Twin teams in the desert this morning as we report for action clad in matching Sandbaggers gaitors.
A look comically yeti-like whilst being strangely comforting to the MdS-ers. Hmm, worrying?!
Regardless, we are kitted to avoid shaking sand from shoes today though possibly broiling our feet in the process!
A nice early start to enjoy the “cool” of the day succeeds as it is a mere 36°C when we retire 4 hours later to the chill of our GMC Yukon a/c post session.
This double tap weekend had us scaling repeated piles of shale (our Tabuk desert version of Alpine peaks) again today. Learning to "dodge spanners" Shawn assures me. If we can do this surely those European hills will be only a delight? A delight. A delight.
And Patches would be proud as we dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge across endless stretches of crumbling sandstone slab shattering easily beneath our “feather-light” tread.
100% concentration 100% of the time needed for foot placement here. Fragile pock-marked plates line peaks and slopes alike. Bands of black cut granite blocks follow. Gravel plains spread to the foot of slag heap mélanges of misshapen rock. Each similar only in that they are nicely sized to be difficult to run on. All pass crunchily beneath us as we forge onwards.
What a relief to enter the last long stretch of pristine sand dunes? Golden. Crisply edged. Unmarked except for a spritely Gav’s footprints as he goes tritting ahead like he’d had too many sport jelly beans!
Though this testing finish sucks out the last vestiges of strength from my thighs at least there is a relaxation in my concentration levels. I allow myself to flop along momentarily before the final grind to the car.
Almost at the car .. almost!
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