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Atacama Crossing Blogs 2013

Gillian Pattinson

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Atacama Crossing (2013) blog posts from Gillian Pattinson

08 March 2013 01:36 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

It was lovely to receive your replies. Glad Amber is happy, Nicola. This really is such an amazing thing to do and the cameraderie amongst everyone is great.

We the Volunteers do work hard but it is all such fun and such amazing scenery that the dayflies and I find myself going to bed at nine having got up at five with no problem except finding time to eat. Result is that I certainly am noy eating very well. I made seven packages of porridge with powdered milk raisins and salt and had not managd to eat one by day four. Of course the huge excitement is Rebecca's amazing achievment. It is just so great and wonderful to be here to see it all. I am sorry, Mark, that you are not here too, but actually you would not like it very much! I have a mattress that has a hole in it so is like a sheet of paper. I have got quite good at laying out all my clothes under it with my sleeping bag on top. The night we were on the salt flats the ground was the hardest and rockiest - solid hard dried salt and redearth. I slept bewst of all that night. How will I take to a soft mattress again!

Yesterday was the Long March. Competitors left at 8am for the start of a 75K run/walk. I was at checkpoint 5 which was in the middle of desert and great rocky crags of red ochre often covered in white salt and the range of volcanoes in the distance. No one came through until after 3pm so i was able to do some painting. I picked up some dried twigs and some old rope as i looked for a site and ended painting with those! 

Rebecca came through alongside Louisa both of them going amazingly after running so far in that heat. Everyone says it wasw much the hardest day. Rebecca looked so fresh it was amazing.Competitors continued coming through until just after 4am. We took turns at having a kip. I managed one hour at midnightt. The stars are aamazing but I don't know which are which as they are so different to at home. We left the site at 6am and arrived at the last camp at 7.15am and tumbled into sleeping bags. I coiuldn't sleep and finally got up and was able to find Rebecca an h give her big hugs. Tomorrow will be just amazing. Today we have a day of rest - more or less.

Lots of love to everyone,
Gillian

Comments: Total (0) comments

04 March 2013 02:47 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

I am enjoying this so much. It is a really great experience.Today had big ups and downs. Rebecca came first of the Ladies. I was in a car and the news came over the car radio. I was in tears! The down was Jeffa retiring at check point two. She had high pulse rate and very sensibly decided to call it a day. She`s stll full of smiles and knows she`s made the right decision.

My bed is on sand on the edge of a blue lagoon, absolutely amazing. It is incredibly windy now here at 7pm and some of the tents had to be taken down, a sand storm swept into the medical tent when I was there with Jeffa.

I've managed to do some sketching in between volunteer duties and the photographer has been taking photos of me sketching and my sketches each evening - I must go and do some now before the light goes.

We,ve all got fingers crossed for Becca tomorrow, she will be wearing the `Leaders Bib`!

Love to all, Mark I hope the operas are great
Gillian xx

Comments: Total (5) comments

Sasha pattinson

Posted On: 06 Mar 2013 10:34 pm

Fantastic. I am so thrilled for you to be doing something so cool... or is that HOT. Bed in the sand by a blue lagoon sound perfect. More stories please. Living vicariously through the blogs. Love Sasha

Anne H utton

Posted On: 06 Mar 2013 09:23 pm

Not sure who to write to -J and I SO full of admiration for ALL especially the Yellow Bibbed Rebecca and her very descriptive blog - So much better and amusing than any geography lesson! VERY glad J okay and DO hope today gone well for R so you ALL continue to smile Continued luck & love A and J xx

nic macaulay-smith

Posted On: 06 Mar 2013 04:15 pm

Hi Gillian - so glad you were able to get a blog space! How incredibly proud you must be of Rebecca? And to be there with her to share her excitement is brilliant! Once again we are all bitten by the bug of reading Rebecca's blog, eagerly awaiting each installment. All well here - had a lovely long walk with Amber today - altho' by Becca's standards it was a mere stroll in the hills! Look forward to seeing your sketches and hearing your news on your return. Nic x

William Mather

Posted On: 06 Mar 2013 09:44 am

Great stuff Gillian and glad you are managing some sketching. Do it however hard it feels! Such special fleeting moments! And as for Becca - wow! What a girl! Surprising all of us. So glad you are able to be part of it all.

Diana Thompson

Posted On: 05 Mar 2013 09:53 pm

Hi Mummy - just spotted you've got a blog now too - keep writing - it's lovely to read your side of the story and well done to you for all the hard work - good to see you on the video lol Dx