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Entagroup interviews the conquering hero of Chinas Great Wall - Apr 2010
The leading IT distribution and communications group, Entagroup, recently sponsored BT Account Manage, Brian Poole on his gruelling challenge to walk along the Great Wall of China in aid of Heart FM's 'Have a Heart' campaign. Now back in the UK, Entagroup asked him to reflect on his journey and the challenges he faced.
Congratulations, you did it! So how did it go and what did you get up to? Take us through it.
It went brilliantly and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We landed in Beijing to find the sun shining and a moderate temperature which was a bit of a surprise as I had expected it to be cold. We stayed at a lovely hotel for the first night and had an enjoyable evening getting to know each other, although we were all suffering considerably from jetlag so an early night was in order. The next morning we transferred to the infamous Heaven's Ladder section of the wall. Thankfully we tried the section that leads to the Heavens Ladder as a taster of what to expect. As we set out there was a lot of puffing and panting as the realisation of the thousands of steps we faced sunk in. It was bitingly cold that day, about -2 degrees in the day and much colder at night. Then the weather got worse. The next day we were met with a blanket of snow and some pretty treacherous conditions as we headed up the ladder towards the top of the mountain. This is where many of the group had to face their fears. But there was no turning back and we pressed on hard and supported each other to get through the many narrow sections with very steep drops either side. The snow carried on and so did we, but the worst part was that there was no escaping the biting cold, no shelter at all. Even the basic accommodation provided little shelter from it.
Then on the third day of walking we reached Simatei and the sun came out. The weather improved dramatically from then on and, although it was still a bit chilly, it wasn't half as bad as we had already faced. This allowed a bit of sight-seeing as we went along. We finished this section with a 200m zip slide from the mountain to the shore exhilarating after a long day's walking.
Did it get easier as you went on through the week?
Yes definitely. Walking up and down thousands of steps certainly builds up the stamina but it also became more fun as the week went on. The first few days were definitely the hardest, but it was only because we hit the bad weather and had some rough nights sleeps at the beginning of the week. The good thing was that, as the week went on, the accommodation got better and the weather got better, making it more enjoyable for everyone. There were many more smiles from the trekkers as things appeared to get easier.
Was it as tough as you expected?
I was privileged to have insider knowledge from my wife Janet, who had completed the trek a year earlier in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research and was expecting it to be tough. My body held up really well though and the fitness training definitely paid off. I think I was within the top 10% of trekkers which gave me confidence and made me feel more relaxed, but you would not believe the amount of steps. They were relentless and there were no flat bits, just slightly milder gradients between climbs.
So your pre-walk training paid off then. If you could give one piece of advice to prospective Great Wall trekkers what would it be?
Oh yes! My one piece of advice would be to work hard on the stepper in the gym before you go. If you only use one piece of equipment it should be this. My stepper moved from foe to close friend. I also did some leg strengthening exercises to help with my knees which were my biggest concern before going. That was also very worthwhile.
What was the most challenging aspect of the journey?
The cold! Definitely the cold! Not being able to warm up for over two days was the worst feeling. The toilets, food and walking are insignificant to me during that spell. I don't usually feel the cold but I most certainly did then!
What were the best and worst bits of the trek?
The best bit was having the opportunity to walk with a great bunch of people across some beautiful landscapes for a brilliant cause fantastic! The Wall is the most photogenic structure. You find yourself taking picture after picture as the light catches it in different ways. It's beautiful and an awesome feat for those who built it over the centuries.
The worst bit, yep you've guessed it the cold! Oh and I also had a sort of allergic reaction to a peppercorn type spice that had an aniseed taste. It was in a mystery dish I can still taste it now!
What was the scariest or funniest moment?
There were many funny moments as you would expect with 40 people walking together but they were the sort of thing where you had to be there to understand them. I didn't have any scary moments personally, but many of the other trekkers did and many of them did manage to conquer their fear of heights.
On one section of the Wall we were met by the local police who stopped us all and checked our passports. They created a lot of fuss with the organisers. It seems they were worried about us walking too near to an army base. In the end we were allowed to leave and start our walk, albeit some 10Km away.
How much did you all manage to raise for charity?
Overall the trekkers raised £150K for the Heart FM Have a Heart campaign. As an individual I raised £3000 which is a great achievement and the support from Entagroup was really gratefully received. I would like to thank everyone who donated. You have all helped to make a difference to disadvantaged children.
So, would you do it again? Anything lined up?
I would do it again like a shot! The experience was wonderful. Raising the money to join the trek was a real challenge and gave me some sleepless nights whilst trying to reach the target but the effort was most definitely worth it for a very worthy charity. I don't have anything lined up just yet but the Three Peaks Challenge appeals to me.
Maybe you and Janet could do it together. Are you going to keep up the new fitness regime then?
I have kept up the fitness regime so far. I was so surprised with how well my knees managed from the training that I have decided to keep going and have done a 10 mile walk every Sunday since getting back, as well as twice a week gym sessions.
We would like to congratulate Brian and all of the other walkers once again on this significant achievement. If you would like to find out more about Brian's trek and view photos from his travels visit www.enta.net/media
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