Customs officers trek to Victoria Peak

It’s called “Expedition Climb Up” and will take a group of adventure-seekers all the way to the top of Victoria Peak this weekend. For the second year running, a team of officers from the customs department will leave their air conditioned offices behind to trek miles of jungle terrain to raise funds to help the homeless. Expedition leader Efrain “Beep” Phillips says last year the event raised seven thousand, five hundred dollars and this year they are hoping to bring in ten thousand dollars.

Efrian Phillips, Leader, Expedition Climb Up
?We are headed to the village of Maya Centre at the Jaguar Reserve and we?re heading to the Victoria Peak. It?s a seventy-mile hike to the top of the Peak and it should take us two and a half days to go to the top and back. So we should be back by Sunday.?

Patrick Jones
?Efrain, why would a group of city boys, so to speak, leave their lives behind and go take on the jungle??

Efrain Phillips
?Well adventure is something that most of us like and this is the best adventure that you could find in Belize. They have a terrain, the trail is cut out, so you don?t have to be chopping your way through, you could follow the trail. But the terrain is a bit rough, some part rocky some part slippery, so it?s a nice adventure. It?s safe, there is no real danger to your life or so, but it?s just gruesome and something that the guys are willing to take on, take their bodies to the limit and do some soul searching. Back there you get a lot of chance to do soul searching.?

Francisco Matute, Expedition Member
?Dah just fuh get away from everything else because sometimes you just want go far. And this dah one of the opportunities them weh come up. This dah something I mi want do long time, but never get the chance yet but now ah going to do this.?

Efrian Phillips
?We are appealing to the public if they can find a little extra to help the underprivileged we would appreciate that. Well be setting off this evening to start the actual climb tomorrow. There is a weather out there, so we don?t know if our schedule will be thrown off, but we are going out there and see how the weather will be out there.?

The expedition is comprised of ten members including four customs officers. Phillips says anyone who wants to contribute to the cause can do so by calling the Customs Department at 227-7092 or 604-3771.