Walking log

[mabli]

Had a lovely day yesterday.

Started with a wonderful redwood bacon and watercress sarnie with a big cup of killer strength coffee then pottered about the house. I eventually got to the car park by Rowen at 12 and headed up the side of Drum, Foel Fras, Garnedd Uchaf, Foel Grach and very nearly to the top of Carnedd Llywelyn. The sun was beating down and there were quite a lot of folk out so felt like a carnival atmosphere. (Kept forgetting to say s’mae as instructed by Gelert)

It was another one of those days when I just felt smug about being me and living here and doing what I love doing. That is until I got to Llywelyn when a deep engulfing fog totally obliterated everything. It was like dry ice, got onto my lungs and made me choke. Mixed with the snow it was impossible to see the horizon from the ground, it was a complete whiteout, and (sounds mad) I saw loads of flashy stars cos it was so bright. Given that I’d noticed that the path made by people’s footprints was quite close to the edge at times I decided to turn back, genuinely a few feet from the top. It was a bit upsetting, but you see I walk with Pink and which is a bit dangerous in deep sludgy snow on the side of precipitous drops that you cant see.

The snow was quite deep and really soft in the sun, so sometimes my legs would sink in up to my knee which was exhausting. Then I realised I hadn’t put one of my gaiters on properly and my right boot was full of snow, it was so bad that when I tried to fix it I couldnt feel that my hand was on my ankle. That meant that the walk back was quite arduous.
The walk is approx 25.15km and I completed in just less than 5 hours which is pretty good given how hard going the snow was. Not sure about the ascent because mapometer has decided not to show that today, suffice it to say that its felt like loads. I ran part of the way, normally I run down the hills but it was simply impossible with the snow, if your foot sinks in then you can snap your leg.

I only stopped to talk to the pony that stands next to the fence on Drum and I threw it some biccies. Not sure if you’re meant to give welsh mountain ponies biccies but Im quite worried about this one because its always there, and it seems to have been trapped on the wrong side of the fence and lost its herd. I want to move it out of that field but the field is actually the side of a mountain and several miles long so Im not sure how to. Its looking really scruffy now, but then they all do just before spring. It came to say hello on the way up and one the way back it just watched from a distance. It felt poignant, like it was saying goodbye and it really upset me. Im need to go to Chester today but the thought of the pony on its own makes me want to go back up Drum and see what I can do.

I got home, had a hot bath (was relieved that my toes hadn’t turned black), then went to my friends house for dinner. It was really lovely and we sat and chatted til after 1, then I drove home and saw a fox, it turned round and ran in the centre of the lane ahead of me for about ¾ of a mile. A little further on I saw a barn owl.

Unfortunately we had eaten some Booja Booja expresso truffles just before I left and the caffeine kicked in just as I hit the sack.


Foel Grach Mountain Rescue Shelter

Top of Foel Fras shows depth of snow

No horizon

Should have noticed cloud forming, quite visible in this photie

Yr Ellen

Garnedd Uchaf

Ice and snow rocks

Pony looking scruffy and lonely

pony saying goodbye

[mabli]

Anyway, Ive been doing my daily workout in anticipation for my big walk and spent last Saturaday at a company conference and walking in the hills with a friend on Sunday (so not too energetic). The conference had marketing folk from Boots telling us all how its really important to lobby parliament to get hearing aids away from national health so that the general population can enjoy the benefits of the private sector more easily. Transparent codswallop and Ive since left their employment.

So Im now a poor but morally superior person and can get back to my wonderful walks.

Today I did around 8 ½ miles with 780m of ascent in a very leisurely three and a half hours. I sat down quite a few times, it was a very warm day but the wind was absolutely howling in places, nearly knocked me over. Obviously not a great morning on the exercise scales but I did enjoy it. Only saw two people and they were in the distance. The frog spawn is out at last, but the puddles are drying up because there hasn’t been enough rain and the wind is so harsh. I spent a bit of time trying to push it further into pools to protect it from the sun. Still quite a bit of snow around, I suppose the rain fell as snow and its just hanging around in bunches which is why the ground is so parched.

Its raining now, hope those hills gets some, its so very dry up there.

[mabli]

OK, so today we walked 21.75km with total ascent of 1126m. Dont know how long it took because I forgot to check when I left and when I finished. I stopped for lunch on a mountain top because Id brought left over rice to eat, it was bloody freezing. I was going to walk further over the tops but the wind was just evil so I decided to turn back and go a different way.

It rained last night so the tops of the mountains were wet but the bottoms where all the frog spawn is, was still very dry, the ground is cracked and parched, the grass is brown, I dont remember a year like it not even the gorse has flowers, normally you can hear the cuckoos by now in the valleys, everything is later and dryer than normal.

I followed a lovely stream that’s wonderful for picnics in the summer cos it has little islands on it with gnarled trees that are good for climbing and small deep pools for dipping. There are a couple of the oddest stone sheep pens that seem to have evolved rather than been designed, they’re enormous, pen after pen with no discernable pattern, like a huge stone many leaved shamrock on mushrooms.

I saw a dead pony next to a dead fox, bit odd dont know what happened to them, I had a theory that there was a big cat up there but I think it would eat the carcass, these were just left in the open.

Even though I wore a hat Ive got a slightly sun/wind burnt face so I need to get some sun cream

[mabli]

So today I did a couple of foolish things which are basic no no’s for walking. Firstly I took the wrong map, secondly all my walking pants are in various states of disintegration so I wore jeans. Everything else that went wrong pretty much stemmed from those two mistakes.

I couldnt get out until afternoon so didn’t get to Capel Curig until 1pm. My plan was to walk up Moel Siabod and then do a figure of 8 and walk back up to Llyn Crafnant. Moel Siabod looks just how a kid would draw a mountain, triangular but its only 872m, my parents first started taking me up here when I was about two and Ive loved it ever since, Siabod is the first mountain you come across on the A5 and she stands alone.

It had been a very dry sunny morning but by the time I was at the foot of the hill the rain was drizzling down. Folk walked quickly past me with no waterproofs, totally amazes me how many people dont take waterproofs when they walk in Snowdonia. So it was pretty foggy up there today, which is a pity because from the top of Siabod you can see the Snowdon horseshoe, Tryfan etc, but today it was a struggle to see anything. I had my waterproof pants on but the seams are a bit loose now so my jeans got soggy. This meant that I couldn’t easily jump and manoeuvre which is no fun. When I got to the top of the mountain I trod in a pile of snow and my foot just kept sinking between the rocks. It took me a few seconds to get my leg out, but the seconds felt like minutes, I was stuck right past my knee, which really freaked me out. Because I had soggy jeans on moving was hard. I got to the top but the visibility was really poor.

Coming down I realised I didn’t have the correct map, some folk were just about to start the descent near where you have to scramble for a while and, because I had Pink I went ahead of them. But unfortunately, because it was so misty (and I didn’t have the correct map) I went the wrong way. I was way out, I scrambled along for some way even though I knew immediately that Id gone wrong, I thought I could cut through I different way. Then the mist cleared and I realised how wrong I was, I had come quite far down totally the wrong way and was heading toward the massive drop so had to go back. Siabod is only a little mountain but it still has some nasty drops. Scrambling up the grassy, rocky slopes was difficult because of my bloody jeans, meant I had no balance and it was pretty scary. The ground was wet and my boots suddenly became slippy which is really annoying.

Anyway, no real panic, I got back up and went down the right way, but I had jelly legs for a couple of minutes. It meant walking up and down Siabod took 3 hours which is totally ridiculous cos its only about 6 miles (if you dont get lost).

Anyway I was drenched so didn’t go on to Crafnant but came back and made a big shepherd’s pie and chocolate cake which were both stunning. Just at the moment Im feeling really fed up. Normally I pepper my life with small lovely thing to do or eat etc and it keeps me happy, but just at the moment Im bogged down with the futility of everything.

[Starling in a cage]

It was nice to meet you at last. When I read you report last night, I thought it was too weird to be true. But it was true

If it makes you feel any better, I fell knee deep in some snow on the way down and had to be dug out because I couldn't move my leg. I'd already been warned earlier about the snow and how it gives way in thawing conditions but still got caught out, probably because I stepped into someone else's footprint.

And as well, I had a map, but it only shows the paths and tracks on the lower part of the mountain. I only knew which way to go because the guy I was with knows the area well.

.

[mabli]

I walked from Llyn Gerionedd to Capel Curig, back up Siabod and then back again, 23.37km with 1227m ascent which took 5 ½ and hours because I needed to keep stopping and either adding or removing clothes. The ball of my right foot is hurting, has been for about a week now which is a major annoyance. I would have carried on walking but the pain was just too great... oh bother!

A funny thing happened as I was walking back. A farmer stopped me and shouted “Are you the one who keeps cutting my fences for your dog to get through?” to which I instinctively replied “Oh no, Im not English Im Welsh, I dont do that sort of thing” which he thought was a perfectly reasonable response. Anyway, Ive promised to knock at his farm and tell him if I see the culprit, I dont want to be the guy who gets caught by this farmer, he’s fuming! I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who’s cutting the fences is the same person who keeps leaving pilchard cans just near the stile with the amazing view of Siabod, Snowdon horseshoe and Tryfan. Pink keeps picking them up and its really bloody annoying because I feel obliged to carry them until I find a bin.

Im going to buy some new pants for walking on Friday cos Im going to Betws with my Mum for breakfast, my gaiters are dying so need to replace and I need a new rucksack as I’ve gone through two recently so have taken to using one of my daughter’s which is also about to die, and I also must buy some sun cream. The headlights on my car dont work at all so I need to get them fixed too.

Part of me realises that I need to do these things but part of me thinks “what the hell, might as well go for a walk instead”, the latter part keeps winning at the moment.

[mabli]

Today I walked 25km with 1,471m of ascent in 5.5 hours (20 mins of which was lunch and probably some stopping for putting coat on off, on off etc). I was going to carry on but I still haven’t sorted my lights out and didn’t want end up driving home in the dark. The wind was minimal most of the way, quite warm really but very muddy underfoot. Most of the snow has gone now so it meant that the tops of Carnedd Llywelyn and the others were back to being a nightmare again. They’re just strewn with loose rocks and boulders so I really have to concentrate to stop myself falling over or catching my foot.

Very few people were out, saw the pony that I always say “hello” to and threw some apples to it. It was a strange light today, I could see all of Anglesey but not the Isle of Mann. For once I sat and ate lunch and looked at many of the peaks Ill be walking for this challenge, it was crystal clear so they looked bigger, steeper and more of them than normal. Its very daunting, I can’t see how it’s possible to complete. On the way back down Foel Fras and Drum a thick fog descended, but in fact I know these hills so well that I could probably walk them with eyes shut (apart from the tripping hazards)
I need to be able to do the walk I did today twice in one go. Is that possible though, without putting myself at risk of exhaustion in the hills which can be quite unforgiving? Im not tired at all today though, my legs dont hurt and even my foot seems better, I was just tying my boot too tight.

Small walk planned for tomorrow up Sarn Helen after a late breakfast at The Alpine Lodge with my Mum and a quick dash to buy some new pants... I hate shopping.

[mabli]

5 miles round Llyn Elsi and down Sarn Helen, took just under two hours, but I did lose Pink for a while so should probably take a few minutes off that. I was lost in thought and when I looked up I had lost the dog too, she must have hurried on along a different path and I didn’t notice, doesn’t happen very often. Had a big vegan breakfast at Alpine Lodge first and I also bought a pair of new walking pants.

I came back through Llanwrst and stopped off at the wholefood shop there which is great, in fact the guy speaks fluent Swedish but not Welsh which is a bit unusual.

[mabli]

Walked 23 km with ascent of 1130m, took just over 4 hours. I should have recorded how long the first part took because the first 5km has 640m of ascent and I walked pretty hard up there without stopping, I left some guys way behind me. They were the only folk I saw today.

The ground was incredibly wet, and midway through very misty, so I had torrential rain, mist and then sunshine with a mild breeze. I took a different way down (there isn’t a path anyway) and came across some very deep snow that still hadnt melted. Pink launches herself at patches like this, throws her front legs in front of herself and back legs out behind and slides along, she can go for about 30 feet, she loves it, really makes me laugh.

The land here is similar to where I grew up in a village next to the Hiraethog moors, very boggy and probably bleak to lots of folk, but homely to me. The trick is to watch out for the peat bogs and puddles that are depthless. Today I went into a few that were pretty deep but I got out, I got my leg caught in one as Pink came galloping over a rock and smashed into my knee. Thought about SiaC as the pain seethed through, but it went pretty soon thank God! There’s one in the valley close by that’s actually on the path, we discovered it when the dog fell in and it was all we could do to pull him out. One time I saw a guy come down the side by Llywelyn who had become totally lost and disorientated on the tops and to make matters worse had gone over his waste into a bog. He said “Am I on my way down towards a reservoir, Ive parked near a reservoir”, to which I said yes and he staggered off. In fact he could have walked in any direction and come to a reservoir because they’re dotted everywhere but I didn’t think about that until he’d gone. Anyway, I dont go that way if Im on my own now, dont think Pink would be much good at getting me out. Its a pity really because its like a lunar landscape with a raised peat “stage” but boggy traps everywhere. You just have to think of the many bodies get pulled out of these places centuries later to realise how dangerous they can be.

Saw another dead pony near where I saw the other two (think it was a pony, more decomposed than the fox and pony I saw the other day). Also saw a pony that looked like it has a chunk out of it, that had repaired I took a photo, will post tomorrow. I always imagine a big cat’s at work lol.

Also broke my tooth right in half which probably slowed me down.

[mabli]

Had a call tonight from the mountain rescue guys to see if I would be prepared to talk to BBC about the rescue last year. He also mentioned that I should think about doing Oggie 8 on Aug 7th http://www.ogwen-rescue.org.uk/oggie_8/ which looks really cool, might be my next challenge, just need to get some super fit folk to form a team with me!

[mabli]

OK, so we had snow and terrible wind today so no hillwalking, just flat walk with workout. Looks like hills are going to be out of bounds for a couple of days at least which is megga annoying.

Do the Yorks 3 Peaks 11 April so very little time left

[mabli]

Sunday 6.47km mile family walk with 522m ascent
Monday 11.66 km 452 m ascent walk with daughter

Today I did 32.2 km with 1370m of ascent. The wind was so bad I had to change course, I couldnt stand up properly. The rain was the sharp type that hurts your face even though I was so wrapped up only my eyes were showing, to check my direction I would look up and shut one eye so that rain only pierced one. Just as I was thinking "at least this rain isnt hail" it began to hail.

I was wearing a base layer vest and leggings, a pair of lightweight stretchy walking pants, a pair of waterproof overpants, a pair of gaiters, a fleece, a fleece gillet, another thicker "waterproof" fleece, a supposedly waterproof gortex berghaus coat, a pair of salomen boots, a hat, a scarfe that I wrapped round my head and my chin and my forehead and my neck, a pair of gloves... I was soaked and cold. I had a spare pair of pants and a wonderful montane coat in my ruckasck but it didnt seem worth changing as they would have got wet too.


Ive never known wind like it, my hood is the type that comes over your chin and fits snuggly round your face, it was catching the wind which was pulling so hard that the chin part hurt my mouth, I thought it was going to bruse me which is party why I had to wrap the scarf round me

Was really glad to get back and have a bath, my eyes are still a bit sore. If the Yorks 3 Peaks that Im doing on Sunday are like today then its going to be a major struggle. I was actually leaning full force into the wind, I couldnt move and for a while I was stuck to a fence...!!!!

I could have gone soemwhere else but didnt for some stupid reason. Saw loads of kids on the lower ground with big packs doing their DofE I suppose. On the way back I saw some other kids with big rucksacks on walking along the main road, woefully lost I imagine, holding papiermache maps. I didnt see anyone else on the tops

Dont think my things will be dry enough to go out tomorrow

[mabli]

I drank two glasses of water before I left yesterday and had 2 litres of water on the walk although I didnt feel thirsty. When I got back I was parched, even had to get up several times to drink in the night... will be a it difficult to carry 4 litres of water on Sunday but I clearly need it.

[The Duke]

I drank two glasses of water before I left yesterday and had 2 litres of water on the walk although I didnt feel thirsty. When I got back I was parched, even had to get up several times to drink in the night... will be a it difficult to carry 4 litres of water on Sunday but I clearly need it.

Hey girl! You ready for the big day then? Feeling fit?

There is a tea van at Ribblehead (9 mile point) which will do you black tea.

There is also a pub on the road crossing between Wernside and Inleboro.

You can also leave a cache En Route at the road crossing points. Just wander 50 feet off route and drop a bottle over a wall.

Just remember that from Inleboro it is downhill all the way back to Horton.

Oh, and after coming off the summit you will pass a signpost that says Horton 1 mile. This is not as cause for celebration. The sign is wrong!!! There are in fact a good 5 or 6 miles to go.!!

Enjoy. From Ingleboro summit look out to the coast about 30 miles away. At the mouth of the bay is where I live. I will wave!!!

[Gelert]

I drank two glasses of water before I left yesterday and had 2 litres of water on the walk although I didnt feel thirsty. When I got back I was parched, even had to get up several times to drink in the night... will be a it difficult to carry 4 litres of water on Sunday but I clearly need it.

Simples. Cotswolds sell dehydrated water, it's there between the sleeping bags and camping food section in the Betws store. You just rip open the sachet, add water and mix.

Anyway. Thirst is generally a poor indicator of hydration. By the time we become thirsty, we are already dehydrated, and drinking to quench thirst will not sufficiently redress that. We do not only lose water through sweat, but as we breathe, so we can't really rely on how whiffy our pits are either. However, the answer lies in wee. The volume, frequency, colour, odour and taste of urine/urination provides a better approximation of your fluid balance. Water is only one half of the story though - electrolyte balance is equally important, although less of an issue in these circumstances provided you also eat frequently.

Water is a dilemma: The more likely you are to dehydrate, the more water you carry, the more water you carry, the more weight you carry, and the more you dehydrate in doing so.

The only way round this is to source your water on the hill. If you have to carry a set volume of water, then this is not an option. But otherwise, one solution is to have a small water bottle as reserve and then to collect water from streams in a 2L platypus bag or similar and making it safe to drink.

This is not about constructing solar stills, evapo-transpiration trap bags, Indian wells or condoms in socks or any of that Ray Mears stuff, but common sense stuff. Identify water features on your route map that will allow you to collect up to a litre an hour if needed. Check the stream (streams are better, generally speaking, than ponds, lakes or bogs, faster flowing ones best of all) is fairly clear, has no dead or dying animals visible upstream for as far as the eye can see, no preponderance of shite, algae or discolouration and collect your water.

But for all this care, ALWAYS bung in disinfectant tablets as directed. They've stopped selling the iodine based tablets in the EU now so you'd have to use chlorine based ones such as puritabs or iodine tinctures. If you bung in a vitamin C tablet to take away the taste of iodine, make sure to rinse the container well before taking the water from the next stream.

There are other options ranging from boiling (a rolling boil is sufficient, contrary to dated assumptions) to Millbank bags or high tech ones like katadyn filters, filter straws or miox purifiers or even UV light based systems such as SteriPEN which are gaining credibility as it also kills Giardia and Crypto effectively which chemical systems struggle with. I remain sceptical of them all. Also, they are all either time consuming for the person on the go and best suited for camp or really expensive as an initial outlay at least.

Some people will suggest not to bother with making the water safe. Some may say that your means of disinfection adds weight, and that most waterborne pathogens have a longer incubation period than it takes to complete such an event. I've heard people say there is nothing lethal in the water (e.g. cholera) here, blindly ignorant of the risks posed by leptospirosis or E. coli O157.

These people are eventually cured of these delusions fairly easily with a solid dose of giardia, crypto or campy from minging water. It's not so much the bottom falling out of your world as the world falling out of your bottom. BTDT.