Introduction: Ex WYVERN MIDGARD TRAVELLER provided the opportunity for individuals to participate in mountaineering and canoeing in the hills and fjords in the Setesdal Region of Norway as well as having the opportunity to attain a Summer Mountaineering Foundation (SMF) qualification and to deliver leadership and resilience training to OCdts and staff through a mixed discipline expedition.
The exercise participants comprised 14 attendees broken down into 4 instructors (2 Mountain Leaders & 2 Canoe Instructors) from a mixture of regular and reserve units, 1 Expedition Leader and 9 participants from Bristol University Officer Training Corps.
Expedition: The expedition was one of the last activities on the BrUOTC calendar, which took place after the exam period of the University students so it allowed attendance from a good mixture of junior and intermediate Coys in the UOTC.
Deployment on 10 July meant an early start with the transport departing Bristol at 0400, which gave us plenty of time prior to our flight. We arrived in Kristiansand in the late afternoon, and met our point of contact for the expedition, who directed us to our overnight accommodation, and gave us a familiarisation tour of Evje. This was to be our expedition base camp prior to and following the expedition phase.
The second day gave us all the opportunity to learn the key elements of theory required before setting foot on the Setesdal Mountain region with the participants proving to be keen students of the theory and had excellent prior knowledge and experience. The afternoon was spent on the lake adjacent to the campsite, which gave us the chance to develop and refine skills in the canoes, skills which were to come in extremely useful later on in the week.
Finally, it was kit preparation, with each participant being given 500NKr to spend on the meals they required over the walking phase of the expedition. The thrifty students came into their own, deciding to pool their funds together in their tent groups, they were able to make their money stretch further and allowed them to buy some fantastic ingredients for their meals in this period.
The morning of 12 July found everyone in high spirits; with the relaxed breakfast and final kit checks complete we boarded the transport which would take us to the Setesdal Mountain region. Arriving just before midday it gave us a chance to explore the nearby DNT Hut, one of a series located throughout Norway allowing travellers to rest as and when required.
Then, with full canteens and stomachs we were off; the scenery was fantastic and the weather was perfect, which meant that the first few hours passed extremely quickly. The heavy rain in the week prior to our expedition had swollen the first river crossing, which delayed matters, but we were still able to cover the 10km planned on the first day.
The second day involved a longer planned route, with the group covering over 18km. Morale was high throughout, possibly due to the copious amounts of haribo being consumed. The day gave the participants a chance to put their navigation skills to the test as they were tasked with reaching points on the map, showing appreciation of the ground. These skills came to good use when the track vanished later in the day and we had to problem-solve to find our way to the second night’s planned campsite.
The third day on the mountain was blessed with incredible blue skies and bright sunshine, the descent into the valley saw the group encounter a variety of wildlife, and stunning vistas of the region. Arriving just after midday, the group shed their hiking kit, and transitioned straight to the canoes, with the group setting off to the first campsite approximately 7km down the fjord. If the group were in high spirits at the start if the day, these feelings skyrocketed when we saw the campsite, with a full kitchen, and hot showers!
After a good night’s sleep the group were able to tackle their first full day paddling down the fjord, with fun to be had making sails from the tarpaulin on the canoes, and moving through the water in various formations. The weather took a turn for the worse in the afternoon, which saw conditions start to deteriorate, however the group proved their mettle time and time again, digging deep and reaching the last campsite well within the allotted time.
The final day was by far the most challenging; the wind was gusting and the rain had settled in for the day. After looking at the weather report, the group made the decision to leave as soon as possible to get back before the afternoon. Staying close to the shore to avoid the worst of the weather, we made good, steady progress. Then, with only 2km to go, the winds became increasingly gusty, which saw the group really having to rely on the skills they had developed earlier in the week. One boat was turned side on to the wind and current and this combination meant that the boat was soon overturned, with the two OCdts being sent into the water. In a display of excellent recovery skills, they were both able to right the boat and put themselves back inside the canoe.
It was at this point that the decision was made for the safety of the group to call and end to the expedition. We had made it so close to the end, but safety is paramount.
After the kit and equipment had been recovered, and hot chocolate consumed, the group were extremely proud of what they had accomplished, and had made some great memories of their time in Norway (to accompany their numerous mosquito bites).
Summary
There was a combination of Junior and Intermediate Coy OCdt’s on this expedition. This was just the right mix of individuals and teams to mix together which kept morale high throughout, forging relationships that will enhance the output of the unit in future activities. The instructors had mixed experience with UOTC AT trips prior to this, and all said that they would welcome the opportunity to work alongside BrUOTC in the future. The activities themselves, whilst challenging, were accessible and achievable to all those participants. The attainment of the SMF was a great achievement to all who took part.
The 9 OCdt’s taking part in this expedition learned a great deal about themselves throughout the trip, not just the theory required to achieve the Summer Mountain Foundation course. But they challenged themselves and persevered through teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and motivation. There were times where every single one of the participants had to dig deep to find the drive to succeed in fairly arduous conditions, and support each of the other team members in achieving the end goal.
There was some degree of disappointment, feeling that we got so close (but so far) from the planned end point of the expedition, but the participants and instructors alike took the decision to put the safety of the group first. However, all participants felt that if the opportunity arose again in the future they wouldn’t hesitate to come back and tackle the task again.
The Setesdal region has real natural beauty and is a challenging landscape, we all fell for its charm, and would not hesitate to return in the future, with the OCdts embarking on their military leadership careers, they will return as officers and soldiers in their own planned Adventurous Training Expeditions.
Ex WYVERN MIDGARD TRAVELLER aimed to test the leadership and resilience of the OCdts and staff who participated in this challenging Adventurous Training Expedition. It can be concluded that, even though we did not get to complete the planned distance, this only added to the experience, and allowed the staff and OCdts to fully meet this aim, all participants gained vital skills and experience which will allow them to build upon their leadership skills, and be able to tackle problems and enhance decision making in the future.
