Where the Eagles Fly

 Exercise Adventurer Red Tiger 2009 - SPAIN                                                                                                                              26th September 09 - 6th October 09

Congratulations to the nine participants from Cornwall ACF who completed their arduous Gold expedition in the Picos De Europa Mountains - Northern Spain.

Cut off from the rest of mainland Spain by the mountain ranges, the Picos de Europa's are notoriously wild and rugged with Wolves, Bear, Wild Boar and Eagles still in abundance.

Base Camp was situated 3k from the ancient and historic town of "Potes" which sit's majestically in a valley surrounded by the stunning Picos Mountain ranges.

The expedition lasted for four days and three nights covering about sixty miles over the remote mountain ranges with deep gorges and steep slopes. The terrain made walking very difficult however the expedition was blessed with near perfect weather conditions.

Once the teams had a day to prepare and acclimatise, they were driven high up into the mountains to the start point for their expedition. On day one two teams set off in high spirits, not deterred by reports that the day before, two local's near "Sotres" where the team would be heading for on the first day; had an encounter and altercation with wolves. Such minor matters did not dampen the team's spirit as they were determined to enjoy their experience. After walking about 20k, the group camped overnight just east of "Sotres", making their way over the mountains on the second day to "Cain"; a further eight hours of hard walking. Briefly met on route by the support team the groups resumed their walk along the narrow footpaths cut into the huge mountain gorge arriving at "Cain" late in the evening, where they set up camp on the outskirts of the village. Day three was another long walk along the southern edge of the gorge before breaking out again into the mountains. Night three camp was high in the southern mountain range at about 2600 ft. This part of the area is Bear country, although none were seen the groups spent the night listening to the sound of wolves calling to one another. The final day brought the teams down from the mountains to the villages of "Pido" and "Espinama" where the support team were anxiously awaiting their arrival.   

    Lt Sue Thornton the expedition OC explains; "Anxiously waiting for the groups to arrive seems like a lifetime. When you get the first radio message from the group as they come into range, the sense of relief is overwhelming. Then when the group finally arrives at the RV you can't help but share in their pride and elation at reaching the finish. In that one moment everything becomes crystal clear and you know exactly why you do this job".