22 - 2000 AMA Millenium

Himalayan Drago
Over 180 climbers from all-ranks and all the Regiments and Corps of the Army completed the largest ever level three adventurous training expedition to Nepal this month. The exercise, patronised by General Sir Sam Cowan, Chief of Defence Logistics, sought to place a military team on the top of the eighteen trekking peaks of Nepal as the Army’s flagship Millennium project. Thi^ article is a personal account by the Expedition Secretary, Captain Fergus Smith, and will be complemented by a presentation at the next Annual Weekend by David Baggaley.
I joined the expedition at the Ifirst meeting in Wales on return from a particularly dull tour in the Province. For some reason a surge of post JDSC enthusiasm made me
V*u
administrator for the expedljv tidn that got things going *■“- liaising with Thatcham for the issue and also purchase of a fortune in stores, with Media Ops at HQ Land for a
volunteer as Secretary and I dedicated Public Information felt that this would provide a Officer or with all RHQs for just perfect opportunity for a little bit of money to help pay learning how to plan and for the huge costs that were conduct large scale level three accruing.
expeditions. I was not to be let
down. Throughout the The training phase ran con­ planning phase of the exercise current with the planning and the organising committee met equipping of the expedition. roughly once every two This involved weekends in
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Himalayan Kingdoms Expeditions
Army’ and got to know them a whole heap better over a pint in The Slaughtered Lamb in Ballachullish. The courses provided the perfect opportu­ nity for effective and good natured team building and yet more weeks off work. The problem that many teams found, when trying to keep in touch with their members when the Army was becoming increasingly deployed, continued however. It is to the credit of the key players in each team that many hours were spent on phones or writing letters to keep all informed of the latest offers and hurried returns that were required.
September however came at last. I had to jump into Arnhem the week before and was petrified of wasting two years work for a parade duty, but should not have worried. A day in Kathmandu and we were on a bus with 17 porters to Pokhara and then a stunning 5 day trek through the humid lowlands to Annapurna Base Camp and the most startling views I have ever seen. It is a very
live at the top of mountains it only takes one to lay eyes on Machhapuchhare and we come to understand why. I have seen things, as the film goes, that young people won’t believe....
By the time I came to make my bid for the summit of Tharpa Chuli, the two other teams in the Annapurna circuit were establishing high camps and we listened to them bragging about Welsh rugby (or lack of it) on the AMA motorolla
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Wales and Scotland and week long courses for those who had not done WMI. SOT or a Short Rope Course for the more technical peaks. In both
months. This was quite an
achievement for both the
committee and the team
leaders who often came from
demanding staffjobs or alter­
natively were TA and had to the summers of 1998 and
ask for yet more time off work 1999 we were supported by certain 3 star!) These were all humbling experience to be to go climbing. It was the BAC (B) for allocation on SGL tremendous fun. As with any among mountains of this size appointment of Major Matt courses (one of which was course I kept meeting people I and when we criticise the Fenwick as a permanent subject to the tutoring of a half knew from the ‘Green animist beliefs that the gods
LCpI Dougie Farquahar and Captain Tsim Wharton with Singu Chuli behind.
Captain Rachel Semple o l the Imja Tse all female team.