I've just about recovered from a hard, long weekend in the Rhinogs. There were highs and lows - both geographically and emotionally. My trip started off damp and drizzly in the early afternoon as I trudged up toward the pass that lies between the mountains of rhinog fach and rhinog fawr. The mountains looked quite manageable from the valley bottom, but by the time I reached the pass, they seemed somewhat more formidable in character. It always takes me a little while to get into a walk; to get used to the countryside, solitude, and weight on my back. But by now I had settled into it.
The pass itself was highly waterlogged and I somehow tussock-hopped across waist deep water-filled holes without getting wet feet. Then I began the climb up to llyn hywel where I pitched for the night on a perfect piece of flat grass adjacent to the windswept water.
I watched the sunset from a nearby hill while being battered by a chill wind coming off the distant sea. I was glad of my spare down jacket. Darkness descended and I retreated to the tent and prepared a sea to summit pasta arabica, which I will give a 9.2 out of 10. Tasty.
This was my first night in the combination of hexpeak v4a and lanshan t door 4 season inner. It had all seemed fine and dandy in the garden, but with mattress and sleeping bag inside the inner, I realised that it was going to be very cramped, albeit with a huge porch to cook in. How small must the lanshan 1 be, I wondered? It was a windy and rainy night, and both my feet and head were buffeted throughout by the walls of the tent. I added a bivi bag in the early hours, to ward off the cold. Still, I got some sleep, and the tent easily held up to the weather.
I woke late and after a quick breakfast, I headed across some scree and up the southern face of rhinog fach. It looked a bit foreboding, what with the wind and intermittent rain, but visibility remained good, I got up to the summit without too much difficulty, with spectacular views as my reward. Then down the steep western face and back to the pass where I cooked up some well deserved supernoodles for lunch. This served to sterilise water too, because my sawyer mini pouch thing had sprung a leak earlier in the walk. It wasn't even that old which is annoying.
Now for rhinog fawr. I had three options. There is a path marked on the OS map which seems to take a north-easterly direction up it's southern face. But this looked increadibly steep and full of scree and crag. I didn't fancy trying this with 12kg on my back. Equally, I didn't fancy going all the way round to the west to take the gentle ridge up. Instead, I opted for one of the gulleys that head north-west up the southern face, at what looked to be a reasonable gradient. It should bring me out a couple of hundred metres from the summit. Well, it worked, but it was exceptionally hard going; waist deep heather and bilberry or large rock fields all the way up. It was a long, hard slog, and I had to concentrate on every step. This was not somewhere to break an ankle. Eventually I came out onto the ridge, utterly exhausted. With the wind beating my back, I ploughed on to the summit and sought shelter in a little rock construction. I devoured a snickers bar and some peanuts. I must eat and drink more on these trips.
Now down to llyn du lake for my second camp. Shouldn't take long. Except, who put all those massive boulders on the lake shore where the path is meant to be? It took some clambering t get past this obstacle, but I made it to the end of the lake. I was learning that the Rhinogs are a rough area. Decent pitching ground was hard to come by here, so I made do with a flattish piece of heather tucked out of the wind behind a rock outcrop, and managed an approximation of a pyramid. I was almost too tired to eat, and couldn't finish my sea to summit beef and potato stew, which I have to say was on the chewy side. My body didn't want food, and I worried about what I would do if I was ill up here. I was confined to the sleeping bag for warmth, but somehow couldn't get comfortable to eat. I wasn't I'll of course, but It wasn't a great night. There was a minor pee bottle incident which I won't go into. But the biggest problem became apparent in the middle of the windless night. The inner (and outer) were drenched in condensation. And both ends of my sleeping bag were very much touching the inner, although I did at least have a bivi bag over the sleeping bag. I'm 6 foot 2. Manoeuvring inside the tent resulted in me or my bag scraping against the soaking walls. Not fun! The hexpeak seemed to have a tonne of room, but somehow not where I wanted it. The porch was almost too big, making it hard to get to the bottom door zip. In any case, I opened the door fully, took in the stars, and eventually watched the sun rise over the hills to the east.
I cooked oorridge for breakfast, but I couldn't finish this either. I packed up and headed down to the forest at the foot of the hills. I took my time here, not wanting to get to the car just yet. I savoured the moss covered forest floor and the little river that wound it's way through the trees. No fungi apart from a few slug-eaten fly agarics. Truly beautiful.
So all in all, a hard trip, but it went to plan. I really dont know what to do with the hexpeak though. It's a fantastic tent but I fear I'm too tall for it, or perhaps I need a different inner (I didn't get the stock inner on account of its weight). Or I may have to revert to the Vango Nevis which would be a shame. I suppose I could use the hexpeak without an inner? It would be a lighter shelter at least! Maybe I just need to get used to it. I'll see.
The pass itself was highly waterlogged and I somehow tussock-hopped across waist deep water-filled holes without getting wet feet. Then I began the climb up to llyn hywel where I pitched for the night on a perfect piece of flat grass adjacent to the windswept water.
I watched the sunset from a nearby hill while being battered by a chill wind coming off the distant sea. I was glad of my spare down jacket. Darkness descended and I retreated to the tent and prepared a sea to summit pasta arabica, which I will give a 9.2 out of 10. Tasty.
This was my first night in the combination of hexpeak v4a and lanshan t door 4 season inner. It had all seemed fine and dandy in the garden, but with mattress and sleeping bag inside the inner, I realised that it was going to be very cramped, albeit with a huge porch to cook in. How small must the lanshan 1 be, I wondered? It was a windy and rainy night, and both my feet and head were buffeted throughout by the walls of the tent. I added a bivi bag in the early hours, to ward off the cold. Still, I got some sleep, and the tent easily held up to the weather.
I woke late and after a quick breakfast, I headed across some scree and up the southern face of rhinog fach. It looked a bit foreboding, what with the wind and intermittent rain, but visibility remained good, I got up to the summit without too much difficulty, with spectacular views as my reward. Then down the steep western face and back to the pass where I cooked up some well deserved supernoodles for lunch. This served to sterilise water too, because my sawyer mini pouch thing had sprung a leak earlier in the walk. It wasn't even that old which is annoying.
Now for rhinog fawr. I had three options. There is a path marked on the OS map which seems to take a north-easterly direction up it's southern face. But this looked increadibly steep and full of scree and crag. I didn't fancy trying this with 12kg on my back. Equally, I didn't fancy going all the way round to the west to take the gentle ridge up. Instead, I opted for one of the gulleys that head north-west up the southern face, at what looked to be a reasonable gradient. It should bring me out a couple of hundred metres from the summit. Well, it worked, but it was exceptionally hard going; waist deep heather and bilberry or large rock fields all the way up. It was a long, hard slog, and I had to concentrate on every step. This was not somewhere to break an ankle. Eventually I came out onto the ridge, utterly exhausted. With the wind beating my back, I ploughed on to the summit and sought shelter in a little rock construction. I devoured a snickers bar and some peanuts. I must eat and drink more on these trips.
Now down to llyn du lake for my second camp. Shouldn't take long. Except, who put all those massive boulders on the lake shore where the path is meant to be? It took some clambering t get past this obstacle, but I made it to the end of the lake. I was learning that the Rhinogs are a rough area. Decent pitching ground was hard to come by here, so I made do with a flattish piece of heather tucked out of the wind behind a rock outcrop, and managed an approximation of a pyramid. I was almost too tired to eat, and couldn't finish my sea to summit beef and potato stew, which I have to say was on the chewy side. My body didn't want food, and I worried about what I would do if I was ill up here. I was confined to the sleeping bag for warmth, but somehow couldn't get comfortable to eat. I wasn't I'll of course, but It wasn't a great night. There was a minor pee bottle incident which I won't go into. But the biggest problem became apparent in the middle of the windless night. The inner (and outer) were drenched in condensation. And both ends of my sleeping bag were very much touching the inner, although I did at least have a bivi bag over the sleeping bag. I'm 6 foot 2. Manoeuvring inside the tent resulted in me or my bag scraping against the soaking walls. Not fun! The hexpeak seemed to have a tonne of room, but somehow not where I wanted it. The porch was almost too big, making it hard to get to the bottom door zip. In any case, I opened the door fully, took in the stars, and eventually watched the sun rise over the hills to the east.
I cooked oorridge for breakfast, but I couldn't finish this either. I packed up and headed down to the forest at the foot of the hills. I took my time here, not wanting to get to the car just yet. I savoured the moss covered forest floor and the little river that wound it's way through the trees. No fungi apart from a few slug-eaten fly agarics. Truly beautiful.
So all in all, a hard trip, but it went to plan. I really dont know what to do with the hexpeak though. It's a fantastic tent but I fear I'm too tall for it, or perhaps I need a different inner (I didn't get the stock inner on account of its weight). Or I may have to revert to the Vango Nevis which would be a shame. I suppose I could use the hexpeak without an inner? It would be a lighter shelter at least! Maybe I just need to get used to it. I'll see.
.
