Saturday 6 April 2013

Still freezing

Subzero? Time for some wild camping


So what's the opposite of Glamping? This must come close.

After 3 weeks of making lists, I packed up at 10pm Friday night for an impromptu camping trip. Reading @Al_Humphrey's blog on microadventures gave me the drive to get out for the night & freeze under the stars. Turned out the temp dropped to -4C, tho with a decent 3 season bag and wrapped in many layers, it turned out toasty warm.

I took an old 35l rucksack which was perfect for speedy walking, though planning on getting an innov8 running pack to cut down on weight. I already have the kit list planned out (I actually have around 20 kit lists for varying treks & conditions.. saves faffing if you decide to go last minute), but the only way to see what really works is to get out & try it. I have plans for some long weekends across the welsh hills testing various kit combos, which I'm looking forward to. A whole summer of adventures !

One of my major considerations is weight. I have already aggravated the shin-splints by jogging with a heavy pack and the less I carry, the easier the run will be. Actually, scrub that "easy" in there.. I'm under no illusions that any of this will be a jog in the park, but with proper prep, it may just be possible.

As part of the research I've also been following anyone I can that is walking or jogging e2e.. and there are amazingly few people out there who aren't cycling. I came across a former record holder Sharon Gayter who set the women's record in 2006, subsequently broken by Mimi Anderson in 2008* covering 840 miles in 12 days 15 hrs and 46 mins. The Men's record is currently held by Andy Rivett who ran 875 miles in 9 days 2h 26min in 2002.

Time for Morrisons Pasties, bought warm this morning on the way back home, a cup of coffee & a browse of the Sat papers online.

*Mark's interview with Mimi is a pretty good insight into the mindset of the ultra-distance runner.

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