A North York Moors Backpack

It's early on a Wednesday; Chrissie and I ferry the dogs round to our wonderful neighbours, Sara & Gordon. They're VERY excited; the dogs that is. Then, a dash up to Kildale, just east of Stokesley, where we leave the car. By around 11.30 am we're pounding part of the Cleveland way along a newly tarmacked lane up onto Battersby Moor. There's a stiff south-westerly. It's dry but cold in the wind. We're glad of our cosy, comfy Paramo jackets. Along the way we pass this poignant reminder of the fragility of life.

We turn south east, crossing Ingleby Moor. It's easy walking, though the wind is harsh and bitter. Meeting The Flagged Road we drop into the valley of Grain Beck and it's here we find the ruins of Armouth Wath, a long abandoned coal mine. I love places like this; industrial archaeology in the wilds. Right at the confluence of two streams, wath is from the Old Norse for ford.

Searching around for a while we find a place flattish and big enough for our huge, by backpacking standards, Terra Nova Polar Lite 3. Regular readers will know we've recently decided this'll accompany us on our Arctic Sweden trek next August. We soon have the outer erected and I fiddle with guys as Chrissie hangs the inner. It'll pitch in one but we've opted to split the tent for easier load sharing. Once the tent's up, I organise our home for the night while Chrissie filters water.

  

Brewing up, we pass a pleasant afternoon and evening reviewing the tent. We've spent only one night in it before; that was with our lab, Tilly back in January. We bought this big shelter specifically to use with two of us plus dogs, but have only recently considered using it for just the two of us. Split, it weighs less per person than the two man we frequently carry for solo use with a dog. The space makes for really comfortable living. Our two mats occupy the centre and leave plenty of room each side for personal kit; two pockets on each side aiding organisation. There's sufficient room below our feet for both our rucsacs. The porch has space for boots, camp shoes and cooking. Headroom is more than adequate to sit up, right across the floorspace, meaning I can banish Chrissie to a corner when she misbehaves.

Tensioning (or trying to) guys we discover that the cord won't run round our MSR Groundhog pegs which are hard against tussocks and soft earth. We decide, once home, to solve this by turning the guys round so the fixed loop is pegged and the cleat adjustment passes through the loop on the tent. We also decide to add a mini cleat to the double guys on the poles so they too are not reliant on running round the peg when adjusting. Interestingly, our Hilleberg Enan does have two cleats on the similar pole double guylines. It also has its single guys t'other way around ie with loops for the pegs and cleats on the tent end. Open question; do Terra Nova do any real-world testing? In fairness, the guys might run easily round the supplied, smoothly-radiused pegs; only problem is, they bend ... like bits of cheese! I also can't believe they don't evaluate Hilleberg products since they compete directly with them, especially with the three pole tunnels like this one; a very Nordic design. And before anyone says, "why didn't you buy a Hilleberg?" Well, they're twice the price and, these guy details apart, I don't think they give twice the performance. The Enan's different, being a design nobody else does so light, so well. Enough said.

Viewed from outside the tent has a low profile relative to it's footprint, the benefit of this being clear as, through the night, we're battered by high winds. The tent stands firm against these, despite our inability to properly tighten the guylines.

There's heavy rain through the night too but, by morning, it's dry again. We enjoy home-prepared porridge breakfasts, tea and coffee, then decamp. With so much room inside it's easy for the two of us together to pack our sacs. There's a lot of pegging points on a tent this size, 21 in all, but we soon fall into an easy system between the two of us. Chrissie unhooks and stores the inner while I unpeg all but the rear guys, then the pegs along each side, leaving only the front and rear pegs in place keeping the tent erect. Once Chrissie joins me I remove the front pegs, then the rear ones while my beautiful assistant holds the tent fly against the wind. Poles are quickly removed and the outer stuffed into a separate silnylon bag. Easy.

And we're off again. Up over Baysdale Moor we climb before turning east, dropping into the little gorge of Hograh Beck. Here, we find a stone bridge, ancient grafitti on a flat stone and, unusual in this remote place, a commemorative bench with a pair of heartrending plaques. The wooden heart, hanging below the seat, a touching addition. We can't resist the temptation to stop for a break and a snack. RIP William and Carol.

Now following Skinner Howe Cross Road over Great Hograh Moor we find a memorial to Alan Clegg. There's a view right across to the shark's fin of Roseberry Topping on the horizon, if you squint and peer closely.

The ground is saturated from recent rain and walking the path's like paddling up a stream. We eventually meet John Breckon Road (they like naming tracks round here, it seems) which we follow into Westerdale.

Our route, now southerly, becomes a muddy plod across farmland. We stop for lunch before New House Farm. 'Seems we're now on the Esk Valley Way (or Walk, depending on who you believe).

Fed and watered, we continue our muddy trudge to the head of the valley then up over Cooper Hill to meet the track following the line of the old ironstone railway which runs down into Rosedale from here. I have a bit of a moment. I've been plagued by a variety of aches and pains from my left leg for a couple of months now, for no clear reason other than a couple of silly falls onto my knee a while back. Right now it's my ankle, exacerbated, no doubt, by the nasty, sticky mud we'd encountered back in the valley. I'm tired and light's failing just a little. My beloved rallies me, forcing me to stop, rest, eat and drink. She knows me well. I love her. Her chivvying enlivens me and we're off again, albeit with a slight limp.

We head west along the track towards Bloworth Crossing. We're looking down into Farndale. We've been here before, many years ago. An early backpacking trip; a shakedown for an ascent of Mount Whitney in the 'States and a trip into the Grand Canyon. Feels like eons ago ... it is ... probably twenty years.

Keeping an eye out for an easy water source we walk a mile or two and find a pitch for the night as darkness falls. Tent up, I filter water as Chrissie readies our beds. I listen to the RAF's fast jet pilots training above, their lights making tight turns in the blackness. The sky is clear so, unsurprisingly, it's cold. We warm ourselves with hats, gloves, light duvet jackets, tea and coffee, cosied against the elements. It's an exposed site but the air's relatively still. Too dark for photos.

Our spring/autumn bags' capabilities are stretched, bolstered by clothing, but we pass a fairly comfortable night. Rain again overnight and, by the time we rise, droplets are frozen on the outside of our shelter. A crisp morning, the sky clear and blue, we warm ourselves with breakfast then pack up again.

It really is a beautiful morning as we walk west to Bloworth Crossing ...

... me and Xena, my warrior princess.

From the crossing, we're back on the Cleveland Way, north along the edge of the escarpment, with views down to Stokesley, and Middlesborough in the far distance.

Stopping for a snack we see rain heading our way and don overtrousers just in time. The downpour, sometimes sleet, soon passes and, above Ingleby Bank, we regain our outward route and are soon on tarmac again, for our return to Kildale and our faithful, waiting Scooby Doo.

Back on the road, spontaneous fish'n'chips in Thirsk our reward for three days, backpacking in the cold.

Life is good.

Lightweight versus ultralight; part 2

We're just home from a two nighter on Kinder; I say Kinder, but the Kinder massif would be a better description since we never went near the summit. It was very much a not-far-not-fast trip but served a very specific need. We had to check if our new Terra Nova Polar Lite 2 Micro would serve for our trip on the Kungsleden in arctic Sweden next August. We've both used it solo, accompanied by Tilly, our lab and it's just fine, but what about with the two of us. For a number of reasons, we've not camped together in a tiny tent for six years, though we've done lots solo.

We had a good time, if slightly challenging and, during the weekend, I fell to considering more on the lightweight versus ultralight issue (before reading further, best if you first read this post). With that in mind, what follows is the tale of our weekend, along with more musings on the gear I use, its weight and, my clumsy attempts to justify my/our choices.

We leave the dogs in safe hands with daughter & son-in-law and set off, in darkness, for a short coupla miles up onto the south-western fringes of Kinder; a location close to a never-dry pond to facilitate easy water collection. It's drizzling and the forecast is for cold, wind and snow. I opt to wear my beloved Paramo Aspira smock (which appears to have disappeared from their range now). In milder weather I normally cycle-tour or backpack with Berghaus Paclite but, in my opinion, nothing beats a Paramo jacket in bad conditions. For over 10 of my 27 years in mountain rescue we used Paramo jackets, shirts and trousers, so I've a good amount of experience with this stuff to draw on. I figured the extra weight of the jacket was balanced by the need to wear (and carry) fewer insulating layers since, being a "traditional" Paramo top, it effectively functions as a jacket and fleece combined. Underneath this I'm wearing a Wed'z X Warm pullover/shirt, bought from Decathlon a couple of years back. Made from 80% ployester and 20% wool it provides a cosy base layer which, thanks to the wool content, resists stink from sweating. It's meant for skiing but I find it good for winter hillwalking. You might also like to hear they're still available for the princely sum of £14.99. And, dare I say, I find them better, for me, than Paramo!

Legwear? Well in cold conditions for backpacking, I like my Rohan Striders. Mine are a few years old but the new ones are essentially the same; warm, hardwearing and stretchy AND, importantly, quick drying, what more could you want? Lighter? Not in winter, not in my book; but each to their own. I could wear my Paramo Cascadas or my old, faithful Paramo Alta trousers but they get mucky quite quickly due to their incompatibility with gaiters (please don't ask why wearing gaiters OVER waterproof trousers is a no-no), which becomes a problem in a small tent. So, instead, I'll stick with my Berghaus Paclite overtrousers (yaay, something light at last, I hear you say)  since they suffice when needed, but are light and low-bulk in the rucsac when not, and also can be shoved, along with gaiters, under the flysheet of the tent while camping. I also wear my new Sea to Summit Feathertop gaiters, which seem up to the job so far.

If you're interested, I'm also wearing Rohan Cool Silver Briefs which, again, resist stink but are cheaper than merino. I wore these, successfully, for days on end on my LEJOG cycle tour.

To keep my hands warm'n'dry, Sealskinz waterproof gloves, but I have fleece gloves and light, Goretex, shell mitts in my bag too, as a back up, in case my Sealskinz get sodden.

So, donning my Paclite pants, I'm still cosy as we reach our camp for the night. Up goes the tent and Chrissie organises our kit while I filter water from the pond using our trusty General Ecology First Need XL Elite water purifier (note, purifier NOT filter). Now this is where I may err on the controversial; you have been warned. This purifier has served us well for maybe 18 years and has NEVER let us down. I should say, up front. I HAVE contracted giardiasis from drinking water from a crystal-clear stream, deep in a Yorkshire cave system, so I need no lessons on the prevalence of giardia in the UK. Furthermore, Chrissie and I still believe there is no other portable purifier on the market anywhere which removes quite as many nasties as this does, and yes, I include the latest ubiquitous filter so many of you are presently using, which-I-will-not-name. We've studied the data from all the available filters on the market and none takes out as many chemicals and viruses as the First Need. Also, you try using said-ubiquitous-filter to get water from a puddle; it won't do it. You need water deep enough to submerge a container to collect the water first, thereby filling said container with mucky water. We NEVER do this, since our trusty First Need needs only sufficient depth of water for its small pre-filter to suck from.  And, should the pump fail (which it never has) you can use the carry bag as a gravity feed for the purifying filter. So, yes, it's heavy, yes, it's expensive, yes, you need to replace the cartridge once a year (approximately) but hey, I like to drink clean water, without a fuss. There; that'll put the cat among the pigeons ... I'll go and hide.

Tucked up inside the tent, my light, IcePeak down jacket goes on over my Aspira and dinner's soon on the go, courtesy of our, recently purchased, Jetboil Minimo. Real coffee, using an ages-old MSR Mugmate coffee filter and we're soon tucking into some re-packaged Pot Noodles. Retiring to our bags we're warm an' cosy. We'd deliberately brought our "spring/autumn" bags with us, Chrissie's Rab Neutrino 600 and my Rab Ascent 700 since we're hoping these will suffice for arctic Sweden in August (Chrissie found her winter bag too much in Sarek this August). The wind direction altered by at least 90 degrees during the night. I'd estimate at least 40mph wind gusting through the night, side on to our tunnel tent, but no damage was done and, in the morning, we emerged to a decent covering of snow (none on the snow-shedding tunnel tent) and bright, blue sky; perfection.

We breakfast on our home-prepared, instant porage (courtesy of Aldi) supplemented with Nido, full-fat dried milk, tea and coffee then pack up for a wander. Plodding through the snow towards Kinderlow End our feet are warm and dry inside our Altberg Tethera boots (3 season, but who's counting). Supplemented by gaiters, our feet are kept dry as we splash through streams and mud. I sometimes wear Keen Targhee II trail shoes for day walks and am slightly tempted to try them for summer backpacking but today they'd have been useless. There'd be no overlap with my gaiters and the snow would've meant cold, wet feet which could prove uncomfortable, if not dangerous. No, I like warm, dry feet thank you.

On we go at a very leisurely pace. We stop for lunch and a brew with the Jetboil. Very warming, very psychologically beneficial. Then we're off to the valley of the Kinder River to seek out a spot for our second night. It doesn't take long and, still in warming sunshine, our shelter's up again and water filtered (sorry, purified) from the fast-flowing river. Then, cosy inside for copious brews and plenty of time to assess the tent. It's adequate we decide, but, in common with most two-person tents, once our Neoair XTherm mats are in place (mine's a rectangle, Chrissie's a mummy; two rectangles WOULDN'T fit) there's just a little floor space at the foot or head. We cope ... we get on well ... mostly. I prepare instant meals in the porch and we find space there for boots. We leave rucsacs outside, under their lightweight, silnylon rain covers.

We cope ... everything works ... but ... we come to the conclusion that, for our week-long Kungsleden journey, given it COULD rain every day, we'd prefer to have a little more comfort, a little more breathing space. So, presently, our tent of choice will be our Terra Nova Polar Lite 3; the three person shelter we bought for the two of us plus both our dogs. It's a much roomier tent ('course it is Geoff ... it's three person mate) and will see us carrying around 1.75kg each as opposed to 1kg each with this tiny tent, but that's still less than the 2kg we carry when using this solo, with a dog. But that's our current thinking ... it may change. Interested to hear thoughts ... no, not a tarp! We don't do tarps! So, now on our agenda, another dogless trip with the Polar Lite 3 ... just an excuse for more fun.

Our second night out is fuppin' cold. Chrissie gets up for a pee around 2am to find a 2 litre Platypus completely frozen ... solid! We saw -7 degrees in our cold hollow. Inside, we're both cosy and warm but I've weakened and, unusually for me, I'm still wearing my Wed'ze shirt and merino long johns, though no socks. Some of this is laziness, I reckon I'd have prob'ly been ok in my usual nude state but, what the heck.

We amble back into the village on a cold, misty morning and treat ourselves to a slap-up breakfast, for lunch, in the excellent Millie's Tearoom; highly recommended (that's Hayfield, in case you didn't know).

A fun, lazy weekend of evaluation. And for our friends who were worrying, we didn't kill each other ... I made sure she had no sharp implements on her ...

As before, no evangelising is intended (ok, maybe on one subject), the real message being - do what's comfortable for you, but, whatever you decide, get out there and enjoy life and the big, wide outdoors.

As ever, your comments are welcome, so long as their not delivering slugging punches.

Smile, it's all fun.