Tango 7 - Trailblazers

Tango 7 – Trailblazers

Previous Raleigh expeditions have seen Venturers trek through some of the most breathtaking landscapes southern India has to offer. However, whilst no less inspiring as the established treks, the journey that the adventurous members of Tango 7 are taking on is a completely new and unique challenge. Tom Saville recalls some of Tango 7’s encounters along the way;

Crossing several nature reserves and national parks in the heart of south west India, the extraordinary trek facing the explorers of Tango 7 has never been walked before. So, in the true spirit of Raleigh, Tango 7 are seizing this opportunity to pioneer the route and navigate their way through some of the purest and untouched areas of the Karnataka/Kerala border.

Of course, with new adventures come new challenges and experiences. In the few days we have been trekking through the relentless jungles, deep gorges and vast hillsides of the Karnataka and Kerala State reserves, we have perceived to varying degrees the more primal side of rural India. Deeply terrifying calls of the ‘Man-Bear-Pig’ (...aka Monkey-Elephant...aka Giant Tree squirrel) which crept upon our campsite as we bedded down for the night chilled our hearts, the size of the creature notable by the sound of its thunderous footsteps heaving its massive frame between our canvas shelters. But don’t worry Mums and Dads, our wily Project Managers handled the situation with a cool, calm, unerring precision. So cool and so calm in fact that they managed the entire episode whilst sleeping soundly in their tents, allowing the Monkey Elephant to depart into the inky blackness of the midnight jungle (they obviously knew the beasts’ vision was based on movement which explains the passive ‘sleep through it’ tactic to deter our stealthy visitor).

Also, we encountered a particularly steep section of the route which we have dubbed ‘the Descent of Doom’ and have likened it to the descent into the lower levels of Hell...ok, maybe the Dante-esque analogy is a bit much but it was really steep and the sun was beating down on our backs and we had to use the rope to steady our progress. Hyperbole and literary licence are what makes these treks the stuff of legends!

But despite the adversity, despite the trials and tribulations, we have rallied together and overcome every obstacle. There may have been bumps and bruises, slips and falls (some spectacular, some just plain    hilarious!), but as a team we have made it through.

So, although we have nearly two more weeks of unchartered terrain to trek and jungle creatures to outwit, Tango 7, Raleigh 10C’s own budding band of Shackletons, will persevere with a determined will, strong backs and a pioneering spirit.

We’ve learnt a great deal along the way; how fantastic it is to shower under a cascading waterfall, and how 5km or 10 minutes in India can sometimes translate into 10km or 50 minutes, and how despite the difficulties we have faced we’re still trekking and we’re still together.

The first half of Tango 7’s adventure has been tough, but we look forward to reaching our destination; a swim in the pool, a relaxing lie on the beach, a shower (whatever we look like now, after a good wash we’ll look amazing!), and the night train back to Field Base. And we’ll know that even with the scale of the challenge in our heads, we went out there and we did it.