Defining your moments.

Think back over your life and I’m sure you’ll have lots of memories you can call on. Your first girlfriend (or boyfriend), The first time you bought beer in a pub, your children being born and the first time you.. umm.. Well, you get the idea.

How often do you know in that instant that you’ll remember it forever?

When you think about it, your defining moments were usually chaotic, emotional times and you were so busy doing whatever it was, you just didn’t realise it for what it was.

 

I know what you’re gonna say… But just think about it for a moment.

When my first was born, people said beforehand that I would never forget seeing him for the first time and that’s true… But I didn’t think “I’m gonna remember this forever” at the time.. I was too busy counting toes, checking the missus was ok and generally worrying, to have the realisation right then and there..

It’s a bit like realising you are dreaming, while you are dreaming.. Or knowing, just as the ball leaves your foot, that it’s going to be a goal.. It just doesn’t happen very often.

 

I’ve had a few of these moments though.

I was on the top of Bleaklow one one such occasion almost a year ago. I can still feel the wind rushing past my face, through my hair and whipping my clothes. At the time, the clean feeling I had bordered on the spiritual. I can’t describe what I felt inside, but right there, at that exact moment, I knew I’d never forget it.. I knew that I’d have that memory for the rest of my life.

Later, that same day, I was sat round a fire with two of my closest friends, drinking wine and swapping stories. Not the normal, down the pub, guess what happened today stuff, but genuinely interesting stories (and I’m aware I sound slightly vomit-worthy).

I hear the music coming from one of the phones, the crackle of the fire, the colour of the wine and the gentle smell of pine as strongly as if it were happening now. It wasn’t just me either. One of my friends commented later on this exact same thing.  (original post here)

 

So why am I telling you this?..

These are not all moments that just happen. Some were created and shaped with planning, foresight and a little luck. A favourite trick of mine is to work out roughly how long the walk will take and set off at a time that means you’ll hit one of the tops at sunset. It won’t happen every time, but when it does fall right, it’ll hit you like a freight train.

(TIP: A GPS is a help here, because it will show your ETA, you can see if you need to pick up the pace a bit, or stop and chill out for a while before carrying on. My Garmin also displays sunrise and set times for your geographical location as well).

So. Boldly go and stretch yourself. Being slightly out of your comfort zone makes normal memories slightly sweeter anyway. With a bit of luck, you’ll realise that you’ve just scored a goal, even while you’re still kicking the ball.

I have never….

 

It’s dark and a couple of hours before dawn. As I roll over I notice there’s a cold spot where my feet are.. I shuffle wondering if rain has somehow found It’s way into the tent. While I’m considering why there’s a chill down by my feet, a wave of nausea washes over me. I lie still, trying not to move my left knee, close my eye’s again and try to drop off as quickly as possible. This is going to be painful in the morning..

 

This is my most eagerly awaited weekend since Christmas. The first camp of the year. Over the last few years, I’ve been spoilt. Calm, clear, cold and snowy. Every single one a beauty. This year was shaping up to be similar, but at the last minute the weather bods can’t make up their minds. Heavy rain, snow, gale force winds, sun.. All were possibilities get thrown at me the week before I leave. The night before I set off, It starts to Hail just before I go to bed.

My mate Jim turns up in the morning and we caught up in the kitchen, having a brew with my good lady, swapping Xmas gifts because we haven’t seen each other for months, discussing whether the weather is going to turn. Paul texts in saying the snow is still falling in Sheffield centre, but he also thinks we’re good to go. The last chance to ditch heavy packs and switch to a car camp with a big tent passes and Jim fiddles with his straps while I kiss the kids bye for the next 24 hours. We set off towards the bus stop when I realise I’ve forgotten something vital.. My Fags.

As we turn round I have a foreboding this camp just isn’t going to go as smoothly as the ones in the past.

 

When our bus rolls into Sheffield station, We have less than four minutes to get to the right stop to meet Paul. While I visit the smallest room, Jim asks the info desk where the bus leaves from. We dodge out to the other side of the Station and we can see Paul bobbing gently with impatience while he convinces the driver, that yes, we are here and he can see us just over there. Never again will I trust that a route planner from the bus company will allow enough time for transfers.

Castleton, is as it always is. Small, large, pretty, beautified honey pot that draws all kinds. Though on this cold, wet, snowy Saturday lunchtime there are few sight-seers. Just a couple of locals and a couple who asked directions to the YHA (so – people are still using them). As we walk from the station, working out the kinks in our legs and having a pleasant smoke, I notice that although the tops of the peaks themselves are in the cloud bottoms, most of the hill is visible. I managed to think all this, get my Etrex GPS on and the route to follow loaded. It’s time to leave the town behind.

The entrance to cave dale Is a narrow passage between two houses. You’ll walk past it If you're not looking for it. As you walk into it, it suddenly opens into a small valley, with Peveril castle peering over the edge.

 

The valley is much steeper than I expected. I thought it would be a nice gentle way up the hill. It’s not STEEP but it’s enough so that by the time we near the top, we have to stop and strip down a layer. We have a pasty and I take off my fleece, meaning that Paul and I are now just in our Base layers and waterproof jackets. It may not have seemed so bad, were it not for the fact that the mist now thickens, meaning the whole world becomes uniform white. It was like one of these 1950’s visions of heaven. Let me tell you. Heaven it ain’t. (The view never got better than on the video you can see on the post before this one). As we head up towards Mam Tor, I notice my heel is feeling hot. Predictably, no one had any plasters, so I re-lace the boot and carry on. By the time we’re level with Mam Tor car park, my heel is on fire. I pulled out the pole I’d brought in case Grindsbrook was iced up and lean heavily on it. As we work up onto the opposite side of the road from Mam Tor, heading towards Rushup edge I manage to twist my knee on my other leg which means both legs now hurt. We push on along the top and thankfully my heel begins to ease off on the flatter sections.

As we cross a Stile, Jim’s phone chimes. This means we have a phone signal. We stop for a bar of chocolate, a sneaky tot of rum and a quick call home to reassure Shani that we aren’t dead. Paul confides he’s happy we’d stopped because he’s getting shooting pains in his thighs.

That was it. With me hobbling along we might have been ok, but if Pauls leg gets any worse the combination could mean we end up stranded, or worse - have the indignity of having to be brought down off the hill.. That’s not happening if I can help it.

I make the decision that we will come down at Chapel Gate, instead of continuing round over brown knoll and down Grindsbrook. We make great time across the top and we’re heading down the valley sides in no time. As we start down, the snow breaks a little and we see the brown of the peat underneath. It’s weird how much you can miss colour.

Darkness falls just as we reach the valley floor and we pick up the road at Barber Booth.

I’m sad that we have cut it short, but I know it’s the right choice, especially given my knee, which had worsened while going down into the valley, now seems to have a metal bar in the joint. Now all there is to do is to cover the last mile or so, pitch the tent and get to the pub!

 

Arriving at Fieldhead campsite I mention that it is much busier on the hills and on the site than in the last few years. While I wonder why this is, we’re struck with another mini catastrophe. Paul has forgotten his sleep mat..

I give him a pair of waterproof trousers and a sit mat he can put under him with the rest of his stuff he’ s going to use to try and help keep him off the floor. Thus braced, we set off for the pub.

 

Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but the result of cutting short the route means that we are in Edale much earlier than we’d expected to be.

The pub was busy, the beer was flowing and the food was hot. Pretty soon we had lost pretty much all judgement, to the point that we started to play drinking games.

I have a video I took of us. I won’t be sharing it, but lets just say, it’s not pretty.

When the Nags throws everyone out we headed back to the tents. in our stupor, it’s decided that a mug of tea is be a capital idea. Finally Jim lets the side down – he hasn’t brought a mug! I brew in the pot and use the lid as a cup, with Jim using the pan side – which isn’t easy to do without burning your lips. this turns out to be just what we wanted, so we make another before we retire for the evening.

 

And this is where we started. I’ve got a damp patch near my feet (which turns out to be condensation), my knee is agony to move and though I’m plastered, I’m starting to sober up. Definitely not the best part of a night.

But the worst part?

 

Paul has to get home to meet his parents, so the slow recovery, followed by a train out of Edale around lunch is replaced with a lurching, headache of a re-pack dashing for a train well before I’m ready too.. Even now, while writing this, the memory is fresh enough to make me feel wretched again.

 

 

And so for the moral of the story?.. Remember to pack your mug…. you might burn your lips otherwise .

It’s the Torch report!

I thought I’d share my experiences with my favourite torches. I’ve used all of these where it counts – out in the hills The only exception is the freebie (more on that later) as I haven’t been walking since I was given it.

From top left: Maglite Solitaire (purple), Key chain LED Lenser, Volvo fleet sales torch, LED Lenser Police tech, Energiser (red), Zippo lighter (for scale) Head torches: Alpkit gamma (Lava) and Decathlon Geonaute.

First off, the Maglite Solitaire. This is a torch many of you will be familiar with. It’s very small and light. It comes in a range of colours and only uses 1x AAA.  There is a spare bulb in the bottom under the battery spring. This is the only torch that does not use LED technology. The Maglite is the dimmest on test. This is the torch of choice for going to the loo in the middle of the night when on a campsite, as the glare won’t wake everyone else on the site up. Battery life is poor as it uses conventional bulbs.

 

Next comes the impressive LED Lenser V2 key ring torch. This is a little larger than the Maglite and also heavier, but it ooze’s quality. The cross hatched grip is perfectly cut, the LED has a silvered mirror wrapped lovingly around it. It’s much nicer to use than the the Maglite and would be adequate as your primary source of light but for the fact that it uses LR44 watch batteries (AG13 for our American friends). Although the batteries do last a long time, for this reason, I’m not sure I’d choose this for the hill. I have carried it as a backup before.

 

 

A bit of a surprise next. This is a torch given to me recently by someone who works for Volvo fleet sales. I’ve mentioned it as it as although it doesn’t look like much, It  has impressed me with just how good it actually is for a freebie, Many of the features are copied from far more expensive torches. It’s made from light alloy, has 9x LED bulbs providing a good beam. The batteries are 3x AAA in a magazine inside the torch.. It is a bit rough and ready. I'm not sure that it’s waterproof, though the lens cover could have a little silicon around the edge and around the on/off switch at the back to waterproof it.. Then I’d be happy to take this into the hills. This was going to be added to the car glove box, but my son swiftly decided it was his. If your local Volvo fleet sales guy can get you one, take it.

 

The LED Lenser Police Tech Focus (Long name!) is the brightest torch I currently use. You can focus or spread the beam like a Maglite. On it’s first outing it totally embarrassed my mates MASSIVE Maglite (the one that takes ‘D’ cells). It is lots smaller, much brighter and far lighter. This is one of my favourite torches. It takes 3x AAA, and runs on those for ages. It’s also over engineered to the same degree as the V^2. The bulb is one single high power LED. This torch feels indestructible. The on/off switch can also be adjusted for perfect balance between flash and on/off. It is however the most expensive here costing around £40

 

 

 

 

 

The Energiser glow stick is supposed to be a bit of fun. I found this in the local supermarket, it’s designed for clubbers and children. It didn’t take long to realise it’s the perfect nightlight for ben, It’s great for marking your tent, It’s also good for use inside the tent when your camp site requires lots of stealth. 

It takes LR44 (I think) and has a single red LED inside. It just twists on/off. The only downside is that it looks like something you might find hidden at the back of a lady’s sock drawer..

 

Next is the Alpkit Gamma. This is what I use when I’m walking in the hills at night. It’s so much easier than carrying a hand torch, It’s bright, but not as bright as the Police Tech. It uses 3x AAA.

It has several lighting modes, Main beam (which is slightly too narrow for my liking), A dimmed main beam (achieved by (very) rapidly switching the beam on and off. This mode annoys me slightly but I notice flickering things, no-one I know has noticed this). It also flashes as an emergency beacon. There are 3x smaller LED’s. White: a dimmer, lower consumption bulb. Red: to preserve night vision. Green: to preserve night vision and allow the contours on a map to stand out (red makes them hard to see or disappear - if you didn’t know).

There is also a ‘bar’ on the back (see pic, above right) that can be set ‘on’ or ‘flashing’ so if you are on the road the cars can see you from further away. There are 3 straps (one removable for over the top of your head) but I didn’t like this and as I don’t run/bike in this, I just took it off.

This torch is not only feature packed, but is very well priced (currently £12.50).

Sadly, as with all head torches, it makes you look like a berk, so I won’t use this on a campsite unless I’ve hiked in.

 

Lastly is the Decathlon Geonaute head torch. This takes 3x AAA batteries, has 3x LED inside the case (batteries at the front, unlike the Alpkit Gamma). The torch sometimes has an annoying habit of slowly rotating towards the floor ( I think this is related to how vital the task is), but you can unclip it from the headband and attach another clip. This allows you to clip it to anything handy (a jacket, the side of a tent/door etc.) which is a nice feature. It is reasonably bright and was used before I bought the Gamma. The spread of light is also better than the Gamma. Cost Was around £10 (This range does not currently show on Decathlon’s website). Good for tent lighting or kids, but not much else.