The hiking gear and adventures thread...
Discussion
mickythefish said:
just done my third peak, Ben Nevis, 7 hours lol.
Tough going up , enjoyed snow on the top
My favourite has been Snowdon Watkins route. Will go back. Next challenge is 2000m.
I did buy a pole probably get another as really helped. Bought a few winter bits off vinted as well. Great for second hand clothes.
What makes it a achievement is I was on medication and doctors told me I would die if I stopped. The side effects were too much for me. Well 4 months later I've done 3 mountains loads of hills. Just saying anyone can start I think.
Well done on hiking the Ben and on your improved fitness! Tough going up , enjoyed snow on the top
My favourite has been Snowdon Watkins route. Will go back. Next challenge is 2000m.
I did buy a pole probably get another as really helped. Bought a few winter bits off vinted as well. Great for second hand clothes.
What makes it a achievement is I was on medication and doctors told me I would die if I stopped. The side effects were too much for me. Well 4 months later I've done 3 mountains loads of hills. Just saying anyone can start I think.
Edited by mickythefish on Thursday 13th June 20:27
Are we talking statins? Cos’ I refused them recently.
Phil. said:
Well done on hiking the Ben and on your improved fitness!
Are we talking statins? Cos’ I refused them recently.
No biologics to suppress my immune system. This is all my opinion, I'm not recommending to anyone else, but I spent a lot of time looking at fitness as a way to do similar to drugs, with zero side effects besides aching pains lol. Things like resonance breathing techniques etc. Are we talking statins? Cos’ I refused them recently.
Can anyone recommend a bearish decent over 2000 metre mountain that starts from sea level?
mickythefish said:
Can anyone recommend a bearish decent over 2000 metre mountain that starts from sea level?
This is going to rapidly get hard and expensive if you limit this to actual prominence and not just elevation. If you just want 2,000m elevation then there are many options of course!Matt.. said:
This is going to rapidly get hard and expensive if you limit this to actual prominence and not just elevation. If you just want 2,000m elevation then there are many options of course!
Yeh just my plan, 2000,3000,4000,5000,6000 like once a year sort of thing. I don't want ones where you start high up and just walk to summit.mickythefish said:
Yeh just my plan, 2000,3000,4000,5000,6000 like once a year sort of thing. I don't want ones where you start high up and just walk to summit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_ult...You may want to consider starting higher up to achieve your goal as otherwise it's going to be really difficult and expensive as you'll need to travel a lot. The skillset requirements also rapidly increase with these peaks and the equipment requirements will increase.
Another goal you could consider would be highest peaks in the UK, Europe, etc...
Edited by Matt.. on Friday 14th June 09:34
Matt.. said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_ult...
You may want to consider starting higher up to achieve your goal as otherwise it's going to be really difficult and expensive as you'll need to travel a lot.
Cheers yeh been looking, like one but you start climbing at 1500 for a 2300 peak. Seems pointless. Probably go to Bulgaria that is cheap. You may want to consider starting higher up to achieve your goal as otherwise it's going to be really difficult and expensive as you'll need to travel a lot.
mickythefish said:
Cheers yeh been looking, like one but you start climbing at 1500 for a 2300 peak. Seems pointless. Probably go to Bulgaria that is cheap.
Once you get beyond 2,500m elevation you will start to see the impact of altitude on your body. It's not all just about the elevation numbers as you'll ned to understand how to operate in that environment. It's unlikely to be an issue until you go 3,000m+ but it is different for everyone.Matt.. said:
Once you get beyond 2,500m elevation you will start to see the impact of altitude on your body. It's not all just about the elevation numbers as you'll ned to understand how to operate in that environment. It's unlikely to be an issue until you go 3,000m+ but it is different for everyone.
Just looking found one in Morocco goes to 4k metres, Toubkal. Not technical.
Timely post from micky!
I mentioned earlier in the year that I'd be climbing the Three Peaks over a long weekend with some friends. Well, that was last weekend! We had an excellent time, despite some changeable weather.
Our itinerary:
Thursday:
Pick up hire car (brand new 530e!) and finish packing.
Friday:
Leave Bristol at 5:45am, driving to Fort William. Driver change every 2.5 to 3 hours. The early start paid off, we had our first driver change after 3 hours or so around Preston! The motorway from then on was very quiet until Glasgow, where there was heavier traffic but nothing slowing us down. The car quickly proved itself as a very capable motorway cruiser! It is wide though, and the A82 alongside Loch Lomond was a bit narrow in places with oncoming traffic.
We arrived in Fort William about 3pm. We picked up our 4th who had got the Caledonian Sleeper up from London, got checked into our accommodation at the trailhead for Ben Nevis, and adjourned to the bar!
Saturday:
We started walking at 7:30am, up the tourist path of Ben Nevis. Got rained on a few times. Reached the snow line and got a bit of a surprise regarding conditions! There was a full-on sideways blizzard at the summit and up to two feet of snow. Finding the path was very challenging at times, relying on following others, or looking for compacted snow. We had to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from snow, the wind was so strong.
Fortunately we were dressed to tolerate the conditions, but we'd seen some people earlier in shorts and trainers! I doubt they summitted. We got to the summit, took a couple of pictures in the whiteout, and then started a rapid descent! It was a shock how quickly you get colder heading downwards compared to upwards. Gloves and layers were quickly donned.
As we walked past Halfway Lochan, a coast guard helicopter started to approach the area, then quickly descended to hover above the lower part of the Red Burn. It winched down someone and then flew off to hold further away, before returning a few minutes later to pick up whoever they'd been called out for. It was impressive to watch and a sobering reminder of the risks in mountains, even only 40% up Ben Nevis.
On finishing our descent we changed clothes, had a drink in the bar then settling back into the car for the drive to Wasdale Head, arriving about 9:30pm. Total walking time about 6.5 hours.
Sunday:
We started from the National Trust car park on the Northern edge of Wast Water, about 8am. Scafell Pike had been described as the most 'scrambley' / technical of the three routes, but I didn't consider it any more difficult than the Zig Zags of Ben Nevis. We were definitely a little slower than the day before, but under less time pressure with the highest climb and longest drives out of the way. The view at the summit was crap, and as we arrived, so did freezing rain! So we didn't hang around and as we descended the rain subsided.
The views over Wast Water were fantastic, but I spent most of my time looking for the next foot placement on the slippery stones on the path! By the time we were done, my knees were not happy. Total walking time was 4.5 hours. Ice cream in the NT shop at the campsite, and then the drive down to Llanberis. We arrived about 6:30pm, checked into the hotel and adjourned to the bar to decide on the route up Snowdon.
Monday:
We eventually opted for the Llanberis path, setting off at 8:30am. Not my first choice, but one of our party was starting to struggle with their ankle and preferred the sound of a more gentle climb, even if the distance was further. I rationalised the decision as it being the larger ascent compared to Miner's or Pyg Track!
Snowdon felt positively pedestrian after the previous days. Some of the path is very steep and loose, but compared to Ben Nevis and Scafell, it was not much of a challenge. It was also my least favourite of the three. Between the endless noise from the mountain train, and the commercialisation of the summit, it just didn't feel special, or like an achievement after Ben Nevis. Total walking time was 3.5 hours.
Finally, drove back to Bristol just in time to help get the kids to bed!
Some stats:
- We put about 1300 miles on the car, spending £250 on fuel.
- Fitbit tells me I did 71000 steps over the 3 days (covering 32 miles), and climbed 1100 floors.
- Peak heart rate was on Ben Nevis, hitting 170bpm!!
Things I learned for another time;
- I carried far too much water. I took 2 litres up Ben Nevis, but I drank less than 2 litres total during the three climbs. I reasoned I would prefer to have it in the event of a problem though.
- That said, the Camelbak investment was a good choice. The convenience is very worthwhile over grabbing a bottle.
- You can't take too many snacks!
- I took waterproof over trousers, but actually didn't bother using them. I preferred my fast drying hiking trousers, since we only dealt with showers.
- My boots are truly fantastic. I have some Meindl leather boots and they saved my ankles and arse more than once!
- I will consider learning how to use poles. I went without, but a lot of people had them. I think they would have helped stability and confidence on descents.
- Staying as close as possible to the start of our walks, made life much less stressful.
- And since this is PH, the 530e is not a bad way to spend 9 hours on a motorway!
Overall, a great time was had and it was a great way to spend a weekend with a few mates.
(Edited to fix days / times)
I mentioned earlier in the year that I'd be climbing the Three Peaks over a long weekend with some friends. Well, that was last weekend! We had an excellent time, despite some changeable weather.
Our itinerary:
Thursday:
Pick up hire car (brand new 530e!) and finish packing.
Friday:
Leave Bristol at 5:45am, driving to Fort William. Driver change every 2.5 to 3 hours. The early start paid off, we had our first driver change after 3 hours or so around Preston! The motorway from then on was very quiet until Glasgow, where there was heavier traffic but nothing slowing us down. The car quickly proved itself as a very capable motorway cruiser! It is wide though, and the A82 alongside Loch Lomond was a bit narrow in places with oncoming traffic.
We arrived in Fort William about 3pm. We picked up our 4th who had got the Caledonian Sleeper up from London, got checked into our accommodation at the trailhead for Ben Nevis, and adjourned to the bar!
Saturday:
We started walking at 7:30am, up the tourist path of Ben Nevis. Got rained on a few times. Reached the snow line and got a bit of a surprise regarding conditions! There was a full-on sideways blizzard at the summit and up to two feet of snow. Finding the path was very challenging at times, relying on following others, or looking for compacted snow. We had to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from snow, the wind was so strong.
Fortunately we were dressed to tolerate the conditions, but we'd seen some people earlier in shorts and trainers! I doubt they summitted. We got to the summit, took a couple of pictures in the whiteout, and then started a rapid descent! It was a shock how quickly you get colder heading downwards compared to upwards. Gloves and layers were quickly donned.
As we walked past Halfway Lochan, a coast guard helicopter started to approach the area, then quickly descended to hover above the lower part of the Red Burn. It winched down someone and then flew off to hold further away, before returning a few minutes later to pick up whoever they'd been called out for. It was impressive to watch and a sobering reminder of the risks in mountains, even only 40% up Ben Nevis.
On finishing our descent we changed clothes, had a drink in the bar then settling back into the car for the drive to Wasdale Head, arriving about 9:30pm. Total walking time about 6.5 hours.
Sunday:
We started from the National Trust car park on the Northern edge of Wast Water, about 8am. Scafell Pike had been described as the most 'scrambley' / technical of the three routes, but I didn't consider it any more difficult than the Zig Zags of Ben Nevis. We were definitely a little slower than the day before, but under less time pressure with the highest climb and longest drives out of the way. The view at the summit was crap, and as we arrived, so did freezing rain! So we didn't hang around and as we descended the rain subsided.
The views over Wast Water were fantastic, but I spent most of my time looking for the next foot placement on the slippery stones on the path! By the time we were done, my knees were not happy. Total walking time was 4.5 hours. Ice cream in the NT shop at the campsite, and then the drive down to Llanberis. We arrived about 6:30pm, checked into the hotel and adjourned to the bar to decide on the route up Snowdon.
Monday:
We eventually opted for the Llanberis path, setting off at 8:30am. Not my first choice, but one of our party was starting to struggle with their ankle and preferred the sound of a more gentle climb, even if the distance was further. I rationalised the decision as it being the larger ascent compared to Miner's or Pyg Track!
Snowdon felt positively pedestrian after the previous days. Some of the path is very steep and loose, but compared to Ben Nevis and Scafell, it was not much of a challenge. It was also my least favourite of the three. Between the endless noise from the mountain train, and the commercialisation of the summit, it just didn't feel special, or like an achievement after Ben Nevis. Total walking time was 3.5 hours.
Finally, drove back to Bristol just in time to help get the kids to bed!
Some stats:
- We put about 1300 miles on the car, spending £250 on fuel.
- Fitbit tells me I did 71000 steps over the 3 days (covering 32 miles), and climbed 1100 floors.
- Peak heart rate was on Ben Nevis, hitting 170bpm!!
Things I learned for another time;
- I carried far too much water. I took 2 litres up Ben Nevis, but I drank less than 2 litres total during the three climbs. I reasoned I would prefer to have it in the event of a problem though.
- That said, the Camelbak investment was a good choice. The convenience is very worthwhile over grabbing a bottle.
- You can't take too many snacks!
- I took waterproof over trousers, but actually didn't bother using them. I preferred my fast drying hiking trousers, since we only dealt with showers.
- My boots are truly fantastic. I have some Meindl leather boots and they saved my ankles and arse more than once!
- I will consider learning how to use poles. I went without, but a lot of people had them. I think they would have helped stability and confidence on descents.
- Staying as close as possible to the start of our walks, made life much less stressful.
- And since this is PH, the 530e is not a bad way to spend 9 hours on a motorway!
Overall, a great time was had and it was a great way to spend a weekend with a few mates.
(Edited to fix days / times)
Edited by Simbu on Friday 14th June 22:49
interested reading others viewpoints. I wear shorts and hiking trainers lol, just prefer them to boots, but will probably get some.
I guess you are fit, as I usually drink 6 litres of water on each hike.
I would love to do 3 peaks but takes me days to recover and would be impossible , i think people don't understand how difficult it is.
My plan now for this year is 5 peaks, 1 in Eire, Corrán Tuathail and 1 in NI, Slieve Donard.
I guess you are fit, as I usually drink 6 litres of water on each hike.
I would love to do 3 peaks but takes me days to recover and would be impossible , i think people don't understand how difficult it is.
My plan now for this year is 5 peaks, 1 in Eire, Corrán Tuathail and 1 in NI, Slieve Donard.
I have been out on Tenerife this week and done three wonderful and varied trail walks / hikes in the mountains, as well as others along the coast.
I’ve covered c. 60km (1600m total ascent), the best trail being a 21km loop yesterday from Santiago del Teide up and around El Chinyero volcano, under the watchful eye of El Teide, climbing up through remarkably contrasting terrain across lava fields and ash mounds and through idyllic pine and laurel forests where I literally felt like I was in another world. It has been a memorable experience.
Achilles tendinitis unfortunately kicked in early on that walk, but I wasn’t turning around, no way. It did scupper any chance of a final circuit today, however the beach at La Tejita beneath Montaña Rioja was very pleasant, if a little windy (as it has been all week in certain areas).
Here are a few pics (of the many I took!).
Near Roque del Conde overlooking Costa Adeje, with La Gomero in the background.
Los Gigantes
From Montaña Colorada looking south.
Playa Montaña Amarilla on the Costa del Silencio.
Towards El Teide.
El Chinyero
Montaña Roja & La Tejita
Definitely plan to do more solo hiking holidays in the future!
I’ve covered c. 60km (1600m total ascent), the best trail being a 21km loop yesterday from Santiago del Teide up and around El Chinyero volcano, under the watchful eye of El Teide, climbing up through remarkably contrasting terrain across lava fields and ash mounds and through idyllic pine and laurel forests where I literally felt like I was in another world. It has been a memorable experience.
Achilles tendinitis unfortunately kicked in early on that walk, but I wasn’t turning around, no way. It did scupper any chance of a final circuit today, however the beach at La Tejita beneath Montaña Rioja was very pleasant, if a little windy (as it has been all week in certain areas).
Here are a few pics (of the many I took!).
Near Roque del Conde overlooking Costa Adeje, with La Gomero in the background.
Los Gigantes
From Montaña Colorada looking south.
Playa Montaña Amarilla on the Costa del Silencio.
Towards El Teide.
El Chinyero
Montaña Roja & La Tejita
Definitely plan to do more solo hiking holidays in the future!
Edited by 2HFL on Friday 14th June 23:10
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