It's all coming together.....

What a busy week...and it is only going to get more busy for the little trekkers and their upcoming adventure!!

One of the little trekkers waved goodbye to their daddy this week as he starts a tour of duty in Afghanistan, we all send her and her mummy huge cuddles and can't wait to see them for the practise trek this coming weekend and also a press day this week, will be so lovely for the girls to get together and have some fun!!

Another daddy is pretty much half way through his tour in Afghanistan...15 weeks done but he rang this week and all is well, he will return for his R and R prior to the trek so lots of excitment to be able to tell him about it!

Trek hoodies arrived this week and they are adorable the girls' love them!!!

These will be really great and cosy for the evenings at the practise trek and in March.

With the practise trek looming we're all getting our kit together and making sure we have everything we need! Note to self: must buy boots this week!

A lovely hotel is putting us up and it will be great to have a warm bed after a long day, so thank you to http://glanaberhotel.co.uk/ for having us!!!






The guys at Sporting Triangle Buff Shop http://www.sportingtriangle.co.uk/ send all the girls and us mummys some buffs to keep us warm :-)

BUFF®, multifunctional headwear ideal for many activities. A Buff® keeps you warm in the cold, wicks moisture and keeps you cool when it’s hot. The lightweight, breathable, moisture wicking fabric is wind resistant and extremely comfortable to wear.

BUFF® can be worn as a neckerchief, headband, wristband, mask, hairband, balaclava, scarf, scrunchie, saharaine, pirate cap, beanie and bandana.

Thank you once again to all who have supported and donated to the girls adventure...I know this is going to be one they will never forget!!

xxx

Trek leader update - training walk looms

In a couple of weeks we are meeting up for an important weekend training in North Wales. Hopefully if the weather stays good, we will try and walk up the mountain Moel Siabod near Capel Curig which has good views of Snowdon from the top and is an interesting walk for the girls without being and epic! Having recce'd the walk at the weekend it was very very cold, and there was still some snow high up on the hills (not a lot though!). Warm clothes will be a must for the team. During the weekend I hope to teach the girls a little about map reading, and being safe in the mountains as well as helping them get to the top. Done a pic I took yesterday to show the top too.

A short video introduction

A short introduction to the trek from Madison

Some kit has arrived!!!!!

Four girls all with an idea...but 7 year olds definately do not think about the planning side, their focus is to be standing up on Snowdon in March, so the planning comes to us Mummys!!!
Hundreds of emails have been sent out pleading for help with all the kit they will need for their adventure and this week some donations have arrived!

We are so grateful to all the organisations who have donated so far it really is amazing and so appreciated:

Little Trekkers http://www.littletrekkers.co.uk/ donated lovely pink coats and charcoal trousers from Spotty Otter http://www.spottyotter.co.uk/

'Top Specification Spotty Otter Gear for ultimate weather protection and looking good! Stay dry with this Spotty Otter Waterproof Jacket!'

And the trousers!.....

Then came wonderful trekking socks from http://www.socksfox.com/

'Falke TK2 Trekking Socks provide optimal cushioning and the highest comfort for your child's feet. The Falke TK2 offers high levels of joint protection and pressure reduction for long-lasting comfort. With formed toe areas for right and left foot the FALKE TK 2 trekking socks for children help ensure pain-free walking every step of the way, even on the longest trek, hike or walk'

Finally the guys at Vestry Foods http://www.vesteyfoods.com/en/group-companies/vestey-foods-uk-ltd.html
sent the girls some good old ratio packs to see them through the journey!!!!

So massive thanks to all and the hunt continues for sleeping bags and thermal donations!!!

Lots of love from the girls' xxxx

Blog from a daddy out in Afghanistan

What's it like to be away from your family?  That’s really hard to ask and put into words the answer.

Even though this is something we as soldiers do and I have done many deployments including Kosovo, Iraq, Cyprus and previously Afghanistan, I am on my sixth tour now since our daughter was born, it does not get any easier I can tell you that and you don’t get used to it.
Something changes when you are away, a part of your wall disappears and you become vulnerable, you miss things that are important to your family, Christmas, birthdays, school plays and parents evenings, things people take for granted in a normal life.
Life at home can’t stop and my Louise then becomes Mother, Father, friend, taxi driver! and everything else... the strain that happens when I go away can be felt on the phone and in the letters that are written which makes it even harder for me when I'm away as all you want to do is be there and make things better for them.

I'm so happy that Madison has found something to channel her energy into and I cannot express how proud I am of her, it brings a tear to my eye when I see her on the news or hear her voice on the radio. I believe that this HELP for HEROES trek that she is going to undertake is going to be hard for Madison and her friends but if she has got the same strength that her mother has shown over the last year I know I will be seeing pictures of smiling faces on top of Snowdon very soon!!!

All the luck in the world for your trek girls' from all of us here in Afghanistan to all of you there in England

The proud father of a very special girl xx

So much can happen in a week!

One week ago we set up this blog and the sponsorship link...and WOW! As I write the girls' have so far raised £756.75 for their chosen charity!!! It is truely amazing the support they have had with a large donation
coming in this week from BDP at http://www.bdp.com/
With many kit donations from individuals and companys to get the girls togged up coming in they really are on their way to this trek becoming a reality.
Thanks to Lucy at Kendal Corner http://www.kendalcorner.com/ for sending the girls a lovely pack of Kendal Mint Cake to see them through the hours on the trek!!!

Finally we had a great box from HELP for HEROES of wristbands that the girls' have already been getting people to wear!

Don't forget if you feel you can help with this venture or would like to support the girls in any way just let us know. Looking forward to the coming week and all the surprises it might bring :-)

https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/mydaddyisasoldiertrek

Trek Leaders first post - the route the girls' will take....

Welcome to the mydaddyisasoldier trek 2011. We are hoping to set out on the 12^th March from the small town of Llanberis at the foot of Yr Wyddfa or Snowdon as we all know it. This mountain is the tallest in England and Wales and stands at an impressive 1085 metres above sea level. There are a variety of routes possible on the mountain and we will be approaching via the Llanberis path. This offers some of the best approach views of the mountain, and is a realistically achievable route for the girls to tackle in the daylight available to us on the day.

The route starts alongside the base station for the Snowdon mountain railway - one of the only ones in the UK and marks  the start of our ascent from the valley floor up towards the summit on well maintained paths  via the halfway house –a small ‘bothy’ cafe which is exactly half way up!

After this point the route gets steeper and a little more exposed – without being too dangerous it can be exciting if the wind picks up, unless there is snow cover, when it can form cornices of snow which we will need to avoid. We start to curve round to the right approaching the summit ridge. At this point we will rejoin the railway on its last push to the summit itself.

The last 50 metres of ascent to the very top are the best of the day, we will no doubt be tired by this point, but a little scramble over rocks and we’ve made it to the highest point. Photos, cheers and a quick drink with our lunches and we’ll make our way back down.

We obviously hope that the weather will be kind to us, but anything can happen with the weather on this mountain so we will need to be prepared for every eventuality.  We are undertaking training walks during February and I think everyone is raring to go!

Watch this space for more updates as our preparation continues.

Trekker 1 Age 7 blogs for the first time!!

Blog entry from Trekker 1 -

wow we got the first donashon for the trek!!!!! great but  would relly like some more money because it so inportant to me because my daddy his in afgan now so the trek money is for help for heroes and the trek is up snowdon.

I feel sad . my daddy went in october and will come back in may i miss him so much.

Trekker 1 right back in October 2010 when her daddy went away wrote a letter...I found this letter (cried a little!) and then it was the drive to create the trek we are focusing on today, here I write it exactly as she did:

My Daddy is a soilder

*My name is Madison I am seven years old and my dad is in afghanistan.

* I fille sad, worry, sceard and frighntind because my dad is in afghnaistan

* My mum has helped me a lot sinke he has gone a way but my dad is always in my heart.

* some of my friend dont understand so me and some other friends wonted to do something positive about it.

* we are dooing this walk so we can rase money so peple how have got ingerds so we are rasing money for charity for heros

This is  exactly why me and the other mummys are so passionate to help the girls achieve what they want in this trek and give them this focus while their dads are away. So lets all get behind this and support the little trekkers!!!

Bunkhouse booked!!!

The bunkhouse accomodation is booked! Obviously March will be chilly for the girls and if they are walking all day Saturday and Sunday they need a warm bed :-)

Thank you to Dewi at http://www.cabancysgu-gerlan.co.uk/ for having us!!!!

How did we get here?

October 2010 MrF deployed to Afghanistan and Trekker 1 missed her daddy so much, after a while of looking for various resources to help we came across http://www.homefrontforces.org/ such a lovely website but in desperate need of funding and people becoming aware of the site. HomeFront Forces made Trekker 1 Patron of the charity in December 2010 and we did some media coverage to tell people about it and how deployment can be hard for children and how this resource could really benefit them:

http://www.bfbs.com/news/top-story/forces-website-connects-families-across-world-christmas-42661.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/parenting/3263238/New-charity-site-for-troops-kids.html

http://www.esnips.com/doc/8c8961ef-2ac5-4dae-a3a2-72f91469eb81/50-7-YEAR-OLD-PATRON-OF-HOME-FRONT-FORCES-EXP-311210

HELP for HEROES is of course a charity close to our hearts and the chosen charity the girls wanted to raise money for....heres hoping we raise a really great amount and have fun doing it!!

The Mydaddyisasoldiertrek2011 is born!!!

Having your daddy in the Army can be hard, having your daddy out in a war zone can be even harder.
All these girlies are friends and have been from when they were very young, some from birth! All with Dads in the army and serving or served out in Afghanistan. It's tough for the girls and they wanted to do something positive and that is when and why the trek was born!

The girls will be trekking the Llanberis Path Snowdon in March 2011, keep checking back for various guest blogs, blogs from the girls on their progress and training in preparation for the Trek!!!