One week, 7 days, 168hrs… doesn’t sound like a particularly long time yet in that time your life can change completely. Sometimes those changes will be for the better other times for the worse, fortunately in my case it was the former. It’s rare to find oneself in the position of having a longish spell of free time suddenly land on your lap and even rarer for your boss to suggest that you might want to go on a long walk without actually giving you the sack! But this was the position I found myself in only 3 weeks ago, I suddenly had 2 months available for something, but what? I had no idea but I knew it had to be big, I knew I longed for a real challenge.

6 weeks was all I had before my April 1^st start date so time was short and at this stage I still had no idea where I was going. I also had the TGO Challenge pencilled in for 2 weeks in May but should I pullout? That would be a hard decision as I love the Challenge but this was a real opportunity that was unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. Frantically I sent a text to a few friends looking for inspiration; the text read “What would you do with 6 weeks off work? 8 if I bin the Challenge (starting 1^st April). Send me ideas… No it’s not an April fool!” I sat back and waited for a response. Andy was first with suggestions of Spain, Canary Islands, Arizona, Columbia, South Africa and a few UK routes. Phil Turner was next and he had also posted the question on Twitter but his vote was for Greenland or one of the European GR’s. A lot of the suggestions could be ruled out quickly because of the time of year but one suggestion stood out and that was Arizona and its little known trail. When Chris Townsend also suggested the Arizona Trail subconsciously the decision had already been made.

The Arizona Trail

I first encountered this trail 10 years earlier when Chris Townsend walked it and wrote about it in the TGO magazine. The trail was very new then and was only 60-70% complete but I remember vividly Chris’s photo’s of stunning twisted rock formations, enormous man-eating cactuses, deserts and also the lack of water. Things have changed a little since his pioneering walk but even though the trail was officially designated a National Scenic Trail in March 2009 the route still isn’t complete and the man-eating cactuses and lack of water also remain along, fortunately, with the stunning scenery. The trail begins at the Mexico/U.S. border and winds for 800 miles north to the Arizona/Utah border passing through some of the most rugged yet spectacular landscapes in the Western US. On route you walk through the famous Sonoran desert and the Grand Canyon, the lowland desert of the Saguaro National park as well as many mountainous areas including the San Francisco Peaks. Kit must be able to cope with subzero snow covered mountain summits but also incredible heat in the dusty deserts. This along with the fury friends that you are likely to encounter on the trail which include bears, mountain lions, various poisonous snakes, scorpions and spiders make for an experience unlike nothing I’ve experienced before. But what concerns me most is water and more importantly its weight. Reliable water sources are rare with distances of 40-60 miles not uncommon if it hasn’t rained recently. A full water load for 2 days on one of the long dry sections is 16kg alone! Add to that 6 days food and kit and even if travelling lightweight you are looking at a 26kg pack. I haven’t carried a pack weighing more than 10kg in as many years and this weight worries me immensely.

Could I get myself expedition fit, get together all the kit and organise a trip in an unfamiliar country in less than 6 weeks (less than 3 now!).

To be continued…

Sometime! Updates will be infrequent because of lack of remaining time and a million things to do but for now see the trail website http://www.aztrail.org/ and I thoroughly recommend getting a copy of Chris Townsend excellent book “Crossing Arizona”.  

You know how it is. You put something away safe. Well, maybe you did. Maybe the gear storage system has lost a bit of its discipline over the last year. But, how can you loose a down jacket? I’ve searched high and low. Perhaps, I’ve crunched it up very small. Unlikely. It’s all very unsatisfactory. The last thing I want to do is to have to buy another one.

Now, just one more search …

.. it must be around here somewhere.

A couple of days ago I posted about the cost comparison between Routebuddy and Anquet. A few people have emailed me to point out that the Anquet prices used were from their ‘SALE’ price list. I checked that Routebuddy’s prices were standard.

This probably means that Routebuddy closes the initial price gap even more quickly than I described.

When these two go head-to-head it will be interesting.

So, having got trail walking off my chest I start day dreaming about wild camping. Is there anything better in this life!

Lac de Baston, Pyrenees

A wildcamp lets you connect with the landscape around you in the most amazing way. I’ve sat in my tent high in the Pyrenees just watching the clouds, listening to marmots and simply watching the water flow by. I’ve woken in the Cairngorms to watch herds of deer move slowly across the hill opposite while the early rays of the sun cast a gold and pink glow over the heather. And the nights. High in the hills, away from cities, the milky way reveals itself in amazing splendour. Who needs entertainment with skies like this? In a tarp you can feel the air as well. There is no better sleep than that induced by a wild camp.

On a walk I may well have picked out my site well in advance. On the map it looks flat and perfect, but will it be? Walk hard and long and are often rewarded with stunning locations, perhaps perched on the side of a high and secluded loch. Or maybe things aren’t so definite. Maybe your not sure about the terrain or the distance you want to travel. The first time I came down into the Spanish Rio Ara from the French side of the Pyrenees I simply wasn’t expecting such a wonderful, lush and green high mountain landscape. I pushed on to far and too hard and, of course, the camp spots got less and less attractive. I should have gone with my instincts and made the camp the centre of the day. But on other occasions I’ve hit gold, cramming myself into wonderous spaces that can only take the footprint of one tent.

Loch Mhoicrean, North West Highlands

Discreet camp in South Shropshire

Above Grassmere in the English Lake District

And then there’s this thing about water. Water can be bloody noisy. It’s a good idea to camp a little bit away from the stream or the waterfall. But I never do! I can’t remember a night in Scotland when I’ve not been lulled to sleep by he sound of running water. And then there’s the unexpected. Once in the Knoydart I had made for the shore of Loch Quioch which I’ve seen described as the best wild camp site in the UK. But just before it I cam across a small, higher lochan with a lovely sandy beach. As I pitched the tent I noticed footprints down the the water. Deer? As night fell, and as I lay in my tent, I was treated the sound of a stag deer walking right past the tent, positioning himself just a few feet away before letting our a cry to his charges, one that echoed perfectly around a min cirque. I’d spotted a great wild camp spot. The dear had found the perfect natural amplifier.

I know that wild camping in the UK can be dodgy, especially in England and Wales, but be discreet and you’ll be alright. I’ve woken early in the Shropshire Hills to walk to the high ground and be met by an early riser Park Warden, smiley and chatty and quite happy with a sensible camper spending the night in the wild.

You can also make your luck in the hills. As I pitch I always survey the land. What lies to the East and to the West? Sunset and sunrise of course. Some of the best photographs have been taken by just opening the tent near dawn, focussing and shooting!

Lacs des Oulettes, High Pyrenees

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

Evening on the Findorn

Wild camping is one of the special things about the Challenge. If you’re on your first crossing then I hope you have plenty of wild camps worked out. If not then improvise. Use that wild camp spot that’s a few miles short of that campsite of hostel. You can always make up the distance, but the night will be so much better.

In my daydreams I’m already there, breathing the cool crisp air of morning, drinking that coffee brewed on the gas canister or eating a wonderful evening meal cuddled up in a snug sleeping bag.

Magic!

Amended 11th March 2009

I’ve had a lot of response to my piece on Routebuddy (not least from Routebuddy and Anquet). More than a few people have raised the issue of price as Anquet allow their software to be downloaded for free and Routebuddy costs about £66 (it is priced in dollars on the website).

Now, there’s nothing in this world for free and so I set about trying to compare a collection of maps. While Routebuddy costs some money their maps are often cheaper than Anquets. Basically, the more maps you buy the closer the differential.

Look at this collection. First we have to buy Routebuddy and download Anquet (£66 and £0 respectively).

Then I buy the Snowdonia National Park map which is £49.95 for RB and £50.00 for Anquet.

Then I buy the Pembrokeshire regional map. £29.99 for RB and £50.00 for Anquet.

Then I buy Cairngorms complete (Anquet) £75 and Caingorms W and E from RB at a combined cost of £59.98.

I could go on. The comparisons become a little difficult because both have cheap maps in their range, for example Anquet discount the NW Scotland map and RB does not.

You should note that these prices of from Anquet’s current ‘SALE’. In more normal times RB maps may be even more competitive.

But you can see from how this is working that the cost gap closed as you buy actual maps.

Of course, we can’t compare the programs and the quality of the maps side-by-side as the Anquet offering is not with us yet. But I suspect this is something you want to look at carefully before you buy. Depending on the maps you want Routebuddy can close the gap quicker than that listed above. But then if you want — say — just Great Britain at 1:50 the Anquet is the better deal.

I’ve been trying to get my head around Routebuddy’s claim to be mixing vector maps with raster maps, something that Anquet doesn’t do. When I’ve succeeded I will report back.

My review of Routebuddy has elicited an approach from Anquet who are preparing a native Mac version of their software.

For years I’ve watched both Anquet and Memory Map sites and both have made it clear that they had no plans to produce a Mac version. After a while I gave up watching! However, the iPhone seems to have changed all of that. Anquet are producing the software in conjunction with VLC who are a specialist Apple software house. We can expect both Mac and iPhone versions.

This will be an interesting race between Anquet and Routebuddy. memory Map appear to have no plans, although they now have an iphone version.

Anquet’s Mac and iPhone plans.

Earlier today I was looking at routes on OS maps. I quickly found myself in a thoroughly engaging. Maps can do that to you, and we’ve discussed this many times in these pages. But today the daydreams were about the joys of walking ahead — solo walking that is.

Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy walking with others and with my loved ones. But it is not quite the same. Walking solo you can walk at the your own pace, for your own distance and pick your own hours. Want to explore that hill or top? No Problem. Find a sunny spot for a little afternoon nap? Fine. Decide to change the route or walk into the night? Nobody else to worry about! Solo walking is less stressful as there’s no responsibility to take for anyone else. Mind you, it is important to take care of yourself, but that’s another story.

The high points are wonderful, great stonking vistas to take in, boulders to slither over and scree to skid over. There is something about being able to deal with mountains and hills on your own. Three or four years ago in the Caringorms I climbed up Bynack More in reasonably quiet if gloomy weather. By the time I had reached the summit ridge the winds began to blow; it was exciting. I fought my way over to the Barns of Bynack through driving rain and then snow. And then it was stinging hail smashing me in the face. I could have ploughed on I suppose and I probably would have done with others. But, damn it. This wasn’t fun. I decided to drop right down the hill, down steep contours, alongside a little stream that eventually made it to the little Alt that runs south to the Fords of Avon.

This wasn’t so much a walk as a toboggan down the fells on my bum. It was all great fun and completely irresponsible, you know those great slides where you fly over edges into heather no knowing what is underneath. It just had to be a solo experience.

But solo daydreams don’t just focus on the heights. There are those wonderful stretches of trail, or track, that just seem to go on forever. You hit your stride, adopting a pace that you could just sit in all day. In Scotland this might be over open moorland or if your really lucky through Caledonian Forest. There are birds to listen to and deer to spy. Of course, the famous TGOC cuckoo will be a constant companion in the West during May. On the path there are wonderfully hairy slugs to stand and stare at, not to mention those juicy big black things.

There will also be the sound of running water for much of the time. Perhaps, it is a stream or a small burn in full flight. Or it might be river slowly meandering down to civilisation and the sea. It might be the sound of water gushing beneath your feet as you crawl up to the high ground of the peat bog, the line of the water faithfully sketched out in the peat despite the subterranean meanderings of the stream.

As the day draw on there is a camp to discover. Walking in company its always annoying when that flat spot on the map turns out to be horribly tussocky or water-logged. Solo, I’ll just stroll on. There’s always another spot, another camp. The legs are working fine, let’s push on a bit. That ground down below towards the valley looks promising. What about that sun glistening on the u-bends of the Findorn down below? Camp made there are things to discover. Signs of other life? Yes, there’s a stone strategically moved to support a fire or stove. Maybe if you are really lucky there are three or four big stones heaved over to make a comfortable seating platform.

In the morning, well I might start early. Or I might have a lie in. Watches are not needed in the north in the warmer months. Just wake with the dawn and stroll on accordingly.

Wouldn’t it be great to stroll on like this for days and days? But even if its just two or three the its fine. There are those that like to think of Scotland as wilderness but eventually there’s a house though the trees, the sound of motor engines, the fluorescent flash of a kayak or the sound of a lawn mower or chainsaw. There are now people to meet, to greet, to drink and eat with. But the company is all the better for the days of solitude that preceded it.

But when walking alone I also value the chance encounter with my fellow walker. And somehow these are wonderfully different when walking on your own. And in Scotland these encounters are nearly alway entertaining. I remember an old chap in the Knoydart walking into Inverie from Strathan to see his mate. We stopped. He complained about the weather. Then he complained about the state of the path. Not maintained properly. And his boots; they were letting in water. At least I think this is what he was complaining about as it was difficult to really understand. And then the inevitable happened. That’s a nice rucksack. How does it work? Where can you get one?

Another time strolling down Glendessary and about to enter the woods I heard the sound of rushing boots behind me and a cry for attention. Another old fellow. This one was out on his monthly bird count. He was responsible for a stretch of glen and his job was to carry out a survey of bird song and bird call. What a wonderful way to spend a retirement. Every few weeks or so he drove down from Inverness to maintain his little stretch. We walked on through the woods. He knew everything intimately, the birds, the trees and all manner of wildlife in between. I left him eventually and soon found myself passing a car. Ten minutes later my new friend was driving past with waves and the sounds of joyous goodbyes.

Walking down Glen Derry once — on Midsummer’s Day — I spied a man in the distance adjusting his gear and heaving round a big pack. As I got closer I realised he was carrying skis. He’d been up on Ben Macdui the week before and realised there was still a lot of snow about. So he came back to ski on Midsummer day, just because he could. These have all been Scottish encounters but there have been others, just has delightful, in Wales, on the mountains of France and many other places besides.

These encounters can really make a day. But then you’re back on your own. If your lucky the sun will be shining. But it might be pelting down. Never mind. I’m safely tucked into my rain gear, warm from the effort of the walk, entranced by the sound of the rain on my hood. And if your in real luck the rain will break, the sun will come out and you’ll be walking through woodland, alive with most stunning display and exhibition of scent.

Are there problems to solve and everyday dilemmas to wrestle with? No these have been expunged days before. The mind is free to go anywhere and everywhere. There are tunes to recall from the dark recesses of the mind or, if your like me, new tunes to create and to play with, and many variations to employ in order to fix these places into memory for future recall. There are the songs and those songs. Walking songs are not about quality but about hooks. I once spent four days crossing through the Cairngorms happily singing and whistling a collection of Eurovision songs —I’d caught a documentary about the song contest on TV a few days before. I’d never be caught dead listening to those songs and tunes back home. But out on the trail, as the walking poles beat their steady rhythm, they seem perfect.

I am, of course, looking forward to the Challenge. If you’re a first time Challenger walking solo you’ll no doubt be approaching the whole thing with a sense of trepidation.But after a day or two you’ll want to slow the pace, you’ll begin to relax and simply take in the magic of it all. Walk with those you met by all means but preserve some days for yourself.

There really is nothing else like it!

Like most Mac owners I prefer to work in native applications rather than rely on PC/Windows applications that run under an emulator. There are few areas of software that do not now have native Mac versions available, for example, MS Office, Photoshop, most popular finance packages and so on are all there.

One area that has been badly served is computer mapping. In the UK neither of the market leaders Anquet of Memory Map have yet produced Mac OS versions of their products (although Memory Map has created a version to use on the iphone). Anquet do have plans to produce vesions for both the iPhone and the Mac but they are not with us yet.

For a long time now I’ve chosen to stay with paper maps rather than play around with installing Windows on my Mac. But now a small UK based software house, Routebuddy Ltd, has produced a Mac option — Routebuddy — that allows its maps to be both run on the Mac and on an iPhone. Routebuddy currently sells a range of maps for North America and the UK, including both OS 1:50 and 1:25 maps (UK is complete and the US will be shortly).

I’ve been using Routebuddy for a few months now. Here is my review.

(more…)

This seems a little more interesting this year. Great kit although the sale items tend to be a little non standard and come in yucky colours — worth checking out though.

http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/special-offers.php?cat=79

Emails are starting to come in regarding my chosen route. I can’t always determine whether these are from people who want to avoid the podcast machine or people who want to meet up!

Vetter comments are not yet back but here goes.

I shall be starting in Dornie after a night in the Dornie Hotel. Anyone else going to be there?

From there I shall stroll into the hills camping at NH 212 217. This should set me up for the high route around Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan (or below in bad weather) and a slog on to Cougie. I haven’t yet decided whether to try Cougie Lodge yet or to camp at the Loch before it (where a couple of years ago I shared the ground with some magnificent black slugs).

Then it is into the Balmacaan Triangle for a couple of days, hopefully emerging into Drumnadrochit for beer and food. If anyone wants to hold hands through Balmacaan just shout.

An extended meander through the Monaliadth then follows a la Weightman, along the watershed, into Glen Mazaran, camping there for the evening, before turning south into Aviemore over the Burma Road. Mind you, somebody did send me an alternative to the road which I must seek out. I intended to go that way last year until some kind of flu bug struck. I’ll be at Coylumbridge on the evening of the 19th if anyone fancies a beer in the Hilton.

I then have a choice of joining Shirley, who will be walking in the wrong direction in order to find ghouls and ghosts. The vetter route will see me go from Coylumbridge to Glenmore for breakfast (20th) before going Glen Avon, Beinn A Bhuird and Quoich water and strolling into Braemar for breakfast (21st). I’ll be the guy in the red Paramo with arms removed reading the Guardian.

Some of you will know that I was planning to avoid Braemar this year completely. But Ibbotson convinced me that the trip wouldn’t be the same and I changed my mind. And now the blighter has skipped off to Arizona.

So, it’s fish and chips in the Hungry Highlander and Bingo Wings again on Saturday night I guess.

Then Ballater (never been there before) on the 23rd and a hop over Mount Keen to join the gathering of the revisionist Tarfside cell. And then Fettereso to Stonehaven. The Fettereso has been on each of my previous route sheets and I’ve not yet been there. I shall resist the temptation to simply slope into Edzell and the cafe. I will resist, I will.

Not the most original of routes I guess but one that was quickly put together. I worry that it won’t be lonely enough.