Page 48 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

Exercise ORDESA CADET
Assembly was at London Stansted on 12th August for the flight to Zaragoza. Follow- ing an event-free flight, we collected our hire car, which proved to be rather cosier than expected, and drove to Formigal where we spent the night in a local hotel. If the views from the mountain roads on the journey up were any- thing to go by, then we were in for a real treat.
In the morning we relocated to a campsite in Escarilla, just short of the first leg of the walk. Due to the high temperatures and the increase in altitude, our instructor, Lt Bapty, took the deci- sion to use this day for acclimatisation and extra training. We did a couple of shorter walks, which allowed Lt Bapty to teach the whole group some theory that could be applied over the coming days. OCdt Robinson led a circuits session, and supplies were sourced from local
the energy to climb an additional 1000m to sum- mit a nearby peak with Lt Bapty, while the rest set up camp and cooked-up some
shops. An early night was had by all, following a decent meal cooked on our own equipment.
The next day was a bit tougher; 13
miles carrying light scales of just
water and food. OCdt Bristol, pro-
viding expedition support, moved
the kit to the next campsite. The
route was fantastically beautiful,
with a steep and long initial climb up to a reser- voir, and over the peak a beautiful valley - Brecon it was not! We took advantage of the glacial lakes for some routine exercise, and to enjoy our lunch before meeting up with OCdt Bristol at the end of the walk.
With the team feeling good, we then trekked onwards to the refuge at Bachimaña, a climb of about 1100m but this time with full weight. Damp weather overnight meant some of the ter- rain had become more than a little precarious, but at the top there were some epic views over the valley. Three members of the expedition had
well-earned hot food.
The next morning brought a long 8 hour, 24 km day which was a gruel- ling climb up the Faja de Pelay into the magnificent Ordesa Canyon. It was worth it for the surrounding landscape - the views undoubtedly made it easier to keep the legs moving forward, even if it was very busy at times.
The final day was much less dramatic(a shorter ascent at 13km, a 2000m weaving descent into the Anisclo Canyon) still left some very tired legs, and the final refuge was a welcome sight. We then jumped in to the car and headed to our AirBnb in Zaragoza.
A cultural day in Zaragoza meant we were able to visit the somewhat bizarre Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar and enjoy some ‘pinchos’ (not tapas!) on El Tubo in the evening, which left us all satisfied and ready for the morning’s journey home - a good trip had by all!
We took advantage of the glacial lakes for some routine exercise...
46 SANDHURST