A couple more reviews...

Evening! A couple of more reviews have been uploaded to the Gear Talk section of the blog. The first is of the new Gore-Tex Pro-Shell which I was fortunate to have the chance to test on a winter skills course in Glen Coe, Scotland, last January/ February. The second is of the Osprey Aether 70, the pack which I'll be using on the trail. Enjoy!

Oh, and here's a nice photo from said trip I just found on my laptop:

Glen Coe, February 2013.

Night on the beach

We managed to get another over-nighter in this week: We stayed on a beach near Dodman Point on the south Cornwall coast. I used the hammock, this time set up as a sort of bivi/ tarp shelter, which is what I'll be doing on the trail should there be no suitable trees to pitch between and no room in the shelters. It was a perfectly clear night so I ended up rolling most of the tarp off of me so I could see the stars through the mosi net. I awoke to this view...

and even managed to get a sea swim in! Good old South West Coast Path! One day I'll get round to walking the whole thing in one go...

Update: what's been going on/ budget breakdown.

Budget breakdown...

Nothing much exciting has been going on lately. Now I've got my visa, it's just been full on working and saving to reach my target budget! Money is an exceptionally boring, unfortunately vital subject. Here's a quick breakdown of how much I reckon my hike will cost...

There seems to be a huge variation in budgets for AT thru-hikers. Those living in relative luxury and eating exceptionally well could pay several thousand pounds, although most seem to do it for much less. An often quoted 'golden rule' says $1 a mile is about right for money-conscious hikers. This would mean that once I started walking the trip would cost around £1300 or about £65 a week (assuming I take 5 months to finish). Adding the cost of flights/ travel to and from the trail-heads (I guesstimate £850) gives a base cost of £2150 (~$3400).

This figure looked decidedly optimistic. From past experience there are always unforeseen circumstances or over looked factors (unexpectedly pricey hostels, broken limbs, mangled feet e.t.c) which end up costing more. My current savings are on track to give me £3350, which after flights e.t.c. leaves me with with £2500 (~$4000). So I'll have £125 (~$200) a week to play with.



So if all goes well, I should be all good! I can't imagine food costing more than £50 a week, and from what I've read and talked to people about I can pay as little or much as I like for accommodation. My savings plan should give me enough to live pretty reasonably with a nice buffer for those unexpected costs.



Cornwall bimblings...

Brown Willy summit, Rough Tor in the background.

Although I seem to have been living at work recently, I did manage to get a couple of days off to go and meet the family in Boscastle. Whilst I was up there I had a walk up to the highest point in Cornwall; Brown Willy. Its only 420m, but in the relatively flat Cornish landscape it gives quite an impressive view. Or it would do if it wasn't misty. Still, I'm glad I finally got to do it. Seems ridiculous it's taken me this long considering I've been visiting Cornwall for about 12 years and living here for 4!



One observation I made when we got to the top. People like putting bunting on summits!

Left: Brown Willy, Right: Everest. Photo from http://www.vmeverest09.com/2009/06/08/the-summit-push-2-%E2%80%93-all-the-pictures/ check it out, there are some cool photos on there from their '09 Everest expedition.

More reviews and stuff coming soon...

The stove and hammock in action! Looking forward to using them both properly next year!
The review for the Woodgas stove is on the 'kit talk' page. I'll get one of the hammock done as well, now that I've had the opportunity to use it a bit more.

I eventually hope to do a video going over all of my gear, once I've gathered everything together. This should hopefully be done by the end of this year. Stay tuned! (or the equivalent of)

Inspirational stuff

This year Chris Gallaway has been NOBO thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, recording the whole thing in film and photos to make one awesome series of short documentaries. Congratulations to him for summiting Katahdin on the 3rd September! His journey has been particularly challenging. Not only has it taken him longer than average; given the extra equipment he was carrying and recording he did along the way, and the harsh weather experienced with the early start; he has dealt with a personal tradgedy yet still managed to accomplish what 70% of aspiring hikers do not.

His story, 'The Long Start To The Journey' can be found via Osprey Packs website. Its inspiring stuff, definitely worth a look!

http://thelongstarttothejourney.com

I met Leo Houlding!!

Leo Houlding came to Cotswold Outdoor Truro to present the first of his series of lectures he will be doing up and down the country over the next few months. It was an awesome night, truly awe-inspiring stuff! He chatted about all of his major trips, especially his most recent ascent of Ulvetanna which was made into to a film by Alastair Lee called 'The Last Great Climb', due to be released in November. Looking forward to that one! The stuff he's done almost makes the AT look easy... :)

Training, sort of...

I've been keeping myself pretty busy over the last few weeks. I've spent most day when I'm not at work doing little day hikes or climbing down at the local crag. I'm not 'training' with the specific aim of getting super trail fit, although the more active I can stay, the better my core strength and aerobic fitness, the easier I figure those first couple of weeks of breaking myself into the trail will be.

A couple of weeks ago I managed an overnight trip from Truro, down to the south Cornwall Coast to Portscatho, and around the Roseland Peninsula via St Just in Roseland to St Mawes. The trip was about 30 miles in total with some good hills, and I was very generous with the kit I took so was carrying near AT weight.

 

 

Overall it felt pretty good! Despite the fact I hadn't been out for a while and it was hot, humid weather, I made good time and the mileage felt comfortable. The kit performed like a dream: The hammock went up as easy as ever and I had none of the problems I have had with the stove.

I should hopefully get another weekend or two in this side of Christmas. I'm thinking a trip up on Dartmoor in wintery conditions could be fun!