BG Challenge-r!

Yep! The big hike days were last weekend... and I'm alive, and thank God every minute for the experience. I laughed, cursed, got bitten, got angry, laughed, slept, ate, cut rope and bamboo and laughed :)
It was superb - or rather - Zuperb :)

Leg 1: Gorges. I got picked up at 3am on Saturday morning and we headed north east to past Valencia, into Cumaca gorges. I did not go on that leg... it was estimated to be 8 hours for the average team - we did it in under 5 hours. We finished 7th out of 43 teams in this leg. The guys came out with cuts and bruises from hurting themselves on the slippery rocks on the banks of these gorges... I cannot imagine 5 hours of that! One man slipped and hit his ankle so hard that he broke it in three different places - woof.

As soon as we finished, we got the hint to go to Lopinot for the other check point. Bam - as we get there, we see stacks of bamboos - the next task was to build a table and seating thingie out of bamboo and rope. There was an incident of a guy hitting the bamboo with his cutlass - only to miss and cut his leg so deep that the blood didn't stop pouring out for a while. Double woof.

After 2 - 3 hours of building (and as for me - rope measuring and cutting), we got the next hint - head to the Caura ridge. Amazing view! I got ready as I was to do that night leg. It started at 6pm with a bang - we were behind and so we had to run to the front of the crowd. I couldn't talk - these guys were so fit and I felt like my heart would pop out of my mouth if I did. Eventually, as the sun subsided, I picked up the pace - after screaming on seeing some bullfrogs in the path, and getting serious stings from horrid insects on my neck! I ran well enough - heck, one of the guy told me that I have balls, and the other screamed out when I began to keep the pace that he could kiss me :) *Zu still awaits this smackaroo* This hike was dark and Zue stayed at front with a torch light in hand and on strapped to my head. I fell so many times... and each time would warn the others "ROOT!" so as to watch out for any roots or stones that would trip them too. I kept hearing the guys in the back "HEAD!"... after some shouts, I asked what that was about. Apparently, there were things to bump your head into as well, but due to being so short I missed all of them :) hehe... That hike lasted about 4 hours run-walk, and included some rivers. We came in about 8th or 9th.

Back to Lopinot for sleepy time. Well, after a shower and dinner, of course. We laughed and talked until we realised that after coming out of the bush at 10pm, and having dinner til 12-midnight that there was only 4 hours to go before we have to be up again for the next day of hiking. Woof. Sleepy time! I slept so well, shockingly.

Back up at 3:50am (I set my alarm), I had breakfast and got ready for the morning hike that I was on... this time through the Guanapo Gorges. Beautiful!! But so dangerous - the guys held my hand so that we could keep speed and I could keep balance. We swam, climbed, anything we could, and 2-3 hours later or so, we were out. That was the most fun. We made it out in great time too!

The final leg I did not go to - it was a steep and horrid hike uphill for about 2 hours - from Patna Village to Chaguaramas.

All in all, the guys were great, we had so much fun, worked hard, and lost some toe nails.

I can't wait for next year!

*Zuper remembers the time in the woods and smiles... then looks down and sees that she's at her desk again... when will Zu change into her Zuperhero (hiking) clothes again? Stay tuned for more adventures of ZuperZue!*