I'm Going For A Scuttle

Sunday, 29 May 2011

One Seventh of a Challenge.

As part of the preperation for a bash at the TGO Challenge next year, the Three Musketeers (me, Pete & Chris) had planned to spend a few days in the Cairngorms during the period of this year's event. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, Pete had to drop out at short notice. That meant Chris had more space to stretch out on the way up, and I didn't have to share a tent with Pete, so everyone was a winner.

I realise that there will be a deluge (that seemed like the appropriate word given the conditions) of blogs and accounts from 2011 Challengers, so this is simply my observations of our three days in the Cairngorms, with thoughts and comments on the kit I took and used, and also some of the questions raised by our experiences.

First Up, What We Did

It was an early start for us on Thursday. Our plan was to camp at Derry Lodge, so to get to Braemar (from Cheltenham) with sufficient time to then hike on up in to the hills meant leaving the house at ten to six in the morning. With just a couple of stops en route to fill up (and empty out) we made really good time, rolling in to Braemar at about half two. After a quick peruse in Braemar Mountain Sports, and an all importantt refresher in the Fife Arms, my other half dropped us off at Victoria Bridge, by Mar Lodge. She was going to spend a pleasant few days exploring the area and recovering in the bar at the Fife Arms. Clever!

Chris, looking the wrong way, above Mar Lodge

Chris and I shouldered (with some difficulty) our loads and set off. Across the Dee and then onwards toward Glen Lui via Doire Bhraghad. We made steady progress, periodically stopping to "ooh" and "aah" at the vista as we climber higher. After a couple of hours the bothy at Derry Lodge hoved in to view. We pressed on a little further towards the Lodge where we intended to pitch the Trailstar for the night. After dithering about trying to find a spot out of the wind (good luck with that), we eventually settled on a spot on the southern side of the wood, close to Lui Water. Once we settled we had a little stroll around the area, which by now had become a pretty well populated bit of the wild. I counted ten tents/bivys/tarps, ranging from Argos specials to a Henry Shires Scarp1, and everything in between. After taking care of necessary business, it was time to hit the hay (or air, as I was using my shiny new POE Elite AC).

After a blustery, showery night, it was soon time to load up and get on our way. Fighting the wind and the squally rain, we breakfasted, stowed our gear and set off up Glen Derry. All the high slopes around had a light frosting of fresh snow, and menacing grey clouds kept boiling up to the west. Within thirty minutes however we were peeling of our waterproof layers.

Above Derry Lodge

The sun was breaking through, the rain had gone and suddenly we were walking under blue skies. And what a fantastic place to be walking! The open woodland soon gave way to the magnificent upper Glen Derry.

Creagan a' Choire Etchachan

Passing one brave camper, who commented on the wild night we soon had the place to ourselves.

Looking up Glen Derry

We squelched upwards towards Lairig an Laoigh. Which we thought was awesome.

Crossing Lairig an Laoigh

The sub-Alpine feel was very different from any of our usual walking areas. Dubh Lochan looked stunning, dark blue against the drab browns of the surrounding heather.

The Fords of Avon

Feeling a little weary after the up and over, and then the plod through what at one point was path and then became stream before becoming path again, we headed for the Fords of Avon Refuge.

River Avon, looking west

After refuelling out of the wind we had a decision to make. Our plan was to head down Glen Avon but we were aware that this was quite committing. There was no shortcut back to Braemar if we found things too tough, it was all the way along to Linn of Avon before we could head south. Were we men or mice (eep!)? MEN! So off we went.

The first four or five kilometres were pretty unpleasant, the path was wet, boggy, meandering, and in places almost invisible. Finally the track improved just before Faindouran Lodge where we gratefully took the weight off our feet, and had another break out of the unrelenting wind.

The next section of the track was good underfoot, and the scenery was stunning. It was very easy to put your head down and get the ks under your belt and actually forget where you were, and why you were there.

Man Down

Looking south we could see the north western slopes of Ben Avon, which was awe-inspiring. Anywho, we pressed on, finally reaching Linn of Avon.

Linn of Avon

We decided to head south alongside Glen Builg for a couple of kilometres before pitching camp. Finally, we gratefully shrugged off our sacks and flopped to the grass.

Again the wind made setting up the Trailstar tricky but finally we had somewhere to lay our heads. After a very quick and invigorating wash in the burn, it was again time to crawl in to my sleeping bag. It must have been all of 8 o'clock. Rock and Roll! The wind howled for most of the night, roaring over the tops of the surrounding ridges. At times it sounded like a plane flying overhead, before fading away to nothing, and then roaring back in again. Tiredness soon won, and some sleep was snatched...

Glen Builg Camp

The next day dawned bright, although still very windy. Cold in the shade of the surrounding slopes we quickly ate and packed and were under way by 7:30. Heading south we soon reached the end of the good track, and picked our way along the eastern shore of Loch Builg on what was basically a stream. As we wove our way through the lochans at the southern end of the loch I commented to Chris that I was a little disappointed by the low wildlife count of our foray in to the Cairngorms. A couple of interesting black and white birds the day before and a herd of deer watching our last camp were about it. No sooner was Chris agreeing then we heard a squawky commotion from the adjacent lochan followed by the magnificent sight of an enormous eagle taking flight. It drifted over the brow of the slope and out of sight. We apparently startled its attack on some moorhenny-type things and their little moorhenlings. We weren't sure what we had just seen; was it a Golden Eagle, or just a regular Big Old Eagle. (We have both done some research since our return, and based on its size big), colouring (dark with lighter tail and wing patches) and distribution (the Cairngorms) we think it was a Golden Eagle although we stand to be corrected by anyone who has more of an idea about birds!)

After this high, we then had a bit of a low. We headed south west alongside the River Gairn, and it was hard work. We were walking in to the wind, the cloud was closing in and we tried to follow a track that seemed not to exist on the ground to avoid the climb on to the western flank of Culardoch. After a lot of heather stomping and bog trotting (enlivened only by Chris' encounter with a nest of grouslings) we emerged on to the track above Bealach Dearg, where we also ran in to all the wind. My life, what a struggle to keep balanced when you're carrying a big pack in 40m.p.h. winds. Taking shelter in a grouse butt (that sounds wrong, and awkward) at the top, we took a deep breath, girded our loins and set off in to the wind. Gradually losing height, and dropping down in to the forest above Invercauld House, meant the walking became much easier, and a whole load more pleasant.

Now came the lowest point. At Invercauld House, Braemar is no more than a couple of kilometres west, but there's no bridge. So we had to walk east for two clicks before crossing the Dee and then walking back along the A93. At this point our feet, which had coped with the last 50 kilometres with no worries, really started playing up. After a stop for a quick Compeed, we headed on, reduced to thumbing for a lift that never came! Eventually Braemar Castle came in to view, followed shortly after by the outliers of Braemar. Before we knew it we were slumped in the Fife Arms with a beer and a packet of crisps. Bev turned up shortly afterwards, and we regaled her with the tales of our epic adventure.

Our original plan had been to camp in Braemar on the Saturday night, but in light of our weariness and the weather, we decided to seek more pleasant lodgings. No rooms in the Fife Arms (full of challengers, apparently) saw our hearts sink, but not for long, as we scored a twin room in Craiglea. I can thoroughly recommend this establishment, friendly proprietors, clean and comfortable rooms, decent shower, and a great breakfast. Oh yeah and for only £33 a head. After showering and then watching Moonraker we returned to Bev in the Fife Arms where we had further beer and more food. Another earlyish night saw us stumble wearily back up to Craiglea.

After a hearty cooked breakfast the following morning, we were on our way home by 9:15, and after a couple of stops back home by half five that evening. Tired, but happy.

What I Used, and What I Thought Of It

A lot of the gear I took was new to me and this was the first time it had been used in anger, so here's how it did.

Home Sweet Home

GoLite Pinnacle: Loved this, light, spacious, plenty of auxillary storage. The one thing I struggled with was the infinite amount of adjustment with the straps etc. I jigged it around for a while and then got it comfy, I would say that it would be nice if it came with some more comprehensive fitting instructions.
Alpkit Pipedream 400: Great. Small pack size, warm, happy me!
Alpkit Hunka bivy: Simple, effective, not bad for £35!
Pacific Outdoor Equipment Peak Elite AC sleeping mat: Brilliant! I think that of all the gear I was using, this was the best. It packs down really small, it's super-comfy and kept me warm too. I don't think it's possible to praise this enough!
Mountain Laurel Design Trailstar: Another great thing. Light, simple to set up, tonnes of room. I would say that we did struggle on the second night where the wind was quite swirly. It seemed to catch under the opening during the night. With two of us, there was ample room, for one there would be almost too much space!
Inov-8 Terroc 330s: These rival the Peak Elite AC as my favourite bit of kit. I wore Icebreaker Merino socks with them. On the long day from Derry Lodge to Glen Buigh my feet got pretty wet (soaked) yet were comfortable and never got cold. I felt that I walked much more easily, in my Scarpa boots I feel a bit detached from the terrain. I am a convert to these shoes, brilliant! The only time they started to chafe was the 7 or 8 km road walk in to Braemar.

Questions, Questions...

This little foray has raised some questions which i think may be the makings of another blog post, so stay tuned...

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

That's a lot of dough!

Saw this interesting blog post today. Google have put $100 million in to this project, which has a total of $2 billion invested in it! When that sort of money is being chucked around, no wonder people are keen to whack 'em up wherever they can...

On a different but similar note, I listened to a podcast from How Stuff Works today that was talking about plasma waste recycling plants. Apparently they can be so efficient that they can actually handle all current waste and can start making inroads in to existing waste piles! What's more the byproducts include sufficient energy to power thousands of homes. I guess they would have to be near population centres rather than on top of mountains, so everyone is a winner!

Acquisition - Part Four (Please let that be it!)

This is a very quick update about progress etc. My wife and I are moving in 10 days time, the house is in turmoil as we pack everything away and there's a list of stuff to do that does not seem to be going down, so blog updates are a luxury!

We recently celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and this has resulted in an influx of gear and outdoory stuff. My wife bought me "Mountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills" which is an excellent and truly comprehensive volume, it reminds me of an even thicker "Mountaincraft and Leadership". It's very nice.

I also received a Katadyn My Bottle water purifying whatsit, which is probably not coming to the Cairngorms in May (as I understand that Cairngormian water is plenty good enough to drink au naturel) but will be useful on a Wye-based canoeing trip in August, and could be handy for the lowland sections of TGOC2012. A small LED lantern also arrived which hopefully will make the Trailstar a cozy little home from home.

My mum, dad and sis wanted to add to my burgeoning pile of gear but they weren't sure what I wanted/needed. So they supplied the readies to go towards a GoLite Pinnacle and a POE Peak Elite AC. I went for the Pinnacle as it just seemed to be the very best combination of weight to capacity to price that I could find, and when it arrived from Backpackinglight.co.uk I was definitely impressed. I think it's probably lighter than the 8 litre capacity Camelbak that I use when cycling, but holds 9 times as much gear! It also came with a small bag of Skittles, which didn't last long...

I chose a Peak Elite over the Neoair on much the same criteria as the Pinnacle; when you compare weight - price - spec, it really is hard to beat them. Sadly they were out of stock when I ordered, and looked like they wouldn't be in until the end of the month at the earliest. However, a supply turned up sooner than expected and Rose at BPL soon had one winging it's way to me (with more Skittles, which met the fate of their predecessors). Again, initial impressions were really positive. A very small packed size and low weight compared to my Thermarests had me oohing and aahing. Some huffing and puffing soon had it inflated and tested. Soooo comfortable, even for a side sleeper. No hip bone digging in to the ground through the mat. When I rolled off however, it was half deflated. Thinking I hadn't tightened the valve correctly I reinflated and the same thing happened. A quick dunk in the bath showed a stream of bubbles pouring out of the "seam" at the foot end. Humpf. As it was Friday evening I figured Bob and Rose would have shut up shop for the weekend, so I just dropped a quick email to them detailing the problem, and mentioned that I could pop by to pick up a replacement on Monday, to save any postal-based hassle. Well, I got an email from Rose first thing Monday, and by 11:30 I had a new mat in my mitts. Truly excellent service form a small company, they get Ken's coveted "Two Thumbs Up" virtual badge.

So there we have it, pretty much fully geared up for our Cairngorms foray next month, I just need to seam seal the Trailstar, but that's going to be much easier once we move, as we'll actually have a decent sized garden (with a lawn! and a garage!) for me to set it up in. If you're doing the TGO this year, we are aiming to be in Braemar on the Saturday night (having been at Derry Lodge on Thursday night, and then somewhere in Glen Avon on Friday night). If you see us, say "Hi!"

Friday, 1 April 2011

MLD Trailstar - Initial Thoughts

I texted Pete last night to see if he fancied helping me pitch the Trailstar this morning. He's working in Leckhampton so we met up at Naunton Park at 8 and set to work. Now bearing in mind that neither of us had ever set a tarp up before, we were pretty pleased at the results. There is a lot of guyline in the pics, there will be some trimming taking place in time. The centre pole was set to 120 cm, and again, when there's more time, I'll play around with the different height options.

Anyway, first up, using one of the "seam" guypoints for the entrance:

I think if the weather was set fair, and the conditions calm, this would be my preferred pitching option. I really like the open aspect. With a degree of care I think that it wouldn't be too much of a problem to cook under the extended porch either.

Next, using one of the mid-panel guying points for the entrance:

Definitely more sheltered and cosy feeling. If the weather was claggy, a lower pitched height with this entrance would be the way forward.

There's a lot of space inside!

After playing around for a while, we managed to get the pitch a bit tauter:

It was pretty blustery but once everything was tightened down, there was very little movement going on.

Overall thoughts? So far, pretty positive. I like the colour (Olive Brown), the weight, the pack size (in to a generous lightweight drawcorded bag). The construction is excellent as far as I can see. In time, with practice, I can envisage very quick pitching times. The internal space is huge for the weight, and the flexibility of pitching options is also very cool. The simplicity of the whole thing is very appealing; no zips, velcro, pole sleeves, catches or clips to break or snag.
Concerns? Will it be too big to pitch in some spots? How will I cope with switching from a coccooning tent (Lightwave T1 Trek) to the rawer experience of tarp living? Watch this space for the answers to these questions and more!

At the minute though "Two thumbs up!" Now all I've got to do is seal it and use it...

Thursday, 31 March 2011

Acquisition - Part Three

The plan is that Pete, Chris and me will head up to Braemar on the 19th of May to do 3-4 days backpacking in the Cairngorms. This is part of the preperation for our tilt at the TGOC the following year, and will (hopefully) mean that when asked the question "You're not first time Scottish backpackers are you?" on the entry form, we can say with a clear conscience "Why no, we are not". There are also plans for a late September/early October trip too.

Anyway, to that end, I have also been accruing other bits and bobs that will be useful. First up, a Pico Freeloader. I am wondering about the viability of using one device for all my electronic needs on the trip: camera, gps, diary, mp3 player etc. I have an HTC Desire HD which is a fantastic phone, but a little battery hungry. Hopefully, by switching a number of the functions off, and using the Pico I might be able to get it last between charging opportunities. We'll see. It's a neat little unit, about 50 grams, so even if it's not wonderfully effective it won't be too much of a burden.

Next, feet. More accurately, things to go on feet. This topic caused some discussiom when I posted a query on the TGO message board. I have since then ummed and also ahhed, looked at options, read more stuff, mulled and mused. In the end I went with some Inov-8 Terroc 330s, bought from Up and Running in Cheltenham. Having weighed them, and my Scarpa ZG10 boots, the Terrocs give me a weight saving of a kilo for the pair. I'm sure there will still be some last minute decisions being made in May as to which footwear gets the nod, but after a walk from Cheltenham to Elkstone last Friday wearing the Terrocs I have to say I am very impressed by them. I need to fine tune my sock choice, and make sure they are broken in completely before we head off to the Cairngorms, but initial thoughts are positive.

Anyway, that's it for now, although I fear there may be more to come soon...

Acquisition - Part Two (b)

It's here!

I missed the postman yesterday, so I had to nip to the sorting office this morning. I didn't have any idea what I was going to collect, as far as I knew my MLD Trailstar was still a couple of weeks away, and the card left by the postie didn't make mention of any duties or taxes that needed to be paid.

Imagine my delight when the sorting office guy handed over a parcel from the States and didn't ask me for any cash in return. Yep, that's right, no import duty for me! I snicked the envelope open as soon as poss to reveal a yellow stuffsac containing an olive brown Trailstar, a tube of sealant and a bag of tent pegs (5 bombproof ali ones, and 5 v lightweight titanium ones).

Sadly I haven't had an opportunity to set it up yet, I need to sort out the guylines and so forth. Hopefully I'll get a chance tomorrow if things work out, and I'll stick a pic or two up.