TheBanyanTree: These boots are made for walking

[Red Pepper]

My partner and I are part of a four-person team that is attempting the
Oxfam Trailwalker 100 kilometre walk in April this year.  There are two
being held in Australia - one in Sydney and one in Melbourne (that's
where we are doing it).

The idea is to walk a 100km trail within 48 hours to raise money for
Oxfam. I think the event originally started out as a training exercise
for the Ghurkas overseas and now there are a few events around the world
- Hong Kong, for example. I've also just noticed on their site that
there is a cycling challenge around Sri Lanka next month too...

It's a fantastic event - I'm still not 100% sure I'll make it to the
end, judging by my experiences so far, but hey - you never know till you
have a go. The idea is to reach all the checkpoints together and finish
as a team - no heros thanks. In the process, all teams commit to raise a
minimum of $1000 (Australian dollars) for Oxfam, which we are very close
to achieving already.

There are some surprising challenges involved.  For example, staying
civil with your team members after walking for 35 kilometres in 40
degree celsius heat when your water has just run out. Or trying to look
forward to the final 10 kilometres when you feel like you are walking on
knives.  But it's also a LOT of fun - we have a very creative member of
the team who had us designing cryptic crossword clues so the others had
to guess the word or words.  We sing, joke, talk about our lives,
occasionally bicker. And we get to see some really beautiful areas just
outside our city - places that I had no idea existed. You really don't
see much from a car or a train or an armchair. I always fancied myself
as being fairly outdoorsy but I've got a long way to go.  Lakes,
wetlands, parks, forests, all kinds of lovely places. No snakes so far,
which is amazing considering the heatwave we're having.  Leeches - well,
yes, you can't miss out on all the creepies I suppose and they are very
small.

The absolute best part is getting to the end of a training walk, feeling
like crap, but being unable to wipe the smile off your face because,
thank god, you've finished.  You can't help loving your team-mates at
that point even though you might have been ready to throttle them an
hour ago. And boy, it really puts work issues into perspective.  We are
so lucky to have so many wonderful opportunities to sample life.  If I
could do my life so far over again, I think I'd probably put more effort
into my younger years - so much to do yet!

Anita
xxxx

(I'm doing an occasional blog to keep our supporters informed of our
progress and to reassure them we really are training and not spending
their money on beer - here if you are curious - don't expect too much!
http://redpepper001.blogspot.com/)