Having completed Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards. I thought I may as well give some honest and very helpful tips on it. I am concentrating on the expedition as the rest of DofE is pretty self explanatory. I will go into surviving the expedition, how to pack a rucksack, menu planning, good gold aims, equipment tips and pearls of wisdom!
1. How to pack a rucksack.
This is crucial to make sure you don’t have a painful back every second of every day. It also makes getting things much easier.
First thing to do is put two black bags in your rucksack, this stops things getting wet and is vital!!
•Wrap food items in separate bags in case of leakages.
•Keep waterproofs at very top of bag!
•emergency rations, water, blister plasters need to be very accessible!
Packing the rucksack
Things that will only be needed at the campsite such as sleeping bag, tent poles, trangia and cutlery should be at the very bottom of your bag with the heavier items closer to your back to reduce stain on your back. Then you need things that may be needed but are not PRIORITIES! such as changes of clothes, food for night-time and washing up items. Then at the top of your bag you need things that will be used all day and will be needed at the drop of a hat. This includes blister plasters, food, emergency rations, toiletries and waterproof!
Boots: Good boots are vital.
Get boots that provide ankle support incase of loose rocks or uneven surfaces on which you could sprain your ankle! Before leaving (if they’re new) You should walk them in by using them for about the week before just so your foot sort of settles into the shoe.
Top tip: Where the boot turns up to the ankle (about where the tongue of the boot starts) Do the usualreefknot and then do another loop. (Pic below) This keeps the boot on your ankle and stops those bad blisters on your heel (if the boot is the right size and the socks are a quality make.)
How to survive the expedition (mentally and physically): The main ways people suffer on the Duke of Edinburgh expedition are blisters, food, sanity and dehydration.
If you feel that your shoe is even remotely loose or sore STOP put plasters on. Saving 5 minutes here and looking unaffected will cost you hours down the line and a very painful rest of trip.
Don’t go down the ‘Super noodles will keep me going’ route. They provide no nutritional value and after a day of walking it is not a valid option. Get packs of pasta with actual source and maybe some kind of protein that doesn’t go off, such as pepperami, pâté or nuts. This will be a nutrious meal that will replenish energy and tie you over to your next meal.
Breakfast: Carbohydrates such as flapjack, cereal bars and cookies are good at kick starting you into walking and will tie you over until your next snack. Having a good drink of water or juice and a
Lunch: Thinking of what to eat for lunch that is substantial needed a lot of thought at the time. Other than crisps, sugary sweets and more carby snacks and nibbles. Wraps, pitta and crackers keep well and if placed well in bag, will not squash. Toppings such as cheese, jam, Nutella and Pre Cooked chicken bites are good as they keep, provide sufficient energy and
Dinner: Don’t go down the ‘Super noodles will keep me going’ They provide no nutritional value and after a day of walking it is not a valid option. Get packs of pasta with actual source and maybe some kind of protein that doesn’t go off, such as pepperami, pâté or nuts.
Sanity: walking in silence will not only be boring and lower team moral but will also make time pass very slowly. Duke of Edinburgh is an award showing good qualities in a person. One of these is teamwork. Sing, play games, share stories, learn about your team-mates, check the route. Anything to keep moral high and smiles higher.
Gold Duke of Edinburgh aims:
For the final expedition you will need to come up with another reason for walking around for 5 days. This is called an aim.
Having already done my gold I have a fair few ideas on good aims:-
•Make a slideshow of your trip with photos and videos and have tips and tricks on how to survive it.
•Team building exercises such as games, stories and ice-breakers. This is good if you have a new group and want to get to know them more.
•How mood changes throughout the day, how it is affected by climate, food, terrain and distance from campsite.You would give a number out of 10 for mood at every checkpoint and each day a different person would write what the weather, terrain, hours since food and distance from campsite. You don’t have to do all of these but it is a good one for a good team aim.
•Measuring pH of rivers is good for all you biologists and environmentalists out there with a small reason why it is at that level.
• Monitoring litter levels and pollution levels and correlating it with population and how popular the place you are at is. Is good as can be made into a PowerPoint and photo evidence and research can give a well rounded conclusion.
Equipment:
This is not a list to live off merely a list of items that will be beneficial to take in addition to your main items.
•Kitchen sponges or padding to put under shoulder straps to relieve pressure of shoulders are a good idea.
•Travel toilet paper. I know this seems weird put you don’t know when you may be caught short and using leaves is ill advised.
•Vaseline: Apart from being used for chaped nose and lips. Chaffing is unpleasant and too often occurs, applied liberally around chest and upper leg is a good idea.
•Squash. Sometimes water becomes samey and sometimes tastes less than great. Adding squash or cordial will make it taste better and will encourage drinking to avoid dehydration.
•Glucose tablets. These are a life saver when you are ruining low on energy and are generally a but down. They are pretty much pure sugar so will get you going again and top up your sugar levels.
Keep Trecking guys and guyettes!
