Category Archives: #backtothehills

Planning a walk with Nath

#backtothehills, father son walks, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

With the impending visit to Nath I have warned him that we will be going for a walk whilst I’m there.

I have an idea of where we will be walking after getting a 1:50k os map of the area and finding a woods not far from Nath’s.

The plan is that we’ll stop brew up, even have something to eat.

With that in mind

New gear arrivals in last six weeks or so (not everything I’m sure):

  • 32 OZ, Wide Mouth, Nalgene bottle
  • 50PCS Cold Brew Coffee Filter Bags
  • Snow Peak Folding Nylon Cooking Ladle
  • Toaks titanium 1350ml pot
  • CAMPINGMOON Compact Foldable Stove
  • Hellery Camping Coffee Percolator Pot
  • 1:50k os maps for eTrex 32x gps
  • Belgian military hooped bivy
  • DD Hammocks lightweight hammock and under quilt (not sure if mentioned before)

I’m taking the BRS 3000T stove for this trip. I’ve not used it and it needs an outing.

The Nalgene bottle is for making cold brew whilst at Nath’s and when I go away whether camping or in hotels. Hence the filter bags.

For me to turn my dried bean and veg bags into a soup or stew for me and Nath my current pots just weren’t large enough. I think the largest was 900ml. So I got the larger 1350ml Toaks pot. That should be big enough cooking for two. Hence why I got the Snow Peak ladle. The percolator is for camping trips.

I’m hoping that the woodland walk and a bit of chill time will help Nath with all life has thrown at him recently.

Obviously a lot of this stuff will be used when camping or even backpacking. But with me using a campsite for next years UKGE, getting bits in that will make that trip as “glamorous” as possible. Or my take on it using a mixture of backpacking gear and camping gear.

Knots for tarps and other bits!

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

I think one of the things I miss about living in Farnborough and thinking about it Crook, is being close to land you can wild camp in, practice setting up hammocks etc.

Back in Farnborough I could be walking the wolf pack, stopping for a brew in a quiet spot within 10 minutes of leaving the house. 30 minutes or more and I could be at Frensham Little Pond doing the same.

My old stove talk videos were filmed in the woods around Farnborough. And I often just chilled out in a quiet corner with the wolf pack and a brew.

In fact back in 2008 when I was told I was at risk of being made redundant, and because of this shocking bit of news given the option to take the rest of the day off. I didn’t even think twice I took them up on the “kind” offer.

Within an hour and half I had taken the train home, thrown a brew kit in the car, found a quiet spot at Fleet Pond with the wolf pack and was contemplating life, the universe, and the days events over a hot brew.

In fact apart from one other occasion during the redundancy process for signing some papers I never returned to the office. I wasn’t required to. That bit was a blessing because it was at this time Kate decided she no longer wanted to be married to me. It would have been hard to go into the office each day, concentrate on work, and pretend life was good. When it obviously wasn’t. The redundancy process spared me from all that.

But here in Wisbech I’m not so lucky on that front. I’ve yet to find those spots of refuge.

Up to an hour away is Sandringham which I think if I wild camped there might see my sleep interrupted by armed officers. My other option is around a similar traveling time, possibly a bit longer Thetford.

I do plan to explore Thetford a bit more in the future. It does seem to be a popular spot for some YouTubers to show off their bushcraft skills whilst wild camping.

There are some interesting wooded areas nearer (but still not local) that need to be investigated for suitability.

But it’s only when you no longer have it that you truly miss what you once took for granted.

In the meantime as I try and find spots that I can do a quick on the spur of the moment wild camp I’m practicing my knots.

When it comes to using a tarp and hammock I don’t like using cord with plastic (or metal) tensioning bits on them. They break, limit what the cord can be used for, etc, etc. I’m of the school that prefers to tie knots.

For me the knots I need to know when using a tarp or plan to use with my hammock are the following:

  • Bowline
  • Clove hitch
  • Prusik knot
  • Trucker’s Hitch
  • Tautline hitch

So how would I be using these knots when setting up my tarp?

The bowline I’m using to attach the paracord to a tie on point of the tarp. Or giving me a loop to use for tying one end of the paracord round a tree for creating a ridge line between two trees.

The clove hitch I use to secure the paracord to my trekking poles.

Whilst I use a truckers or tautline hitch to go round the tent peg (or tree) and tension the line.

Where does the prusik knot come in? That’s for when I’m using a ridge line I can use this knot to attach a tarp or bug netting to it. I do carry a couple of pre-made prusik loops for quick and easy use. I know these prusik loops are not intended for mountaineering and climbing ropes. So the knot I’ve used for them is the common overhand knot instead of the more appropriate double fisherman’s knot for joining two ends together.

For me those 5 knots allow me to do everything I need to do with a tarp or hammock.

I’m also in this downtime prepping meal ideas.

My current experiment/idea involves soaked, then cooked, and then dehydrated beans! Which I will added freeze dried garden peas, dried carrot, dried sweet corn, dried shiitake mushrooms, and/or sliced dried mushrooms (that I dried in the dehydrator).

The idea is that these packets can be added to vegetable stock and some herbs/seasoning to make either a bean soup or stew that requires minimal cooking.

Too hot to handle

#backtothehills, cooking/recipes!, outdoors

Last Thursday was a day off.

So I took the opportunity to go out and play with my Goshawk OP-100, with an Alcohol Stove Cross Stand, a generic clone Ultralight Titanium Windscreen. And using the SOTO Thermolite cook set to make my noodles.

It was also an excuse to play with my drone too.

Naturally seeing as the plan was to cook lunch, and fly the drone I chose an old wolf pack walking spot that I thought would be suitable.

It was hot last Thursday, so like all mad dogs and Englishmen I was out in the midday sun. Wisely I did not take the two attack chihuahuas Nico and Loki with me. Being out in such heat would not have been fair on them. Guess who forgot suntan lotion?

After I parked the car I walked the half kilometre or so to my lunch spot.

It was an emotional walk because this was the first time I’d been to this spot since Strider joined Bud and Barney. I’ve avoided the old haunts since their passing.

I loved those dogs so much. I still miss them, and it does still get emotional when I talk about them passing away. But I have nothing but great memories of them and the places we shared together.

It’s time to remember them as I return to old haunts, and not avoid the pain and loss (yes even after all this time it still feels fresh). I hope Nathan will join me on some of these future walks, and share our memories of them.

After spreading out ready to do some cooking, I had to move everything to one side as a couple of horse riders wanted to pass. Yeah the drawbacks of being on a bridle way. I had hoped being a work day that I’d avoid something like this. But considering these were the only people and animals I saw whilst there. The plan was nearly perfect.

I’d only just started cooking my lunch when they returned. Which meant once again clearing a path for them and apologising for not having enough to share.

Before getting some more flying practice in I cooked lunch (as you might have gathered from above.

Home made pot noodle?

Lunch was a pack of three minute noodles. I was using the cheapest ones Tesco sold. There’s really no difference between the cheap ones and the expensive ones. So I see no point in spending extra on them.

So as the water started to heat up I added the following ingredients to the water:

  • Freeze dried garden peas
  • Dried shiitake mushrooms
  • Chopped up Sun dried tomatoes

These ingredients needed a little extra time to rehydrate.

I then added the noodles along with its chicken flavour packet.

Next some rehydrated soy sauce powder was added, along with a chopped up polish pork stick (can’t remember the brand but it was one that didn’t needed storing in a fridge). I finally seasoned with salt and pepper.

Even if I say so myself this was very tasty. And washing it down with a can of Coke Zero finished off the experience.

After lunch it was time for flight school!

I’ve included short highlights below. Sadly I forgot to record the tracking/follow me stuff I did. Next time.

The bright sun of mid day did make it difficult seeing the RC controllers screen.

I kept my flight short when it became obvious that I had upset/disturbed a pair of swifts (I think they were). I want to be a responsible drone pilot. So grounding my drone was the right thing to do.

It felt weird doing this Thursday. This sort of thing is something I did all the time with the wolf pack. Finding that quiet spot. Getting the stove out. Brewing up (or cooking the odd time). And just chillin.

I had a great couple of hours, even if my arch enemy the sun was doing its best to cook me. It was very relaxing. I did catch the sun on my arms but luckily not badly.

Now to find a spot with trees to play with the hammock.

False Dawn

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

Well that’s the shortest return ever!

I was minutes from my destination. The phone signal had almost disappeared. So I decided to call Mum to let her know I was virtually there.

That’s when things changed.

I was going to have to turn back.

But before I did I stopped at a parking spot I had spotted on the drive in for a break and something to eat.

After having driven for so long I needed this before repeating the journey.

After a coffee, and a rehydrated 6 Bean chilli I made my way back home.

Yes I’m very disappointed that the plans did not go as intended. But as Jack Reacher says “Plans go to hell as soon as the first shot is fired.”

At least I knew that the food side was working.

Boiling water, rehydrating my home made dehydrated chilli in the Ziplock Aluminium Foil Bag, and using the pot cozy worked well. I liked using the UCO Collapsible Cup. Using my old sea to summit folding bowl to eat the chilli from. Ok I used the bowl because I had some tortillas chips, grated cheese and squeezy sour cream on top. Not easy to do if eating from the bag.

I also started the over night oats. Which by this morning were “perfect”. I might add a little bit more milk powder in future.

I had intelligence about where I had planned to leave the car. It’s a totally viable spot. It’s hard to judge the suitability of a spot when all the map shows is the letter P. So it’s good to know that this is a great spot to leave the car.

My adjusted plans for my week off will see me spend time playing with kit whilst doing this son carer thing.

Back to the hills – last minute stuff

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

Back in the day I had a weakness when it came to stoves. Hence the stove talk videos and ending up with over thirty stoves of one type or other.

Well whatever the exact number is it’s now increased by one.

After watching an Eric Hanson YouTube video about the Jetboil and cheaper alternatives that would meet most folks needs. I caved and bought what apparently is the darling of the lightweight backers a BRS Stove 3000T.

The BRS is a gas stove made from titanium alloy, copper, and stainless steel. It weighs in at 25g apparently. So uber light.

One thing that allows the stove to be so light say compared to the Peak Ignition is that there is no piezo ignition. So an alternate means of ignition is needed such as a lighter or matches.

The BRS comes with a small storage bag, and an o ring that I’m not sure yet if it is a spare or something I need to fit. I’m sure a quick Google will provide me with an answer.

I don’t know why but I decided to give the Peak Ignition another go to see if its piezo ignition would work. When I had used it at the Travelodge during the UKGE I found that the piezo ignition didn’t work. I had to resort to using a lighter.

But this time as I pushed the button to try and make a spark, it did indeed spark. I was more than pleasantly surprised. I pressed again a couple of more times. Creating more little blue arcs. I grabbed a gas canister. Clumsily I attached the Peak Ignition to it. Turned its regulator to hear the hiss of gas escaping. And then pressed the button on the piezo ignition. It clicked, sparked, and the stove roared into life. It’s alive!

I hadn’t decided what stove I’d take with me tomorrow. But now I’m decided I’m going with the Peak Ignition. I’ll play with the BRS on a day hike over the Summer.

I did buy a vacuum sealer and I need to get to grips with that today as I bag my overnight oats, and powdered egg.

Anyway as you read this I’m most likely on route to North Wales. I still have last minute things to do. So I better cut this short. Catch you after the return.

Back to the hills – the big destination reveal

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

After a lot of procrastinating I could no longer put off the decision any longer. I needed to decide where I would be going for my return to the hills.

I’m going to South Snowdonia. Narrowing it down a bit more. I’m going to be wandering around Rhinog Fawr.

I’ve never been to this bit of North Wales. Although I have done Cadair Idris with Kate, Nathan, and the wolf pack if memory doesn’t fail me.

The inspiration for this decision was this YouTube video by Claire aka Wild Beare.

This screen shot from the video shows the route that Claire took for this trip.

Wild Beare’s Route

I’m not planning to do massive mileage for this first excursion. My fitness levels aren’t what they used to be. I’ve had 14 years or so of “good living” since my last hike.

What I like about this area Claire chose is the options available to me on the day. If I’m feeling it I can take in a peak, camp near lakes, pitch up in some woods.

I’m going to be using the Snowdonia South (British Mountain Map) from the BMC. These are 1:40k scale maps that is “printed on polyethylene this map is durable, tearproof and 100% waterproof”.

I do like this map series a lot. It saves me having to carry a map case for starters. I like the scale and seems a good compromise between using a 1:25k and 1:50k map.

So there we have it destination Rhinogs.

Back to the hills – some more prep

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

One thing I discovered on a camping/walking trip to Snowdonia with Kate back in the day was how my body doesn’t react well to midge bites.

As Kate and I were setting up our tent, I got bitten to death by swarms of them at the campsite. Every exposed inch of flesh was bitten and covered in itchy red blobs where they had fed on me.

Sprays sold by the campsite shop to ease the itching just did not provide any relief at all. The fact I had been bitten so many times all over meant just to cover the bites I needed multiple sprays! They weren’t cheap.

We eventually cut our weekend short with a visit to a local welsh doctors surgery where I was put on a course of steroids.

So you can imagine I started putting in measures to avoid this happening again. Such as getting a headnet, or buying clothes with built in insect repellent.

Now as I get ready to return to the hills I’ve been using Lifesystems Ex4 Anti Mosquito Clothing, Footwear And Outdoor Gear Treatment Spray to treat my clothing, shemagh, polar buffs, regular buffs, groundsheet, and tarp.

This has worked for me in the past and proved effective.

Whilst on the TGOC even with a tarp I wasn’t bothered by ticks. I put that down to my clothing, groundsheet, etc being treated with a fabric friendly bug treatment. Along with the use of bug spray/wipes.

The DD Hammocks DD Superlight tarp I have comes with four pegs, and some thin guy ropes. The guy ropes are perfect for me to make some loops with. That that can on the day when needed be used to make a prusik knot.

I’ve also made some smaller bungee cord loops to use on the attachment points of the tarp. I’ll attach these when needed using a larks head knot to give me a little give and take a bit of pressure of the attachment points in high winds.

The last thing I want to be thinking off in bad weather conditions is having to create these loops first. I want to be able to grab one and use it, getting the tarp up as quick as possible.

After watching one of the yank outdoors YouTubers I ordered an UCO Collapsible Cup for Hiking. I don’t know why? I liked the look of it. It does not collapse nearly as flat as the sea to summit collapsible mug I have (and can’t find at the current time). Mainly due to the hard plastic ring which is about half the height of the mug uncollapsed. How ever it’s more sturdy which I like.

I’m starting to feel more prepared for next weeks adventure.

Back to the hills – some things are in the post

#backtothehills, outdoors

With little gaming going on at the moment and the impending holiday and return to the hills. It does seem like this blog has shifted focus for the time being as I prepare for said return.

I do have some more bits on the way for the trip or future plans!

Having inspected my 15 year old plus Leki trekking poles that had been living against the front door of Nans for most of that time. The tips of the poles were not in good condition, one was missing and the other very loose (unable to be tightened, they had seen better times) I decided to get new poles.

I settled on the Alpkit Carbon long Backpacker Twins XL Trekking Poles. These extend to a length of 150cm. Which when using with a tarp that extra 15cm or so gives important extra headroom. Yes you can buy dedicated tarp poles that are longer. However that’s extra weight. I use trekking poles so they are the natural things to use with a tarp.

I like Alpkit. I remember when they first hit the outdoors scene in the UK (they are a British company). They were very popular and whatever they produced sold out very quickly. Which wasn’t surprising because they offered great products that were affordable. Yes often they weren’t the lightest but the price more than made up for that.

Obviously since then they have grown, expanded their range. It’s good to see them still around and being successful. A real success story.

There are a couple of items coming for my “outdoors” kitchen. The first is the MSR Dish Scraper. All these titanium pots, and the odd non-stick frying pan need cleaning, sometimes you need to scrape off bits. And I don’t want to damage these not cheap items.

Next I have the MSR Alpine Spatula and Joseph Duo Locking Kitchen Food Tongs on the way. These join my Tala Silicone Mini Spatula to complete my cooking implements. There will be no whisk. These will be great with the frying pan or if I use one of the wood burners as a mini bbq!

Which reminds me all these outdoor YouTubers whether they are hikers or bush crafters. Who the feck carries raw meet in their rucksack all day to cook in the evening? I do think they are being a bit disingenuous with their videos and hiding a cool bag.

I have midge head nets (two I think). But I wanted an option to work with the tarp that I could sleep in more easily. After a bit of research I ended up tracking down a US Military mosquito bug net that was designed to be used with a pup tent (an old US army tent). What sold me on this was the shape. It would work better with an A-frame tarp setup. Which is probably the tarp configuration I’d be using the most in good weather and also the most likely time insects would be an issue. So one of these is on its way.

Finally I have a British Mountain map on its way too. Yes I have finally decided on an area to go to. But this will be the subject of another post. The only drawback is this is not an official OS map so no free download of the map data.

Laters.

Back to the hills – destination unknown!

#backtothehills, outdoors

My return to the hills is fastly approaching and I have no idea where I’m going!

I just can’t make my mind up.

One thing I am certain of is going north of the border is out of the question.

With the time I have for doing this the amount of travel required to get there and back rules it out.

Which is a shame I love Scotland. It is such a a beautiful place to visit and explore on foot.

The same distance travel time handicap rules out Dartmoor as well.

Areas pushing the limits of this self imposed restriction such as the New Forest or Brecon Beacons are tempting. Especially the later which has a lot of fond memories.

I’m left with North Wales, Peak District, Lake District, and Yorkshire Moors. Although my gut is telling me the Lakes might also be stretching it.

One benefit for me no matter which area I finally end up exploring is I will be going midweek. So hopefully I will be avoiding those weekend crowds.

My current thoughts or I should say where my heart is being pulled is North Wales. But which part?

I need to look at maps and see what grabs me. The usual honey spots don’t grab me. I can do them some other time.

I need to think more on this.

Back to the hills – ‘water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink’

#backtothehills, outdoors

This posts title is a famous quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’.

Let’s face it when we are backpacking we tend to carry the bare minimum water because the plan is to fill up along the way as and when we need it.

The problem is how safe is our water to drink?

Definitely the water quality in the UK has gotten worse over the last decade or so, especially in the low lands. Our water companies can it seems pump literal shit into our rivers with impunity. Farmers being allowed to spray ever more toxic chemicals on crops, micro plastic pellets. The list of possible contaminants goes on. Even the fastest flowing stream far from the polluting grasp of our water companies might be contaminated.

Like my sleeping system I’ve refreshed my options for clean water whilst out on the hill. Besides can I really trust a filter that has remained unused for over a decade?

First up I have a 500ml Pure Clear Collapsible Filter bottle. This will be used throughout the day to stay hydrated by drinking from convient water sources on route.

The next addition is the Sawyer Squeeze SP129 Waterfilter. This will be my main filter for filtering in the evening at camp.

I’m not going to use the bags that come with the Sawyer Squeeze. They don’t have a great reputation online, from ease of filling to how sturdy they are. It would appear that a popular replacement for them is a CNOC Vecto water container of some capacity. I went with the one litre version.

The washer in the Squeeze where it attaches to the water container apparently can fall out when back washing the filter if not careful. So I have some replacement ones in a general mini repair kit.

I also have a SP150 Coupling that allows you to attach bottles etc to the Squeeze.

I’ve also hacked my Squeeze by replacing the sports lid with one from a water bottle. I’m not a fan of the sports lid and its pull to drink. I am much more comfortable and find them easier to use with the flip cover to drink lid.

Another hack I’ve adopted is one to protect the filter end when stowed away.

Now to extend the life of the Squeeze, and increase the time between having to back wash the filter (ie clean it) I intend to pre-filter the water to remove large particles from the water. This should stop the filter becoming clogged as much.

To do this pre-filter I’ve borrowed from the military once more by adding a Millbank bag water filtration bag to the kit. If I’m using this then the water must really be bad.

A hack to the Squeeze itself is to replace the washer I mentioned above with a Danco 80070 Hose Washer with Screen. So I’ve done that too. Yes there is a spare in the repair kit.

This last hack may make the Millbank bag redundant with the Squeeze.

Well that’s my clean water taken care of. But where am I going to be using this setup? I’ll cover that in the next post.