So on Friday I packed my bag, and left my surprisingly controversial [thread=122658]thread[/thread] about fuel running and with my [thread=122701]survey responses[/thread] coming in. I headed out to the Kentish Wilderness to meet up with some other members of the BCUK Kent group for our first proper outing together.
In total 3 of us turned up, another unfortunately unable to make it due to car trouble. Well I say turned up, 2 of us experienced directly, and a 3rd was left waiting, by my poor planning of RV time resulting in a drive through Ashford just as the schools chucked out on a Friday... But eventually, 20 minutes later than planned. The three of us met by the gate, near the cattle grid, next to a stile... Based on my previous experience with [thread=121879]water issues[/thread], we'd all packed lots of water, including a 3L jerry can and a 5L jerry can from the two vehicles, plus the 1.75L I had in my pack.
Alas the 3L can only had about 1L in it, due to a faulty cap, which had resulted in the other 2L being used to irrigate the footwell... Fortunately we were able to get his refilled at a nearby house.
Car secured, water stocked up, we strode off into the trees. Down the bridle way, left at the Big tree, along for 100 yards, right by the oak tree, walk forward, stop before your feet get wet... Simple instructions!
We arrived at our chosen location, dumped our packs, and looked around.
"I claim this bit!" Said me, claiming what looked like a nice flat bit of ground between two trees.
"I think I'll go here" Says Birchwood finding another flat bit nearby.
Gooner wandered round looking at trees and before choosing a pair the right distance for his hammock. Pitches claimed, we all set about making camp. I put my basha up, Birchwood her tent, and Gooner a hammock and basha. I left my bed unmade to stop it getting damp, but everything was ready to go.
The three of us went to look at the pond we were hoping to use to supplement out water supplies.
"It's gone brown"
"I'm sure it was higher last time"
We left the pond and went back to camp.
"Who wants to light the fire?"
"me me me me me me!" was the cheerful reply.
Fire was lit. Tea was made, and we settled down to chat, amid the soundtrack for the weekend.
*bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* *slap* "Gotcha!"
or more often *bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* *slap* "Ow, missed!".
The mossies were out in force, like a plague of flying beasts, they descended upon us. Out came the jungle juice. This put them at bay for a while, but would not last as long as hoped.
We sat and chatted round the fire, before eventually we decided to cook some food. Roast chicken, Noodles, Steamed fish. Three interesting and tasty meals were cooked. Gooner had bought a grill with him that we setup over the fire. Great idea, and really useful it was too, simplified cooking a lot.
Eventually dusk fell, and I concluded that my tarp ridge line was too low. So while the other two started bets on how long until I made it fall, I adjusted my tarp so the ridgeline was a bit higher. As it turns out, I had adjusted it to be about ½" taller than me, and about 1" lower than Gooner, adding "Ouch, bloody thing" to the soundtrack along with the buzzing and the slapping... Tarp raised, I made my bed. and we all retreated to our respective shelters for some sleep.
My bed was comfy, nice temperature, and I slept well. While I slept the mozzies dined. I woke to find a bite on my chin, my cheek, my forehead, my knee... Ouch.
Breakfast was cooked, with a sizeable chunk of pig eaten between us it seems.
After breakfast we decided to play with water. Between us we had: MSR Water Works filter, Sawyer mini Filter, home made millbank bag. I attached a diet coke bottle to the end of my walking pole, and dipped it into the pond. It came up Brown. A deep dark brown. Interesting. We stuck it into the millbank bag, and went back for some more. First up the MSR. The water came out with a colour taint, but not taste taint. I ran the output of the MSR through the sawyer. It made it slightly lighter, but made no difference to the taste.
We left the millbank bag for a few hours for the water to drip through. With the colour contrast between the light bag and the dark water, it looked like we'd distilled a goth in there... Eventually we had 1L of water from the bag, and ran some through each of the two filters. It was lightest of all the combinations we had tried, tasted fine. Much debate was had about what was giving it the colour taint, that wasn't also giving it a taste taint...
Around this time Gooner departed, something to do with a cup for the world or something? This left Birchwood and myself.
Dinner time came round and I decided on Baked potato with cheese for me, will Birchwood cooked up rice and sausages.
After dinner I decided to have a lay down, and Birchwood had a read of her book.
"Poke me in an hour or so, for a cuppa before bed"
I woke at 0830 the next morning. Oops.
During the night the mossies had come back with vengeance. One had bitten me just below the eye, meaning I couldn't see out of it very well. By now I had well over 20 insect bites about my person. Note to self: get a mossie net.
Bacon was cooked. I had placed 3 rashers of frozen bacon into one of these on Friday afternoon when I left. When opening it this morning it was still cold. Not frozen, or that chilled, but below ambient temperature. Bacon roll for breakfast, with the last of the bourbon creams. We packed up our respective camps, and then addressed the fire. Turns out the clay below the fire pit had been fired into large bricks. The last of our water, plus a few bottles worth from the pond got the temperature down. We put back the soil and leaflitter we had lifted for the fire. brushed it over, no real sign we'd ever been there.
Donned packs and returned to the car.
All in all, a successful trip out, and apart from the mossies, a pretty good one. I think we're all likely to spend some time researching insect repellants and bug nets now...
Photos to follow.
Julia
In total 3 of us turned up, another unfortunately unable to make it due to car trouble. Well I say turned up, 2 of us experienced directly, and a 3rd was left waiting, by my poor planning of RV time resulting in a drive through Ashford just as the schools chucked out on a Friday... But eventually, 20 minutes later than planned. The three of us met by the gate, near the cattle grid, next to a stile... Based on my previous experience with [thread=121879]water issues[/thread], we'd all packed lots of water, including a 3L jerry can and a 5L jerry can from the two vehicles, plus the 1.75L I had in my pack.
Alas the 3L can only had about 1L in it, due to a faulty cap, which had resulted in the other 2L being used to irrigate the footwell... Fortunately we were able to get his refilled at a nearby house.
Car secured, water stocked up, we strode off into the trees. Down the bridle way, left at the Big tree, along for 100 yards, right by the oak tree, walk forward, stop before your feet get wet... Simple instructions!
We arrived at our chosen location, dumped our packs, and looked around.
"I claim this bit!" Said me, claiming what looked like a nice flat bit of ground between two trees.
"I think I'll go here" Says Birchwood finding another flat bit nearby.
Gooner wandered round looking at trees and before choosing a pair the right distance for his hammock. Pitches claimed, we all set about making camp. I put my basha up, Birchwood her tent, and Gooner a hammock and basha. I left my bed unmade to stop it getting damp, but everything was ready to go.
The three of us went to look at the pond we were hoping to use to supplement out water supplies.
"It's gone brown"
"I'm sure it was higher last time"
We left the pond and went back to camp.
"Who wants to light the fire?"
"me me me me me me!" was the cheerful reply.
Fire was lit. Tea was made, and we settled down to chat, amid the soundtrack for the weekend.
*bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* *slap* "Gotcha!"
or more often *bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* *slap* "Ow, missed!".
The mossies were out in force, like a plague of flying beasts, they descended upon us. Out came the jungle juice. This put them at bay for a while, but would not last as long as hoped.
We sat and chatted round the fire, before eventually we decided to cook some food. Roast chicken, Noodles, Steamed fish. Three interesting and tasty meals were cooked. Gooner had bought a grill with him that we setup over the fire. Great idea, and really useful it was too, simplified cooking a lot.
Eventually dusk fell, and I concluded that my tarp ridge line was too low. So while the other two started bets on how long until I made it fall, I adjusted my tarp so the ridgeline was a bit higher. As it turns out, I had adjusted it to be about ½" taller than me, and about 1" lower than Gooner, adding "Ouch, bloody thing" to the soundtrack along with the buzzing and the slapping... Tarp raised, I made my bed. and we all retreated to our respective shelters for some sleep.
My bed was comfy, nice temperature, and I slept well. While I slept the mozzies dined. I woke to find a bite on my chin, my cheek, my forehead, my knee... Ouch.
Breakfast was cooked, with a sizeable chunk of pig eaten between us it seems.
After breakfast we decided to play with water. Between us we had: MSR Water Works filter, Sawyer mini Filter, home made millbank bag. I attached a diet coke bottle to the end of my walking pole, and dipped it into the pond. It came up Brown. A deep dark brown. Interesting. We stuck it into the millbank bag, and went back for some more. First up the MSR. The water came out with a colour taint, but not taste taint. I ran the output of the MSR through the sawyer. It made it slightly lighter, but made no difference to the taste.
We left the millbank bag for a few hours for the water to drip through. With the colour contrast between the light bag and the dark water, it looked like we'd distilled a goth in there... Eventually we had 1L of water from the bag, and ran some through each of the two filters. It was lightest of all the combinations we had tried, tasted fine. Much debate was had about what was giving it the colour taint, that wasn't also giving it a taste taint...
Around this time Gooner departed, something to do with a cup for the world or something? This left Birchwood and myself.
Dinner time came round and I decided on Baked potato with cheese for me, will Birchwood cooked up rice and sausages.
After dinner I decided to have a lay down, and Birchwood had a read of her book.
"Poke me in an hour or so, for a cuppa before bed"
I woke at 0830 the next morning. Oops.
During the night the mossies had come back with vengeance. One had bitten me just below the eye, meaning I couldn't see out of it very well. By now I had well over 20 insect bites about my person. Note to self: get a mossie net.
Bacon was cooked. I had placed 3 rashers of frozen bacon into one of these on Friday afternoon when I left. When opening it this morning it was still cold. Not frozen, or that chilled, but below ambient temperature. Bacon roll for breakfast, with the last of the bourbon creams. We packed up our respective camps, and then addressed the fire. Turns out the clay below the fire pit had been fired into large bricks. The last of our water, plus a few bottles worth from the pond got the temperature down. We put back the soil and leaflitter we had lifted for the fire. brushed it over, no real sign we'd ever been there.
Donned packs and returned to the car.
All in all, a successful trip out, and apart from the mossies, a pretty good one. I think we're all likely to spend some time researching insect repellants and bug nets now...
Photos to follow.
Julia
