TGO Challenge, Wild, Wet, Windy & Wintry.

Fort Augustus. May 16. Rain. The 7th day of the Challenge. There has not been one wholly dry day or night but there have been gloriously sunny moments with the freshly snow clad hills sparkling. My camps have been good too, three in woods, squeezed in between spring birches and sombre pines. Of the two on open exposed sites on only one was it very windy and my shelter coped well. That was the night before the day of ferocious winds and continuous rain when I was nearly blown off my feet on a low level route. Then came the cold front backlash and a day of hail and snow and kicking steps over Toll Creagach in head high spindrift. Next comes a two day crossing of the Monash Liath. The forecast is for rain.
My equipment has held up, all except my high-tech airbed, which burst internally, leading to a rather disturbing and unusable bulbous end. After two uncomfortable nights I have replaced it with a cheap thin foam mat. At least this can't burst.

TGO Challenge 2012

Camp in Glen Quoich on the TGO Challenge 2009

In just over eight hours I'll be heading to Torridon in the Northwest Highlands for the start of the 33rd TGO Challenge backpacking hike across the Scottish Highlands. It'll be my 14th Challenge and my first since 2009. This year my route wanders over the Achnashellach, Strathfarrar, Mullardoch and Glen Affric hills to my first resupply point at Fort Augustus. I'll need six days supplies for this section but after that I'll not need more than three days worth at a time as I cross the Monadh Liath to Newtonmore and Kingussie and then the Cairngorms to Braemar and Ballater with a finish over Mount Keen and Mount Battock to Stonehaven.

There are 33 Munros on the route plus a handful of lower hills. How many of these I actually climb will depend largely on the weather. And the forecast is not good. Tomorrow the current stormy weather is meant to slowly clear, giving a fine afternoon and evening, which is when I'll be walking. Saturday looks good too. Then it all changes. On Sunday heavy rain and winds gusting to 80mph at 900 metres are forecast and the storms are predicted to continue through the next few days. On the summits the rain could be snow. And after that? The long range forecast is for more storms. Long range forecasts are notoriously unreliable. I am really hoping this one lives up to that.

The forecast is for it to be unseasonably cold too. With that plus the rain, snow and wind in mind I've modified my inital gear list, adding a warmer insulated jacket, a heavier waterproof jacket, long johns, overmitts, a second pair of spare socks. That's added a kilo or so to my load. With the initial six days supplies it's quite heavy at 18kg, including my cameras and tripod. I had hoped to carry less but I also don't want to be cold or wet. Balancing comfort with weight is part of the skill of backpacking.

I'll be reporting in TGO on the gear I use. Interesting items include the Mountain Laurel Designs silnylon Trailstar tarp with OookWorks OookTub groundsheet, Berghaus Mount Asgard Hybrid water-resistant down/Primaloft jacket and Westcomb Apoc Neoshell jacket. My pack is the old-style GoLite Quest and my stove the Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri, both veterans of my Pacific Northwest Trail hike. I don't think I'll be using wood as fuel that often on this trip though.

Now there's just time for some sleep before I leave. If I can get a connection and have time I may post during the walk. Otherwise I'll let you know how it went when I return.

Book Review: The Natural Explorer by Tristan Gooley

Tristan Gooley’s follow-up to the successful The Natural Navigator is subtitled Understanding Your Landscape and that’s what the book is about, if you take “landscape” in its widest context to include culture and philosophy as well as actual land. The author’s intention is to encourage travellers to be inquisitive about where they are in all its aspects, an intention which I happily endorse. Curiosity is an invaluable trait.

Whilst there are references to many explorers three nineteenth century ones run through the book, linked by their interest in everything they saw – Alexander Humbolt who explored South America from 1799 to 1804, Ludwig Leichhardt who explored north-east Australia from 1844-45 and Charles Darwin, who went round the world from 1831-36 (I recently read Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle, an interesting and thought-provoking book).

Aspects of the natural world – plants, mountains, coasts, ice, animals, sky, weather and more – make up almost half the book, after which the author ranges widely, covering subjects from cities and worldly goods to beauty, inner time and mood, and imagination and wonder. In all twenty-nine topics are covered, with facts and ideas crammed in, which does give a rather breathless feel to the text in places. Mountains are covered in just twelve pages, rivers in thirteen and time in fifteen. As the information rushes past, the facts piling on top of each other, it’s easy to lose track of much of it. For that reason I think this is a book to read slowly or to dip into now and then, leaving time to ponder and digest.

Inevitably in a book that covers so much so briefly there are some misleading simplifications (the description of the difference between the theories of Lamarck and Darwin is one) and some partial or dubious statements (pre-dawn starts for mountain ascents are not usually to reach the summit for the best views before clouds sweep in – avoiding avalanches and thunderstorms is usually more important!). I don’t think these matter though – in a book so stuffed full there are bound to be some errors. The whole point of the book is to encourage enquiry anyway. Go out and check!

Although designed to cover all types of journeys I think this book is particularly relevant to walkers. Walking is the right speed to see, contemplate and learn about landscapes. This book will help you do so.

May Day Ski Tour

On the summit of Ben Macdui

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter has come late, very late, to the Cairngorms. After months of mild, even hot, weather with much rain, light winds and only occasional snow that never lasted long the end of April brought heavy snow to the tops and frosty nights to ensure it has lasted. At last there was a chance to undertake my favourite ski tour, across the Cairngorm Plateau to Ben Macdui. I usually do this tour at least once every season. This year had looked like being the exception. However on May Day I set off up the mountain, only needing to carry my skis for the first twenty minutes or so. Then it was onto the snow.*

Stob Coire an t-Sneachda

And what snow! A complete deep cover stretching unbroken right across to Ben Macdui. High in the sky the hot sun shown down making the snow brighter and sharper than it appears earlier in the year. The sky was a deep alpine blue.**  Rarely do the hills look like this as such extensive snow cover is highly unusual this late in the spring. 

View across the Plateau to Cairn Gorm

The skiing to Ben Macdui was delightful, the spring snow being slick and fast so the skis slid easily across it. Several other skiers were out enjoying the magical conditions plus one pair of walkers. Looking at the deep holes their boots made in the snow I was glad of the freedom of my skis. Swooping and gliding rather than trudging and stumbling.

Across the Lairig Ghru pass the great peaks of Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Sgor an Lochain Uaine were all shining in the sun, white with snow. Looking west from Ben Macdui the farther hills appeared more snow free. Only south and east did they look as white. I sat on the summit in the sunshine watching a snow bunting pecking round for food scraps. Usually any stop here in the snow requires bundling up in insulated clothing. This time a light jacket to fend off the occasional cool gust of wind was all I needed. Sunscreen and dark glasses were more important equipment than warm clothing.

Cairn Toul and Sgor an Lochain Uaine

Back across the Plateau I crossed the shoulder of Cairn Lochan and had the best downhill skiing of the day, down lovely smooth slopes into the head of Lurcher’s Gully before linking the last patches of snow until finally I had to remove my skis for the last quarter of an hour. Above the mountains glistened. A perfect mountain day. A perfect May Day.

*Note for skiers. I used climbing skins for the ascent to the Plateau and then Swix Red Special grip wax, which worked perfectly, for the rest of the tour.

** Note for photographers. The sky really was that blue. No polarising filter was used nor have I boosted the saturation in editing software.

Bothy Talk on BBC Landward

Not the bothy in the programme!

A few weeks ago I spent a night in a bothy for the Landward programme on BBC2. I chatted to Dougie Vipond about various bothy experiences and was filmed sitting by the fire and being asleep in my sleeping bag! The programe itself goes out this Friday at 7.00p.m. on BBC2 Scotland, after which it will be available on BBC iPlayer for the next week. I'll be interested to see which of my stories are broadcast!

A Trip to Wales: the Berwyn Range and Llangollen Hills

The summit of Y Foel with the Berwyn range on the horizon

 

Some of my first hillwalking was in Wales, on school trips to Snowdonia, and later I was at college in Lampeter and explored the Pumlumon hills and climbed Cadair Idris. I’ve walking in the Black Mountains too and the Brecon Beacons. However I’d never been hillwalking in the steep country of north-east Wales around the attractive little town of Llangollen. Some old friends having moved to the area I visited it recently and was surprised and delighted at the ruggedness, steepness and height of the hills. This is splendidly complex country; a wonderful tangle of winding rivers, moorland hills, limestone escarpments and beautiful woods.

While staying with my friends I climbed three of the local hills; two of them easy short ascents, one a real mountain day. Firstly Denise and I with our friend Alain went up a gentle little moorland hill called Y Foel. Only 522 metres high and no more than an easy stroll this top still has a rough stony summit that gives it the feel of a bigger hill plus spreading views in every direction, views enhanced on my visit by the wild skies and racing clouds. Squalls could be seen sweeping across nearby hills and we were glad to be back down before the rain came.

Cadair Berwyn

The big hills in this area make up the Berwyn range, a long moorland ridge with some big craggy corries (or rather cwms as this is Wales) on its eastern edge and a high point of 830 metres on Cadair Berwyn. On the southern side of the range is the great waterfall of Pistyll Rhaedr, at 80 metres the highest in Wales and England, which crashes dramatically down a wooded gorge. There’s a car park here and a good café. After fortifying ourselves with coffee and cake (it was raining) Alain and I set off into Cwm Nant Y Llyn, bracing ourselves against the keen wind and heavy showers. Ahead dark clouds were ripping across the hidden summits. As we climbed the wind strengthened and I wondered if we’d make the tops. Suddenly below us the dark waters of Llyn Lluncaws appeared, tucked into a rugged bowl. Two tents were pitched on the far shore, a fine wild site.

On the ridge above the little lake the rain turned to sleet and hail and gusts of wind threatened to blow us over. Struggling on we reached the gentler slopes of Moel Sych where, surprisingly, the wind was less strong. In thick mist now we followed the edge of the crags to the summit of Cadair Berwyn then turned to cross Moel Sych and descend a long heather and bog broad ridge back to Pistyll Rhaedr. As we dropped down the clouds began to lift and there was even a touch of sunshine. Behind us we could see the hills we’d climbed.

Castell Dinas Bran

Two days later Alain and I walked down through the woods from his house to Llangollen. Across the valley we could see the ragged ruins of an old castle on a steep hilltop. This is Castell Dinas Bran, a medieval castle that commands an extensive view on all sides. From afar the jagged crown of stones reminded me of Amon Sul in the film of J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, where the Black Riders attack the Hobbits, which has a similar ruin on its summit. From the town we climbed the steep grassy slopes to the summit and admired the remnants of the castle and the tremendous vista on all sides. Looking down the Dee valley to the flatlands of England it was clear that an approaching army would be seen many miles away.

I have to admit I didn’t know the country round Llangollen was so rugged or interesting. I feel I have discovered a new outdoor world. I’ll be back.

Robert Saunders - Tent Maker

I was saddened to hear recently of the death of Robert Saunders, one of the pioneers of modern lightweight tent design. Back in the 1970s he was the first British tent maker to design lightweight nylon tents suitable for backpacking. My first proper backpacking tent was a Saunders Backpacker II, a tapered ridge tent with a thin breathable nylon inner and a large porch that weighed around 2kg. It pitched flysheet first and stood up to some wild weather on a Pennine Way walk one April, my first walk longer than a weekend. As the 'II' suggests it was designed for two people. There was a smaller Backpacker I but I've always preferred roomy shelters and the weight of the II was hardly prohibitive for solo use.

The Backpacker tents tapered ridge design has remained a functional one every since and has been given a new lease of life with the popularity of trekking poles, which were unheard of when Bob Saunders came up with it. The tent I used on the Pacific Northwest Trail in 2010, over 30 years after my Pennine Way walk, was nearly identical to my old Backpacker II. Good designs remain good designs.

The Backpacker tents were made with polyurethane coated nylon that eventually stiffened and cracked, meaning tents had a relatively short life (it was far inferior to today's PU coated nylon but all that was available). Dissatisifed with this material Bob Saunders was on the look out for something better. He found it too. At a trade show sometime in the 1980s I remember him showing me some new tent material. "Go on, tear that", he said. I couldn't. He handed me a piece of heavier PU coated nylon. It tore easily. The new fabric was silicone nylon, then unknown to UK backpackers. Soon Bob had a range of tents made from this innovative new material, with the lighter Jetpacker replacing the Backpacker. The Jetpacker was his lightest tent but more popular was his roomy single hoop Spacepacker, the first single hoop design to appear. Silnylon tent fabrics and single hoop designs are common now. Back then they were revolutionary.

Through the 1970s and 80s Saunders was one of the names in lightweight tents. Bob also supported the then new Backpacker's Club, advertising regularly in the club journal and turning up at AGMs with a display of tents. He also founded the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon, which I took part in several times in the 1980s and which is still run today.

Robert Saunders Tents ceased trading a few years ago. Now Robert himself has gone, at the grand old age of 82. His name and designs should live on in the history of backpacking and lightweight camping equipment. He really did make a difference.

I am pleased to see other reminiscences and obituaries elsewhere on the web - see My Outdoors, Outdoors Magic, The Outdoor Warehouse.