Page 21 - 2012 AMA Summer

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
SSgt Larry Hallett Greater Manchester ACF (GMACF)
£100
ARTICLE
“Mmm – I’m still concerned about bears” said Cadet Ser-
weeks, left me in no doubt that this was a trek that started where geant Tom Richardson as he looked at me across the
the tourist trail ends! With generous sponsorship, grants and things hills at Holcombe Moor Training Camp. We had spent
like discount clothing from the Bear Grylls Craghopper range – this part of this USA expedition training weekend in the Lancs Pen-
venture gave great value for money for staff and Cadets alike. nines, covering wild animal encounter drills in depth, camp craft
and trekked in the local hilly areas. Still – when you consider that a
After landing at Las Vegas, the expedition group deployed to TEN-X hungry Californian Black Bear has a nose seven times more sensi-
Campground in Grand Canyon National Park and divided into 2 tive than a bloodhound, it does highlight the acute need for slick
trekking teams and 1 support team. Here, all personnel spent time personal admin, such as tightly packing our rations along with our
honing skills such as familiarisation with US Army issue MRE rations food rubbish and human waste in the same outer receptacle when
and water purification from natural sources with Col Webb; together in bear territory.
with wilderness first aid and hygiene with our expedition medical experts. On top of this – much time was spent on practice walking These were just some of the opening words and thoughts of Exer-
in the park, before venturing in the canyon itself.
cise Northern Rattlesnake Venturer 2011; GMACF’s trekking expe-
dition to western USA. The whole exercise was the brainchild of
Time to look at our first objective: to trek to the bottom of the Grand the current Commandant Col Les Webb. Relating to the personal
Canyon, camp overnight and then return the following day. The experience of having completed expeditions in the Western USA
National Geographic maps we were given illustrated our routes and many times before, he made the organisation of the whole endeav-
individual group campsites well. But were these contour lines – or our look breathtakingly simple.
modern art? A closer look determined that we were indeed trekking 4800ft (1800m) to the bottom of the canyon! The thought of it could An overview of this action packed expedition to explore the Grand
have had the same affect as telling a grouse to calm down on the Canyon and California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on foot over 21⁄2
12th of August – but in practice, the trails were excellently engi-
ARMY MOUNTAINEER 19