100 Mile Walk
On December 3rd 2010, Yo Yo mission took part in their FIRST attempt of a 100-mile walk all the way from Edinburgh to Newcastle. It appears that we chose the coldest time of the year as estimates showed that temperatures would drop to as low as -20 degrees in some parts of the country. Despite the extreme weather conditions and an advisory warning from the Scottish Border, the Yo Yo Mission group appeared determined to face this tough challenge.
After a three-hour train journey, the Yo Yo Mission group arrived in Edinburgh Waverly at 12:30pm, all wrapped up and in high spirits laced with copious amounts of motivation, ready to tackle the walk. In true Yo Yo Mission style, the team retained their positive energy in the face of horrendous weather and deep snow. However, what appeared fairly easy at first quickly became tedious as progression was slow and the team grew weary. With darkness upon us, knees deep in snow and cars speeding past, it became apparent that we were drastically behind schedule and would not make it to our B&B in time. Struggling to lift our legs from the snow we made the decision to postpone and reschedule the walk to another time when the weather was better. Tired, cold and disappointed we knew that even the Yo Yo Mission team and their enthusiasm could not overcome the health and safety issues.
Attempt 2 – January 26th 2011
Day 1.
After the disappointment of the December attempt the Yo Yo Mission team were determined to succeed in their second attempt, held on 26th January 2011. With the snow having melted we used the same route, as before, changing it would have shown defeat! With most of the first day spent walking uphill we began to tire and as the sky grew dark, doubt crept in. But we remained positive and became resourceful as our torch batteries died and our phone lights became our guides. Marching on like zombies, transfixed on the white road markings for around 3 hours, our minds drifted off to the children in Africa that would receive the products of our fundraising. Our walk was nothing compared to the hardship that they face everyday; to have given up would be to go against the Yo Yo Mission values and, of course, Yo Yo himself!
Day 2.
We arose at 7am to discover that one of the walkers, Michael, had injured his foot during the day before but, despite being in pain, he was determined to continue with the walk. Unfortunately his resilience began to wane around 2pm when he could limp on no more. Although Michael seemed adamant about continuing on, a decision was made that his health was more important so he was bundled into the Yo Yo support car. As we continued our walk in the darkness we grew thankful of our reflectors, the rather ghastly jackets were saving us on the dangerous roads from the speeding cars. With the footpath beginning to thin we found ourselves having to walk on the road and constantly searching for another route. Our search was unsuccessful. By this point we were all exhausted and our motivation was overshadowed by the freezing cold darkness so we had to make the difficult decision to turn in for the night.
Through the trials and tribulations of the previous attempts we remain resolute and determined in our goal to finish the 100 Mile walk. If you would like to get involved by donating now to Yo Yo Mission, please click on the link below:
