Sinai Trek 2007 Report

Dentaid Trekkers Successfully Tackle Mount Sinai   

At the end of November Dentaid held another very successful challenge trek to Egypt to raise vital funds for its pioneering work in the future. The twenty – five participants successfully climbed Mount Sinai, one of the most beautiful and epic mountains in the world and went on to trek through some stunning scenery of part of the Sahara desert.

 With over twenty – five thousand pounds already raised and more sponsorship money still to come in this will significantly help to support the initiatives which Dentaid is currently undertaking. These include extension of its successful school oral health promotion programme, expanding the provision of instrument kits and continuation of vital oral health promotion and advocacy work all over the world.

Chief Executive Luke Wordley said: - “This year we had wanted to take our supporters to experience somewhere a little more exotic and to experience things that they may not otherwise have the chance to. We certainly achieved it with this trip. It really surpassed everyone’s expectations and gave us all some truly fantastic memories.” 

 The following day began the trek proper. The group took an exhilarating jeep ride through the sand dunes to the start point and then left the last traces of civilization behind on foot. Immediately they were immersed in the immense solitude and awe inspiring grandeur of the desert landscape. The next two days were both seriously challenging and utterly amazing. The area is billed as “one of the most attractive trekking areas of the world – the vast open spaces, ever changing landscapes and abundance of fresh air which make it seem a million miles away from everyday life.” The experience more than lived up to it.

“Sleeping out in Bedouin tents underneath the huge desert sky was a humbling and fantastic experience that I don’t think any of us would have been likely to experience outside of this trip. It was inspiring to see how hard everyone had trained for this challenge and what an amazing sense of determination there was in the group. It was a very varied selection of people but how everyone bonded was just brilliant, people really supported each other and there was a genuine feeling of camaraderie.”

The trek took in magisterial rolling sand dunes, winding dry riverbeds and craggy mountainous outcrops. The walking was tough and the training had been well worth while. There was a general sense of huge satisfaction on reaching camp each evening and being able to relax by the fire and reflect on the day.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic about the work that oral health work which Dentaid is doing and this kept them going even when they were being properly challenged, by feeling a bit under the weather, a fear of heights or the adaptation to a total absence of the most basic facilities. The huge satisfaction of overcoming these personal obstacles was one the best parts of the challenge and proved that  every penny of the sponsorship money was more than justified.”

The group was greeted at the end of the trek by a bright congratulatory banner and some authentic Egyptian wine as a toast to a challenge well met.

One trekker said “I never imagined I could do something like this but here I am and it feels really good“.

 An hour later and the group found themselves in the very different world of a luxury hotel on the Red Sea. The afternoon was time for relaxation in whatever way suited best – some opted for diving, snorkelling, a massage or a swim. In the evening there was a celebratory meal and Luke gave a short presentation about Dentaid and how the sponsorship money raised from the trek would be used.

“We wanted to emphasise to the group the importance of the effort that they had just made for Dentaid and how grateful we are to them. The trek is our main fundraiser for the year and is pivotal in supporting our projects for the following year. We are seeking to increase our capacity to carry on with the projects which we have been involved with over the past year such as oral health promotion schemes and the creation of improved equipment kits to be used in rural needy communities. There is a sense of huge satisfaction that the challenge has been so worth the time and effort spent in fundraising and getting fit to take it on”

 On the last day of the trip the group experienced the colourful vibrancy of Cairo from its eccentric roads crowded with ancient and charismatic old cars, donkeys and horses, vivid shops selling Egyptian cotton and fragrant perfumes. There was also the chance to take in the only remaining wonder of the ancient world - the Pyramids at Giza, quite simply awe inspiring.

One trekker claimed “The experience has been so varied and taken in so much it feels as if we have been away a month – absolutely amazing. It has been a great experience for such brilliant cause”.