Day 42

Journey's End

In 1998 I saw my first tiger, a magnificent brooding male on a dusty Rajasthan trail. Four months later it was poached. This lit a fire that still smoulders. It was on my mind as I tottered towards the rocky finish around six thirty this evening. No 'I' in team as the saying goes, thanks everyone, for everything. Some striped facts for you:

46 Malt loaves
621 Wine gums (approx)
174 cups of Kenyan tea
288 Minstrels (approx)
3 pairs of shoes
2 toenails lost
1 (one) blister
One litre of SPF50
10 lbs lost - probably are less hazardous weight loss methods
1000 miles completed
£50K target acquired and some
120 solar lights in Bandhavgarh National Park for ten core zone villages, but many more villages need them.
Research target for Bhutan's mountain tigers also acquired
Massages 15
Ibuprofen ... countless
Paracetamol ... likewise
Codeine ... one or two

Just a word on today: Sue, great to see you and James again, you just couldn't leave could you? Vicky, Mike and Lesley were very fast additions to the A team, Mike literally pulling back hundreds of branches for hours to permit access for an increasingly battered beast. The charge to the 'End' was particularly savage, it was almost as if they were trying to lose me...

Stripes earned...? Stop it, but maybe just for today ... but, they're still endangered. Thank you for your company this summer, all of you, so much commitment, so much kindness, generosity and understanding: it helps. So much.

And a message for those out there who abuse, exploit, poach and persecute these and other species: you are spineless, iniquitous and despicable, how do you sleep at night? To those supporters these last six weeks, you are the real heroes. Paul. And the tiger.