Well, the preparations have now started I guess.
Today I started my dehydrating. Nothing too heavy here, just some fruit and some tomato sauce. But I know that now I’ve started the kitchen will resemble a production line for weeks to come.
I also set about ordering some crucial gear, most notably a new pair of Terrocs care of Paul at Hike-Lite. The current Terrocs still have a lot of life in them but having seen the punishment these take on a going backpacking trip I reckon it’s a good idea to start with a new pair. For those wedded to boots it may seem odd but trail shoes are not the same sort of thing at all. The new pair will probably see me through the Challenge and all of the summer.
I had a bit of a gear splurge, today, including some novel little thingies from the US – but I’ll keep them as a bit of a surprise so that I can dazzle you with the stuff at a later date!
Finally, I had a really nice ‘Challenge experience’ last night. At Montrose campsite on last year’s Challenge a couple pitched-up next to me who literally live around the corner from me here in Birmingham. Since Montrose we’ve shared Flickr pictures and some email stuff but never met. Which seems a bit daft. So we went around to Jenny and Ted’s for a lovely evening of lovely food and conversation about walking, Munros and Challenges; Ted and Jen have done 7 or 8 crossings now. I was warned, last year, that the challenge gets into our blood and I can see what they mean now. But Jen and Ted were quite good role models. Yes the like the Challenge, but they don’t do it every year. This year they’re aiming to spend their time in Scotland, climbing Munros with daysacks. They share my view that long distance backpacking is a different kind of thing than peak bagging. There is a place for both in the repertoire, but they are essentially different experiences.
Anyway, a lovely evening. Have I said before that you only seem to meet nice people hiking?
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