Because It Is There: A Zero Emissions Odyssey

This is another quick update as i have a fair few bits to do this evening before i get some sleep.

So, things are really starting to get stressful here at Expedition HQ (my bedroom) and i’m running around doing last minute bits and pieces before i leave on the 24th. I’m still waiting for a couple of bits of equipment to be delievered including some goodies from Sennhesier and a couple of new sponsors yet to be announced.

On Saturday i went over to Kendal where i spent the day on an Outdoor based First Aid Course run by Fieldskills, a company who specialize in training and support to allow people to do safe and successful expeditions. The course lasted all day and really has given me a deeper knowledge of First Aid, which previously consisted of simply being able to strap up a wrist or an ankle. Even though the course ran all day, it certainly didn’t feel like it as Dom, the course leader, runs the course with practical exercises as opposed to a slideshow presentation with a couple of 10 minute sessions on how to bandage a knee or similar (unlike the a first aid course i did when i was in the Scouts).

If you heading out on an expedition and are looking for First Aid Training (or any other kind of training) Fieldskills should be your first choice.

Dom, the Outdoor First Aid Course leader

Tomorrow i pick up my bike for the expedition which was very kindly bought for me by a supporter of the journey (Thank you!). More news on that soon….

So with less than two weeks ago everything is a mad rush at the moment. In between seeing family for the last time in 3 years and running around to pick up various equipment and having last minute meetings i’m trying to find the time to Blog but as you’ll understand it’s difficult. A few exciting thing have happened in the past weeks which i’ll cover in a longer blog entry this week, including news on new sponsors and equipment.

Tomorrow (or today as this goes up) i’m heading to Kendal to meet up with the guys from Fieldskills who have very kindly sponsored the expedition with a free Outdoors First Aid Course. I’ll also do a write up about this next week too.

Goodbye for now

I’ve just returned from a brief training trip up in the Peak District with my friends Pye and Adi. We spent around 36 hours trekking across Kinder Scout, spent a night under the stars and then a trek back across Kinder Scout to the car. I pretty much summed up the whole trip in a sentence but it was a little more difficult than it reads.

After arriving a little late, we reached the top well after our targeted time. After checking the map, we decided to make the short 2.5 mile dash across the open moorland. This wouldn’t have been a problem normally, but what we staring out over was a frozen ‘wonderland’. The snow was 3-4 foot deep in some places which slowed our progress down considerably. We, but especially me (due to the purposely overloaded pack), would sink through the snow after only a few steps, so much of the time was spent struggling to pull ourselves out on to more solid snow. We reached the woodland we intended to sleep in just before dark which gave us ample time to set up our shelters and hammocks.

The next day we set off once again for several hours of yet again more trekking through deep snow after a quick breakfast of sausages (cheers Pye) and a quick Q&A in front of the camera.

The route on the way back to the start point was a longer walk with a long slow accent to the top where we tucked into a well deserved lunch overlooking Manchester and Stockport. Then it was back to the arctic-esqe moorland for more difficult trekking through deep snow. We reached the descent just as the sun set, so spent the next hour navigating our way down a steep gorge over ice and rock – not the most safest of things to do but great fun!

Now that the weekend is over i have no other overnight training trips until i leave. The leaving date is coming around very quickly and the next couple of weeks will be a desperate search for a bit more funding and the last couple of bits of equipment.

This saturday i will be heading to the Lakes for a full day first aid course which has very kindly been donated to me by the guys over at Fieldskills. Hopefully there won’t be any call to use what they teach me but it certainly helps to have the skills handy.

With only a few weeks until i leave i’ve been stepping up the amount of training i’m doing for the expedition. Training is of course essential for an expedition but it can get rather boring seeing the same old sights day in, day out. I’ve been looking at different ways to train that would ‘spice’ things up a little. Here are a few things i came up with.

- Walk the Pennine Way. I quite fancy walking the Pennine Way, well, part of it. The last section of the route goes through the Peak District, which is a short drive from my house. The route take me straight through the center of some of the wilder parts of the peak district.

- Kayak/ Canoe in the Highlands. I love the Scottish Highlands. To me, there is no better place to train than the highlands, specifically the west highlands. It’s always been a dream of mine to find a canoe or kayak, pack my tent, sleeping bag and some food and head off for a few days exploring various lochs and islands up the coast.

- Bivvy Bag challenge. I came across the 84km Bivvy Challenge website a few months ago and promised myself i would do it before i leave. The idea is to start from your house and head out for 48 hours, covering a distance of 84km, sleeping in a Bivvy and finishing back at your start point.

- The Disused Railway. I’ve noticed, when i’m out training on my bike,  an old disused railway track. I don’t know where it goes or how long it takes but i like the idea of grabbing my pack, a couple of days of food and just setting off walking.

- Do Nothing. I know it may sound a little strange but i had the idea of doing nothing as part of my training. To be precise, i’d head out to a patch of woodland or moorland, pitch my tent and stay there for 48 hours. No iPod, no book, no contact with the outside world, nothing. Just me, my camera(s) and a notebook.

Why don’t you let me know if you have an idea for something i could do as part of my training.

I as i write this i’m sorting and packing my kit, ready to head up to the Highlands for a week or so. The plan is to walk from Durness, the most northwesterly village on mainland Britain, heading south for a few days of camping, testing out my bushcraft skills, practise a bit of photography but also simply take in this amazing part of the UK. It’s also a break from all the sponsorship chasing, email drafting and general prep work for more expedition.

You can follow my adventures via twitter where i will be tweeting every now and again and perhaps sharing some pictures too. Each tweet will (hopefully) show my position so can track my progress.

As Chris McCandless put it, ‘I know walk into the wild’….(well sort of).