This weekend, the trekking team “Four-get it” we mentioned a few weeks ago will finally be hitting the road for a 55km journey to raise funds with Oxfam!
Just a few days to go until the big day, so we thought we would check in to see how they are feeling and where they are at with raising money to change the world.
How mentally and physically prepared do you feel?
We are feeling quite prepared both mentally and physically. We completed the entire course last weekend, albeit over a 2 day rather than a one day. That was a good preparation for us, as we were able to assess food and water requirements, and identify what to carry on the trek. Last but not least, managing blisters!
Are you experiencing any struggles?
It’s definitely a mental challenge to know that your only days off from work will involve waking up in the dark and setting out to walk all day. Last week end, we all found that we were exhausted at the end of the day, most of us went to bed at 7pm! We are also very hungry, eating more food than we expected during the trek.
Tell us about the positive things you’ve encountered or experienced during the preparation.
In terms of physical effects, we are really noticing that we are all getting stronger – a small walk (less than 10 km ) seems effortless.
We have experienced heaps of positive things during preparation: discovering new areas, a real camaraderie both within the group and when bumping into other groups who are training and sharing similar experiences.
Another fun thing we enjoyed was night walking with headlamps: temperature is great and you get to just focus on the immediate area as you don’t see the hills ahead, which makes the trek very different!
But more importantly, we have been blown away by the generosity of friends, family and work colleagues and their enthusiasm. We were initially worried about reaching minimum fundraising target of $1400, but we have already exceeded this and we are now hoping to raise $3000. We are so excited about the lives this will change (for example, just $150 will help train a midwife) and to realise we are actually making a real change in the world.
Did you experience any injuries?
We discovered that over significant distance, your feet swell, and you feel pressure where you wouldn’t normally feel it. We all agree that prevention is the best plan to succeed in this trek. Fashion and image quickly became a non factor for all of us!
Tell us about the cause: Why are you doing this trek and is it worth everything?
Oxfam really is an amazing organisation: a large proportion of funding comes from people like ourselves, like you, driven by everyday folk who care and have a generous heart. We find the way that Oxfam explains charity is very transparent as to where the money goes, which is a definite plus for all of us. We can be confident that the money we raise will make a real difference in peoples lives – providing education, food sources, source of income, clean water etc.
If you’d like to help our team to raise money to fight poverty and do some change in the world, please donate: jump on their team page and follow the instructions! Help them achieve their $3,000 goal!
