By: Blonde One

You might be mistaken for thinking that there is no Dartmoor adventure that I haven’t experienced before. Certainly, I’ve done lots of things related to trekking on the moors, I’ve walked in all weathers, with all sorts of fabulous people but very very soon I am going to experience something that I’m incredibly excited by and also quite nervous about.

I have the absolute pleasure of escorting a courageous student from Trinity School in the Jubilee Challenge section of the Ten Tors event. You may remember us telling you about the Fresh Tracks element to the challenge a few years ago but Jubilee Challenge has so far remained unknown in terms of personal experience. The Jubilee Challenge participants do not venture so far from Okehampton Camp and the challenge is designed for young people aged between 14 and 21 with a range of challenging conditions. Participants can enter as individuals or teams and complete one of several routes suited to their abilities. The shortest route is 7.8 miles and stays on the army tracks surrounding the camp and the longest is 15 miles. I have many times stood at the finish line on Saturday afternoon watching and cheering the youngsters cross the finish line, desperately trying to hold back tears of utter awe and admiration. Sometimes the participant will have obvious physical difficulties and sometimes they are less obvious difficulties. No matter which it is, you can tell that the challenge for that youngster has been enormous and the complete elation at their own success is clear for all to see.

Fingers are very firmly crossed that our Jubilee Challenger and our 35 mile team will be victorious this weekend.

I cannot wait to be involved in this new experience and also cannot wait to watch Trinity’s own challengers cross that finish line: jubilant!