Hiking Trip

[Ojibwe]

Long Story, cut short

Me and a friend of mine are going to see my girlfriend, who lives in Mid Wales, I however, live in Newcastle. Now, usually, I get the train to see her, but, thinking it would be cheaper, and as I have always loved Bushcraft, I have decided to walk. My friend (once I suggested the idea to him) agreed to come with me. We have started planning for when we make the full trip (June), but, in preperation, we are having a dry run walk to the Yorkshire Dales. I was wondering (as this is my first time doing such a huge walk, 323 miles) if anyone experienced in this would mind making a list of items that would be useful.

Now, I already have a brief list:

.Knife (Opinel, deciding on whether or not get a second knife, in case of emergencies?)

.Backpack (as I hope to be making it there in as quick a time as possible, I'm flittering between a burgen and just a large backpack)

.Compass (no brainer)

.Map

.Hatchet (friend is supplying, but, a second one would be fine just in case?)

.Food (as stated, speed is of the essence, so, I would have thought it best to buy food before setting off, a day's worth, and buy food in places we pass?, any thoughts or constructive criticism on these points would be appreciated)

That's about all I have at the moment. Once again, cheers to anyone who can chip in on this, or, if I have it all wrong, show me where to go from here? haha thanks.

 

[HillBill]

Long Story, cut short

Me and a friend of mine are going to see my girlfriend, who lives in Mid Wales, I however, live in Newcastle. Now, usually, I get the train to see her, but, thinking it would be cheaper, and as I have always loved Bushcraft, I have decided to walk. My friend (once I suggested the idea to him) agreed to come with me. We have started planning for when we make the full trip (June), but, in preperation, we are having a dry run walk to the Yorkshire Dales. I was wondering (as this is my first time doing such a huge walk, 323 miles) if anyone experienced in this would mind making a list of items that would be useful.

Now, I already have a brief list:

.Knife (Opinel, deciding on whether or not get a second knife, in case of emergencies?)

.Backpack (as I hope to be making it there in as quick a time as possible, I'm flittering between a burgen and just a large backpack)

.Compass (no brainer)

.Map

.Hatchet (friend is supplying, but, a second one would be fine just in case?)

.Food (as stated, speed is of the essence, so, I would have thought it best to buy food before setting off, a day's worth, and buy food in places we pass?, any thoughts or constructive criticism on these points would be appreciated)

That's about all I have at the moment. Once again, cheers to anyone who can chip in on this, or, if I have it all wrong, show me where to go from here? haha thanks.

If moving fast you are looking at a 10 to 12 day hike depending on your fitness. So on that basis.

Knife.... i would take a general camp type knife with a 6 inch(ish) blade and an opinel
Folding saw..........., scrap the hatchet
Fire kit
First aid kit geared at blisters, burns and sprains and maybe bite soothing wipes.
Rucksack.... Personally i'd go around 60 litres for that time of year,
summer sleeping bag and silk liner
Water carrying/purification
3 changes of clothes max ( wash on the way)
Nav kit
Torch/headtorch
Cooking/eating kit
Wash kit
Toilet Roll

What are you sleeping under, tent/tarp?

For food take pasta, chorizo, instant noodles, bannock mix, nuts,tom puree, herbs , porridge etc

Call into a town every so often for a proper meal and a pint. Works wonders for morale.

Do not worry about the police and your sharps, even in town. You have a good reason to carry them and i don't think they will doubt your reason. Just put them in your bag.

Just enjoy it, and remember, a journey of a thousand miles ( 323 in this case) starts with a single step.

 

[ocean1975]

sounds like a good aventure you going on!!!be good to hear how you get along.

 

[Broch]

If you're not used to long treks then you will be lucky to get 20 miles a day with a load on your back. Do what travellers have done through the ages: make maximum use of the hospitality of the towns and villages along the way. In other words buy what you need rather than carry it - just carry emergency food and enough water.

The most important piece of kit you'll have will be your boots (but you probably knew that). All the bushcraft gear you can carry will not be worth as much as the best and most comfortable pair of boots you can buy.

The second most important thing will be the quality of your bag (rucksack) - after 15 or 16 days of walking you'll have sores all over if your bag (and clothes) are not suitable for the task.

You have to keep the weight down - below 40Lbs at least; less than 30 is better but difficult for such a long trip. Your trial trip should help you get a feel for what you can do without but I would plan at least one more when you try and get the planned mileage in with the expected loads.

I'll be honest, unless I've misunderstood and you have a lot of backpacking experience, I think a 320 mile trip is pushing it; it sounds a great adventure but I couldn't recommend it.

Anyway, good luck; I'm sure it will be an experience!

 

[Ojibwe]

If moving fast you are looking at a 10 to 12 day hike depending on your fitness. So on that basis.

Knife.... i would take a general camp type knife with a 6 inch(ish) blade and an opinel
Folding saw..........., scrap the hatchet
Fire kit
First aid kit geared at blisters, burns and sprains and maybe bite soothing wipes.
Rucksack.... Personally i'd go around 60 litres for that time of year,
summer sleeping bag and silk liner
Water carrying/purification
3 changes of clothes max ( wash on the way)
Nav kit
Torch/headtorch
Cooking/eating kit
Wash kit
Toilet Roll

What are you sleeping under, tent/tarp?

For food take pasta, chorizo, instant noodles, bannock mix, nuts,tom puree, herbs , porridge etc

Call into a town every so often for a proper meal and a pint. Works wonders for morale.

Do not worry about the police and your sharps, even in town. You have a good reason to carry them and i don't think they will doubt your reason. Just put them in your bag.

Just enjoy it, and remember, a journey of a thousand miles ( 323 in this case) starts with a single step.

My buddy is providing the tent, cooking equipment etc. The only thing he has assured me to bring is the sleeping bag, which, I already have (ex-serviceman equipment). Onto another topic, Fitness isn't really an issue for me, as I love walking/running and keeping myself in shape. Fire Kit; I assume you mean a Flint and Steel set? That should be no problem, I'll also be taking some waterproof matches, just in case. Could you give me some information on the best places to buy any extra equipment I might need? Also, a quick price summary of how much all this shall cost.

Thanks and cheers for all the help Bill, of which, I assume is not your real name? haha

 

[Ojibwe]

Also, to both Broch (great advice, I will try to keep the load to about 40lb/30lb) and anyone else who offers advice for this trip, I give a great amount of thanks to.

P.S. I apologise for not responding to both of your comments sooner as I had the quote page from HillBill up for a while, as I was reading, and did not refresh the page to see the other comments.

Cheers,

Tom/Ojibwe

 

[Shewie]

Sounds like it`s gonna be a great trip Tom but there`s a heck of a lot of planning to do for something of that distance.

I think you might need more than one map though mate

Some good advice already offered though.

Good luck with it, looking forward to hearing how it`s going.

 

[HillBill]

My buddy is providing the tent, cooking equipment etc. The only thing he has assured me to bring is the sleeping bag, which, I already have (ex-serviceman equipment). Onto another topic, Fitness isn't really an issue for me, as I love walking/running and keeping myself in shape. Fire Kit; I assume you mean a Flint and Steel set? That should be no problem, I'll also be taking some waterproof matches, just in case. Could you give me some information on the best places to buy any extra equipment I might need? Also, a quick price summary of how much all this shall cost.

Thanks and cheers for all the help Bill, of which, I assume is not your real name? haha

By fire kit i mean, anything to make fire with. Firesteel, lighter, matches, tinder etc whichever you want to take. I use lighters most of the time.

Mark

 

[bri66]

Hi,are you following the road network or you going cross country?If going cross country I'd get some navigation practice in Brian

 

[Ojibwe]

The route we shall be taking will be cross-country,yes. I am doing my homework (routes we shall be going through, their sparsity from villages/towns/cities etc, navigating by landmarks etc) and planning as we speak, so trust me when I say there will be planning!

P.S. Any further homework people think I should read up on/look into/learn would be greatly and immensly appreciated. I don't half feel as though I'm asking a lot here haha

Keep the suggestions and helpful advice coming,

Cheers

Tom/Ojibwe

 

[HillBill]

Look on your maps at where you plan on camping for the night. check the waterways up river/stream for any form of industry that could have polluted it.

 

[Doc]

Good luck with the trip. When you are not on a recognised long distance path, there is often a fair bit of road walking to link up the paths, and that is hard on the feet.

I would go light, as light as possible. In June, in England, where resupply is generally not a problem, I would be looking at a pack weight of 12kg or less.

I wouldn't take one hatchet, let alone two.

Interestingly Chris Townsend walked hundreds of miles through the Yukon, and only took one knife - an opinel. Only downside is you cannot baton wood with it very easily. For this sort of trip I would take a folding saw plus a light fixed blade like a Mora.

Often a fire will not be feasible and the lightest stove is a pepsi can meths burner, and meths is fairly easy to get on route. Then again, if your mate is carrying the cooking kit, weight isn't an issue.

You'll definitely need to purify water. Trail walker found coliforms in all the streams they tested in the Lake District, and much of your trip will be much nearer to habitation than that.

You are likely to need at least 1:50 000 maps and for this sort of trip, you will need quite a lot of them.

Irrespective of fitness, I would get in plenty of long walks beforehand. The cold hard statistics show that a lot of people starting long distance walks fail to complete. I know I have sometimes started trips that in retrospect, proved to be over ambitious.

 

[Neanderthal]

Sounds like a good 3 week trip at 20ish miles per day.

I'd add a mapcase to your list and a karrimat or thermarest. A good night's kip is important when you are walking every day.

What backpacking experience do you have? It would be a shame to not make it on your big trip because you were still working out bugs in your kit. The trip to the dales is a good idea.

Nuts and raisin type trail mix is very good to nibble on during the day to top up energy levels.

If you could give an overview of your planned route it may be possible to offer more specific info.

Stu

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

On your route make sure you look at the features you will have to cross - Rivers, Big Roads etc. and make sure there is a place to cross them before you get there obvious I know but it is so easy to get caught out.

I've been caught out before where I've come to a river and been unable to cross without going 10k out of the way.

 

[Ojibwe]

I will give more details next week, as we are going to be planning more in-depth throughout the week. Map Analysis, route-planning etc

Once again, cheers for all the help.
Ojibwe/Tom

 

[Scrimmy]

Theres quite a few kit shops in Newcastle but i would highly recommend visiting Wild Trak, they are located next to the gate, next to the back page shop, they also have a website, www.wildtrak.com. Have fun, cheers Cain

 

[TeeDee]

I can only add what has been mentioned already , that being generally 'fit' and being specifically 'fit' are different , being hill fit and able to consistently tab day in day out regardless of weather with a bergen requires some time and experience devoted to that task - so some test weekends to get your body used to carrying weight , get used to your bergen ( if not done already ) , dry run of what kit you will need ( keep or add ) or wont need ( bin ).

I think for stints of this nature you can nearly always improvise and adapt your kit requirements as you go along and re-sup from local villages , so apart from the essentials go light,go fast keep fresh.
Don't start off with a house of your back.

Hope it goes to plan. And if it doesn't , Just adapt the Plan.

 

[littlebiglane]

I can only add what has been mentioned already , that being generally 'fit' and being specifically 'fit' are different , being hill fit and able to consistently tab day in day out regardless of weather with a bergen requires some time and experience devoted to that task - so some test weekends to get your body used to carrying weight , get used to your bergen ( if not done already ) , dry run of what kit you will need ( keep or add ) or wont need ( bin ).

I think for stints of this nature you can nearly always improvise and adapt your kit requirements as you go along and re-sup from local villages , so apart from the essentials go light,go fast keep fresh.
Don't start off with a house of your back.

Hope it goes to plan. And if it doesn't , Just adapt the Plan.

In my experience of walking longer distances I would vary my walk pattern. Long day 20miles, next short day 10miles, next long day 20miles. As you settle into a routine you might want to do two long days then a day static to let body recover. Just an idea. Its what I do...but other people may have other thoughts.

Oh yes..walking across rough country and depending on the weather can really vary the distance and the attrition on the body. For instance on a good day with a light/med pack on a path on Dartmoor I can walk across the entrire Moor from North to South no problem and maintain a healthy 4-6kms per hour. In very poor weather, off path on boggy, steep or very rough ground with heavy pack it can drop as low as 1/2 to one a km per hour

 

[Chinkapin]

Hill Bill has given you a great basic list. Stick to it as well as you can. I carry a firesteel and tinder, BUT, also always carry a lighter. My suggestion: a small, cheap Bic butane lighter. I don't know if Bic lighters are available in the U.K. or not, I'm guessing they are available world wide. I recommend the small one. It will last you whole trip, and you won't even notice the size/space weight. Forget the Zippos and similar lighters. They just do not seal and will wick the fuel to the atmosphere in just a few days. My only other suggestion, would be to replace the folding saw, (I know they are popular, and loved -- I have one) and replace it with a wire saw. The best ones are issued to military units. Be sure it has a tin or a pouch. They are difficult to roll up and impossible to store unless you have a container. They are very light, cut reasonably fast, and are not likely to break. Cut a short, green limb from a small tree, bend it in an arc and hook you saw to it, voila! a bow saw! Good Luck, sounds like the walk of a life-time. Very few young guys ever walked 300+ miles to see a girlfriend. I'm thinking she is going to be VERY impressed! Just leave out that bit about it being CHEAPER!!!!

 

[stevesteve]

Sounds like a great trip. Where abouts in Mid Wales are you heading to?

There is one big advantage in doing 300 miles in the UK over say 300 miles across the Amazon... if you do decide you have bitten off more than you can chew you can always grab some public transport for part of the way.

I don't mean that as a way of accepting defeat but say you ended up walking 200M and taking buses for a total of 100M... it's still a hell of a trip! Whatever the outcome it will be better to arrive intact and still friends.

Enjoy it, I am quite envious!

Cheers, Steve