On the 15th October 13 amazing people departed Dublin airport bound for Ethiopia and one of the greatest challenges of their lives. 

Each of the tent buddies were asked to write their experiences of one of the days and this is what they had to say......

16th October – Addis Ababa

We were all surprised by the greenery of the country as we flew into Addis Ababa, once we cleared customs we were met by our local guide, brought to our hotel to rest for an hour or so after our long flight from Heathrow. We then visited the local Concern office in the city where we were met by one of the two Co-Directors for the county Esther. She explained to us the work that Concern did in Ethiopia and how it's normal budget of €4.8m had grown to over €10m due to the current famine threat where over 4.3 million people were currently at risk of starvation. She explained to us the various different projects that Concern supported dealing with HIV/Aids, working with communities, education, irrigation projects and also supporting small businesses. We all felt that the money we had raised was going to be put to good use here in Ethiopia.

In the evening we went to an Ethiopian restaurant where we dined on traditional Ethiopian food and were entertained by some local musicians and very enthusiastic dancers. Later on some of us went to a local Jazz club to hear some really good local talent. As we were all due to be up a 4am next morning to catch our flight to Gondar we were all back in the hotel by 12.30 am ready to start our first day of walking next day. It seemed a long time since we had first met in Dublin airport to start out journey to Africa 24 hours previous.

Ken and Aidan

17th October - Sankaber Camp

After a delicate 4.30am morning call, and a surprisingly comfortable flight on a propeller driven plane, we arrived from Addis to Gondar.  We boarded our “bone shaker” bus to begin our 3.5hour journey to the Siemen National Park stopping en route in Debark for lunch.  Nothing prepared us for either the stunning scenery or the poverty we witnessed on our way.  In Debark we were introduced to our two local guides PM and Asmara and our three scouts all brandishing World War 1 type rifles.  Approximately 2pm in 20 plus degrees we commenced our first steps of our trek at 3190m into Sankaber camp at 3300m.  Along the route we met for our first time the gelada baboons.  Being our second trek with Concern we were delighted with the comforts provided in our tents, one being much desired pillows.  After a welcome dinner we entertained each other by playing charades and eventually drifted to our tents eager to start our second day.

Ciara and Julie

18th October – Geech camp

We were woken by the screeching of the thick billed ravens very early, before sunrise anyway. As the night rolled in the dawn, the temperature rose and everyone began to appear out of their tents, scratching and stretching themselves and thinking that the first nights sleep under canvass wasn’t so bad after all. Breakfast was a hearty affair of eggs and plenty of bread and tea. Camp was a bustle of everyone discussing last nights charades and the state of the squat toilets, passing around suncream and generally packing rucksacks. So we were off on day 2 of our trek to Geech camp.
We met kids selling hats and sling shots on the way. The lads were very good with the sling shots, even managing a backward shot into the crowd of us. We suffered one slight injury. We also got to see a spectacular waterfall plummeting into the Geech Abyss.
Lunch came slowly enough but when it did it was worth the wait. The spot was at a stream, so it was boots and socks off and straight in for a good foot soak. As the day wore on, we approached a village where we meet a lady called Aiwa and her son Said. Our excellent doctor arrived on his favourite mule and after an examination decided it would be best to visit an eye specialist in Gondar, and we agreed to meet again on the way back. While walking to Geech, the grinding poverty and hardship of rural Ethiopia became very apparent. We arrived to Geech at about 5pm, boots off, quick hand wipe shower, cup of tea and off to play a football match. It was five-a-side, concern’s finest versus a local selection of kids. Although we were in top physical condition from our trekking, the thin air at 3600m killed us and we were hammered. We mixed the teams then and played as long as we could, and all had a very enjoyable evening. Dinner was grand as usual, but there was a special treat. It was Seamus’s birthday and the cooks produced a top notch cake out of god knows where. The guides presented him with a traditional hat and Seamus had a tear in his eye, actually he was balling crying. Charades was played into the night. A few beers helped us get to sleep, which was just as well as it was freezing in our sleeping bags

Seamus and Keith

19th October - Chenek Camp

Morning was a gentle uphill climb to reach Imetgogo.   From here we had an incredible vantage of the entire area.  A couple of tricky rock climbs before we reached this summit, but when we got there the sky was clear and you could see for miles.  From here we made a gently descent to the valley mid-way below and then upwards again.  It’s the day of little mountain – big mountain, least that’s what it looks like on the itinerary.   We walked through bushy forest along a narrow path.  A local boy serenaded us with his flute the whole way up.  He made the uphill climb look so simple!   What was a very warm morning quickly got colder as we walked up.  A quick stop off for lunch midway up and we continued on our trek.  We eventually got to the top of today’s “big mountain”, only to trek back down the far side.  We came across some local children sheparding their sheep, and we stopped to look at 2 sheep with their newly born lambs - one mixing up his mother!  Traversed downwards along a narrow pathway, that made even the most fearless of us a little more than nervous.  Thankfully it wasn’t that great a distance before we got to sure terrain again.  We finally reached the roadway, not before we nearly had a faller in Stefan but we got to the road all in one piece.   Nearly there – not likely!  There was a steep incline towards the camp.   The first of our nights in Chenek, a spacious campsite with plenty of room for a game of Frisbee, though not if you value your ankles!  This was to be the coldest night of the entire trip.

Catriona and Caoimhe

20th October – Ambikwa Camp

Wake up. Gelada on the hill and the scouts spot an Ibex looking over cliff edge, turns out to be group of 6-8!  We start trekking up the valley about 2.5hours to the top before beginning a long descent.  After lunch it’s another 45mins to the school in Chiro Liba where we have a presentation to all the school teachers and children, a few words are given by Ken.  The school classrooms are dark and there are no toilets.  In the staff room we had a chat with the head master and village chairman – there was a hand drawn map of Africa with 10 countries in the wall, some art and a periodic table of elements.  Played Frisbee with the kids, watch out for some highland Frisbee champions in years to come! There is some malnutrition here in the village. A few adults were harvesting barley and spinning cotton in the middle of the village.  We continue on down the valley surrounded by an abundance of aloe vera in flower.  We stop at a river at the bottom of the valley – wash break and the mules get a drink.  Up hill another 2 hours and it’s into camp just before dark.

Andy and Richard

21st October - The summit of Ras Dashen

Early call - up for brekkie at 4am.  Julie and Ciara set a perfect pace and eventually we all reached Ras Dashe at 11.45am.  All in good spirits.  Great leadership and advice from Stefan and PM, great team effort.  No wastage all arrived back safely.  Lunch at 12.45am, lentils (oh god!) and fish- yippee.  Left Ras Dashen at 1.10pm long haul down hill back to camp.  Treated young child for secondary infection.  Arrived back in camp at 5pm to an amazing reception, coffee ceremony laid out for us.  Beers and minerals available to us as we all enjoyed a lovely supper.  Gaffs of the day shared by Richie, Caoimhe and Catriona, - good day had by all.

Donal

22nd October – Chenek

5.30am wake up and the body is weary.  A downhill start followed by a 1500m climb and through the village of Chiro Liba and the school we visited previously where the teachers could not understand Stephan!  Donal’s singing helped everybody up the mountain.  Met Eileen, Zoe and Asmara who bought samosas and bananas with them.  A full team back to the finish line and lots of big hugs.  Rested then dinner with wine, champagne and gaff ceremony.  Traditional dancing around the campfire.

Brian

23rd October - Gondar

The inside of the tent was damp from last night’s rain and I was glad of the bowl of warm water left outside- quick splash – and last campsite breakfast –a bowl of porridge and I’m ready for the last leg.

Asmare –one of the guides beckoned for us to be quite and pointed to the track outside the campsite- There sauntering up the hill, silhouetted against the morning mist – A pair of Ibex- taking their time – leaving us in no doubt which of us are  the intruders- A final fitting farewell.

The bus is loaded up with guides, walkers and all our gear and we start the five hour journey down the mountains towards Gondar. Five days earlier we had met a woman. Aiwa and her blind 6 year old child Said and she had promised that she would meet us in the village half way down. We would take her to the hospital and try and get help for her child whom the doctor believed had cataracts. I wondered whether she’d come –she had only been to Gondar once before even thought it was her nearest big town.

Two minutes after getting into the bus we had to get out –the damn thing was stuck in the dirt – A stone had to be put under the wheel and we walked another bit up the hill to meet it- Would this damn walking carry on ever end? A full lorry load of  locals passed us out and laughed and cheered us.

We got to the village and Aiwa and Said were there getting a big send off from their neighbours. They were both in rags and you could see she was frightened- It was certainly his first time in a moving vehicle- maybe hers too – I wondered if she had walked to the town that first time. I hoped more than anything that he would get his sight back.

All along the journey down children herding their goats and few cattle jumped up and down excitedly and waved at us, every one of them wearing home dyed blanket rags in bare feet –every one of them smiling. Mud huts with grass roofs dotted the landscape here and there as well as clay and wattle dwellings with galvanise roofs, and if they were lucky maybe a galvanise door. The sun was shining on scattered patches of purple from the mint and thyme and the yellow- red of the red hot pokers which look like blazing coals on the mountain side. – A perfect piece of the world – yet one where survival was random.

At the end of the mountain we stopped at Debark and bought some Ethiopian coffee to take home, from a local teenage entrepreneur – he assured us he only took a small profit for having the beans ground for us. He was going to be a business man some day for sure- Good –they need people like him out there.

We got to the hotel in Gondar – it was a good hotel by any standard but most importantly it had hot water and everyone hit the showers enthusiastically. Asmare took Aiwa to the clinic and came back with an appointment for the eye specialist for the following day. He found the two a nice Boarding house while they waited- we all waited.

Dinner was a buffet affair and afterwards we were entertained by a local couple; she sang and danced while he played a traditional stringed instrument. She had all of us dance with her which involved a lot of shoulder shrugging- some were a little more enthusiastic than others and showed a distinct flair for creative dancing –maybe not in the Ethiopian tradition though! All of us were knackered but chaperoned by Doctor Aaroon and Asmare we wandered off to sample the local club scene.

The news from the clinic was not good. Said was blind not from cataracts but from a lack of Vitamin A –nothing could be done for him except a school for the blind- his mother who is divorced and has nobody else is not ready to make a decision to send him there yet. We were devastated – We had offered hope and snatched it away again and Aiwa was visibly upset. We bought them some clothes –Said was delighted with his new track suit,  asked what colour it was and if it was new, he thanked his mother over and over again, we collected enough money to allow them to carry on for maybe a year –maybe she’ll be ready then to let him go to the school. Asmare will keep us in touch.

Eileen

I would like to say a massive thank you to the entire group firstly for all their amazing fundraising, but I would also like to say thank you for all the jokes, songs and charades which made is a truly memorable experience.  I would also like to say a huge thanks to Action Challenge and Jacaranda for all the professional help and support that made this adventure one that will stay in people's heart forever.