Page 96 - The Bugle 2018

Exercise DIAMOND ANNAPURNA GAUNTLET
Exercise DIAMOND ANNAPURNA GAUNTLET 17 was an overseas adventurous training expedition to the Himalayan mountain range situated in Nepal. The expedition included summer and alpine mountaineering disciplines at high altitude, which consisted of a 12-day trekking route culminating in a summit attempt on Annapurna Circuit (5,416m / 17,770 feet) followed by a cultural visit.
The trekking started from Lamjung District, which is 10 hours’ drive from Kathmandu. The place itself which is situated at 1100 metres was beautiful
WE SET OFF AND ALONG THE WAY WE COULD SEE EAGLES FLYING HIGH IN THE SKY
with picturesque waterfalls all round. After 3 days of walking along the beautiful Seti River, we arrived at Chame. The team stayed overnight and got the opportunity to jump into the natural hot water spring. This made sore feet ready for the next day’s hike. As we gained altitude and hiked above 3000 metres, the team was showing the effect of the reduction in oxygen. We were all very excited to reach the top of the hill from which you could see the world’s highest Fresh Water Lake - Tilicho Lake. After spending a night at Tilicho Base Camp, the team started hiking up to the Tilicho Lake. The route took around 4 hours and the surrounding views of mountain tops and calmness of the lake truly was a thing of beauty.
The next day was extremely foggy and visibility was poor. Before the fog had set in we set off and along the way we could see eagles flying high in the sky. After 6 to 7 hours hiking we arrived at Thorang-La Phedi base camp situated at 4488 meters. The Tea House there was spectacular, and the most impressive we visited. After a delicious lunch we went up 300m to the high pass to accli- matise for the ascent to cross the highest pass in the World called the Thorang-La Pass (5416 metres).
In Pokhara, the team visited the World Peace Pagoda at the top of a hill and International Mountain museum where we learnt about mountain’s formation, the highest peaks, and the men and women that have reached their summits. Two days in Pokhara were relaxation days for the team to sight see and buy gifts before returning to Kathmandu. With everyone completing the challenge, and all members safe, we returned home with a lot of experiences, photographs, memories and, most importantly, Summer Mountain Foundation certifi- cates in their hands.
Corporal Magar, MT Platoon
In the mountains
Exercise LAWRENCE OF ALOHA
A PERFECT CHANCE TO WINDSURF, KAYAK AND CANOE ALONG THE ESTONIAN COAST!
Operation CABRIT 1 has presented many oppor- tunities to explore everything the Baltics offers, including its many colourful cities and long beaches. I was tasked to coordinate an opera- tional stand-down package that gave the men a chance to relax and see some of what makes Estonia such an interesting country. Utilising my area of expertise (water-sports) I therefore decided to set my sights on the beach resort of Parnu: a perfect chance to windsurf, kayak and canoe along the Estonian coast!
Parnu is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Located in the south west of the country and dominated by the Parnu Bay, a sheltered inlet in the Gulf of Livonia in the Baltic sea. It is a popular holiday resort with many hotels, restaurants, shops and beaches. My plan was to conduct a four-day training rotation where every member of D Company and its various attachments would get an opportunity to relax on the beach, explore the city or make use of the nearby waterpark and spa.
The adventure training took place at Aloha Surf, a prominent water-sports venue in the bay. Platoons would arrive, get briefed on the different activities, then have all day to enjoy the beach and open water activities. Those who elected to keep their feet dry spent most of their time exploring the city or playing volleyball on the beach. Some of the company even made use of the nearby waterpark and spa – which provided the ideal place to relax after a hard few hours on the slides! The highlight of the trip was the water-sports however Parnu proved that there was a lot of offer within its bay.
Overall the trip fulfilled its aim of providing a chance to stretch the legs outside of Tapa camp and get a taste for some of the opportunities around Estonia. There is no doubt that this will be the springboard for many future adventures around Estonia and the Baltics.
Corporal Lawrence 6 Platoon
102 FIFTH BATTALION THE RIFLES