Posts
It's been quite a week. I bought some new boots as my Lowa Klondike's are falling apart. Years ago I had a great pair of Brasher Hillmasters, and I've gone for the same again. The last pair were fab, however this time 2 miles into their first hike and I had huge blisters on my heels. Bugger. I've now splashed out on a load of 1000 mile "blister free" socks.
John being away, I was left alone with the 3 dogs last weekend, so instead of getting ourselves tied up in knots everytime we climbed stiles I thought it would be an idea to do a long road walk. Boring, but good conditioning for Patch's feet prior to our JOGLE (and mine). Unfortunately, walking through a village a few miles from home a dog charged us and attacked my dogs. The owners eventually got the dogs prised out of each others mouths, and then told me not to walk past their house with the dogs again - and if I did then they would "slit her throat" (refering to Patch). What absolute nutters! For the record, I walked along the road past their house, with 3 dogs on short leads and all quiet and under control - it was THEIR dog that ran out of the garden, over the road and attacked my dogs. I reported them to the police who, as it turns out, have had trouble with them before. These are exactly the type of dog owners I was talking about in my last post! Idiots. Rant over. Almost. The idiot dog owner is Jane Becks and her other half in Llwyn Y Groes.
A funny story though is our outing not long ago with our new Satmap GPS system. I'll never stop using the good old map and compass, but I think this is a sensible back up system to use, and it came into it's own on our hike. We went out over the Cambrian mountains...we only had a Landranger map rather than an explorer, but I was confident we'd be ok with the Satmap as backup...and we were...we were on EXACTLY the path - only it wasn't there, just a load of marshland. We were up to our shins in it! The satmap was great though as an easy way of seeing exactly where we were and where we needed to go to pick up an alternative route when we were feeling pretty soggy.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Why the Dogs Trust
I had a conversation with my mother the other day, who has a sponsorship form of mine in her village shop (I also live in the village). I was a little frustrated that very few people have so far sponsored me, even though many have shown their support vocally. My mother suggested that if I were supporting a "people" charity as opposed to animals there would be more donations. I live in an area where farmers regularly dump unsold pups in a river, so I suppose I'm not surprised if they don't donate to the Dogs Trust. Don't get me wrong - there are some lovely people in this village, and many of them are animal lovers, it just seems that the human race as a whole would rather donate to their own "breed".
The problem is, we are, as a race, now responsible for dogs - along with every other animal on this planet now that we have taken it over. Dog's are no longer the wolves that would roam and look after themselves naturally. When we changed their world and brought them into domestication we removed pretty much every shred of independence they had. They now rely on us for food, exercise, security, company and mental stimulation.
Unfortunately the human race as a whole is rather selfish by nature. We have taken over the planet and completely changed the landscape, and have affected pretty much every other species that live on it. Not only that, but as a race we refuse to recognise anything other than the most basic needs of animals. For some reason we cannot comprehend the fact that animals have a brain that is capable of thought and feelings. If the human race were to recognise this then we would no longer battery farm chickens, force feed geese in order to produce Foi Gras, or use electric prods on pigs - and that's just a start. For a very interesting documentary that was on Discovery channel recently see "Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry". Why on earth do we believe we are the only creature to have a brain that feels emotions? How small minded! It has now been proven otherwise but it's more convenient for the human race not to see it.
Ok, so I'm going a little off track here, but can you imagine how differently we would treat animals if we looked at them differently, which brings me to dogs...finally (I know, I tend to waffle, but I'll get to the point in the end!). I strongly believe, that when you take on a dog (or any other animal) you accept full responsibility for its needs. It must be accepted that a dog is NOT just a cute little pet that's been bought to keep the kids quiet, nor is it just there to keep you company when you come home from work. A dog is descended from a wolf, and still has the instincts and needs of a capable, energetic and intelligent animal.
How many people do you know have given up on a dog and either re-homed it or even had it put down because they couldn't cope with it's "problems"? There are very few people who don't know anyone like this, yet the "problems" these dogs have - whether they chew the furniture or rugs, bark, escape, or are aggresive to name but a few, are created by humans at least 9 times out of 10. This is because many dog owners don't see the real animal rather than just the cute pet. For instance, there is someone in our village who had her dog euthanased after it twice got out and killed sheep. In her eye's it was the dogs fault - it was a bad dog. In truth, the dog was acting on it's ancient instinct to hunt and kill. The owner should have been responsible enough to dog proof her garden so the dog couldn't get out, but still satisfy the dogs need for excercise and mental stimulation by giving it plenty of walks and playing search/hunting games with a hidden toy for instance. I spent this morning trying to catch this persons new dog (a Jack Russell) that was running round my mothers smallholding after the geese. Again, the owner blamed the dog rather than refusing to see the instincts and needs inside the dog - and still isn't responsible enough to even attempt to dog proof the garden. Is she going to blame this dog again when it gets loose and kills a goose next time? Is she going to have this dog euthanased too?
My point is that there are so many people who think a dog is either "good" or "bad", rather than recognising the needs of the dog, and the need for the owner to invest some time in training their dog as well as fullfilling it's needs. If we see a "bad" child we straight away (and normally quite rightly) blame the parents for not providing the right upbringing, yet a "bad" dog is just a bad dog! How many children have been attacked by a dog, and then that dog is euthanased, yet how often have children been left alone with a dog to "play" with. A dog is not a play thing, yet we expect it to tolerate having crayons stuck in it's ears , it's hair pulled, being leaned on, cuddled and layed on? Is the dog supposed to just take it? I wish instead of simply introducing the "Dangerous Dogs Act" and classifying all these breeds as dangerous (and Cesar Millan has proven otherwise with his pack of 50 or so "dangerous" dogs), more thought would go into looking at the owners - how did they look after the dogs, were it's needs met (body mind and spirit) or was it just a living play thing for the children. Did it have somewhere to go to get away from the children if it was being treated roughly?
I know I'm classifying the human race in general here, and I know there are many really good dog owners out there - I've met many of them both in person and on the web. But there are still so many dogs being euthanased, re-homed or simply dumped and abandoned that we need to do more here.
I've chosen to support the Dog's Trust as they not only take in the dogs that have been abandoned, but they make the commitment to look after that dog until the right home comes along and they never put a healthy dog down. Unfortunately there are still many dogs being euthanased by rescue centres as they haven't been been able to re-home them within a set time. Dog's Trust do a great job in making sure the dogs have a suitable home with new owners who are aware of the dogs needs and commit to fulfilling them. This way the dog has a home for life rather than being abandoned again at a later stage.
In today's throw away society I believe dogs and Dogs Trust need all the help they can get.
The problem is, we are, as a race, now responsible for dogs - along with every other animal on this planet now that we have taken it over. Dog's are no longer the wolves that would roam and look after themselves naturally. When we changed their world and brought them into domestication we removed pretty much every shred of independence they had. They now rely on us for food, exercise, security, company and mental stimulation.
Unfortunately the human race as a whole is rather selfish by nature. We have taken over the planet and completely changed the landscape, and have affected pretty much every other species that live on it. Not only that, but as a race we refuse to recognise anything other than the most basic needs of animals. For some reason we cannot comprehend the fact that animals have a brain that is capable of thought and feelings. If the human race were to recognise this then we would no longer battery farm chickens, force feed geese in order to produce Foi Gras, or use electric prods on pigs - and that's just a start. For a very interesting documentary that was on Discovery channel recently see "Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry". Why on earth do we believe we are the only creature to have a brain that feels emotions? How small minded! It has now been proven otherwise but it's more convenient for the human race not to see it.
Ok, so I'm going a little off track here, but can you imagine how differently we would treat animals if we looked at them differently, which brings me to dogs...finally (I know, I tend to waffle, but I'll get to the point in the end!). I strongly believe, that when you take on a dog (or any other animal) you accept full responsibility for its needs. It must be accepted that a dog is NOT just a cute little pet that's been bought to keep the kids quiet, nor is it just there to keep you company when you come home from work. A dog is descended from a wolf, and still has the instincts and needs of a capable, energetic and intelligent animal.
How many people do you know have given up on a dog and either re-homed it or even had it put down because they couldn't cope with it's "problems"? There are very few people who don't know anyone like this, yet the "problems" these dogs have - whether they chew the furniture or rugs, bark, escape, or are aggresive to name but a few, are created by humans at least 9 times out of 10. This is because many dog owners don't see the real animal rather than just the cute pet. For instance, there is someone in our village who had her dog euthanased after it twice got out and killed sheep. In her eye's it was the dogs fault - it was a bad dog. In truth, the dog was acting on it's ancient instinct to hunt and kill. The owner should have been responsible enough to dog proof her garden so the dog couldn't get out, but still satisfy the dogs need for excercise and mental stimulation by giving it plenty of walks and playing search/hunting games with a hidden toy for instance. I spent this morning trying to catch this persons new dog (a Jack Russell) that was running round my mothers smallholding after the geese. Again, the owner blamed the dog rather than refusing to see the instincts and needs inside the dog - and still isn't responsible enough to even attempt to dog proof the garden. Is she going to blame this dog again when it gets loose and kills a goose next time? Is she going to have this dog euthanased too?
My point is that there are so many people who think a dog is either "good" or "bad", rather than recognising the needs of the dog, and the need for the owner to invest some time in training their dog as well as fullfilling it's needs. If we see a "bad" child we straight away (and normally quite rightly) blame the parents for not providing the right upbringing, yet a "bad" dog is just a bad dog! How many children have been attacked by a dog, and then that dog is euthanased, yet how often have children been left alone with a dog to "play" with. A dog is not a play thing, yet we expect it to tolerate having crayons stuck in it's ears , it's hair pulled, being leaned on, cuddled and layed on? Is the dog supposed to just take it? I wish instead of simply introducing the "Dangerous Dogs Act" and classifying all these breeds as dangerous (and Cesar Millan has proven otherwise with his pack of 50 or so "dangerous" dogs), more thought would go into looking at the owners - how did they look after the dogs, were it's needs met (body mind and spirit) or was it just a living play thing for the children. Did it have somewhere to go to get away from the children if it was being treated roughly?
I know I'm classifying the human race in general here, and I know there are many really good dog owners out there - I've met many of them both in person and on the web. But there are still so many dogs being euthanased, re-homed or simply dumped and abandoned that we need to do more here.
I've chosen to support the Dog's Trust as they not only take in the dogs that have been abandoned, but they make the commitment to look after that dog until the right home comes along and they never put a healthy dog down. Unfortunately there are still many dogs being euthanased by rescue centres as they haven't been been able to re-home them within a set time. Dog's Trust do a great job in making sure the dogs have a suitable home with new owners who are aware of the dogs needs and commit to fulfilling them. This way the dog has a home for life rather than being abandoned again at a later stage.
In today's throw away society I believe dogs and Dogs Trust need all the help they can get.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Quick report...
Not much to post at the moment...I'm still looking into some new bit's of kit.
I've done some lovely walks lately, and have been slowly increasing my pack weight. I've been shoving the contents of the kitchen cupboard into my day pack as a lazy way of increasing it's weight. Every now and again I get a question from my hubby, John, "didn't we buy more cooking oil" or "where's the chutney gone?". The answer is always "um, look in my day pack..." and low and behold, in the bottom of my pack is a collection of food goodies. There are sometimes some nice surprises when I delve down there..."Ooohh, stuffed olives!!! Yum!!"
My route is finished. I'll post it here when I figure out how...!
I've done some lovely walks lately, and have been slowly increasing my pack weight. I've been shoving the contents of the kitchen cupboard into my day pack as a lazy way of increasing it's weight. Every now and again I get a question from my hubby, John, "didn't we buy more cooking oil" or "where's the chutney gone?". The answer is always "um, look in my day pack..." and low and behold, in the bottom of my pack is a collection of food goodies. There are sometimes some nice surprises when I delve down there..."Ooohh, stuffed olives!!! Yum!!"
My route is finished. I'll post it here when I figure out how...!
Thursday, 19 February 2009
The Route
I originally planned to pretty much copy the route in Andrew McCloys book as, this being my first solo trip, I though it would be sensible. I found Mark Moxon's website (which is excellent - an absolute MUST for someone needing help planning this trip), and bought the recommended maps plus some extra's as I wanted to have the option of the south west coastal path.
I spent the most part of a wet weekend highlighting the route, and started by changing the first part to include Andrew McCloys "alternative route" which follows the north coast westwards as far as Melvich, and follows a smaller road to Lothbeg - between Helmsdale and Brora.
The reason for this is to try to avoid some of the dreaded A99, and along the way include some spectacular scenery and camping opportunites.
I then planned to follow their route the rest of the way except for spending a couple of nights in Exmoor (because I love it - I have a passion for Exmoor ponies and own 2!) and then follow the coastal path to Lands End.
Having got most of this mapped out, I'm now changing my mind to include the Offa's Dyke Path! Also, Andy Robinson shows a fab looking route across northern Scotland in his book, which looks tempting. I'll wait and see if I get a GPS unit sorted out first maybe!!
As you can tell, the route is far from sorted! I'm going to go through my maps and on sections where I follow a road I'll print maps from Memory map to save weight. But where a bit more navigation is required I'll either take the OS Explorer maps or photocopy sections of them.
I'm finially learning to save weight!
I spent the most part of a wet weekend highlighting the route, and started by changing the first part to include Andrew McCloys "alternative route" which follows the north coast westwards as far as Melvich, and follows a smaller road to Lothbeg - between Helmsdale and Brora.
The reason for this is to try to avoid some of the dreaded A99, and along the way include some spectacular scenery and camping opportunites.
I then planned to follow their route the rest of the way except for spending a couple of nights in Exmoor (because I love it - I have a passion for Exmoor ponies and own 2!) and then follow the coastal path to Lands End.
Having got most of this mapped out, I'm now changing my mind to include the Offa's Dyke Path! Also, Andy Robinson shows a fab looking route across northern Scotland in his book, which looks tempting. I'll wait and see if I get a GPS unit sorted out first maybe!!
As you can tell, the route is far from sorted! I'm going to go through my maps and on sections where I follow a road I'll print maps from Memory map to save weight. But where a bit more navigation is required I'll either take the OS Explorer maps or photocopy sections of them.
I'm finially learning to save weight!
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Ickle Bockle - what a fantastic company!
At the weekend I emailed a company called Ickle Bockle to find out how their bottles would stand up to deet. I've always used either trial size bottles of products when backpacking - or I've decanted into small travel size bottles bought from Boots. I got fed up with these bottles constantly leaking though and decided to get some decent ones.
I expected to have to wait a few days before getting a reply including chemical formula's for plastic bottles and being left to find out myself how the deet would affect them. But it wasn't the case at all. I had an immediate reply telling me they had contacted the deet manufacturer and would let me know as soon as they had a reply.
Today I had an email telling me the bottles (bockles!) are fine for using with deet. I know - your probably thinking "so what", but that's not all....after telling Ickle Bockles why I wanted the bottles and how pleased I was with their customer service, I received the following email;
What fabulous people! All the affluent companies I've contacted who weren't interested, and then this company offer to donate bottles without me even asking. I'm so impressed!
I expected to have to wait a few days before getting a reply including chemical formula's for plastic bottles and being left to find out myself how the deet would affect them. But it wasn't the case at all. I had an immediate reply telling me they had contacted the deet manufacturer and would let me know as soon as they had a reply.
Today I had an email telling me the bottles (bockles!) are fine for using with deet. I know - your probably thinking "so what", but that's not all....after telling Ickle Bockles why I wanted the bottles and how pleased I was with their customer service, I received the following email;
Sophie
No problem!
Had a quick look at your blog - Patch is adorable.
We're big dog lovers here at Ickle Bockles and would be more than happy to
donate the ickle bockles you require for this particular trip.
Rather than order via the website, just drop me an email when you're ready
to order. List the bockle sizes and closure choices (for example 100ml
flip top etc) up to the value of £15 and I will get those out to you.
Good luck with the walk - Dog's Trust is such a good cause.
Kind regards
Cath Atkins
Ickle Bockles
t 0771 3888 179
e sales@icklebockles.co.uk
w www.icklebockles.co.uk
What fabulous people! All the affluent companies I've contacted who weren't interested, and then this company offer to donate bottles without me even asking. I'm so impressed!
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Aqua Pure Traveller - what a good bit of kit!
I've just discovered the Aqua Pure Traveller! This is going to save me loads of weight trying to carry enough water for both Patch and myself - plus water for cooking.
"The Aqua Pure Traveller is a unique water purification system in a convenient hand held water bottle. This easy to use system combines iodine disinfectant with filtration in a single process. This product has been proven to kill viruses and bacteria as well as removing cycts and spores, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia."
"The Aqua Pure Traveller's filter cap will purify on average 350litres of water during it's lifetime and is the only portable water purifier officially endorsed by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases London."
Basically you just fill it up, give it a shake and then 15 minutes later you have drinking water. Now maybe this is nothing new to most of you - and I'm probably a little slow, but I think it's fantastic!
I still need to check the map to make sure there is some sort of water source available for refills, but I think this is going to save me a LOT of weight. I'm going to be doing a lot of wild camping so I think this is going to be great.
Patch doesn't share my enthusiasm....she's flat out asleep. Again. She had slightly sore feet after walking 8 miles of forestry track at the weekend, so I'm going to get her some Ruffwear boots for the walk. By the time we go her feet should be much tougher, but I think the boot's could be handy as a "just in case".
"The Aqua Pure Traveller is a unique water purification system in a convenient hand held water bottle. This easy to use system combines iodine disinfectant with filtration in a single process. This product has been proven to kill viruses and bacteria as well as removing cycts and spores, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia."
"The Aqua Pure Traveller's filter cap will purify on average 350litres of water during it's lifetime and is the only portable water purifier officially endorsed by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases London."
Basically you just fill it up, give it a shake and then 15 minutes later you have drinking water. Now maybe this is nothing new to most of you - and I'm probably a little slow, but I think it's fantastic!
I still need to check the map to make sure there is some sort of water source available for refills, but I think this is going to save me a LOT of weight. I'm going to be doing a lot of wild camping so I think this is going to be great.
Patch doesn't share my enthusiasm....she's flat out asleep. Again. She had slightly sore feet after walking 8 miles of forestry track at the weekend, so I'm going to get her some Ruffwear boots for the walk. By the time we go her feet should be much tougher, but I think the boot's could be handy as a "just in case".
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Clothing Kit
I'm still undecided about which clothing to take....here's a revised list I'm considering at the moment. This is based on the fantastic advise so many people have given me. I've taken everyone's comments on board - and then surfed the internet to find whats on sale versus what I already have!
Marmot Midweight Base (long sleeve) - 113g
Marmot Midweight Base bottoms - 142g
Montain Bionic T'shirt - 90g
Sprayway Trousers - 272g
Craghoppers Fleece - 222g
Ultra Down Vest (PHD) - 150g
The Marmot base layers are mainly for something dry to wear in camp if I get a soaking that day, plus to wear in my bag. They also give me something to wear while washing my clothes. I've been looking at silk long johns (long janes?!) but these bottoms look like I can get away with wearing them "on the trail" if necessary while drying my trousers! This lot gives me plenty of layers to play about with. Once I travel further south into warmer climates (and further into summer) I will no doubt send some home - probably the fleece anyway.
I'm still unsure about the rainwear. I do have a slightly lighter pair of overtrousers but I haven't tested them yet. I may stick with what I have as I know they will keep me dry in continuous heavy rain (the great British summer!), but I am keen to lose a little more weight if possible. I'm looking at the montane Venture Jacket (430g) which seems a little more substantial than the paclite's while still dropping some weight. It has reinforcement on the shoulder and hips too which look like a good idea for a summer of backpacking. I'm still looking at the alternatives that have been suggested though....
Marmot Midweight Base (long sleeve) - 113g
Marmot Midweight Base bottoms - 142g
Montain Bionic T'shirt - 90g
Sprayway Trousers - 272g
Craghoppers Fleece - 222g
Ultra Down Vest (PHD) - 150g
The Marmot base layers are mainly for something dry to wear in camp if I get a soaking that day, plus to wear in my bag. They also give me something to wear while washing my clothes. I've been looking at silk long johns (long janes?!) but these bottoms look like I can get away with wearing them "on the trail" if necessary while drying my trousers! This lot gives me plenty of layers to play about with. Once I travel further south into warmer climates (and further into summer) I will no doubt send some home - probably the fleece anyway.
I'm still unsure about the rainwear. I do have a slightly lighter pair of overtrousers but I haven't tested them yet. I may stick with what I have as I know they will keep me dry in continuous heavy rain (the great British summer!), but I am keen to lose a little more weight if possible. I'm looking at the montane Venture Jacket (430g) which seems a little more substantial than the paclite's while still dropping some weight. It has reinforcement on the shoulder and hips too which look like a good idea for a summer of backpacking. I'm still looking at the alternatives that have been suggested though....
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