Page 33 - Bugle Autumn 2014

of restless sleep and in the morning the team was called upon to assist in a rescue of a Polish climber who had suffered a fall. Following the rescue serial, we made a group decision that we would walk through the night and push on all the way down to base camp in one go. It turned out to be
a good decision as we were able to fly out from base camp the next day avoiding an incoming 4 day storm.
All in all it was a tremendous experience. To think that most of the team had not done any climbing or mountaineering 18 months before, yet we were able to train and prepare and then summit one of the
more extreme mountains in the world, goes to show what is possible within the Army. Through this expedition we now have
a number of experienced leaders
and future leaders within the Battalion who will be able
to share their knowledge of mountaineering for years
to come to the benefit of the Rifleman.
Lt Josh Axford, Platoon Commander, Second-in- command, B Company
Captain Joshua Axford
Captain Joshua Axford and Lt Jack Brown fly the Rifles flag at the summit (6,194m).
Ex CORSICAN BUGLE
In September 2013 16 Riflemen
left Chepstow aiming to cross the Mediterranean Island of Corsica following Europe’s most demanding long distance mountain trail – the Grande Route 20
or GR20. The trek is 180km with over 10,000m of ascent across a jagged and rocky mountain range
The first three days proved the most difficult and were a real baptism of fire for the team with each day seeing us ascend upwards of 1500m across boulder fields and scree slopes. The unrelenting terrain was made more difficult by the 30 degrees plus heat and heavy bergans. The GR20 doesn’t follow a ridgeline but instead crosses Corsica’s mountains at an angle meaning that each day we were dropping into valleys, then climbing back out of them before repeating the process. The first three days saw us cross 7 ridgelines including the infamous cirque de la solitude which involved a long stretch of scrambling across slippery rock faces aided by fixed chains and ladders.
Each night we camped in spectacular high campsites feasting on traditionally French rations of bread, cheese and cold meats which the Riflemen consistently managed to mix into interesting concoctions. Our irregular but morale boosting meetings with
the support team saw roadside BBQ’s and the ever popular ice cream ration being doled out.
The second half of
the G20 proved slightly
easier. Despite this,
by the last few days
everyone was feeling
the relentless pace and looking forward to the end. Our first spectacular view of the sea on day 7 was a sign that we were close but there was still a demanding final 30km slog across a seemingly endless boulder field to the finish line. The last day ended with the team at something resembling
a crawl but spirits buoyed as we met the minibus and trudged to the sea for well-
deserved celebratory beer and pizza. After a lot of hard work we spent three
days in Calvi relaxing on the beach and allowing our sore legs to heal.
Overall, Exercise Corsican Bugle tested Rifleman’s robustness, pushed
comfort zones and developed the basic soldiering skills of navigating in a different and demanding environment. It offered Riflemen the chance to see a spectacular part of the world and really push themselves
in arduous terrain. The exercise proved
that exciting Adventure Training (AT) could be achieved on a limited budget and at a minimal cost to the Riflemen contributed to a growing pool of experience looking to take AT forward in 1 RIFLES.
Capt Christopher Flood, Javelin Platoon Commander.
The first three days proved the most difficult and were a real baptism of fire for the team
THE RIFLES
FIRST BATTALION 31