'A joy to read' Andy Howell reviews Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles.

Anyd Howell has given my Pacific Crest Trail book an excellent lengthy review on his Must Be This Way site. Here's the link.

In the review Andy says 'this is a very fine book indeed. When reviewing Chris’ recent Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams (I think it was) put forward the view that Chris’ writing is just getting better and better. Rattlesnakes confirms this.'

Spirit of Kinder comes to Edale

On April 25 I'll be talking at the Spirit of Kinder in Edale along with several others. Here's a press release on the event:

The Scottish model of free access to the countryside will be explored at the third annual Spirit of Kinder event, celebrating Kinder Scout and the Dark Peak moors, when it comes to Edale on Saturday, April 25.

Taking place just 12 days before the General Election, the event will also celebrate 50 years of the opening of the Pennine Way. It is being organised by the Kinder & High Peak Advisory Committee (KHPAC) and will be held at Edale Village Hall starting at 2 pm.

KHPAC chairman Terry Howard said: “Although we have achieved access to open country through the CROW Act, the legacy of the Mass Trespass remains at risk. We still haven’t yet achieved everything we want, so we must carry on with no let-up.

“That’s why we’ve invited two access campaigners from Scotland who will explain how the Scottish Land Reform Act works north of the Border. We believe that is the model we should be aiming for.”

The keynote speakers will be Chris Townsend, the British Mountaineering Council’s hill-walking ambassador, and Dave Morris, former director of Ramblers Scotland. Chris Sainty, chairman of the Pennine Way Association, will reflect on its 50th anniversary, and Ann Beedham, Sheffield author and illustrator, will give an illustrated talk on walking in the Peak in the 1920s.

Representatives of the Woodcraft Folk will then lead the traditional singing of The Manchester Rambler and finally, there will be an open forum on future access provision.

Admission to the Spirit of Kinder Day is free and all are welcome, but as space in the hall is limited, people are advised to arrive early. We are encouraging people to use public transport. Trains run to Edale from Manchester, Stockport and Sheffield.

Complementary events celebrating the Pennine Way anniversary are being held on April 25 by the Peak District National Park Authority at the Moorland Centre, Edale, including Ranger-led walks on Sunday, April 26. 

Among the organisations expected to attend are the Ramblers; Sheffield Campaign for Access to Moorland; Peak & Northern Footpaths Society; British Mountaineering Council; the National Trust; Peak District National Park Authority; Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation; the Sheffield Moors Partnership and Friends of the Peak District (CPRE).

Winter returns to the Cairngorms

Cairn Gorm stormbound

This morning a layer of white covered the ground in Strathspey and the sky was a swirling mass of cloud. Bursts of sunshine melted the snow at this level - 300 metres - but higher up the snow is lying. In the distance the Northern Cairngorms are hidden in the storm.

A walk in the fields and woods meant bundling up against the strong and cold blustery north-west wind. Savage squalls of rain, sleet, hail and snow blasted in at regular intervals. Flocks of chaffinches flew low over the ground, barely inches above the grass, while high above lapwings and rooks were whirled about in the wind. To take photographs I wedged myself against trees and fence posts or crouched against boulders.

A squall passes over

Snow is forecast for Cairn Gorm for the next three days. Winter has returned to the Cairngorms

Building an Igloo indoors.

I recently spent an unusual day down in Glasgow at the Snow Factor indoor snow slope to see if it was possible to build an igloo indoors using manufactured snow. This was for a proposed slot in a BBC children's programme. When the BBC first approached me I had to admit that I had no idea if it could be done as I'd never even been in an indoor snow sports place and knew nothing about what the snow would be like. So to find out I loaded the IceBox igloo-making tool in a pack and headed off on the train south.

The snow I discovered had a rather grainy sand-like quality and a dull finish with none of the brightness of the real thing. The nearest type of real snow would be wind-blown compacted powder. That wouldn't be my first choice for igloo building but it's not the worst type of snow either. Squeezed handfuls of snow made wet lumps so compressing it in the IceBox would, I hoped, provide stable blocks. And it did. Slowly. Once the first blocks were made I felt pretty certain an igloo could be built and once I'd started on the second layer and deliberately angled the blocks too much to see if they'd stay in place I was certain. After one and a half layers we stopped, the test complete.

Building an igloo in an indoor snow resort was a strange experience. The place itself resembles a large warehouse but with pictures of Scotland's actual ski resorts and trees and snow on the walls to remind you of the outdoors. Skiers and snowboarders and sledgers whizzed past our little fenced off corner and at times loud music bounced off the walls. Bright lights illuminated the windowless cavern. Concentrating on making the igloo I could ignore all this but whenever I stopped to look around it did seem quite surreal. When we wanted a break and a hot drink and a snack there was no need to get out the stove or dig a sheltered spot out of the wind. We just went up to the excellent cafe overlooking the slopes. I know which I'd prefer but if you're going to be building an igloo indoors you might as well have some luxury to go with the experience.

The Cairngorms At Their Most Magnificent.

Sunset from Ben Macdui

Spring in the Cairngorms can bring alpine-like conditions with bright intense light as the sunshine reflects off the snowfields. The clarity can be startling with distant white peaks etched sharp against a deep blue sky. That’s how it’s been this week as high pressure has brought settled conditions for the first time this year.

View back across the Cairngorm Plateau to Cairn Gorm

A high camp, possibly the last on snow until next winter, seemed a good idea so late one afternoon I headed across the Cairngorm Plateau to Ben Macdui. The mountains were split between winter and summer, half almost bare of snow with the rocks glowing warmly in the sunshine, half still covered with a sheet of white. After a day of hot sun the snow was soft and easy to cross though I did sink in rather far on occasion. There was no need for ice axe or crampons though. Not today.

Sunset over Braeriach

 

The sun was just touching the horizon as I reached Ben Macdui. A couple were camped right next to the summit cairn, with their stove set up in its stones. I wandered west to my usual viewpoint overlooking the great gash of the Lairig Ghru. The sun was setting behind Braeriach, the low clouds above the mountains an intense mix of orange, yellow and red, the snow on the hills tinged with pink. I sat and watched as the sky darkened and the colours grew deeper and richer before starting to fade as the dark blue of the night sky began to dominate.

Camp beneath the moon

 

Turning away I descended a short distance east of the summit and pitched my tent on a vast open snowfield under a vast starry sky. A bright almost-full moon rose in the east. There was no wind and the temperature hovered just above zero. For once there was no need to shelter in the tent and I stayed outside watching the sky. It was a perfect evening.

Sunrise

Dawn came with a red sunrise and a pink cast on the snow. A chill wind now swept the snowfields and I stayed in the tent for breakfast, taking photographs out of the door.

Dawn view from the tent

 

As the sun strengthened and the day grew a little warmer I packed up and set off for the Lairig Ghru. Once across the shoulder of Ben Macdui I descended by the Allt Clach nan Taillear – the Tailor’s Burn. The soft snow of the previous day had gone, frozen hard overnight and I needed crampons and ice axe on the steep upper slopes. Across the Lairig Ghru the great mountains shone in the new daylight.

In the Lairig Ghru

 

Long before I reached the floor of the Lairig Ghru I left the snow for deep heather that made for awkward and unstable walking. I was glad to reach the path and turn northwards to follow the headwaters of the River Dee, sparkling in the sun and racing down full of snowmelt, up to the half-frozen and silent Pools of Dee. Crossing the high point of the pass I noticed avalanche debris below the big cornices on the edge of Sron na Lairig.

Then it was through the rocky ravine of the Chalamain Gap and back below the Northern Corries to Corrie Cas and my car. I’d been out just over twenty-four hours. Twenty-four magnificent hours.

Camp below the stars

The Great Outdoors Latest Issue: Waterproof Jacket for £100 or less, when does spring begin?

An igloo on the Moine Mhor in the Cairngorms, mid-April, 2014

The May issue of The Great Outdoors has just appeared. My gear piece is a review of eleven waterproof jackets costing £100 or less. Can you get an adequate jacket in this price range? Yes, you can, and a few are really good for backpacking. Which ones? Read the review to find out! In my backpacking column I look at the start of spring, or rather the wide range of dates over which it starts depending on location, altitude and weather.

This issue is described as the Backpacking Issue. To that end there's a big feature on backpacking 1000 miles right round Wales via the coast and the Offa's Dyke Path by new TGO Editorial Assistant Will Renwick along with his suggestions of the best places, wildlife, castles, pubs and more. Carey Davies has an overnight walk in the fells east of Ullswater while Mark Waring goes much farther afield and spends ten days backpacking on the Arctic island of Svalbard (a fantastic place where I once led a ski tour - it's the farthest north I've ever been - and for the only time ever carried rifle, as Mark does, in case of an encounter with a polar bear).

Also in this issue Jessica Traditi looks at whether Everest has become too commercialised, Ed Byrne takes an outdoors first aid course, Robert Mercer photographs the island of Handa, Carey Davies is depressed by the 'renaming' of Malham Cove, Roger Smith wonders why our natural treasures are accorded such a low value, and Jim Perrin praises Colin Kirkus' 1941 classic Let's Go Climbing. In the Gear pages Daniel Neilson reviews and likes the chunky-looking Hoka One One Mafete Speed shoes and Kirk Watson tries seven mountaineering tents.

This is also the last issue under the guidance of Acting Editor Daniel Neilson who is standing down on the return from maternity leave of Editor Emily Rodway. Daniel says he will still be writing for TGO, which is good. Daniel has done a great job in my opinion and it's been good working with him.

Looking at some tents

I spent the afternoon pitching, looking at and thinking about some new backpacking tents in preparation for a review that'll appear in The Great Outdoors in a few months. It's always interesting trying several at a time and seeing how they compare in design, space and ease of pitching. Now I'll leave them up for a few days and see how they deal with the weather. It's raining tonight.