Page 46 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

Exercise GLEN CADET
When you are looking to organise Adven- turous Training at Sandhurst, you look for something that will take officer cadets out of their comfort zone. Something that will push and challenge them both mentally and physically, to further develop their positive lead- ership characteristics and their understanding and practice of the key values of the British Army: Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty, and Selfless Commitment. EX GLEN CADET provided an environment in which all of these could take place, and that would not have been possible without the fantastically gen- erous support of The Sandhurst Trust.
On Friday 11th August, with rifle drill and the bull- ing of drill boots behind them, 6 officer cadets from Falklands and Imjin Company
departed from Sandhurst in two
hire cars from 44 Squadron on their long journey to Fort William. Hav- ing spent one night in Blackpool and another camping in the scenic mountains of Glencoe, the cadets, along with the addition of their instructor Capt Storey, had their canoes poised beside the water’s edge at Banavie, ready to take on the 95km voyage across the width of Scotland.
...there were some very tired but proud bodies eager to get into their sleeping bags.
at 0830hrs, and not arriving at Fort Augustus until around 1800hrs, there were some very tired but proud bodies eager to get into their sleeping bags.
Having covered such a vast distance the day before, day three focused much more on the skills involved with canoeing, and with these mastered and provisions resupplied, the cadets
With experiences being varied among the group, ranging from complete novices to some with qualifications, the first day’s paddle from Bana- vie up to Gairlochy was used as a gentle 10km introductory day. This enabled the cadets to learn the key techniques and paddle strokes that would be required to successfully navigate their way to Inverness and gain their Open Canoe 2* Foundation Qualification.
With the rain continuing to fall heavily, day two was to be the longest and most challenging of the expedition. The group, full of confidence from the previous day’s introduction, decided to set off for the small town of Fort Augustus, some 35km into a strong headwind. Starting off
set off to tackle Loch Ness. Arriving later that day at Foyers, they pitched their tents knowing the end was in sight, with only half of Loch Ness and the River Ness left to run. However, Loch Ness wasn’t to let the cadets pass without a fight. Day four saw the wind dramatically pick up, causing massive swells which very nearly capsized the canoes and sent man and kit into the cold water. Nevertheless, with sheer courage and determi- nation, the cadets battled through the swells and successfully reached Inverness on the morning of day five.
The group would like to extend their thanks to The Sandhurst Trust, for all their help and sup- port throughout the planning and expedition process.
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