It was cold last night. I went to sleep at 9 and woke up at 6 am. Other people didn’t have such a good night’s sleep and found today tough. I only had one sub-freezing loo break in the night and that was enough.
Aron packed his stuff away first, so I had the whole tent to put my stuff away. The outside of my sleeping bag was very cold – the inside was lovely and cosy. The tent was covered in frost. Continue reading Kilimanjaro Diary: A day of two temperatures
Today was lovely weather, good spirits – walking along singing, and wonderful, spectacular views.
Breakfast was about five courses – the first being porridge (that I don’t eat) and then more and more and more food. Continue reading Kilimanjaro Diary: The rainforest
Woke up at hotel 6.30 a.m. Struggled to get to sleep and at breakfast everyone else said they’d had sleep problems.
After repacking several times my kit weighed 15 kg (woohoo) so it was loaded on to the bus. Continue reading Kilimanjaro Diary: Camp One
We almost missed the plane. That is a slight exaggeration – but we were the last boarding, at the back of the queue. We had a couple of beers in the airport bar and received a WhatsApp notification from one of the team taking a selfie in a business class seat. We checked the time and realised we were late. Continue reading Kilimanjaro Diary: Frozen Chopped Liver
When you’re re drinking two litres of water a day in Europe on long hikes, or 4-5 litres a day on Kilimanjaro it’s easy to get sick of the taste of water.
I use SiS hydration tablets for long hikes. They don’t offer any energy (i.e. they are calorie-free), but they taste nice (which encourages you to drink more) and replenish good thingies in your system. During the summer I was getting some cramps on cycling commute and after using these (one every other day) I stopped getting cramps.
As with all these things, try them before you go hiking. Continue reading Staying hydrated on hikes
This was our third of four weekends (read the first and second weekends) walking along the South Downs. The plan was to walk 16 miles – from Amberley to Small Dole on the Saturday and then 17 miles on to Farley on the Sunday.
Like most hiking plans, a month before we set foot, in the warm and dry of home, looking at the Ordnance Survey map it looked easily achievable.
I was in the US travelling with my work during the week before this hike. I’d carefully been looking at the weather forecast for Brighton, which improved steadily from constant rain to dry and low wind. Excellent. We were good to go so I booked the two camp sites for the rapidly approaching weekend. Continue reading Walking the South Downs Way: Weekend #3
Both my wife and I have used the Berghaus RG1 Shell Jacket for a couple of years now, and they are the best everyday waterproofs we’ve owned.
This is a waterproof top layer – there is no insulation, simply a fabric mesh inside. I prefer this – it means you can wear it for protection against a summer shower without overheating, and wear a fleece underneath during the winter. Continue reading Berghaus Men’s RG1 Shell Jacket long term review
This is how we have been taught to pack clothes in a rucksack when we go camping at Scouts.
It works for a single night (in fact, it works even better for a single night), or a 9 day summer camp. It is just as applicable for lightweight camping such as a microadventure, or a family camp.
An extra tip is to put 3 or 4 days of clothes wrapped in this way, into a large Ziploc bag to keep them waterproof. Continue reading How to pack clothes in a rucksack
We’re both big fans of Bear Grylls, and this book looked interesting. Plus, both Ishai and I have read Mud Sweat & Tears by Bear and liked that.
This book is incredible addictive. There are two stories – the first is about how Bear climbed Everest and the second is his North Atlantic crossing.
We’re more into walking and climbing than sailing, so the first story appealed the most.
Both the stories are action packed, and touch upon some of the detail of his expeditions, so you get a good picture in your mind of what the environments and conditions are like for both the adventures.
There are several page of photos in the book as well, which help put faces to the names of the people in the stories.
This is an inspiring book for children and adults, easily readable and thoroughly recommended. We struggled to put the book down.
When we go to Snowdon this is the equipment list that I send to everyone.
The list changes a little depending on whether we’re camping or sleeping indoors, and the time of the year.
A good tip is to pack the rucksack you’ll be walking with while you’re still at home. And then leave it alone when you arrive.
When walking with children, it’s important to take more spare clothes so that they stay dry and not become miserable when damp.
Carrier bags are great for keeping kit dry (Ziplocks are even better, but more expensive), for litter, for storing the dirty clothes, and for covering muddy boots back in the car.
Black bags are great for keeping everything dry, and can turn into a 100% waterproof overcoat if the rain becomes torrential. I always carry a few spare of both. Continue reading The ideal packing list for climbing Snowdon