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I got on the train at Mornington Crescent and I want to go to Mexico!!!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Survived the training exped - bring on Mexico!!

This weekend has been a fantastic experience - which I think has gone a long way to preparing us for the Mexico expedition. It has certainly been an eye-opener for me, (1) I never knew there was a special way to pack a bag, (2) that hiking with a full pack in the pouring rain could be so much fun, (3) how difficult it is to cook in a gale force wind, (4) how repulsive Quaker Oats are when made with water, (5) how Ashleigh can still keep smiling even when her feet were bleeding with blisters, (6) how you all resisted the temptation to drop me during the "casualty stretchering practice" and (7) how infuriating the "I got on the train at Mornington Crescent" game could be!

But, mostly it confirmed what a wonderful bunch of kids are coming to Mexico and how successful they can be when they work together as a team. I'm now even more excited than ever about the prospect of spending 4 challenging weeks together - and if its as much fun as this weekend has been - we're all going to have an adventure to remember!!!

Photos from top to bottom (1) The group after brunch on the Sunday, (2) Amy cooking tea on Saturday, (3) Our kit out for inspection on our return, (4) Amy putting on a much needed brew on Friday night, (5) The team trudging through the mud and rain to our site, (6) Stopping for rest during the hike, (7) Erin and Ashleigh put a brave face on it, (8) the group in high spirits as we set of on our hike, (9) Our campsite - before things started getting blown away in the gale force winds.