Keeping it dry

For the trip it has been hard to choose the correct dry bags, It would seem a simple answer. Sadly I have found this to be difficult. I have looked at weight, size and shapes of hundred of bags, to do the right thing.

I will be using 2 bags in the rear of my boat, one will carry the sleeping bag, whilst the other will carry that days food and spare clothing.

In the front of the boat I will carry a futher bag of food, whilst on the centre step plate I will carry a further bag with 1st Aid. On my person I will carry a bag with my SPOT and money in.

For this I have settled on the range from Over Board, perfect in both shape and size for all the jobs I need of them.

The 2012 Lecture series takes off with a trip to Explorers  Connect. 

 

Plymouth Explorers - 1st February 2012

on 1st Feb 2012 Venue: Treasury Café-Bar-Restaurant, Catherine Street, Royal Parade
Entry: £4 (or £15 pa)
Type: Networking

Event

The evening will be very interesting with a topic that hasn't been explored yet! Our guest speaker Daz is planning to Kayak down Everest, a challenge that should not be undertaken lightly. Daz will be introducing himself and his previous adventure history then taking us through the expedition plan.

This will be a very unique evening for Plymouth Explorers.

This is a great  opportunity to talk to like-minded people; so come along, invite your friends and join our community. Joining will bring you plenty of opportunities and benefits.

Treasury Café-Bar-Restaurant, Catherine Street, Royal Parade,
Plymouth, Devon. PL1 2AD
Wednesday 1st of February from 18:30 until 20:30

The talk will begin at 7pm.

Over the past 20 years Darren Clarkson King has kayaked some of the world's most challenging rivers and countless classic descents. He is a writer and has just finished the text for White Water Nepal (3rd Ed), a guidebook to the rivers of Nepal with Peter Knowles.

For more information about Darren please click here:

Fast and light

I have been thinking about the rescue gear I will be taking on this solo trip. A full pin kit and large throwline seems a little over the top. Who will throw me the line if I get in trouble? How will I sent a 3:1 system?

For the trip it seems the main reason for the line is as a simple light option for moving my boat around on portages. I know that people will not understand the reason why we choose to rivers solo and the way we need to look at the rescue gear, but this is of no concern at the moment.

I have chosen to take the HORNET bag from Nookie. I have many bags that I could use, from HF, NRS and Wilderness Systems. The Hornet, due to its compact size and lightweight nature is the key winner.

 Hornet

18m throw length
8mm floating line with core
9kN load strength
Quick and accurate throw
Compact & light mini bag with Enduromesh contrast drain
Foam wall buoyancy
Failsafe dual release closure with Velcro
Reinforced bag base
Retro reflective piping and graphics
Anti corrosive press studs and eyelet

Off from the norm

Since the start of plannig I have been looking at way to cut down on the gear I carry. On the water I need base layers, whilst off the water I need both warm and cold weather clothing. I have been thinking hard about how I can balance these out - without having to carry too much.

As a break from the 'norm' I have decided to paddle in a gilet and a simple baselayer, with thermal pants over cargo pants under my dry pants. This allows me to carry simple clothes in my kayak whilst also using the 'water wear' as regular clothes.

For this I am wearing the Ignite vest for core protection. It seems a sensible solution to the situation, been primaloft it will not matter if it get damp under my dry top.

 

Men's Ignite Vest

Lightweight, Packable & Highly Insulating Vest

£85.00

In my dry bags I am looking at taking the minimum gear. Shorts and a basic tshirt, wool beanie and the Asgard jacket for cold nights at elevation.

More will be added in due course.

SPOT Me

As the days move closer to spring 2012 and the Kathmandu ETA of March 3rd I have been thinking about 'worse case scenario' and what to do if I get in trouble on this 21 day solo expedition.

My choices settled on a Sat phone or a spot device. I have settled on the latter. Simply because of ease of use and the new system where spot allows for social network and email update at no extra charge. the SPOT is a simple to use piece of gear and is small enough to be carried on my person at all times.

 

How do you express passion?

How do you express passion?

How do you explain reason to events only you have encountered?

Having navigated my small plastic kayaks down the rivers of EVEREST and K2 I wish to share with others some of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come from such an act. More will come as I get near to returning to the great mountain - a solo trip this time, a double run on the tears that fall from Everest.

Gazing up the valley from the Rongbuk monastery in Tibet  the majestic peak of Everest (Sagamartha) showed herself through the parting clouds. Beside my small tent sat a small plastic kayak still wet from the river.

Sat against the wall of the monastery  I could not help but choke on the emotions that had built up. All the trials of the past had lead to this moment I had finally become the only person to have kayaked down all the rivers that flow from the great mountain.

The Arun in Nepal. A trip littered with problems not least the encounter with Maoist rebels and the sound of gun shots. Eighteen months later I trekked into Namche Bazaar to run the Dudh Kosi river. In the enforced boundaries of Tibet I had managed to ride the last of the three rivers that flow from Sagamartha. Droplet tears fell down my bearded face. As the realisation of what I had done swept over me.

I had not been alone on any of these river, kayaking with great friends.  But each river had been a different team. I was the only constant on all three expeditions. Even now sitting alone, looking out of the rain stained window of my cottage I find it hard to identify with what I have achieved.

Those that ask often look blankly into mid distance as I reel off story after story. How do I rationalise what I did? How will those that listen understand the private thoughts. In the telling all bravado and ‘extreme experiences’ seem to emanate from the words although this is not the reason. Through the re-telling it is hoped that the perception of ‘extreme’ sports offer more than just  an adrenaline filled lifestyle. 

This is a journey for myself, a solo quest, I know that I will find the truth. That moment when you are with your god. The moment when the devil of your mind runs away and hides in the memory.
 

It is this time, the place I must force myself to go, that I crave. I want to know myself, to deal with my own whim, without the pull of peers, or the ties of blood. I ache to know the feelings of the night, when the dark sky forces sleep and the dreams grow cold in the soul.

 

What to wear.

It is a task that I have looked forward to with a mix of pleasure and guilt. What Berghaus products should I take on this expedition. What do I need, over what do I want. Sure in our comsumer world the best is always seen as the most expensive. But that is not what its all about.

Over the weekend I did a mock gear list, using gear I already own and have used on previosu trips. I took the gear lists from the Stikine, Tibet and Pakistan trips, along with the Alsek gear list I had.

A constant feature on all these trips was a good jacket for camp and off the water time. I need a jacket that offers a warm shell but also a small pack size, as it will spend lots of time in a drybag  stuffed in the back of my boat.

 

I have chosen the Men's Mount Asgard Hybrid Jacket.

It is a simple fact that a cold night or morning will kill the spirit and make for negative emotions to breed. This jacket will help in keeping the spirit lifted. I have also added a gilet for extra protection at high levels. Men's IgniteVest.

For  the trip a selection of baselayers both thermal and coolmax have been chosen, for both legs and body. These range from the simple tshirt style to zipped neck long sleeve. It is proposed that the walk in to the rivers Dudh and Arun I will wear a short sleeve or long sleeve cool max and I will upgrade to a long sleeve (x2) thermal for river use. Camp will return me to the simple base layer of the trek.

Fabrics will be treated as always with Grangers products both during and after tge expedition.

The walk in to these rivers I will be wearing cargo pants, with thermals and shorts worn when on the river. Berghaus have produced a fine shoe, with a low cut and vibram sole, that I know will adapt well to river situations, coupled with some wool socks, the show will also be used on the trek.

I have yet to think about my wet gear. Helmet and pfd are obvious, as is a boat and paddle. I am having trouble with choosing my dry top from my selection, stuff in drybags in Kathmandu. My instinct is to use a none latex jacket. I simply dont want a latex gasket failing me on the trip, if I take the latex out of the equation, thats one less worry. Nookie do a few jackets that have none latex necks, along with the zone that is a full latex free jacket. This is one of my most well used jackets, a simple solution and still 100% dry.

I may be updating this list as time goes on.