I've just come back from a brilliant time at Woodsmoke - I have definitely got a bit better
at this being outside malarkey (still a long way to go!) and managed to organise myself
quite well on the packing front. Discovered that stuff sacks are not the same thing as
dry bags and had a slightly damp first night with pillow and sleeping bag but still had a
fairly comfortable night as all of my clothes were super dry as I bagged everything before
putting it in the rucksack. If only this attention to detail had spread to the bags clipped
TO the rucksack
I got to meet Matthew P from here and he's still up there helping out at the Woodlander
which is running at the moment! Yasmin and I were hugely impressed with the
instructors Matt and Steve and the assistant instructors Ant, and Matthew. They ran a
really good, well-paced course and taught, helped and encouraged as needed. Utterly
brilliant
I managed to point and split a stick (for trout ponassing) myself which surprised me, and
I even recognised some plants! I've also made my own margarine-spreading knife, which
will come in very useful. Also I laughed loads - great bonhomie and campire banter
and I felt really quite chilled, almost like an old hand hehe. Still don't like skittering down
slidey muddy bits and am far too fearful of snapping my bones if I land awkwardly - I am
exactly the same at Charing Cross station when they put the 'floor wet' signs up, and
that's on the flat! Managed to get embarrassingly lost both on the way to the loo and on
the way back from it yet survived with my humour intact. I had a whistle with me this time
which had the positive psychological effect of reminding me that if I was REALLY lost I
could make some noise - but I really wasn't very far away from the main road, just a bit
gormless.
Bags weren't too heavy - despite the fact that I managed to pack three hats (I have fallen
in love with my
Jungle Type 2 hat which I got from a vintage shop - it made me less
fearful of getting my head pranged with overhanging things - hat = good idea!) as I did
pay a bit of attention to what I did and didn't use last time.
On Sunday night my friend Yasmin and I were staying in a hotel in Windermere and I
had my roll mat, sleeping bag and pillow out drying in my room. When we got back from
a rather nice dinner I noticed the balcony at the back of my room (a sort of chalet style
affair) and put two and two together - so last night I slept
outside my own hotel room
until the crows got a bit chatty at six in the morning (had no tarp above me to stop me
taking a direct hit) and woke me up.
Anyway, this is what I took - I think this covers the main stuff but probably doesn't do
justice to the numerous sandwich bags and other plastic bags / ziplock type things
that I also had for emergencies.
A tent (outer bit, lining, tent poles, tent pegs, spare large groundsheet and carry bag)
A very comfy warm (borrowed) sleeping bag in a stuff sack (failed to add a bin liner!)
My real pillow in a stuff sack (again, no bin liner)
Small groundsheet for the front 'porch' of the tent
Sunglasses (didn't use, but did today when in Windermere)
Ecoguard insect repellent - this smells lovely by the way!
Camera for recording stages of shelter building, tinder igniting and bits of moss I liked.
One-size-fits-all plastic kagoule / pac-a-mac (didn't use... might have though...
)
Torch (hand held)
Head torch (I like both a hand held and a head held in case one fails)
Cutlery
Plastic plate
Plastic bowl
Plastic mug
Balti dish (metal) - I didn't use this but someone had forgotten to pack a plate and I was
happy to lend it to them.
Liquid soap (did not use, used Wet Ones or whatever they're called)
Clock - I don't use a watch and didn't want to rely on keeping my mobile phone on
A small clear map case thingy I got with Countryfile magazine! It's fab, it hangs round my
neck and I could keep my notepad and pencil in there along with some plasters in case
I nicked myself with cutting tools.
Notepad and propellor pencil with spare leads (no sharpening!)
Trainers (did not use)
Flip flops (a godsend, worked well with my spare mini groundsheet - like a staging post
between the outside of the tent where boots are needed and the inside where they
aren't)
Plastic box with batteries in it - I might split this into two so that I can actually have
spare batteries ON me when the torch gives out rather than having to pootle back to
the tent and find them (delighted that I had extra torch!).
Towel
Umbrella (did not use - had great hat!)
Wool hat for wearing at night
Sun hat (did not use, but should have used it today in Windermere)
Fabulous rain hat - lived in it.
Very thin scarf thing for wrapping round my nose at night.
Rain jacket (very light, has hood, pretty good)
Day bag
Gardening gloves (did actually use these a bit for gathering bits of the forest floor during
shelter building)
Waterproof trousers (did not use, but glad to have them as a comfort blanket!)
Mozzie net (did not use but should have while gutting fish as the flies were interested)
Warm leggings as pyjama bottoms
Clothing (trousers / t-shirts / underwear)
Spare black bin liners and other little bags.
Little drawstring bags from washing powder packs - used one to keep my tick removal
kit together. Used them more to separate things but you can hang them in trees and
(very small) things might dry in them...
Empty diet coke bottle as water bottle
Whistle
Money / keys / mp3 player (used on train home!)
Wash bag - I suppose I should edit this later and say what was in that too!
First Aid Kit - ditto
Things I wish I'd had - something like a fruiterer's / market stall holder's apron bag thing
to drop stuff into when I was putting the tent up. I kept putting things down and then
having to go back and find them again - and it was raining a bit! Or a white plastic bag
that's very visible and only drop things in that... I realised that I should have extracted
the torch before I started putting the tent up!
I also discovered that a day bag can soon become an unprepared evening bag if you
don't go back to the tent and collect the torch during daylight hours, so I might keep one
in there! I kept plasters with me at all times.
Also even though I packed really well and had a list of where everything was I learned
that it's quite handy to memorise where things are. It might be taking things a bit far to
practise getting things out of my rucksack, in a dark room, but I suppose it helps to
know where everything is a bit better.
I suppose I should go to bed in a bit, work beckons
