Monday, May 31
New Forest Holiday - Watch the Birdy
Finally an improvement in this Bank Holiday's weather. Not that it has been particularly unpleasant in my opinion.
But local traffic volumes this weekend, especially an increasing number of caravans & mobile homes fleeing local campsites during Sunday afternoon, suggest that anything other than Brilliant Sunshine is regarded by this year's tourist as A Bad Thing if it happens during a Bank Holiday break.
Mid morning I decided on a whim to visit one of my New Forest secret spots. A strange location with the traffic noise of the busy A35 the accompaniment to the start\end sections of this circular route.
But despite such an ominous introduction I can usually guarantee, whenever I visit, to spot plenty of New Forest wildlife. The sort of things that the scurrying holidaymaker comes to the area to enjoy, but so rarely finds outside sanctified Forestry Commission sites (Or the 'to be avoided tourist traps' as we locally know them to be)
Today I thought my luck was due to fail when in the distance I spotted a walker & dog crossing directly through one of the main areas where I'd usually expect browsing deer.
Happily this worked to my advantage instead.
Ten minutes later I came upwind onto the largest herd I've seen in this location to date. Possibly the earlier presence of that walker/dog combination had spooked some separate groups to herd together and move to a safe location. One on my immediate path.
I moved forward carefully until the inevitable happened. My doggy companion, trotting to-heel, has a powerful scent where deer are concerned. One that the herd's scouts, always alert to the unusual, had caught.
And off they went.
I watched them for a while, tracking their escape route for future reference. The herd 20-30 strong circling my position at a safe distance, until they felt secure enough to drop their heads and return to once again to their browsing in the sunshine. Blending, as they so easily do, into their background.
(New Forest Deer)
I ambled onwards. A solitary presence despite the Bank Holiday.
Further on a movement underfoot caught my attention alerting me of a forest ant trail.
I love watching the industry and single mindedness of these particular insects. As usual after a few seconds the eye\brain focuses into the detail turning the initial sight of several individual ants into a wide & endless trail of large black individuals busily intent on travel to & from their nest.
(New Forest Ant)
Nothing seems to deter these busy workers. Not even my size 7 feet menacingly moving in their direction. Wary of my potentially disruptive influence, and mindful of my Godlike ability to deliver mass destruction, however unintentional, I carefully side track around the flowing dark ribbon, to continue my wandering observation of Nature's daily routine.
Later, I came across a complimentary pattern, but this time a result of Bank Holiday tourists milling aimlessly around a local market. Unlike the ants their efforts seemed ill suited & haphazard.
All in the name of Bank Holiday leisure and relaxation.
It left me musing as to exactly who had the best lifestyle deal this holiday Monday?
Those with the 'choice' & 'self-awareness' to decide their own action and activity?
Or is it those creatures of Nature we believe have defined actions and reactions within a rigid hierarchical framework. All part of an interdependent & complex social order?
If the birds & bees lack that Free Will, which we Humans so celebrate, how is it my amateur observations today concluded the latter group to those so out of balance with their environment.
And so clearly dissatisfied as a result?Labels: nature;, New Forest
Lost in Translation?
Well - it made me smile
English\Welsh road sign assistance
Sunday, May 30
Despatches From the Front Line (II) - The Non TGO Challenge
OK I’d better explain this one I guess.
There's a number of front line reports from Bloggers on this year's TGO Challenge - as they cross Scotland from West to East coasts.
Most of which, I am a little abashed to reveal, I've largely skipped over.
Not because the postings are uninteresting. Or irrelevant. Quite the opposite.
Perversely it’s exactly the quality of this year's diverse coverage that disinterests me. And for exactly the reasons that likely attract other followers.
Its all become so very personal and specific to individual experiences during the crossing.
Without reading the reports I just know they'll include:
- The Start - Old friends re-met\1st Timer gets a friendly welcome
- Route finding difficulties
- Exclamations of wonder at the Scottish landscape
- The great TGO social scene
- The End of Event knees-up & sad farewells
And all of which I seem to have read or listened to many times before.
OK for those considering entering in future years, or perhaps unlucky this year. That's fine.
But for me (and after all this is a personal piece offered for your consumption here) I've found myself moving away from the TGO, as esteemed and successful an event on the Outdoor Calendar that it has become over many years.
Reasons?
It's an organised event.
The number of people, low as that may be, all out on the trail at the same time, & bumping into each as they go.
An increasing 'Badge of status' in Outdoor circles - the "I Did The TGO crossing" T Shirt achievement.
Before I leave myself open to possible accusation of sour grapes let me be clear. I truly respect the TGO Challenge, its inherent nature, and the personal endeavours of all those taking part.
After all it works for them. Why else would so many repeat the experience each year?
But over the last few years I've been feeling more strongly that its not for me.
Why?
Part of what I do as one part of my Wildcamping trips includes an individual and personal challenge that I set myself.
Where to go? Which routes? What sort of timescale? And then there are the highs and lows of solitary travel. This floats my particular boat - and of course it is not necessarily the same for many others.
In fact when I try to explain my own approach to wildcamp trips I find the usual response from those unused to extended outdoor trips, or camping in general, is real concern as to how dangerous it must be, and what on earth I get out of it all.
If they could only find out for themselves.
Which is probably why me and the TGO are slowly diverging.
Its all just seems so organised & popular these days.
So how about a Non TGO Challenge for 2011?
Entrants travel in the opposite direction to the TGO Event; At diverse times throughout the year; Entry limited to those who only wildcamp solo; And no end of event do.
Ok, its probably just one of my obtuser ideas. Something I suspect that I would come to avoid after a few years.
Guess I'd better stick to my own personal approach and leave the TGO to those who undoubtedly enjoy its position & the acclaimed sociability.
But for those disappointed to have missed the TGO, or unable to fit their free time around the event.
Remember its only an example of what you as an individual are capable of after all.
Now isn't it?Labels: TGO Challenge
Saturday, May 29
Despatches From the Front Line (I)
Anyone still out there?
Well it has been a while since we last got together. An oversight I only noticed earlier today having temporarily stepped off the Helter-Skelter that is my current work\life style.
So anything to report you may well ask? Indeed a question I tend to ask myself from time to time these days. Usually with no real answer. Mostly.
But to avoid sounding like existence is even sadder than it sounds (and its not really BTW) some snippets from the last two weeks. In no particular order …………..
- Watching a Chinese Lantern soar high into the night sky, a curious sight quickly surpassed as a passing Stag beetle, in full flight, made me duck. Easily the size of a tennis ball. Honest.
- Cup Final Day - an excellent time to hit the local B Roads on my motorcycle for Maximum Fun 'n Games. And no PC Ray Gun to mar the party.
- So, 21 grammes is the weight of a Human Soul as scientifically measured then?
- A chance meeting in middle England with a local fellrunning enthusiast, minutes before he stepped aboard the local bus to travel 200+ miles up to the Lake District. All via by public transport. His aim this Bank Holiday weekend being a personal attempt at the Bob Graham Round with a target of 42 peaks in 24 hours (best of luck Chris - let me know how it went?)
- Travelling around the UK roads. Still. Again. Still. Where did all the vegetation come from so suddenly?
- Amused astonishment on finding that the small arrow (next to the Petrol Pump logo) on my car speedo actually points to which side of the car has the petrol fill cap. First I knew about it. Despite gazing at said dial for countless years
And finally ........... let us not forget the Saturday May Bank Holiday Rush.
The Rainy Day, Tourists Stay Away Break it seems. Again.
Just the way I like it.
Selfish sod ain't I?
Thursday, May 13
Cumbria Floods - Journo charged
Back in January I mentioned one of the less salubrious elements of Press reporting of an already overstretched MRT deep, quite literally, in the Cumbria flooding emergency of Winter 2009.
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Wednesday, May 12
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
But local traffic volumes this weekend, especially an increasing number of caravans & mobile homes fleeing local campsites during Sunday afternoon, suggest that anything other than Brilliant Sunshine is regarded by this year's tourist as A Bad Thing if it happens during a Bank Holiday break.
Mid morning I decided on a whim to visit one of my New Forest secret spots. A strange location with the traffic noise of the busy A35 the accompaniment to the start\end sections of this circular route.
But despite such an ominous introduction I can usually guarantee, whenever I visit, to spot plenty of New Forest wildlife. The sort of things that the scurrying holidaymaker comes to the area to enjoy, but so rarely finds outside sanctified Forestry Commission sites (Or the 'to be avoided tourist traps' as we locally know them to be)
Today I thought my luck was due to fail when in the distance I spotted a walker & dog crossing directly through one of the main areas where I'd usually expect browsing deer.
Happily this worked to my advantage instead.
Ten minutes later I came upwind onto the largest herd I've seen in this location to date. Possibly the earlier presence of that walker/dog combination had spooked some separate groups to herd together and move to a safe location. One on my immediate path.
I moved forward carefully until the inevitable happened. My doggy companion, trotting to-heel, has a powerful scent where deer are concerned. One that the herd's scouts, always alert to the unusual, had caught.
And off they went.
I watched them for a while, tracking their escape route for future reference. The herd 20-30 strong circling my position at a safe distance, until they felt secure enough to drop their heads and return to once again to their browsing in the sunshine. Blending, as they so easily do, into their background.
(New Forest Deer)
I ambled onwards. A solitary presence despite the Bank Holiday.
Further on a movement underfoot caught my attention alerting me of a forest ant trail.
I love watching the industry and single mindedness of these particular insects. As usual after a few seconds the eye\brain focuses into the detail turning the initial sight of several individual ants into a wide & endless trail of large black individuals busily intent on travel to & from their nest.
(New Forest Ant)
Nothing seems to deter these busy workers. Not even my size 7 feet menacingly moving in their direction. Wary of my potentially disruptive influence, and mindful of my Godlike ability to deliver mass destruction, however unintentional, I carefully side track around the flowing dark ribbon, to continue my wandering observation of Nature's daily routine.
Later, I came across a complimentary pattern, but this time a result of Bank Holiday tourists milling aimlessly around a local market. Unlike the ants their efforts seemed ill suited & haphazard.
All in the name of Bank Holiday leisure and relaxation.
It left me musing as to exactly who had the best lifestyle deal this holiday Monday?
Those with the 'choice' & 'self-awareness' to decide their own action and activity?
Or is it those creatures of Nature we believe have defined actions and reactions within a rigid hierarchical framework. All part of an interdependent & complex social order?
If the birds & bees lack that Free Will, which we Humans so celebrate, how is it my amateur observations today concluded the latter group to those so out of balance with their environment.
And so clearly dissatisfied as a result?
Labels: nature;, New Forest
Lost in Translation?
Well - it made me smile
English\Welsh road sign assistance
Sunday, May 30
Despatches From the Front Line (II) - The Non TGO Challenge
OK I’d better explain this one I guess.
There's a number of front line reports from Bloggers on this year's TGO Challenge - as they cross Scotland from West to East coasts.
Most of which, I am a little abashed to reveal, I've largely skipped over.
Not because the postings are uninteresting. Or irrelevant. Quite the opposite.
Perversely it’s exactly the quality of this year's diverse coverage that disinterests me. And for exactly the reasons that likely attract other followers.
Its all become so very personal and specific to individual experiences during the crossing.
Without reading the reports I just know they'll include:
- The Start - Old friends re-met\1st Timer gets a friendly welcome
- Route finding difficulties
- Exclamations of wonder at the Scottish landscape
- The great TGO social scene
- The End of Event knees-up & sad farewells
And all of which I seem to have read or listened to many times before.
OK for those considering entering in future years, or perhaps unlucky this year. That's fine.
But for me (and after all this is a personal piece offered for your consumption here) I've found myself moving away from the TGO, as esteemed and successful an event on the Outdoor Calendar that it has become over many years.
Reasons?
It's an organised event.
The number of people, low as that may be, all out on the trail at the same time, & bumping into each as they go.
An increasing 'Badge of status' in Outdoor circles - the "I Did The TGO crossing" T Shirt achievement.
Before I leave myself open to possible accusation of sour grapes let me be clear. I truly respect the TGO Challenge, its inherent nature, and the personal endeavours of all those taking part.
After all it works for them. Why else would so many repeat the experience each year?
But over the last few years I've been feeling more strongly that its not for me.
Why?
Part of what I do as one part of my Wildcamping trips includes an individual and personal challenge that I set myself.
Where to go? Which routes? What sort of timescale? And then there are the highs and lows of solitary travel. This floats my particular boat - and of course it is not necessarily the same for many others.
In fact when I try to explain my own approach to wildcamp trips I find the usual response from those unused to extended outdoor trips, or camping in general, is real concern as to how dangerous it must be, and what on earth I get out of it all.
If they could only find out for themselves.
Which is probably why me and the TGO are slowly diverging.
Its all just seems so organised & popular these days.
So how about a Non TGO Challenge for 2011?
Entrants travel in the opposite direction to the TGO Event; At diverse times throughout the year; Entry limited to those who only wildcamp solo; And no end of event do.
Ok, its probably just one of my obtuser ideas. Something I suspect that I would come to avoid after a few years.
Guess I'd better stick to my own personal approach and leave the TGO to those who undoubtedly enjoy its position & the acclaimed sociability.
But for those disappointed to have missed the TGO, or unable to fit their free time around the event.
Remember its only an example of what you as an individual are capable of after all.
Now isn't it?Labels: TGO Challenge
Saturday, May 29
Despatches From the Front Line (I)
Anyone still out there?
Well it has been a while since we last got together. An oversight I only noticed earlier today having temporarily stepped off the Helter-Skelter that is my current work\life style.
So anything to report you may well ask? Indeed a question I tend to ask myself from time to time these days. Usually with no real answer. Mostly.
But to avoid sounding like existence is even sadder than it sounds (and its not really BTW) some snippets from the last two weeks. In no particular order …………..
- Watching a Chinese Lantern soar high into the night sky, a curious sight quickly surpassed as a passing Stag beetle, in full flight, made me duck. Easily the size of a tennis ball. Honest.
- Cup Final Day - an excellent time to hit the local B Roads on my motorcycle for Maximum Fun 'n Games. And no PC Ray Gun to mar the party.
- So, 21 grammes is the weight of a Human Soul as scientifically measured then?
- A chance meeting in middle England with a local fellrunning enthusiast, minutes before he stepped aboard the local bus to travel 200+ miles up to the Lake District. All via by public transport. His aim this Bank Holiday weekend being a personal attempt at the Bob Graham Round with a target of 42 peaks in 24 hours (best of luck Chris - let me know how it went?)
- Travelling around the UK roads. Still. Again. Still. Where did all the vegetation come from so suddenly?
- Amused astonishment on finding that the small arrow (next to the Petrol Pump logo) on my car speedo actually points to which side of the car has the petrol fill cap. First I knew about it. Despite gazing at said dial for countless years
And finally ........... let us not forget the Saturday May Bank Holiday Rush.
The Rainy Day, Tourists Stay Away Break it seems. Again.
Just the way I like it.
Selfish sod ain't I?
Thursday, May 13
Cumbria Floods - Journo charged
Back in January I mentioned one of the less salubrious elements of Press reporting of an already overstretched MRT deep, quite literally, in the Cumbria flooding emergency of Winter 2009.
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Wednesday, May 12
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
English\Welsh road sign assistance
Despatches From the Front Line (II) - The Non TGO Challenge
OK I’d better explain this one I guess.
There's a number of front line reports from Bloggers on this year's TGO Challenge - as they cross Scotland from West to East coasts.
Most of which, I am a little abashed to reveal, I've largely skipped over.
Not because the postings are uninteresting. Or irrelevant. Quite the opposite.
Perversely it’s exactly the quality of this year's diverse coverage that disinterests me. And for exactly the reasons that likely attract other followers.
Its all become so very personal and specific to individual experiences during the crossing.
Without reading the reports I just know they'll include:
- The Start - Old friends re-met\1st Timer gets a friendly welcome
- Route finding difficulties
- Exclamations of wonder at the Scottish landscape
- The great TGO social scene
- The End of Event knees-up & sad farewells
And all of which I seem to have read or listened to many times before.
OK for those considering entering in future years, or perhaps unlucky this year. That's fine.
But for me (and after all this is a personal piece offered for your consumption here) I've found myself moving away from the TGO, as esteemed and successful an event on the Outdoor Calendar that it has become over many years.
Reasons?
It's an organised event.
The number of people, low as that may be, all out on the trail at the same time, & bumping into each as they go.
An increasing 'Badge of status' in Outdoor circles - the "I Did The TGO crossing" T Shirt achievement.
Before I leave myself open to possible accusation of sour grapes let me be clear. I truly respect the TGO Challenge, its inherent nature, and the personal endeavours of all those taking part.
After all it works for them. Why else would so many repeat the experience each year?
But over the last few years I've been feeling more strongly that its not for me.
Why?
Part of what I do as one part of my Wildcamping trips includes an individual and personal challenge that I set myself.
Where to go? Which routes? What sort of timescale? And then there are the highs and lows of solitary travel. This floats my particular boat - and of course it is not necessarily the same for many others.
In fact when I try to explain my own approach to wildcamp trips I find the usual response from those unused to extended outdoor trips, or camping in general, is real concern as to how dangerous it must be, and what on earth I get out of it all.
If they could only find out for themselves.
Which is probably why me and the TGO are slowly diverging.
Its all just seems so organised & popular these days.
So how about a Non TGO Challenge for 2011?
Entrants travel in the opposite direction to the TGO Event; At diverse times throughout the year; Entry limited to those who only wildcamp solo; And no end of event do.
Ok, its probably just one of my obtuser ideas. Something I suspect that I would come to avoid after a few years.
Guess I'd better stick to my own personal approach and leave the TGO to those who undoubtedly enjoy its position & the acclaimed sociability.
But for those disappointed to have missed the TGO, or unable to fit their free time around the event.
Remember its only an example of what you as an individual are capable of after all.
Now isn't it?Labels: TGO Challenge
Saturday, May 29
Despatches From the Front Line (I)
Anyone still out there?
Well it has been a while since we last got together. An oversight I only noticed earlier today having temporarily stepped off the Helter-Skelter that is my current work\life style.
So anything to report you may well ask? Indeed a question I tend to ask myself from time to time these days. Usually with no real answer. Mostly.
But to avoid sounding like existence is even sadder than it sounds (and its not really BTW) some snippets from the last two weeks. In no particular order …………..
- Watching a Chinese Lantern soar high into the night sky, a curious sight quickly surpassed as a passing Stag beetle, in full flight, made me duck. Easily the size of a tennis ball. Honest.
- Cup Final Day - an excellent time to hit the local B Roads on my motorcycle for Maximum Fun 'n Games. And no PC Ray Gun to mar the party.
- So, 21 grammes is the weight of a Human Soul as scientifically measured then?
- A chance meeting in middle England with a local fellrunning enthusiast, minutes before he stepped aboard the local bus to travel 200+ miles up to the Lake District. All via by public transport. His aim this Bank Holiday weekend being a personal attempt at the Bob Graham Round with a target of 42 peaks in 24 hours (best of luck Chris - let me know how it went?)
- Travelling around the UK roads. Still. Again. Still. Where did all the vegetation come from so suddenly?
- Amused astonishment on finding that the small arrow (next to the Petrol Pump logo) on my car speedo actually points to which side of the car has the petrol fill cap. First I knew about it. Despite gazing at said dial for countless years
And finally ........... let us not forget the Saturday May Bank Holiday Rush.
The Rainy Day, Tourists Stay Away Break it seems. Again.
Just the way I like it.
Selfish sod ain't I?
Thursday, May 13
Cumbria Floods - Journo charged
Back in January I mentioned one of the less salubrious elements of Press reporting of an already overstretched MRT deep, quite literally, in the Cumbria flooding emergency of Winter 2009.
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Wednesday, May 12
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
There's a number of front line reports from Bloggers on this year's TGO Challenge - as they cross Scotland from West to East coasts.
Most of which, I am a little abashed to reveal, I've largely skipped over.
Not because the postings are uninteresting. Or irrelevant. Quite the opposite.
Perversely it’s exactly the quality of this year's diverse coverage that disinterests me. And for exactly the reasons that likely attract other followers.
Its all become so very personal and specific to individual experiences during the crossing.
Without reading the reports I just know they'll include:
- The Start - Old friends re-met\1st Timer gets a friendly welcome
- Route finding difficulties
- Exclamations of wonder at the Scottish landscape
- The great TGO social scene
- The End of Event knees-up & sad farewells
OK for those considering entering in future years, or perhaps unlucky this year. That's fine.
But for me (and after all this is a personal piece offered for your consumption here) I've found myself moving away from the TGO, as esteemed and successful an event on the Outdoor Calendar that it has become over many years.
Reasons?
It's an organised event.
The number of people, low as that may be, all out on the trail at the same time, & bumping into each as they go.
An increasing 'Badge of status' in Outdoor circles - the "I Did The TGO crossing" T Shirt achievement.
Before I leave myself open to possible accusation of sour grapes let me be clear. I truly respect the TGO Challenge, its inherent nature, and the personal endeavours of all those taking part.
After all it works for them. Why else would so many repeat the experience each year?
But over the last few years I've been feeling more strongly that its not for me.
Why?
Part of what I do as one part of my Wildcamping trips includes an individual and personal challenge that I set myself.
Where to go? Which routes? What sort of timescale? And then there are the highs and lows of solitary travel. This floats my particular boat - and of course it is not necessarily the same for many others.
In fact when I try to explain my own approach to wildcamp trips I find the usual response from those unused to extended outdoor trips, or camping in general, is real concern as to how dangerous it must be, and what on earth I get out of it all.
If they could only find out for themselves.
Which is probably why me and the TGO are slowly diverging.
Its all just seems so organised & popular these days.
So how about a Non TGO Challenge for 2011?
Entrants travel in the opposite direction to the TGO Event; At diverse times throughout the year; Entry limited to those who only wildcamp solo; And no end of event do.
Ok, its probably just one of my obtuser ideas. Something I suspect that I would come to avoid after a few years.
Guess I'd better stick to my own personal approach and leave the TGO to those who undoubtedly enjoy its position & the acclaimed sociability.
But for those disappointed to have missed the TGO, or unable to fit their free time around the event.
Remember its only an example of what you as an individual are capable of after all.
Now isn't it?
Labels: TGO Challenge
Despatches From the Front Line (I)
Anyone still out there?
Well it has been a while since we last got together. An oversight I only noticed earlier today having temporarily stepped off the Helter-Skelter that is my current work\life style.
So anything to report you may well ask? Indeed a question I tend to ask myself from time to time these days. Usually with no real answer. Mostly.
But to avoid sounding like existence is even sadder than it sounds (and its not really BTW) some snippets from the last two weeks. In no particular order …………..
- Watching a Chinese Lantern soar high into the night sky, a curious sight quickly surpassed as a passing Stag beetle, in full flight, made me duck. Easily the size of a tennis ball. Honest.
- Cup Final Day - an excellent time to hit the local B Roads on my motorcycle for Maximum Fun 'n Games. And no PC Ray Gun to mar the party.
- So, 21 grammes is the weight of a Human Soul as scientifically measured then?
- A chance meeting in middle England with a local fellrunning enthusiast, minutes before he stepped aboard the local bus to travel 200+ miles up to the Lake District. All via by public transport. His aim this Bank Holiday weekend being a personal attempt at the Bob Graham Round with a target of 42 peaks in 24 hours (best of luck Chris - let me know how it went?)
- Travelling around the UK roads. Still. Again. Still. Where did all the vegetation come from so suddenly?
- Amused astonishment on finding that the small arrow (next to the Petrol Pump logo) on my car speedo actually points to which side of the car has the petrol fill cap. First I knew about it. Despite gazing at said dial for countless years
And finally ........... let us not forget the Saturday May Bank Holiday Rush.
The Rainy Day, Tourists Stay Away Break it seems. Again.
Just the way I like it.
Selfish sod ain't I?
Thursday, May 13
Cumbria Floods - Journo charged
Back in January I mentioned one of the less salubrious elements of Press reporting of an already overstretched MRT deep, quite literally, in the Cumbria flooding emergency of Winter 2009.
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Wednesday, May 12
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
Well it has been a while since we last got together. An oversight I only noticed earlier today having temporarily stepped off the Helter-Skelter that is my current work\life style.
So anything to report you may well ask? Indeed a question I tend to ask myself from time to time these days. Usually with no real answer. Mostly.
But to avoid sounding like existence is even sadder than it sounds (and its not really BTW) some snippets from the last two weeks. In no particular order …………..
- Watching a Chinese Lantern soar high into the night sky, a curious sight quickly surpassed as a passing Stag beetle, in full flight, made me duck. Easily the size of a tennis ball. Honest.
- Cup Final Day - an excellent time to hit the local B Roads on my motorcycle for Maximum Fun 'n Games. And no PC Ray Gun to mar the party.
- So, 21 grammes is the weight of a Human Soul as scientifically measured then?
- A chance meeting in middle England with a local fellrunning enthusiast, minutes before he stepped aboard the local bus to travel 200+ miles up to the Lake District. All via by public transport. His aim this Bank Holiday weekend being a personal attempt at the Bob Graham Round with a target of 42 peaks in 24 hours (best of luck Chris - let me know how it went?)
- Travelling around the UK roads. Still. Again. Still. Where did all the vegetation come from so suddenly?
- Amused astonishment on finding that the small arrow (next to the Petrol Pump logo) on my car speedo actually points to which side of the car has the petrol fill cap. First I knew about it. Despite gazing at said dial for countless years
The Rainy Day, Tourists Stay Away Break it seems. Again.
Just the way I like it.
Selfish sod ain't I?
Cumbria Floods - Journo charged
Back in January I mentioned one of the less salubrious elements of Press reporting of an already overstretched MRT deep, quite literally, in the Cumbria flooding emergency of Winter 2009.
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Wednesday, May 12
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
"The only downside ….. a spurious call from a journalist who said she'd heard a report of someone injured on Skiddaw. The Keswick (MRT) team were suspicious from the start but that didn’t stop them deploying thirty people to the hill before the woman admitted she was just testing the system to see if mountain rescue could still respond to the mountains despite their commitment to the floods. I understand she has now been charged with wasting the time of an emergency service, something which carries a tougher penalty than wasting police time"
(Andy Simpson/Mountain Rescue Magazine Jan 2010)
From Grough news comes a report that formal charges have now been made.
A little more background at the foot of the Caledonian Mercury newspaper article
If my quick Google of said individual proves correct then someone's career may not have been going quite as hoped recently.
Shame.
Labels: media, Mountain Rescue Team(MRT)
Politics, Coalition & The Outdoors
I've just returned home having spent much of the last few motoring driving across substantial chunks of SW England.
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Thursday, May 6
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
On the one hand - the extreme tedium of long motorway hauls. As a balance - sunshine blessed meandering along sunken single trackway on the edges of Dartmoor.
The one inescapable fact that stuck me, from all this, is the sheer amount of green and open countryside in this part of the UK. Outside the grasp of the conurbation, Britain's rural scenery quickly re-asserts itself blending countryside and hamlets happily together.
All of which comes as a pleasant relief from that easy conclusion, on seeing the same old city landscape during the daily work routine, that the whole of the UK feels like one huge built-up area.
So it will be interesting to see what will come from this item in the Con-LibDem agreement:
"Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity"
Heathrow Airport runway plans have already been scrapped after years of proposal & counter proposal.
Keep watching folks.
Dear Diary (It could have gone worse)
Diary: Thu 6th May
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip) Labels: Backpacking Advice
Saturday, May 1
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
07.30 Rise from The Pit of Luxury. Partake of light breakfast. Read a couple of book chapters.
08.30. Leave book hero in a perilous position - he'll have to wait in Limbo for a while.
09.00 Avoid much of the rush hour traffic. Arrive at Dentist on time.
09.15 Tooth concern explained. Turns out to be cracked cap: Oh no - sounds expensive.
09.16 Opinion revised. Make that a cracked root underneath: Oh no - sounds worrying.
09.17
Dentist "We'll have to have that one out I'm afraid".
Me "Errrr........now?".
Dentist "Might as well"
Me "Errrr........"
09.20
Dentist TUG. TUG. WOBBLE. C-R-A-C-K. TUG.
Me TUG (its mine)
TUG (I'm somewhat attached to this you know)
TUG (Leave it alone)
TUG (Leave me alone)
WOBBLE (Last chance mate.....)
TUG
POP
(Bugger)
09.30 Dentist "Bite down on this for 15-20 minutes". Me "Mumble mumble mumble"
09.40 Receptionist "There's a couple of other things to do. You'll need another appointment".
Me "Mumble mumble mumble".
09.41 Receptionist Tap. Tap. Tap. Calculate. Tap. Tap. Total
09.42 Me "Mumble mumble. How Much! Gulp. Ouch. Mumble mumble"
10.00 Drive to work. Still biting down hard, for a number of reasons
10.30 Start work for the day.
And you think you had a crappy day.
(BTW Mr Dentist is a lovely chap. Its just me who hates the visits (Rare as they are these days) Better the teeth are sorted now rather than painful times this summer. Probably somewhere remote & ruinous of a wildcamp trip)
Labels: Backpacking Advice
Alpkit - New Gear (Scoop?)
Regrettably I didn't get time to do more than cast glances towards Alpkit's stand at last weekend's Backpacker Club Event. And that was only because the stall was barely 3m from where I spent most of that day with Podcast Bob and his team.
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
On the few occasions I did get time to look it seemed to me that the Aplkit staff was similarly working hard to handle the steady stream of eager BPC members keen to get their hands on the gear on offer.
As the crowds thinned out pre the AGM time, I finally managed to get over to the stand, by now mostly stripped down with van repacking well advanced.
Happily Alpkit's prototype tent was still pitched, giving me the chance for a quick looksee & brief chat about the design & some of the possible modifications that may be made if the tent is to reach the Outdoor market.
As a one man lightweight double skin design it includes a reasonably large vestibule under the flysheet for foul weather cooking. But for me the real difference apart from the majority of lightweight one man designs was the provision for a separate tent entry on either side. So in hot weather the fly sheet can be quickly unzipped and tied back on both sides offering that all important panoramic view, whilst encouraging any passing breeze to sort our any ventilation & condensation issues.
Whilst checking out the Alpkit site early today for further information about the tent I came instead across a couple of other radical innovations from this company.
These are items that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere on the Outdoor reports or in the media.
So gather near dear reader. Let us talk in hush tones together, as I can reveal all..........
No doubt you'll have heard much of the 'Thermarest\NeoAir sleeping mat - which is better' debate.
Well a new Contender is on the scene. Alpkit may well take this market by storm with the Alpkit MegaMat D-Luxion sleeping mat. Radical in approach it offers:
"the reassurance of simple home comforts away from home whether you are camping in France, trekking to Everest or hanging in a portaledge on El Cap.........just like sleeping in your own bed only better"
And as for the price!
Well you'd better check it out for yourself, especially with Alpkit's 3 hour shipping offer (now that's customer service for you busy people)
For the climbers amongst you - how about the Sflash - fluid groundfall protection system.
"A highly advanced fall protection system, designed to cope with the demands of 'new school' highball problems. Conventional foam sandwich type pads are inadequate when the climbing enters the the terrifying 2m up ‘no fall’ zone. The Sflash replaces this outdated system with a flexible, open, fluid retention pod. We have all seen climbers happily cranking it 25m up when deepwater soloing, and the Sflash pad allows you to replicate the freedom and safety of DWS at your local crag. Simply unroll the lightweight Siliconised nylon pod, fill with liquid (not included) and get sending!"
A radical approach indeed. Once again offered at a startling price.
Remember folks - you read it here first.
Oh and one thing ............
......you did spot it was a Beta test site for the new shop didn't you now?
TeeHee.
Labels: Backpackers Club, Gear
All site material © John Hee - ask before you snatch
