Page 59 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

and levels of danger increased everyone’s safe zones and consequently an extremely valuable experience which is transferable to the rest of our lives. We give huge thanks to the Sandhurst
Trust for helping to make our expedition viable and are eternally grateful for the experiences and memories that it provided.
EXERCISE BEDOUIN CADET took place 16 - 22 December 2017 and was a mountain biking expedition that took six Officer Cadets
and one instructor to explore the historic Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. The aim was to develop, through arduous mountain biking, six Officer Cadet’s ability to participate in future operations and gain mountain bike foundation (MBF). The expedition was planned and lead by the Officer Cadets themselves, only requiring one instructor from outside RMAS, LCpl C Bryant of 101 Mili- tary Working Dogs Regiment.
The group travelled via Kiev, Ukraine which required lots of documentation and clearance but was the most economic route. Once we arrived in the desert we stayed with nomadic Bedouin tribesmen, living alongside them and eating with them during meals. During the day, we conducted our mountain biking trips. On day one we cycled from the camp to Jebel Qua- tar, a large mountain range with drinking water springs around it. It was tough going in the sun and the soft sand meant that we had to push our bikes for long periods of time. The next day we visited Petra and Little Petra, cycling around the mountains through ancient villages, ruined temples and hidden cave dwellings. There were also some extremely technical segments which involved many in the expedition falling off their bikes at one point or another.
On our final day of mountain biking we travelled to Lawrence’s Spring, deep in the desert. This was a special place for all in the expedition, hav- ing been where British Army Captain T E Law-
rence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia, had drunk from around the time of The Battle of Aqaba during World War One. There was definitely a special feeling amongst the group of Officer Cadets from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst visiting on the 100 year anniversary of this event.
The expedition was not without its challenges however. One evening when on a supplying run with our Bedouin hosts through the desert to the nearest village, our host’s 4x4 broke down. It took
Exercise BEDOUIN CADET
SANDHURST 57