UKC

Along with their local support team, the core crew of Leo Houlding, Anna Taylor, Waldo Etherington, Wilson Cutbirth, Matt Pycroft and Dan Howard have completed almost 100km of "jungle bashing" in a little over a week and are now established at basecamp. The final day of the journey provided an insight into the next stage of the expedition and was a very tough slog of almost constant uphill. There was a significant change in terrain, and everyone was really feeling the steep ascent and the humidity. 

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In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

That kind of thing seems like a complete throwback to the old-fashioned colonial idea of Magnificent Expeditioning: send the locals out to do the hard graft, with the plucky old Brits then bringing up the rear for the glory.

It would be more interesting if the team itself (or should I say, the 'core crew') had done the lot.

In reply to Rob Parsons:

Do you think this would have been practical?  Do you think the local team would have preferred this?

In reply to Rob Parsons:

It might be more interesting for us, but it would also be less lucrative for the locals

In reply to Dave Garnett:

No idea. But part of the trip is the physical and mental effort of the journey itself. If you're being 'guided' in in that way, why not just fly in on a chopper?

In reply to Rob Parsons:

What a nightmare. Going somewhere and engaging with the people who live there. Seeking their help and expertise. Idiocy! 

The team should've arrived with their western attitudes and simply done it their way, ignoring anything that the people who live their say and refusing to talk to them or even acknowledge their existence.

I think this sounds like a fantastic expedition. It is sad that members of our community feel the need to be negative about climbers going and climbing something exciting. Easier to sit on the forums and moan about Brexit or something.