Well both really...
The forecast was never good but I went up the woods in light rain anyway, set up my pitch as per normal (using my pillow-case fabric DIY tarp) and set up the parachute with a "rim-line" of home twisted sisal rope to hopefully make pitching easier (it works but needs a bit of a tweak to get it to its best ... next time..
By the time the chute was up I was pretty damp from rain running off the chute and up my arms so I made a fire and cooked lunch.
The meet was meant to be a "Real Food" weekend with no packet or tinned food so lunch was a kind of fried bannock with home made Jerky - very nice too
The afternoon was spent trimming back brambles from the cleared areas in the woods and preparing both firewood and my evening meal - a stew of beef, onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms served over a more traditional bannock.
The weather was so wet the camera stayed packed away for most of the time - the rain was so heavy it was "misting" through the new chute which has yet to be waterproofed with smoke/woodtar!
Late afternoon I was joined by Mark and we had a good evening around the fire - though he ignored the "Real Food" bit and had Rat pack meals!
It rained a fair bit overnight but my tarp coped very well and Mark slept well in his tent.
Sat was not too bad and after a light breakfast (this is all mine!)
we did a bit of spoon carving,
had lunch,
went for a walk to look at huge Lime and Oak trees lost in Larch plantations, sorted firewood etc. The weather was mainly wet but the dry patches were long enough that we got stuff done. Most of the time the camera stayed packed away though!
Dinner for me was "Second Day Stew" - why is it stews always taste better after maturing in the pot for a day? - followed by home made chocolate Brownies.
At about 10pm the light rain/showers took on a new aspect... flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder presaged torrential rain which pretty well continued all night. The roar of the rain precluded fireside chats so we went to bed!
My tarp held up very well but acted like a drumskin and the night was noisy - the rain managed to get through Marks aging tent and he ended up with wet spots on his sleeping bag from drips...
Sunday was another "light" breakfast and - as the weather was still poor - an early "takedown and push off" with me separating my load into 2 lots - wet and dry!
The fire was killed, the chute packed dripping wet and it was back to the van and civilization. Although much of the kit was soaking we were still dry and had enjoyed a "challenging" weekend ... almost as hard as the SWBs notorious "North Face of the Brecon Beacons" weekend!
Once home it was start the clean and dry routine...
The forecast was never good but I went up the woods in light rain anyway, set up my pitch as per normal (using my pillow-case fabric DIY tarp) and set up the parachute with a "rim-line" of home twisted sisal rope to hopefully make pitching easier (it works but needs a bit of a tweak to get it to its best ... next time..
By the time the chute was up I was pretty damp from rain running off the chute and up my arms so I made a fire and cooked lunch.
The meet was meant to be a "Real Food" weekend with no packet or tinned food so lunch was a kind of fried bannock with home made Jerky - very nice too
The afternoon was spent trimming back brambles from the cleared areas in the woods and preparing both firewood and my evening meal - a stew of beef, onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms served over a more traditional bannock.
The weather was so wet the camera stayed packed away for most of the time - the rain was so heavy it was "misting" through the new chute which has yet to be waterproofed with smoke/woodtar!Late afternoon I was joined by Mark and we had a good evening around the fire - though he ignored the "Real Food" bit and had Rat pack meals!
It rained a fair bit overnight but my tarp coped very well and Mark slept well in his tent.
Sat was not too bad and after a light breakfast (this is all mine!)
we did a bit of spoon carving,
had lunch,
went for a walk to look at huge Lime and Oak trees lost in Larch plantations, sorted firewood etc. The weather was mainly wet but the dry patches were long enough that we got stuff done. Most of the time the camera stayed packed away though!
Dinner for me was "Second Day Stew" - why is it stews always taste better after maturing in the pot for a day? - followed by home made chocolate Brownies.
At about 10pm the light rain/showers took on a new aspect... flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder presaged torrential rain which pretty well continued all night. The roar of the rain precluded fireside chats so we went to bed!
My tarp held up very well but acted like a drumskin and the night was noisy - the rain managed to get through Marks aging tent and he ended up with wet spots on his sleeping bag from drips...
Sunday was another "light" breakfast and - as the weather was still poor - an early "takedown and push off" with me separating my load into 2 lots - wet and dry!
The fire was killed, the chute packed dripping wet and it was back to the van and civilization. Although much of the kit was soaking we were still dry and had enjoyed a "challenging" weekend ... almost as hard as the SWBs notorious "North Face of the Brecon Beacons" weekend!
Once home it was start the clean and dry routine...
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