The Walk Back pt2
Backpacking
The Walk Back
I only plan a short walk today as I have to get back to the office to sort out a data back up issue for a client.
It was a bright sunny start to the day, so after tea whilst still in my sleeping bag, it was breakfast outside by the lake.
The titanium mug with lid kept the early morning bugs out of the tea water – I put it on the beaker afterwards to keep them out of the tea.
Breakfast was cereal bars and tea – Diana bought me something different – Apple and Oat bar made by “The Fabulous Bakin’ Boys”, they were very good and I will be using them again.
The Evening at Woodhall Spa Campsite
It has been a good evening at the campsite – I cooked and ate my dinner outside.
The Evening at Woodhall Spa Campsite Read More »
Walk to Horncastle
It was a cold bright morning (for a while).
I used the Spa Trail / Viking Way to get out to Horncastle, then through the town and back along the same paths.
Walk to Horncastle Read More »
Dinner
Dinner tonight – Sausage and mash and onion gravy, with a mug of tea and Jaffa Cakes to follow.
I am currently working on an ebook about lightweight, simple meals for backpacking and camping – I will post it on my Downloads page when it is finished and Diana has proof read it.
Two Night Trip
I had been planning a two night trip further afield – but the variable weather and the unseasonably low temperatures meant I changed my plan to a walk to Woodhall Spa. (I have been walking for about 30 minutes, as I write this, it was cold and grey when I set out, it rained, the sun came out, it rained and now it is grey again!)
I put my iPhone in the waterproof case at the start of the day, to protect it, so I can use it as a camera for those bad weather photos and so I can write this blog as I walk – wiping the rain drops from the screen so I can read what I write.
The plan is walk to Woodhall Spa campsite from Bardney using the Viking Way – tomorrow loop out around Horncastle using the Viking Way and other paths – then Monday back to Bardney on the Water Rail Way.
Two days food, extra fuel and some spare clothes has added to my pack weight – the starting load complete was 12kgs. One thing I do need to manage is the power consumption on my iPhone – so I have disabled the 3G and data function, whilst walking, to conserve power and no movies tonight in the tent – I also plan to turn on flight mode over night.
It has now hailed on me.
The path has been very muddy in places particularly two stretches that go through cow fields. I found a convenient bit of low wall for lunch – but sitting still I got cold very quickly – so lunch was a quick stop.
I got the tent up in the dry.
I have my new inflatable pillow with me – as I do not have enough spare clothes with me to make a decent pillow. You can see the two days worth of food to the left – the milk I got from the campsite shop.
Here you can see how useful the small tarp is for giving me somewhere outside the tent to sit – and my sleeping bag in the stuff sack makes a useable stool.
A pitch right by the lake in among the trees.
Be Prepared!
I want to get plenty of overnight backpacking trips in the year, as practice for some future longer trips – The Speyside Way this summer and the Southern Upland Way summer 2013.
So whilst I have been sorting out the food this week for a trip with Jeremy next weekend I have put together a pack of food for a short solo overnighter, so if I decide to go at the last minute the food will be ready.
As I think the food pack will spend several weeks on the shelf the food had to have a good storage life – so no sausage or salami and the crackers have been double wrapped in cling film.
Menu
Trail Food
Spice and fruit oat cakes, white coffee and dried fruit and nuts
Dinner
Tuna in tomato and onion sauce, crackers, packet of noodles, tomato soup, sesame dessert, apple flakes, tea.
Supper
Hot Chocolate and biscuits
Breakfast
Tea and biscuits
Breakfast biscuits and portion of jam, 2x cereal bars, tea
Trail Food
Honey Chrysanthemum Tea and oat cakes and jam
Extra
Bag of Aldi chocolate buttons
The individual meals are packed in small ziplock bags and then these are packed in a larger ziplock bag.
The only things I need to add to this will be the tea bags and dried milk in my small brewkit – and it is ready to go.
- 1x Indian spiced tea bag
- 5x tea bags
- 3x sugar
- salt and pepper
- 20ml dried milk
- 1x 500mg paracetamol tablet
- 1x indigestion tablet
- small refillable gas lighter – it gives a stronger flame compared to a disposable lighter
The case is an mp3 case bought at a pound shop.
Update
I have added an “army style” can opener to this pouch – as I have removed the Bantam SAK from my backpacking kitchen, so there is no longer a tin opener in the stuff sack.
I have been finishing this post, whilst waiting to go to a supplier to look at their Cloud Computing solutions, and looking out of the window here the weather is grey, wet and overcast so the above image may well be today’s “Photo of the Day”!