A month after the event, and the memories of Mind Hike 2016
are still with me and brining a smile to my face. During the course of the Hike
I met some absolutely fantastic people and despite heading in to the hike with
some hesitancy, I can honestly say I had a great time. Most importantly of all
though, we all did a great job of raising money and awareness for such a key
cause. I signed up to the Mind Hike 2016 in the December of 2015, after coming
across the advert via the Mind Facebook page. I had previously completed
RideLondon for Mind and was looking for something a bit different. It was with
rose-tinted memories of Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and the fun of trekking that
I decided a 24-hour trek sounded like just the ticket and so had no hesitation
in signing up.
The hike came with the added bonus that is was an event
exclusively for and organised by Mind. I have long supported Mind and try to
get as involved as I can. For me this is a very personal cause as I myself am
in a long battle with depression and its ally, anxiety. In the course of my
first degree these two took me to some very dark places and the work and
support of Mind and other similar organisations meant that no matter how bad it
got, I was never alone in the darkness. This is why I think the work of Mind is
so, so key to progress in mental health. Until we can say that truly no one has
to face a mental health issue alone we need organisations like Mind in our
corner reminding us that no matter how bad it gets, it can always get better.
So I committed to the Hike in December and very quickly
received all sorts of fundraising tips and materials from the fantastic team at
Mind. I’m sure if you ask anyone from our Hike they can all tell you about how
amazing Emily and Alexa (our Mind Hike 2016 event team) were, with so many
supportive emails and updates (and even care packages!) coming our way in the
months before the hike. There was always a friendly face at the other end of
any emails or calls in the build up to the event and I really can’t speak
highly enough of those two.
As the hike came grew near we were given two teams, to walk
from opposite ends of an 80-mile stretch of Offa’s Dike on the English-Welsh
border to meet in the middle after 24-hours of walking, team lion and team
dragon. I was part of team dragon who were to walk from the North downwards,
taking in a slightly hillier route. We all began to introduce ourselves via a
Facebook group set up by Emily and Alexa and already there was so much support
and community between us all. Helpful tips were shared, and supportive messages
were sent to trekkers when they found things a bit tougher going.
Before I knew it, the weekend of the hike was upon me.
Suddenly the reality of it was upon me. I was going to have to walk 40-miles in
24-hours with a group of 20 people I had never met (there had been a training
day organised by Emily and Alexa, but I unfortunately hadn’t been able to
attend). On the train journey there I was admittedly nervous, but part way on
the journey I met Emily and Alexa and Maria (another Mind team member) and they
were so lovely and welcoming and we got chatting and before I knew it the
journey was over; nerves were a distant memory.
We met on the Friday at the hotel we’d have for two nights
(with only one of them being spent actually in the bed) and got a chance to
meet all of our teams. I have to say my nerves were completely unjustified.
Everyone was so lovely and even the hotel staff were getting into the
atmosphere of camaraderie. Some of us even grabbed a beer or two as we watched
the Wales-Belgium quarter final of the Euros. There was an air of excitement
and we couldn’t wait to get started.
Unfortunately, that didn’t quite translate to as much
enthusiasm with the 6am alarm clocks the next morning. Breakfast was lovely and
once we got coffee and food into our systems people started to perk up. The two
teams assembled for a quick photo before parting ways and heading to our starts
points for our 8am set-offs. The journey over was a chance to do some more
meeting of team members and the mood just got better and better.
As for the hike itself, it wasn’t exactly what I expected it
to be. It’s fair to say that with a 24-hour hike there are many parts that are
exactly as you might expect. There’s the highs of the amazing views and summits
conquered, and the lows of being caught in a torrential downpour and the
realisation at about midnight that this is far from over. But the thing that
really comes out of it all is the feeling of being a team. Through all of the
swings of the hike, there was a real feeling of being in it together and there
would always be someone that would help out when emotions were running high. I
can honestly say that I met some lovely people and that’s what will stick with
me for many years to come. It sounds like a cliché, but the conversations you
have at 3 am on a Welsh hillside really do bring people together. I think our
team left knowing more about each other than many of our friends.
Unfortunately
owing to an early sudden downpour, our team ended up having to split into two
smaller groups for safety. However, through some cunning route alteration by the
mountain leaders we were able to merge up again on the walk into the finish and
so we reached the line in the same manner as we completed the hike, as one.
For me, the hike was a brilliant experience, my personal
highlight being the amazing views we got when crossing a welsh valley by
walking across an aqueduct! To anyone thinking about signing up for Mind Hike
2017 I would say absolutely go for it. It’s an amazing experience and you will
get to meet some amazing people whilst making a real difference to crucial
cause. I wouldn’t worry too much about it sounding daunting. The Mind team are
so supportive, and unlike a marathon this event is more about determination and
teamwork then it is about competition and being fit. A bit of practice for
longer walks should be enough and the way we approached the walk was about
making sure as many people as possible could enjoy the walk as much as
possible. This was really helped by the girls at Mind (who even did part of the
hike with us, or in Emily’s case the whole thing) who did everything they could
to support us, and the mountain leaders who were an endless source of stories,
smile and most importantly food (they even had a doctor on hand to deal with
any blister emergencies). All in all, it was a fantastic experience and a great
way to raise money for such a crucial cause.
Aaaaannnnddd guess which muppet forgot to save any photos from the event. Instead have my selfie from before
I'll catch you up on my life from February 2016 until now in the next week or so. But until then if you want to support my latest fundraising for Mind you can do so through the same link as always:
Thank you so much for any help you can give to this fantastic charity!
Jon
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