Pre-deployment Preparation

Authors Cope & Pagliano Assistant leaders groups 1 & 3

19th August 2010 following a safe return from the Cadet 150 Lesotho Expedition, we are now deciphering our notes and diary entries into blog format.

Pre-deployment Preparation

As always we never have enough time for preparation due to our employment and volunteer commitments. Our usual starting point is a kit list and the Lesotho expedition was no acceptation as a kit list had been provided. We had looked at the list a few weeks prior to departure and had mentally noted the shortfalls. Neither of us were unduly concerned with kit issues, however we had apprehensions as to how we would get everything in to the 2 rucksacks that we were restricted to carrying (75 litre Expedition and a 35 Litre Day Pack).

Our concerns were exaggerated by the fact that we were operating on facts and intelligence that had been provided by the Cadet Forces HQ team who had been on location the previous year. We would be living out of our packs for the 23 days, with little chance of replenishment. 48 hours prior to departure we started packing our kit; we went through all the usual routines removing packaging and sorting and storing our clothing into small dry bags, we have found that this methodology compresses our kit and ensures that it remains dry in extreme conditions. After 5 hours of packing and unpacking and then repacking we were finally satisfied that we had enough to survive and cover all eventualities and we were also under the weight limit.

Sunday 25th of July 2010
12.00 Arrive at RAF Uxbridge
13.00 Receive final instructions, maps, Sat Phones and introduction to Expedition staff.
14.00 Onwards we begin to receive cadets who are arriving from various locations within the UK including Northern Ireland.
For the remainder of the day and late into the evening all staff our involved with checking Cadets equipment, passports etc.

Monday 26th of July 2010

Following breakfast we assemble for group photographs and last minute shopping trips for cadets who are short of necessary equipment.
Just before lunch most of the cadets have managed to get their kit repacked and packaged and labelled into transit packs provided by Outposts (Expedition Organisation Company)
Lunch follows last minute packing
Mid afternoon we depart Uxbridge on coaches and head off towards Heathrow Airport.
We arrive at the Virgin departure area within good time, we check in our respective groups, although confident with weight of our bags we find that hand luggage is also restricted by size, following frantic reshuffles of kit we all get through to the departure area.
Following the inevitable time waste associated with flying and today’s security restrictions and procedures we eventually depart for Johannesburg at or around 20.30.