Page 8 - Eagleye Spring 2020

Himalayan Trek
By Maria Gordon
In 2012 my father Graham Handley, a Chief Technician who served in the RAF for 22 years was diagnosed with cancer and given between six and 12 months to live. Tragically, he passed away just three weeks later, the day after my birthday. Since then I have set myself an annual fundraising challenge to honour his memory which has so far included a Swim-a-thon, climbing London’s O2 Arena, a skydive with the Red Devils and trekking the Great Wall of China to name but a few, in support of the RAF Benevolent Fund.
During the China Trek in October 2017, I became a grandmother to Dominic. Unfortunately, he was born with heart problems, requiring a series of major operations to make him better. Despite this, he was always a happy little boy with a constant smile on his face. However, Dominic developed a chest infection, requiring antibiotics prior to a much-needed operation to repair a leaky valve. Unfortunately, his little heart proved too weak and on 15th October 2018, two days after his first birthday, Dominic suffered a cardiac arrest and tragically died in my daughter’s arms. So this year, I decided that my fundraising would be two- fold, especially as my Grandson had passed away at a similar time of year as my father. I continued to raise funds for the RAFBF to remember my Dad and to acknowledge the support they gave to my daughter during such a tragic time. More pertinently, I also wanted to support Heartlink, a charity who provided
constant care and support to Dominic.
As a unique challenge, on a similar scale to my China adventure, the India-based Dalai Lama Trek instantly felt relevant and spiritual. It links the RAFBF, as the heart of RAF family, to Heartlink and to the Trek’s destination of
the Taj Mahal.
I raised funds with incredible support
and encouragement from RAF Coningsby, Cranwell, Digby, Scampton and Waddington - something I will never forget.
My pre-trek training included a ‘50km in One Day’ challenge in the Peak District, the Lincoln 10K in April 2019 and I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in August.
I arrived with my group in Delhi on the 25th of October, where I arranged for a series of tuk-tuks for 12 of us to tour the city, stopping at major sights for quick photos!
That evening we went to Delhi Station to catch the overnight train to Pathankot. We were housed in 6-berth curtained cabins, accompanied by rats, the potent stench of urine coming from the toilet next door and waiting staff constantly asking if I wanted coffee or soup out of dirty containers!
We eventually arrived in Pathankot the following day, from where we had a 3-hour transfer to Dharamsala, the current home of the Dalai Lama. After being allocated a hotel room for the night, we were free for the rest of the day to explore this Tibetan influenced, fascinating town.
27th October Dharamsala-Kareri – 12km After a short transfer to Satovari, our overnight bags were then transported to waiting mules, leaving us with day bags to carry the essentials.
The terrain undulated for the first few kilometres, but we soon made a steep
descent through dense pine forest to Ghere village, where we crossed a bridge to reach a small mountain stream. Once on top of our target ridge, we were rewarded with great views of the valley below. We then pushed on until we reached Kareri village, where we set up camp in a lovely meadow next to Laund river. After seven hours’ trekking, my first port of call was to soak my feet in the ice- cold river! Later, I would be kept up all night by about 20 wild (but placid) dogs howling at each other!
28th October
Kareri Village-Bal Village – 12km
Today was the longest day of our trek. We began with a gradual ascent to a charming village, with a cup of chai from the locals and spectacular mountain views. After visiting the village of Kahr Bahi, it was then a steep descent for about an hour and half to a mountain stream, spanned by a rickety suspension bridge - Not ideal for someone with vertigo! We eventually crossed the stream and continued for about an hour, stopping for lunch. After lunch, we climbed for another hour before a steeper ascent to Bal Village which offered more breath-taking views, taking our minds off the challenging landscape. Upon our arrival in Bal, we passed through the village along terraced fields to our riverside campsite.
29th October
Bal Village-Leta Village – 15km
After breakfast, we ascended through beautiful rhododendron and pine forests for approximately two hours. We stopped off for chai at a makeshift café, before continuing. The climb was relentlessly constant for over
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