Munster MPC '08
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Mount Argus was represented at this years Munster Mountain Pursuit Challenge
(MPC) by scouts and leaders participating as an expedition team and staff.
The MPC was held in the Knockmealdown mountain range and was to prove to be one of the toughest events the scout troop has taken part in in a long time.
We departed Dublin on Friday evening and it was after eleven when we finally reached Clogheen, Co.Tipperary were we had to check in. Once that was sorted we set off on the first leg of the expedition to reach base camp
.
We got to base camp at about half past midnight and true to form it started to rain. Cold and wet, we finally turned in at about half one only to get up again at seven the next morning to prepare for the hike ahead. We had breakfast and packed up our equipment before setting out on the hike that would take in four major peaks, including: Knockmeal, Knocknafallia, Knocknagnauv and Knockmealdown, and two spot heights. The weather had cleared up since the previous night but once we started to gain altitude we came under assault from strong winds. These strong winds combined with the weight of our packs (each team member carries all his personal equipment, food and a portion of the team equipment on the entire hike) slowed our pace slightly but we finally rolled into high camp at about half five.
Once in high camp we put up our tents and started preparing dinner. We were meant to have a curry but due to a rice shortage we opted to adjust the menu slightly. Of the six diners four had sweet chili chicken with fresh vegtables and rice, one had pasta salad with chicken and one had pasta with meatballs courtesy of an emergency MRE (meals that are ready to eat). After dinner we had planned to have a game of cards but everyone was too tired and it had started to get dark and cold(er) so we just retired for the evening.
Thanks to some forward planning, Sunday morning meant breakfast in bed (of course in our case it was breakfast in sleeping bags on the cold, hard ground halfway up a mountain). Everyone got up at about eight o¹clock to find a layer of ice covering their tents and as soon as we started to take down the tents it started to snow. Once everything was packed up, there was a short ceremony were everybody got their MPC badge and we started back to civilisation. After a weekend that threw everything at us I¹m happy to say that the team did really well in representing themselves and the troop. Roll on the next one.
The MPC is a weekend challenge for teams of four scouts and a leader over the age of 13 to hike a given route in mountainous terrain. MPC's provide scouts with an opportunity to experience unfamiliar terrain in some of Ireland's most beautiful mountain areas and share their experiences with scouts from all over the island. The MPC's are an extension to the experience of scouts so that they can practice the skills they have learned through their weekly meetings and more importantly the troops day or weekend hikes. There is one in each of the four provinces each year and there are collectable badges awarded for participation.
Stephen O'Connor
soconnor@45thscouts.ie