Trail – Will I ever get there?

Guess what popped into my inbox yesterday? An invite to the final Trail trip – a wild camp, lightning ascent of Scafell Pike and some night nav. Only problem is, in typical Trail style, they’ve given us just over a week’s notice, and I’m already going to a 30th birthday do next weekend. Why couldn’t they have given us all these dates at the start so that we could plan around them?

So my Trail experience ends here. But do you know what? I’m not hugely bothered. I’m only sad that I didn’t/couldn’t achieve all that they wanted for me in the time we had.

As much as I gripe about Trail and the organisation of this challenge, I’ve experienced things in the last five months that I wouldn’t have done otherwise, and I’ve met people who have changed my life for the better, forever.

For that, I have Trail to thank.

Apologies that the blog has been a bit quiet over the last few days. I have finally had a week off work and got back from Cornwall today, feeling totally chilled out and well rested. We drove down in the wee small hours last Wednesday and sucessfully avoided any Easter holiday traffic, arriving at my parents’ cottage just before 2am on Thursday.

After the best nights sleep I’ve had in ages, I was getting dressed on Thursday morning when a CityLink van pulled up outside and delivered a box for me. Andy, knowing that my beloved Nikon compact camera sadly lost it’s life on the last Trail trip I went on, and thinking that it was time I took the big step into the world of DSLRs, had ordered me a Canon EOS 400D, and had it delivered to where we were staying. He had also brought me a funky National Geographic bag to put it in, so I was all set. And what can I say except, a whole new world has opened up!

I’ve never really seen the point in walking before (shoot me down in flames, dear Trail readers) – you get to the top, it looks nice, and you walk down again. So what? But now there’s a photo in everything – a new thing to focus on, a new abstract to find, so much to learn before you can make it look as good through your lens as it does to your eye. And it helps that Andy knows what he’s doing so that when I’m getting frustrated, he can show me what to do to put it right. Only problem is, I want to be as good as he is after only a week, when it took him years at college and years of practice to get as good as he is. Hmm..patience, grasshopper, patience!

Photography is so much fun… walking is no longer about plod, plod, puff, puff, plod. Suddenly there’s a reason for being there, and that feeling of anticipation when you wait for your photos to transfer to your laptop at the end of a long day is like nothing I’ve felt before. I don’t think I want Claire Maxted’s job any more – I want Tom Baileys! (I know, in my dreams!)

So, a brief run down of how the week panned out.

On Thursday we walked down into the town and paid a visit to the local camera shop to get me a UV filter and a polariser (not entirely sure what they do yet, but apparently I need them). Now, my parents’ place is up an extremely steep hill, but with my new found ’slowly slowly’ approach learned in Wales, the walk home was no problem to me, although it took some getting used to for Andy! What you learn on the mountains works in real life too! In the afternoon we headed to Polzeath, where I’ve been going since before I could walk. It’s changed a lot since then (mainly in a bad way as all the Rahs/Yob Snobs have moved over there from Rock) but essentially it’s a really nice place, and the Galleon does the best mugs of tea in Cornwall. We moved round to Daymer bay in the evening and I did my first attempts at photographing sunsets, but, as Andy tells me is the law of photography, the really good light came just as we got back to the car to go home, so we made a note of the time and vowed to come back another day!

Shameless product placement (it’s a Kata bag, just in case you’re interested)

Sunset Daymer Bay

Good Friday dawned, and after another fantastic sleep we went to the Eden project. I didn’t have my pedometer on me, but the site is so big I bet there were thousands of steps taken that day, and thank goodness for sunblock!

Tulips at Eden

I had read about Minions, the Hurlers and the Cheeserigg, being the highest point in Cornwall, and felt the need to see it for myself on Saturday. I didn’t expect there to be scrambling involved, but there was, along with a fair amount of ’slowly slowly’ hill climbing! The light was rubbish (check me out, sounding like a photographer!) but I think I got some photos that show the sheer size of the rocks!

Andy getting chatted up by some random woman on top of the Cheesering

Too tempting to resist

On Sunday we took the recommendation of Country Walking and went to check out the waterfalls that are at number ten in the best waterfall walks chart – Golitha Falls. Problem was, the magazine says it’s a four and a half mile walk, the sign at the falls says it’s a twenty minute walk each way, but after a hour of walking through woods and alongside the river, we hadn’t found anything resembling a spectacular waterfall or viewpoint. Eventually we decided that what we had dismissed as just a series of small falls on the way the main fall, actually were the falls, and that we had expected too much. Still, it was a lovely walk, and I think I grasped the concept of photographing fast moving water. Still a fair way to go though, which you’d agree if I uploaded the reject photos!

Some baby falls

On Sunday night we returned to the cliffs above Polzeath and Andy finally got his sunset. Right on key, a trawler sailed across the sun, so he’s got some lovely shots. I’m going to need a bigger lens…!

Andy, doing what he loves to do

Monday was a lazy day in Perranporth, and today we came home. Off work tomorrow and then back to work on Thursday. Still thinking about a career change, preferably one that doesn’t involve me having to go to work when the sun is shining!

Don’t know why, just really love this photo

http://whitespider1066.spaces.live.com/

This guy seems to blog about all things outdoor, and he asked Emma, Sian and I to get in touch so we could answer a few questions and prove our blogs weren’t fake, set up only to promote Trail. Anyone who’s a regular reader of mine will already know that’s not the case!

Been thinking a bit about the whole Fitness Academy experience this weekend, so the questions on the above link were kind of timely! My pondering was sparked by a text from Sian on Friday evening which said that she was just driving back from the latest Trail trip (the one I couldn’t go on) and she’d had a brilliant time but: “you would have hated it”. Apparently it was uphill and there was some scrambling. I don’t know where anyone has got the impression from that I don’t like scrambling, as I’ve never really had the opportunity to try it. She’s probably right though – from the sound of it it was another one of Trail’s “gently undulating” walks that turns out to be steep and challenging, and I would have been right at the back without my mountain leaders to spur me along. And then I read the blog above, and I can see that I’ve got the reputation of being the one who whinges and complains all the time…. pants.

Ok so I may not be climbing Kilimunjaro, and I may not be able to run ten miles in ten minutes, but I have achieved things that I didn’t think I could do, and I’ve learnt a lot, particularly from Steve and Barry on the weekend in Wales (if I’m honest, that’s the shining pinacle of the whole thing for me – I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.) It’s just that my achievements are so small compared to everyone else on the academy, that I’m not sure that Trail know how to or want to manage that.

Just wanted to be clear that, although I refuse to pander to a magazine when things aren’t as good as they could be, I’m still grateful to Trail for all that they have done, and the positives more than outweigh the negatives.

Lastly the latest Trail magazine is out, and I don’t get a mention – perhaps I should try being a bit nicer about them! Looks like they sent Jess and her family on a great break though…have to look into how much that would be for me to do the same. And there’s some tips for avoiding the post work slump that I am so guilty of. I’m going to give those menus a try, which will be much easier when I’ve moved (May 1st completion date – eeeek!) and am shopping/cooking for myself.

Just logged into my email and discovered I’ve passed my final assignment and therefore have been awarded the CIPR Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations. Possibly the most time consuming qualification I’ve ever done in my life, I can’t tell you how happy I am or how relieved that it’s all over!

I did say I wouldn’t undertake anything like this again, but I’ve just discovered it’s only a small amount more effort to make it up to a masters…. interesting!

Perhaps Paramo will forgive me for being rubbish, now I’ve sold two jackets for them: http://forum.countrywalking.co.uk/forumlive/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=689

Also bit the bullet and reproofed Andy’s Paramo smock and my older waterproof this weekend. First with Tech Wash to get them clean (Mine had a disagreement with a Tiger at Marwell – the sign did say don’t get too close!) and then TX Direct to reproof. The scary bit is that you then have to put them in the tumble dryer, and Andy’s took an age to dry because it’s so thick. A few nail biting moments as I tried to work out how long would be long enough to dry but not melt them! It all turned out fine and they are both now beading water off like new… and the towels that went in the wash after the waterproofs didn’t come out water repellent, so everyone’s a winner.

Having spent a week housesitting with Andy and working to his schedule of getting up at six and being at work early, instead of my schedule of getting up at 8 and taking advantage of flexi time, I’ve discovered you can cram a lot more into a day! I’ve also officially reserved my flat – went for the second floor one in the end and have a provisional completion date of May 1, so that’s a climb I’ll be doing at least once a day!

Sian and Richard are off on the next Trail trip next week and I am insanely jealous, but I just cant get the time off at short notice. I have got some days booked either side of the bank holiday though, which have been in the diary for months, so Andy and I are heading to Cornwall again, and I’m going to take the Paramo up on the cliffs for some proper testing. If it’s anything like as good as Andy’s jacket that he wore in the terrible weather at New Year, I’m not going to be disappointed.

If ever there was someone I wouldn’t want to upset in a million years, it would be lovely Michael from Paramo and his equally lovely boss. However, I think my runaway mouth might have done it yesterday. We went to the outdoor show (more about that later…yawn…) and found the Paramo stand where I was asked how my jacket was getting on. I replied, honestly but stupidly, that it’s currently in my backpack, and that I’d tested it in Wales and it was a bit hot. If looks could kill, there would have been a death at the NEC, and I’m sure they’re writing the letter demanding it back as we speak.

I speak only the truth, I am rubbish, I don’t have time to go trekking, and, for as long as Trail keeps organising their trips at short notice on a week day, I can’t see that situation changing. Harumph.

Moving swiftly on from my ability to make great first impressions on important people, the show itself was not as good as in previous years. In fact I’d go so far as to say it was pretty damn poor. Apparently it had been really busy, but I can’t imagine what all those people (a lot of whom were dressed in “look at me, I’m an outdoor person really”, full outdoor gear – what’s that all about?) found to look at as were around and out in about an hour. In previous years the big brands have been there with big, impressive stands that stand out across halls, and there’s things there that you wouldn’t get the chance to see and handle anywhere else. This year I would say it was about 80% shell scheme – boxes and boxes of tiny companies, some of whom with little or no connection to the outdoors. If this is their one big marketing push of the year, I don’t know how they survive. There were apparently zones, but I couldn’t have told you where one ended and another began. Didn’t get the chance to take in any of the talks, but I did see the legend Alan Hinkes doing his talk in a tiny area that could have been filled five times over judging by all the people outside craning their necks. Someone somewhere got their priorities all wrong.

Anyway, working from home today, so I’d better do some! Although it has just started snowing!

A few random things to say this weekend!

I have finally got my voice back! For someone who is hardly ever ill, that was officially the longest week of my life! Although I’m feeling better, I am totally shattered (unbelievable after spending the week in bed) but am going back to work on Monday.

The new Trail Magazine is out, and, for once, I don’t have a bad word to say about it, mainly because I don’t feature that much, apart from some quotes that I don’t remember saying! I’m not one of the elite few who did proper trekking and scrambling in Wales, and are doing a better job of conforming to what Trail want them to be…probably because they never were unfit in the first place!

Also found out this week that I’m going to miss the next trip as they wanted me to take a weekday off, drive to the Peak District by 10am and do a long walk on March 22. It just wasn’t enough notice, and the alternative date a week later is when I’m already booked up to do something else at work. Call me naive about how consumer magazine publishing works, but I’ve worked on magazines, and I could tell you now what the deadline of our newspaper at work will be in December 2007, yet Trail don’t seem to be terribly organised when it comes to these things. Surely if you were starting a project like this, you’d have an idea of how it’s all going to pan out and when there were going to be trips, so that people could organise their time, instead of expecting them to drop everything because someone at Emap decided to move a deadline (and I bet it doesn’t mean that Trail will be out ten days early either… ok, enough of the cynicism, sorry).

Anyway, I’ve found a couple of things mildly inspiring (you should know by now it takes a lot to actually get me off my backside) this week. The first is the Trail 100 – 100 peaks they think everyone should conquer. Surprisingly there’s a good 15 in there that are lower than Drum, so might just be doable, as long as they’re more like Drum and less like Loughrigg! Also someone on the Country Walking forum posted this website: www.hill-bagging.co.uk. I know that people who just love the outdoors and are fit enough to take on whatever they want to don’t care about ticking things off, and, if they’re honest, don’t actually want novices to know about all the great places, but I find it motivating to have some information and something to tick off when I’m trying to get started. And it turns out I’ve already ticked off two Wainwrights – result!

I was a bit freaked out but very pleased to see a comment from someone in Canada who’s been reading this blog. Bit scary to think I’m writing anything that is of interest to anyone, particularly that far away! Hey, there’s no accounting for taste! I hope I will do you all proud one day

Ooh it’s nearly time for the Bear Grylls program on Channel 4. I’ve been saying for ages I’m going to name my first child after this truly inspirational and, ok, quite beautiful man (you can’t help but grow up with a strong character if your mum calls you Bear) but now he’s gone all mainstream I may have to rethink – don’t want little Bear to be just one of many among all the Courtneys, Harleys and Jades!

I think it might be time for more paracetamol and a lie down….

P.S Most exciting news of all this week has nothing to do with hills, but is worthy of a mention. I got Take That tickets! That will be me, down the front on Dec 8 at the 02, reliving Milton Keynes 06 and a whole host of teenage memories

I came home from work on Monday because I kept going hot and dizzy. By 9pm my temperature was 103.4, I didn’t really know where I was and my mum had to put me to bed with a fan, a bucket and a cold flannel. Tuesday I woke up to find I have no voice, which is probably quite amusing to everyone around me, but I feel rubbish. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to be off work either, and I can’t see me being back there for a couple of days, as every time I get out of bed my temperature goes up again and I fall over! On Wednesday I added earache and stomach upset, and today, as it’s taken me two days to actually write this post, my face is all swollen up. Off to the Dr in a bit, if I can peel my pyjamas off!

On the plus side, I have time to update this blog.

Andy and I went a little walk in the pouring rain on Sunday, when I was still feeling human with no idea of what was to come! It really was a little walk, around the Vyne near Basingstoke, and into the teashop! I spent the whole walk going “look how the rain beads off my jacket” and shaking the rain off. It was very pretty! My Paramo is a great jacket – I can even adjust the hood so it fits over my ridiculous amount of hair!

Andy’s been away at a show all week so it was good to see him and catch up. He’s signed up for Photoplod which is a 47 mile walk across the South Downs, so I think I may have agreed to some practice walks with him, but we’ll be doing the seven sisters one at a time, not all at once like he’s going to have to do!

Thought I’d better update this before it goes to the big archive in the sky.

I haven’t set foot on anything other than pavement and carpet since I got back from Wales I’m afraid. I have no idea what I weigh, and to be perfectly honest, I haven’t got time to care. Work is stupid at the moment with the sheer amount I have to do, although there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’m hardly seeing Andy because he’s mega-busy too, and when I do see him, one or other of us spends the whole time talking about how much we have to do and how tired we are. It’s all just beautiful.

To add madness to the mix, I’m now in the process of buying a flat too, through shared ownership (seems to be all anyone can afford in the south these days). Or at least, I was in the process of buying a flat until I heard today that someone who got their forms in before me (thanks to the incompetence of the local shared ownership company, who didn’t send me the details in time, despite it being perfect for me and me being registered with them for months) has now decided that they would like a flat after all, and they now have first refusal on the plots, even though I know which one I want and I’m ready to go.

How can I take the less nice one next door, and live next to the person who has taken my flat? I don’t think it can be done…

Life seemed so much simpler at the top of Drum.

Well, we got some white stuff. Loads of it in Basingstoke, but by the time I got to Winchester there was nothing to speak of and our other areas further south didn’t get any! I have to say I prefer the crunchy ground at Lyn Ogwen to the slushy stuff we had today.

Last night I finished work and went straight to the Guide meeting, so the best laid plans for a walk were just that – plans. I think I’m going to have to give in and admit that the only time I’m going to definitely be able to get walks in is in the morning before work. It’s going to hurt, but it’s got to be done. You never know, it might wake me up and make me more enthusiastic at work. Finding it really hard to be there at the moment – pedalling like a mad thing and seemingly moving nowhere, and in any case not being sure if where I’m headed is actually where I want to go, if that makes sense.

I remembered today I forgot to write anything about how my new Paramo gear rated in Wales. On the first day I wore the thicker, double sided base layer and the Alta jacket. It was crisp when we set out but because the weather was so fine, I had to take the jacket off before we were more than a couple of hours along (I even got surn burn…craziness). At the top of Drum it was suddenly very cold, and I admit I reverted back to putting my fleece on because the jacket was just too hot and a bit OTT for such good weather. I feel like I haven’t given the jacket a fair trial yet to be honest – I need some rain! Bit disappointed with the base layer – after a couple of hours walking it is really badly pilled where the waist belt of my backpack rubbed. I guess hill walking isn’t about looking good, but had I paid for it I’d be bitterly disappointed.

At least tomorrow is Friday, and Andy is coming home from the show he’s been at – first time we’ve seen eachother in two weeks so that’s something to look forward to! And I’ve had lovely emails from Steve and Barry with a few ideas in – watch this space! They’re very keen to remind me that I conquered drum by taking things at my own pace. I think that’s the key really – bit by bit and not trying to kill myself taking on unrealistic challenges. I know they’re right, but I can’t help thinking about that north ridge that everyone else did!