New Theme
I have updated the look of my blog this evening so it displays the photographs, uploaded from my iPhone, better.
Overnight Walk to Woodhall Spa
With the West Highland Way walk only weeks away now I am going to walk to Woodhall Spa this weekend for training. When we do the WHW we will be carrying daypacks and having our main luggage transported between the places we are staying at – the extra weight I will be carrying to Woodhall Spa will help with the training.
It will also be the first outing for the new GoLite Jam2, so I am busy packing it this evening.
The food will be the usual mix of “non-specialist” lightweight food simply bought from the supermarket, to keep the costs down!
Weekend walk 10/9/2011
Saturday
On the trail
Tinned mackrel, crackers, white coffee
Evening meal
Noodles with tomato soup and salami
Instant custard
Granola bars x2
Tea
Indian tea (with milk) and biscuits
Hot chocolate
Sunday
Tea – whilst still in the sleeping bag looking at the sunrise (I hope) or listening to rain!
Breakfast
Granola bars x2
Oat cakes and jam
White coffee
Lunch
Salami and crackers
White coffee
Trail food
Cereal bars x2
Salted cashew nuts
Both days 750ml water with 2x soluble electrolyte tablets
Saturday arriving at campsite SiS ReGo drink
Extras
3x tea bags and 15ml dried milk
1x white coffee
1x black coffee
2x peach tea (use hot or cold)
2x sugar packets
2x pepper packets
1x salt packet
1x tomato ketchup sachet
2x moist towels
Tissues
Weight excluding mackrel lunch (which will be eaten within an hour of starting) 900g.
For this trip I am not going to take the fleece liner for my lightweight sleeping, to add warmth, I am going to try experimenting with wearing my winter long underwear and some wool socks. This combination packs smaller and weighs less – and hopefully will keep me warm.
After recent experiences with fuel usage in the meths stove when the weather was windy, I am going to carry 250ml of meths.
Equipment
GoLite Jam2
Karrimor 1100 sleeping bag
Silk liner
Complete long underwear (cold weather / sleeping)
Air mat carried inside the pack
3x dry sacks
Belt lens case for brewkit – ease of access on the trail
1m x 1m lightweight tarp – sit mat when walking – used in tent porch
Coleman Bedrock 2 Tent
12 Ti pegs
4 steel
black bin liner – to pack the tent in if wet on the second day
Cooking
Ti stove inc copper mug support
2 fuel tablets – emergency fuel
100 ml meths
100 ml meths
50 ml meths
Half Al wind shield
Stove Board/stand
Ti mug and lid
Beaker with lid
Small brewkit in neoprene case – 5 teabags 15mls dried milk 2 brown sugar
2x lighters
Hi absorbent cloth – drying up
Pot sponge 1/2
5ml washing up liquid
Small LMF spork
Folding spoon/knife
Wide mug
cutting board – plastic 5cms x 12cms
Spare Clothes
Hi tech jumper
Walking socks
Underwear
Hat, headover and gloves
(stuffing the above in the headover makes a good pillow)
Wash Kit
Small Lifeventure travel towel
Hotel soap
Travel toothbrush
20ml liquid toothpaste – the bottle was a giveaway sample from Theramed
Comb
Mirror – from a Christmas cracker
20cm square high absorbent cloth
Tools
Camper SAK
Leatherman P4 Squirt
whistle
LMF fire steel
Compass
Petzl Tikka Headlamp
iTorch – led wind up (from Morrissons)
FAK
Safety pins, gaffer tape, needle and thread, cable ties, paracord
Two clothes pegs
2l Camelbak
750ml SIS bottle in belt case
1l Platypus Roll up bottle – for use in camp
Nano iPod and headphones in neoprene case
iPhone with extended battery jacket fitted
Booster battery for iPod/iPhone
Watatait Case
Headphones for iphone
Swisscard
Money £10
Pencil and notepaper
Personal Medicine
Sunglasses
Cricket Hat
Compeed stick
Lip balm
Sun stick – factor 50
Wearing
Lightweight long sleeved polartec shirt
3way Crag Hoppers
Northface Boots
Walking socks
Underwear
Overnight Walk to Woodhall Spa Read More »
A New Job – Astro-archaeologist!
If you are looking for a change of career or wondering what degree you should study for, read this article from the BBC.
However radio amateurs have heard the Prospero spacecraft – see the page here, by VK3UKF, this page includes the downlink frequency.
A New Job – Astro-archaeologist! Read More »
Golite Jam 2
My new lightweight rucksack came yesterday – I was working last night but I did have a chance to throw a few things in and play around with some packing options.
I got my one man tent in the front pocket with room to spare and my inflating sleep mat in the main compartment without any problem. Getting the mat inside was important to me as when I had it strapped to the top of the previous pack it made the pack very awkward when making my way through overgrown areas.
When I put on the pack it felt very comfortable. The hip belt pockets were a little difficult to use but I am sure with use the zippers will loosen a little and I will get used to them. I could reach the drinks bottle reasonably easily.
In my Karrimor pack I had a foam back pad that included two flexible aluminium strips embedded in it, which gave the soft pack some rigidity which I found useful – I have inserted this into the pad pocket on the Golite. It makes it easier to pack as it gives the bag some structure and I also think it will protect my back from the load and the water bladder and help transfer some of the weight to the hip belt. There is a weight penalty for this stiff pad – 165gms – which I feel is a bargain if it makes my walking more comfortable.
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast
We are just getting into the final planning stages for the West Highland Way walk in about six weeks time – and whilst going through the maps and other documents for the walk, on my laptop, I came across the document I wrote after completing Wainwright’s Coast to Coast.
The information is from the summer of 2008 but it should still offer an insight to walk for those thinking about doing it. I have put a link to the .pdf file on the Downloads page and the here.
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Read More »
Hugo Award Winners
Escape Pod has a post for the complete list of this year’s Hugo Award Winners – Starship Sofa did not repeat it’s success of 2011 but Clakes World did win.
Hugo Award Winners Read More »
Podcast
I synced my iPhone with iTunes, on my return last night, after three weeks I needed to back it up – but it also uploaded the latest podcasts.
Today was catch up day, at work, which meant driving to a number of clients to get jobs up and running for the coming weeks – that gave me time to listen to some of these podcasts. I listened to Escape Pod and was reminded by two stories why it is one of my favourite podcasts. So if you like good science fiction stories then check out the episodes; EP306 Radio Nowhere by Douglas Smith and EP305 Midnight Blue by Will McIntosh.