I belong to B155, and that meant that we went up to Mount Jack today; Mount Jack was opened for Basecamp B today.
We had grand plans to leave at 7.45am, but in the end we left at 8.15am because we were terribly lethargic in the morning. Upon reaching the entrance, there was a long queue for some reason. But once we entered, we began a rather treacherous hike to the summit. This was certainly the most strenuous day thus far – in total we probably hiked over 20km!
The hike up the mountain
After somehow struggling up the steep ascent of the summit, we immediately plunged into the Spartan Race. I actually had no idea what it was. I was in for a (nasty) surprise. We decided to go for the 2 mile obstacle course. What followed was the most testing 45 minutes of my life physically.
We had to climb walls, crawl and waddle through mud, lift heavy objects, and go up and downhill. Failing to complete any obstacles would result in 15 burpees as punishment. All in all, it was a rather challenging experience. However, the terrain that this activity required meant that I would never be able to do this back in Singapore. This was a unique experience which I will never get again!
After recovering from the Spartan Race, we toured the pioneering display, where there were many familiar designs and new ones as well. We also met Baden-Powell’s grandson! That was a great honour. I also got WSJ19 seared onto my hat which is rather cool.
Picture with Lord Baden-Powell
There was a campfire at 3pm, but it was just country music and it wasn’t too special. Everything closed at 3pm, so we had to leave early. Nevertheless, if was a very long walk down and we returned to our own campsite at 5.30pm.
There is a quote from Martin Luther King which rings, “I have been to the mountaintop. It would be apt to describe this day as a day of firsts – the first strenuous day the first Spartan Race of my life, and the first mountain that the Singapore contingent climbed together (hopefully not the last!). Today felt exhausting yet fulfilling.