I was in 2 minds whether to post this but other Challengers I’ve spoken to strongly suggested that I should so …

Firstly, like everyone else. Many thanks to John and ALL the team for their work during this years crossing. It sounds like they were busy and kept on the ball at all times. Well done.

The Park produced a decent meal too, which made for an enjoyable sociable end to the event along with the well timed speeches etc.

However things went downhill after that for me.

Albeit I dealt with the ‘challenge’ conditions like everyone else this year plus blisters, a broken big toe, shin splits and a tooth abscess on the last few days, nothing prepared me for my return to the Montrose Campsite after the meal just before closing time.

Where, in amongst the 70 or so tents, I found that some drunken ‘ar*ehole’ had fallen over MY tent, ripped out the pegs, bent the pole and then left the contents, like a bag of rubbish to be distributed around the campsite in the high wind and squally rain.

The sleeping gear was soaked, I lost a few personal items but it was the last straw and one which marred the event and evening for me, considering I’ve put so much into promoting it over the years.

I managed to form some kind of shelter with some spare pegs to last the night, but after being through 2 weeks of tough weather conditions and very amiable company (plus Lee and Tony’s continual ribbing) you can image that ‘promoting fellowship amongst backpackers’ was the last thing on my mind if I had found the culprit, as I wandered around the campsite picking up my stuff.

So whoever you are you little 'sh*t', I hope you read this and I trust that once you’ve sobered up and considered your actions you will remove yourself from future Challenges, as your idea of ‘fellowship’ isn’t want the event is all about for the rest of us.

Bob

I hope whoever did this will privately contact you now that they have sobered up and apologise and make good the damage, such as is possible.

I was back by about 11.30 with Al. Never saw or heard anything. Had lights on mine to make it stand out. Glad I did now. Especially as mine was in the middle.

Oh dear sorry to hear this Bob, the trouble is if they were so pi$$ed to trash your tent, the chances of them actually remembering are pretty slim I should think.

I thought you were going to say some local scrote had robbed your tent at first, I'm not sure which is worse.

Hope your toe and tooth mend soon, look forward to hearing the podcasts later

Really sorry to hear about this Bob, such a crappy way to end what was a good night and challenge....and as you say, so far removed from the spirit of the challenge.
Hope all your ailments get sorted soon.
Good to have met you
Vicky

Happened to me at Les Dru in Chamonix exactly as per your experience. It's a real pain, but that's the risk of commercial sites and pitching in clusters. Good luck.

That's a real shame Bob - not a good way to end the 2013 Challenge - hope you're recovering now you're home.....

Bob, really sorry to hear about this. I hope whoever did the damage 'fesses up, perhaps best done privately.

If the person responsible is a Challenger and would rather use a go-between in confidence, feel free to use the co-ordinator. I'd rather this was resolved properly off-board than left to fester.

Following receipt of bad news I was not with the crowd and spent the evening on the site, as did a couple of others. I was there from about 8pm or so onwards. I was towards the middle one third of the way from the site end amongst the mob of 69(!) tents. Many times I heard what sounded like things blowing around and looked out to check frequently, but saw nothing and deduced it was items attached to guylines flapping about. I did not hear any drunken issues but I had noticed early one smaller tent closer towards the main site than I was, looking somewhat battered.

I could see nothing escaping from it and, apart from looking somewhat weather beaten, deduced it was secure. If that was your tent I do wonder if the damage could have been the high winds buckering the pole and loosening the pegs. Though less excusable is the thought someone tripped on the criss-crossing guylines on the way out, did not check sufficiently for damage caused and the wind then added to this.

I hate to think it could have been a fellow Challenger and I do hope your tent is ok or at least fixable and that you managed to retrieved everything.

Hope the good memories outweigh this ending for you.

s:)

Thanks Sheila for the info, however I can assure you the tent was pegged down hard and if nothing else, it was in amongst a pile of others, if anything protecting it from the wind.

None of which suffered even slightly.

Having camped through the high winds of the previous Saturday (I think it was) and one other day since, I knew the shelter wouldn't take off or suffer any damage in such smaller gusts of that evening, so I wasn't unduly troubled.

Lets face it, it would take no time at all to stumble and fall, get up and continue your way on an evening like that. The half footprint on the upper part of the material I've since discovered when drying it out, would confirm my thoughts.

Sadly no one has made amends, but happily repairs are now done. Just a shame really.