My story started at the beginning of the year in Birmingham, where I was attending my second Phoenix Forum meeting. The Phoenix Forum is a group of 10 teenagers voted by the members of the RSPB to represent the young members and to help write the magazine. As part of the agenda we discussed this year's appeal, The Sumatra Appeal www.rspb.org/sumatra/.
The Harapan rainforest in Sumatra covers an area smaller than London, and is home to a wonderful array of wildlife including more than 300 species of bird, elephants, tigers, pangolins, monkeys, leopards to name but a few. Logging in the area is likely to wipe out the entire rainforest within five years, devastating its animal population. the RSPB is aiming to raise money to replant the forest, protect the habitat and provide employment for local people.
We decided that as a team we would do something to do with distance - maybe the perimeter of the jungle. initially we thought we would all do cycling, but then thought it would be more interesting to use as many different ways of travelling as possible.
A few months later i received an email from my friend Catherine with the subject 'My Very Crazy Idea!!!' It was indeed a Very very crazy idea - she wanted us to cycle from John O'Groats to, yes you've guessed it, Land's End. After a string of emails, i finally suggested: "Why don't we try to do the Suffolk coast?" That seemed more manageable, but was still a huge challenge.
I was then asked to write an editorial for the Wingbeat magazine - and made a big mistake. NEVER write in a national magazine that you are going to do something that you may not achieve: you'll look a fool and there's no turning back! It seemed like I was tied down to this bike ride. the sensible side of me was saying "If you think you can do it, you're mad!" the other side was slightly scared of confessing to Catherine that I was having doubts. Mum sought advice and was told the venture was too ambitious for girls of our age, but if we were determined, her friend would track us to make sure we were ok. Then Dad summoned me to the kitchen to hear his genius idea "Well, I suppose you've got to do something" he started... "Why don't you do a canoe down the Aveyron Gorge on your own?" I thought this was a fantastic idea and spoke to Catherine - who was having the same doubts as me.
I had canoed down the gorge before with my Dad; him doing the majority of the paddling whilst I sat gazing at the fish in the river and dragonflies, splashing him and crashing the canoe. The route we'd done then was less than half the distance i was planning to do and it gradually dawned on me that I was going to be doing a half marathon with my arms.
On the day before the trip, I ate a huge lunch of pasta and fruit, laid out everything i thought i needed in two plastic bags (I didn't need half of it) and had an early night. I woke up at 7am, grabbed a drink and got straight in the car. I ate nearly a whole baguette on the way to St. Antonin, where we picked up our canoes and lifejackets and caught a bus to Feneyrols - Dad and I had the whole bus to ourselves. After some pictures, I sat in my boat ready to be launched. It didn't go to plan: I capsized as I entered the water. Having a canoe land on your head is painful, but Mum and Dad seemed to find it hugely amusing. I got back in the boat, dripping wet, and started to paddle. My adventure had begun!
The first half of the trip I had the river pretty much to myself, apart from Dad who was behind tracking in case of an emergency. By the time i reached the halfway mark my neck and shoulders were aching and i wondered if i'd make the whole course. i was most grateful for my pizza and rest!
I had decided that I would launch myself for the second half, to avoid a repeat of the first capsize, but Dad seemed to think i wasn't quite wet enough, so he splashed me with his paddle! We had few metres and then a weir which I paddled down gracefully whilst laughing at the other 9 people who were stuck! The second half was much more interesting as there are more rapids, although they can be hard to navigate: Dad capsized 5 times!
By the end I was starting to cry in agony. As I spotted the iron bridge that indicates the end of the course, a huge grin appeared on my face. I knew i could do it, so I pushed on and then after one final rapid i was home - if not dry. Just as he did at the beginning, probably because he was annoyed that i'd perfectly navigated all the rapids, weirs and chutes, Dad waded into the water and tipped me out of my canoe! I raised my paddle in the air with a triumphant beam on my face I'D DONE IT!
I'd like to say thank you to Mum who has been so supportive, who has set up this site, has spent hours asking people to sponsor me, who brought me pizza in the middle, who was waiting at the end with an ice cream. Thank you to Dad, who suffered 18km as well and was just as tired as I was - and still had to drive there and back. Special thanks, too, to Paul Sanders, who gave me wise advice on the cycle trip and very generous sponsorship, and to everyone else who has sponsored me and sent messages of support.
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