The final report (Team 1 2/7/10)

It has been a while apologies for the lack of contact but well, we have been off conquering Mountains, Rapids and other general life threatening actions. (All risk analysed of course) All things considered an interesting last week.

Since our last update we travelled first from Kampala to Adrift, a day which saw two boats of eager challengers take to the Nile for some white water. The day progressed as we conquered 4 rapids, a buffet lunch, a BBQ and finally to conclude a coke while watching Italy get thrashed by Slovakia.

The day that followed was the introduction to Mt. Elgon with the organisational stage completed. The mundane tasks included the paying of park fees, sourcing guides, porters and cooks which we indulged in to make our summit attempt a more enjoyable task. That night we lodged on real beds in "Rose's Last Chance" where the hospitality was incredible.

Then the enormity of the final main stage of our expedition hit home, "The Challenge". Day One was the slow advance to Sasa River Camp, our first Base, where the delight to arrive to dinner was incomprehensible. The breakdown in communication that resulted in no lunch was one moral killer and after a hearthy dinner spirits were high again.

Day Two, we continued on to Mude Cave Camp, our base for the summit attempts. The walk this day was slowed due to a number of members of the team suffering from various ailments however we pushed through and all reached camp safe and sound.

Day Three, Summit number one. Today the team pushed for Wagagai Peak the highest peak in the national park at 4321m. The day proved enjoyable with the sight of glee in the eyes of all as we summited. We then all had our rituals to practice at the top including the display of our 4x6 inch Irish flag, a proud moment.

Day Four, Summit number two. It was the morning of the 30th of June when a group of 9 Crack Irish and 1 Brit made the attempt for Jacksons peak. They were the only St. Conleth’s team to attempt the harder peak in the park (althought 200m shorter than Wagagai it is a more challenging climb) and at approximately 11:05am they summited culminating our stay in Mt. Elgon National Park. The same day they also descended the 1200m drop in heavy rain to rejoin the rest of the team at Sasa River camp as the descent continued. It was EXTREME (Private Joke)

Day Five, The End. Our final day on trek. We all climbed down the ladders safely. We followed off the trail and loaded up on the transport to the Sipi falls our final activity before the return to Kampala.

Sipi was an enjoyable day, with some taking to the Crows nests comfortable sofas for a day of lounging, whilst others toured the local waterfalls and visited the local coffee plantations, even roasting a cup for themselves. All in all a good day was had by all.

Alas we are now all back in Kampala preparing for our inevitable departure, its been an amazing month one which words do little to describe. More stories will always follow and I hope next years teams will have just as much success as us.
Fair well.
Team one out!
Foley featuring Paul