Running on empty.............

There was a slight hint that things might not go as planned - my Neoair burst and deflated, leaving me trying to sleep on Louise's lounge floor......I replaced it on Thursday morning in Inverness before we caught the train to our start points. I bought a Vango Ultralite self-inflating mat - thankfully it is quite comfortable and seems much tougher than the blow-up neoair - also much cheaper!

This is not going to be an account of the few days of Challenge 2012 which I managed to complete but more a reflection of why it all went so badly wrong and why I was very relieved to find myself on the bus home late on Tuesday afternoon......

After the sleeping mat incident things settled and I enjoyed the first couple of days walking to Kinloch Hourn and beyond. The Granite Gear rucksack was exceptionally comfortable to carry and didn't seem too heavy. I didn't miss a top pocket as the OMM chest-pouch was a great substitute. It enabled me to access my small bits and bobs without having to take off my rucksack. The Keen boots were grippy, comfortable and supportive.

The ground was wet, well, saturated, with water standing in pools everywhere and any burns I had to cross were full and fast. A dry wild camp site proved difficult to find on the first night so I eventually went with two other Challengers right down to Kinloch Hourn and camped in late evening sunshine just before the bridge, this made my day a lot longer than I had planned.

I stopped short on the second evening, realising that a crossing of the River Loyne might just be too difficult for me on my own. The sky seemed dark and threatening, with occasional squally showers. A passing Challenger told me the weather forecast - heavy rain and a south-westerly gale, maybe gusting over 80 mph.
The pitch I chose at the old Altbeithe cottage was as sheltered as I could find.

By 5 am all hell was breaking loose - and I spent two hours listening to the wind howling like some pre-historic beast and trying to tear the tent out of the ground. After packing up inside the tent, eating a cold breakfast, there was a lull so I finally went outside, foolishly losing my concentration and the wind succeeded in taking the tent....I'll never forget how it flew up, kite-like, still complete, and was carried over the barbed wire fence and up the hill away from me. There was some very bad language.........................

I haven't run up hill for a long time but fuelled by adrenalin and panic - I set off.  Ploughing upwards through bog, tussocks, dips, mounds and hollows I would almost reach the tent when the wind would take it off again. A last effort found me climbing a waterfall and finding, resting in a small river gorge, my tent, still assembled, waiting for me........

Getting back down, grimly clutching the tent, I was knocked off my feet several times by the gale but finally made it to the house. Three other Challengers had come to meet me, realising what was happening but not being able to see me, and helped me fold the tent and finish packing up. The next few hours we all struggled along the road, fully exposed to the terrible gusts of wind and monsoon-like rain. Even the Paramo gave up, my feet were completely soaked, and I could hardly see through my wet and steamed up glasses. Stopping for food or drink or respite was not an option.

The walking on Monday was hard going. My feet were badly damaged by a day spent walking in water-filled boots. A mistake in my route made it necessary to almost double back to Invergarry leaving me the endless canal-side walk into Fort Augustus. I arrived at 9 pm, foot-sore, and too hungry to eat any supper.

Struggling up the road in the morning, eventually reaching Loch Tarff, being hit in the face by a heavy shower of sleet, hail and snow - I asked myself a simple question. Are you enjoying this? And another, are you looking forward to the next few days' walking?

The answer to both these questions was an emphatic NO!

I went back to Fort Augustus and caught the bus............

Why did this happen? I have thought about it.....

I allowed myself to get too tired...My mental and physical tanks were emptied by the frantic race to retrieve the tent......I made a bad decision about following my route in bad circumstances  despite there being an easier alternative....I didn't eat or drink properly nor rest enough.....I should have stopped before I had to walk the canal tow path and done that the next day....I should have put on my gaiters and waterproof socks before walking in the storm....If I'd carried my bothy-bag could I have sheltered inside it?.......I should have waterproofed the OMM chest-pouch more carefully as everything inside it was soaked through.....I could have sprayed the rucksack too, so that losing the use of the pack cover (it was too windy to keep it on) didn't have such consequences (a wet rucksack is surprisingly heavy!)......and so on.....

I did feel that I was putting myself in danger by carrying on, so, although the decision was hard, I still believe it was wise........

Last minute.......................

{Alnmouth beach}

Another week in Alnmouth but as you can see from the photo above, not such good weather this time - though to be fair I only got wet once!

The sea was quite rough at times - a trip to see the puffins on the Farne Islands had to be cancelled. I was rather relieved about that really, sailing is not my thing - it's the smell of the marine diesel........

{The body of a gannet on the beach possibly killed by the strong wind overnight}

One of the walks took me to Wooler where I visited 'Gear for Girls' in the high street. There I couldn't resist the temptation of buying a new pair of boots - Keen Glarus. They're going to become my 'serious' boots - starting with the Challenge in a few days time. The other Keen pair that I have - the Pyrenees - did me good service but the sole is rather worn and they've become generally rather soft. I'm thinking about some of the underfoot conditions I may encounter as I make my way across Scotland!

{Keen Glarus - my new boots}

This will only be a short post as I'm still struggling to pack everything into my rucksack. There is rather a large bag of food (which will diminish as the days pass) and I'm having to take an extra jacket in case it's cold when camping......

{TGO Challenge kit laid out on the spare bed - but will it all go in the rucksack?}

I'm not going to put out a kit list - it's all the usual stuff - as you can see. No matter how hard I try I can't get under 10  kg. Now I'm at the stage of not being able to cut it down any further especially as the weather forecast is not terribly favourable.......... 

Snot.............and more snow!

I've spent the last few days wishing I could get out and about but feeling a bit grotty with the snottiest, yukiest cold I've had for a long time. Probably caught from my grand-daughter on last week's trip to Yorkshire.

In fact we only got back through the snow and ice because we have a 4 wheel drive VW van and plenty of experience of travelling in these kind of conditions. We couldn't get over the A66 nor Glenshee as the roads were closed, so it was a long journey. John drove steadily and carefully all the way - well done!

We have had a couple of days when it was not too bad over-head and I've been able to take some interesting snowy photos.

{Bridge over the Dee}

As I said before, the garden is under at least 2 foot of snow. Not the usual heavy wet stuff, but proper lightweight fluffy snow, the kind you can't use to make snowmen! There's been no satellite TV either, as the dish is frozen up behind some huge icicles. There are some of these icicles hanging dangerously above the front door, as the postman pointed out to me this morning.

The roads are much clearer today and the local school is back in action. But until my snot clears a bit I think I'll stay close to home.

Just a note that the Keen walking boots I'm enjoying wearing so much, are very grippy on the snow and warm too. However, my winter trousers, Berghaus Cascade, need a pair of good leggings underneath to keep out the cold.

{Strange fence posts at Balmoral}

My first time...........

......looking for a geocache!

I discovered there was one in the wood behind us here so I joined and found out the co-ordinates.

Setting off between the heavy showers this morning I spent about half an hour trampling about in the undergrowth - falling in bramble bushes and fighting my way through bracken taller than me. I have several large scratches (first lesson learned, never do this in shorts!) despite wearing some old jeans. I've also got a few itchy bites from the insects in the wood BUT I found the illusive plastic box. I opened it and was genuinely surprised to find a motley collection of broken key rings, badges and toy cars as well as a small damp notebook to sign (which I did). I left my little Ikea pencil in the box.

As an interesting aside I also wore my new Keen boots. This was their first outing in wet grass and muddy puddles and although my legs were wet my feet were not. I'm liking these boots more and more...........

Rosie (who came with me) thought I had gone completely mad and kept nudging me with her nose and barging me to get a move on. Easy for her, she could run under the bracken. I decided not to try that.

There are another couple of caches hidden in this area so I might take a look for those in the next couple of days.

First impressions..........

My new Keen boots arrived today. I had been at my grandson's Sports Day so I didn't find them until 4 pm.

{Keen Pyrenees out of the box}

The caption to the photo isn't quite true as I took the picture after I had worn the boots the rest of the afternoon indoors and then to walk the dog in the woods for about 45 minutes. When I came back I decided to take out the insoles which came with the boots and put in a pair of Berry Superfeet. I'm going to give these a try tomorrow. 

As I took them out of the box several things struck me. The boots are not too heavy, the leather round the ankle and on the integral tongue is softly padded, the boot itself appears to be made of sturdy leather which may take a bit of wearing in, the sole has very deep luggs, the rubber rand toepiece is quite large and they look HUGE! 

However, as I actually put them on I realised they were not TOO big. There's the expected extra room both width wise and length wise for my toes. The heels fit well and as I walk don't lift at all. The laces are a good length so it will be easy to lace them without struggling to tie them off (this is an issue with the AKU boots I've been using recently). I can walk without 'clumping' my foot to the ground. They feel quite light on the feet.

{Comparing the shape of the toe box - on the left my AKU boot and KEEN on the right}

I plan to wear them around the house and garden again tomorrow, then on Sunday try a shortish walk somewhere a bit hilly. There is an Event liner rather than Goretex. Printed on the liner it says 'Keen Dry' and 'Guaranteed waterproof' which I will obviously have to put to the test! I'll also have to research how best to clean them and how to treat the leather.

But so far so good........................

Why? Oh Why?................................

Not looking for the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything but just to the following small questions...................................

Why put the snowchains on the car when the road is black?

Why do even the cheapest walking poles now have to have springs inside?

Why do French drivers not indicate at roundabouts?

Why do all French shops, and even the Tourist Information Centre, continue to be closed on Sundays?

Why do I keep losing my toenails, despite changing the make of boots and trying different socks?


I'm sure there are more questions like these...............................


If there are any answers please let me know.............................