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Showing posts from April, 2010

Evolution

I had an interesting conversation with a colleague at work the other day that made me realise how far my interest in the outdoors has developed over the years.. He came to me looking for advice as he and a few friends are doing a sponsored Southern Uplands Way jaunt next month. None of them are regular walkers but they are all keen to experience the outdoors. I'm quite envious of the obvious excitement he is experiencing at the planning of this adventure and at the same time worried for him and his friends hoping that they don't overload themselves with kit and kill themselves trying to walk with it all. When I see him at work this week I shall have a list of the essentials they need in the pack and the luxuries that make the long walk more bearable. I'm instantly taken back to my first few backpacking adventures which I have fond memories of but also vividly remember the pain attached to these also. I just hope I can ensure that this will be the start of something good f

Sgurr a' Mhaoraich

The story of this adventure will seem familiar if you have read PTC , Sandy and Phil's blogs already but I thought I'd write up my thoughts anyway. Apologies for the repetition and delay.That thing called work that finances my gear habit and excursions has been demanding way too much of my time and energy but hey ho. Loch Quoich is an area that is virgin territory for me. I had looked at in wonder from the South Glen Shiel Ridge last year but it still hadn't made it onto this years "must do" list. When I got the email from PTC outlining the options for a weekend adventure this was the one that most took my fancy. The drive up was very familiar until we turned off at the sign saying Kinlochhourn. The light was fading fast but I could see there were lots of very interesting hills in here that will need to be explored at some point. We parked right at the start of the stalkers path onto the ridge up Bac nan Canaichea. Its a well maintained path so there were no d

My name is Elaina & I'm a gearaholic.................

This weekend has turned out to be a no hill zone due to my knee being  grumbly after last weekend's adventures and a heavy week on my feet at work. I should have been using the time to catch up on the domestic stuff that I have been ignoring for ages but that aint any fun. I used Saturday to catch up on the much needed sleep that my body craved and then confirmed my ongoing knee grumbles with a walk along the canal. My wee brain started wondering what distraction I could come up with for Sunday other than doing the dreaded housework. I had a sudden flash of inspiration - a visit to Escape Route could be on the cards to check out the Haglofs Matrix pack that I was considering. OK Pitlochry aint round the corner but Steve doesn't mind driving especially if we can stop off at The Real Food Cafe . This was my first visit to the store but it had come highly recommended by Phil and PTC. As we walked in Steve started shaking his head and saying "oh no". I had walked into

Wildcamping Kit

Apologies for the delay in getting this out. That thing that finances my gear habit  and excursions  has demanded way too much of my time and energy for my liking. Anywhoose, last weekend's adventure had me pondering over many items of kit before we headed out. I don't go wildcamping enough to be fully confident in my choice of kit but hopefully that will change the more I get out.  Tent I really only have one backpacking tent my Terra Nove Superlite Voyager which I have had for 4 years so it aint the lighter version available now but the 1.7kg original version. It's luxury as a solo tent and not too shabby for sharing either. But this was being left at home as I had been given a Big Agnes Fly Creek to play with for the night. I was very impressed.  At less than 1kg fully packed you hardly know it's in the pack. It's a inner pitch first and considering that I had never seen it before and I was pitching in the dark it went up very easily and quickly with no majo

“Instructions on how to engineer an epic out of a daywalk”

I've nicked the title for this post from PTC who has written up the weekend's events to perfection as serialised here in Camp Freddy and Camp Coffee . A wee overnight wildcamp with PTC, Sandy and Phil on Sgurr a' Mhaoraich which turned out to be one of the best hill experiences I have had. I shall put something together properly when I manage to get through the 395 photos I took and my energy levels get to a stage where I sort of make sense. Hopefully that wont be too long ;-)

Preperation

At last, a week of work torture is over. I badly need a hill fix to rejuvenate this bruised and battered soul. PTC has formulated a plan that sees four of us going off to play up high in the dark near Loch Quoich. I'm sure this trip will do the trick perfectly. My body is weak at the moment so I'm sitting here going through what kit to take in my head rather than getting it all together. It has been way too long since the last wildcamp for me to be able to  easily recall all that is required. This will have to be rectified. Bed is calling. I shall be dreaming of my sleeping quarters for tomorrow night ........................ :-)

Beinn Ime

I needed a hill fix but had the ususal post work hangover. Destination Arrochar, Beinn Ime. There were a couple of options on the table, doing it from Butterbridge possibley taking in the Corbett Beinn Luibhean or a nice easy meander from Succoth. It would be decided on whether there was space in the car park at Succoth. There was space and as I had done nothing but sleep in the car on the way there we decided to take the easy option. As you'd expect from a holiday weekend, it was mobbed but we had chosen the less frequented hill. It was looking a bit murcky as we approached but thankfully for us the weather didn't appear to want to touch our hill. It's great in that area around Bealach a' Mhaim, the views of the surrounding hills are just majestic. Beinn Ime Beinn Narnain Ben Vane We hit the snowline around 750m and its the type of snow we like, not to wet and hard enough to be able to take your weight. Bliss :-) This was where I started cursing the fact that I had