Wild and Free Passionate Adventurers (WAFPA): To trek or not to trek? Definitely yes!

Authentic, daring and fun, the WAFPA trekking experience is one that promises to deliver an uplifting experience to participants and refuel your soul batteries.

Turning towards the outdoors in order to reconnect with oneself has to be one of man’s most basic instincts. No wonder there are so many nature and wildlife activities on offer everywhere: seeking the adrenaline rush seems to be one of mankind’s natural propensities. It was motivated by a similar sentiment that I almost instantly said yes to an invitation to participate in an overnight trekking and wild camp session organised by Wild and Free Passionate Adventurers (WAFPA).

WAFPA sets up trekking trips on a monthly basis and on demand to various spots such as Sept Cascades, Le Morne, Black River Gorges, Pétrin, Eau Bleue, Le Pouce, Pieter Both, Lion Mountain and so on. The current one consisted of a river trek of approximately 4 kilometres at Varangue sur Morne with an overnight stay in camping tents. As for dinner and breakfast, they were provided by Coup d’Food, the restaurant of Varangue sur Morne.

Once on site, participants were divided into teams of two along with mentors and were requested to come up with a team name, cheer and flag. We also learned how to make our own tents. The trek towards the river and the waterfall - the targeted spot - and climbing back up would be carried out in teams, which shows how WAFPA aims to infuse the spirit of team buil-ding even when several of the participants are strangers to each other.

I am not much of a nature girl, the main reason being the love mosquitoes seem to profess for me, although I am no stranger to trails and mountain climbing. The current trek however (along with several slides in the mud) reminded me of one important lesson: always wear appropriate shoes for this kind of activity! And so down we went along the steep slopes with the help of guava branches, down a mini waterfall with the help of ropes to reach the river and then rock hopping in the river to reach the sweet spot: the waterfall in question and then back up. Difficulty level according to WAFPA: Moderate.

It sounds extremely simplistic when writing about it in retrospective, but do prepare yourself for falling down in the mud, being assaulted by guava branches (in a funny way), being indecisive about wanting to go ahead or not and being filled with an immense sense of satisfaction and pride akin to none when you’ve successfully completed the trek.

Facing your fears

I must here stress on the extreme professionalism and support of the whole eclectic WAFPA team, who knew exactly what to say when some of us (and by that, I mean me) felt like giving up. If you think the trekking part was fun, brace yourselves for the next item back at the camp. After refreshments, the group headed upwards to one of the chalet locations of Varangue sur Morne where a surprise activity was awaiting us.

The Lone Connection, which has been coined by WAFPA, consists of meditating or simply reconnecting with your inner self by sitting on the grass in pitch black darkness and breathing in the smell of grass, feeling the wind on your face and listening to the rustle of tree leaves. It also comprises another activity which is about facing your fears but which I choose to leave it up to you to discover, in order not to spoil the surprise; followed by a mini treasure hunt.

A much deserved hearty dinner was waiting for us upon our return back to camp, followed by live music, grilling marshmallows around a bonfire and a karaoke session animated by members of the WAFPA team. Sleep seemed to us the most overrated thing ever that night, with many of us choosing to stay awake to witness the sun rise, fuelled by music and lively conversations. Needless to say, it was one-of-a-kind experience coined by a one-of-a-kind wild and free team whose sole aim is to outlive expectations. I’m in for the next adventure! Are you?