Into The Wild

Packing a Sea Kayak for a Camping Trip

2014-01-07T12:28:00.000+00:00

PACKING A SEA KAYAK

When packing a sea kayak for a camping trip there are four important considerations to keep in mind:

1) MOISTURE —There is always a chance that everything will be exposed to water. All gear should be as waterproof as possible and packed in watertight containers. Do not bring cotton or down clothing or sleeping bags. Down loses its insulating ability when wet and takes a long time to dry. Cotton insulates poorly when wet and dries slowly. Wool insulates well when wet but dries slowly. Bring only synthetic sleeping bags and clothing. Synthetics insulate very well when wet and dry quickly! (Okay, I admit… I often bring a wool sweater for land wear, and silk tank tops or underwear. I also bring a long-sleeve button down silk shirt for cover up when it is hot out—but it packs into a tiny little wad that weighs nothing. Alright, you got me — I’ve also been known to bring a down vest for warmth on land and it makes a superb pillow — but I bought it for $7 at K-mart and I’m willing to sacrifice it to the water gods. Just do as I say and not as I do!) Don’t even think about a down sleeping bag—use synthetic and enjoy a warm, dry good night’s sleep.Moisture
Space
Weight
Placement

Unless you can afford to lose it, don’t bring any expensive equipment that is not waterproof. Even if your camera or binoculars don’t fall in the water they can still be damaged from splash, moisture in the boat, condensation, and salt air. A good alternative is to purchase a couple of one-time use underwater cameras and a pair of low cost binoculars.

You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of dry bags. A great alternative is to use strong garbage bags, tie them well, and place each bag inside a drawstring nylon stuff sack. (Rumor has it that large Glad bags are strong) To waterproof a nylon stuff sack, line it with two plastic garbage bags, place your gear inside, squeeze all the air out of the garbage bags, tightly twist the top of each garbage bag separately, and tuck it inside the stuff sack.

2) SPACE — Kayaks have small hatch openings and tight space inside. We can pack a lot in if we plan ahead. It is easier to pack many small stuff bags than a few large bags. The small bags naturally fit amongst themselves whereas large bags are harder to fit through the hatch and around each other. Because sleeping bags take up so much space you may have to put your stuff sack or dry bag in the hatch first and then stuff the sleeping bag into the dry bag. You may want to use a compression sack to make your sleeping bag smaller to pack. I like to label all my small bags with names like “breakfast” or “raingear.” If you can sew, get your hands on some fusible coated nylon and make your own dry bags for pennies. I made a few long, skinny dry bags that open on each end and labeled both ends so I know which side to open. Sounds crazy but haven’t you noticed that the coveted thing you want is always at the bottom of the bag?

3) WEIGHT — Like backpacking, lighter is better! We sometimes find need to carry our fully laden boats away from incoming tides, onto ferries, or to make room for other travelers. If you must move fully loaded kayaks, try to have at least four people per boat to carry. Six is optimal. Chose one person to lead, check that everyone is ready, then on the lead person’s count of three lift on “three” then carry when the lead says “carry.” This sounds really mundane but more injuries occur on land and if one person is not ready to either lift or move forward then the whole thing can get dumped and backs can be sprained. Your group may even want to practice the lift and carry with an empty kayak before the trip begins.

4) PLACEMENT— A properly loaded touring kayak is extremely stable. In fact it will be more stable than it is when empty. However, an improperly loaded touring kayak is extremely unstable and will capsize easily or be difficult to handle. Remember you want to maintain a low center of gravity. To ensure good stability, heavier items should be placed as near to the cockpit and low in the boat as possible. Place lighter items such as clothing or sleeping pads into the ends of the bow and stern. My touring kayak has such a long bow that I have to tie a line on my Thermarest in order to retrieve it from the forward storage area. Try to pack each side from the center line with an even balanced weight distribution. Try to pack the bow and stern with an even weight distribution. (Note: in certain wind conditions you can pack you kayak heavy in certain places to compensate—this technique is not intended for this basic discussion!) Do not load your deck up with a bunch of stuff. Deck stuff creates wind resistance causing weather cocking, and will make the kayak less stable by raising the center of gravity too high. That said, it is okay to have a low-profile deck bag, or low profile and lightweight items on deck. It is also imperative that you have easy access to drinking water at all times and there is generally no other place than your deck to put a water bottle. A hydration backpack can be handy but you should be able to ditch it quickly in the event of capsize. You don’t want to wear anything that will weigh you down in the water. Your spare paddle needs to be in easy reach. Place it under the bungee on the deck. Forget filling the solar shower with water and placing it on your aft deck while paddling. It will be too high and heavy and cause your boat to be too tippy.If you carry gear and camping equipment from the boats to campsites each day you’ll appreciate a lighter load, especially when carrying your gear up steep trails and making several trips. Bring a large netted gear bag or collapsible back pack to carry gear up these trails. I also like to bring expandable hiking poles.

WEATHER

Check the weather patterns and forecasts of the area you are planning to paddle in. Be aware that forecasts can be wrong, wrong, wrong. Look at the conditions before you launch. Here in Humboldt County we say “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes or go five miles.” Our weather can change drastically. Be prepared for all kinds of weather. In many areas you have to rise early to take advantage of paddling in the mornings to avoid afternoon winds. Paddling is always dependent on currents and weather/wind. The timing of your trip will be balanced by weather/wind forecasts and current tables.

An easy way to adjust to changes in weather while paddling is to change hats. I like to use a low-profile deck bag and keep a variety of hats in there. A wool or fleece hat can be put over a synthetic visored cap for warmth. A rain hat can go on top. To cool off quickly have a cotton bandana handy to dip in the water and place on your head. It is easy to cool off but hard to get warm if you’ve gotten too chilled.

FISHING

Check with local authorities for fishing regulations and secure the proper permits. Respect these regulations as many areas have been over-fished and the resources are getting scarce. You also want to make sure you have legal equipment for the area and fishery. Depending on where you go, there may also be great clamming, crabbing, seaweed gathering, and oyster gathering possibilities. If you are fishing from your kayak be sure your fishing line is not too strong in the event you catch something bigger than you can handle in the boat! For instance, for rockfish plan to bring or purchase 10 to 12 lb test line (not too heavy or a big fish will tow you away!), lead heads with rubber tails 1/2 & 3/4 oz, maybe a couple of 1 oz. You’ll also need a stringer and sharp filet knife. For oysters you need a small pry bar and a handy rock. Small collapsible crab traps are easy to handle from a kayak. Clams require a digging tool.

PESTS

Many “pests” are very cute and photographic. Problems occur when wild creatures learn to eat human food. Don’t feed the wildlife! There can be terrible problems in popular camping areas with raccoons getting overpopulated and aggressive to the point of slashing open tents and tearing open kayak hatches. You may have to hang food while on land. Ravens, chipmunks, blue jays, and seagulls will take things from picnic tables and campsites. Minks, otter, and bald eagles will steal fish from fishermen. A mink stole the whole stringer once! Even the deer on some islands have been known to be pests. No-see-ums, gnats, mosquitoes—ARRGGHH. Mosquito nets, citronella, DEET. I wouldn’t dream of having a tent without a net. Do what it takes. Better yet, just bring me! I am a mosquito magnet. Mosquitoes will flock to me and leave you alone!

HIKING

Some folks chose to play cards on land while others enjoy exploring. Personally I like to explore, plus after spending hours in a kayak it’s nice to move around on legs again. There are usually abundant hiking opportunities. Be sure to bring good lightweight trail shoes for hiking and climbing around on rocks and tide pools. I also like to bring a small daypack for water bottle, camera, lunch, and spare clothing. Having been a gimp for 30 years I also bring at least one expandable hiking pole. In fact I keep it on the deck under the forward bungee cord for use at stops and lunch along the way.

FOOD

Whether planning to pack your own food or sharing meals with the group, keep in mind that food generally weighs more than anything else that we bring! It’s probably best to find a buddy who has similar taste to yours and share meals with your buddy. It’s also nice to split up dinner cooking among the group, for instance we can take turns, two people make dinner for the entire group each evening and everyone fends for themselves for breakfast and lunch. No matter what the meal arrangement, it’s always best to do some meal planning before embarking on a trip.

Check with the local health food and backpacking stores for dehydrated foods that weigh little but are very nourishing. Try some out at home before packing for a trip! Some pre-made meals pack and carry well, and cook easily such as “Tasty Bites” Thai food. Bread doesn’t pack well but pita bread and tortillas keep and store easily. Soft cheeses won’t stay fresh without some refrigeration. Hard cheeses such as Parmesan and Asiago carry and keep for days. Bring spices, garlic, even butter. Do not bring anything that requires refrigeration. Don’t bring mayonnaise. Meat does not keep well at all unless it is jerky or canned. Salami can store well if kept cold prior to packing in the kayak, loaded down near the bottom of the boat and kept carefully away from sun and heat. Veggies — forget lettuce and sprouts. Cabbage keeps very well for days without refrigeration and can be eaten cooked or raw. Carrots, onion, and potatoes keep and carry well. Broccoli stores okay but not great. If you have a breathable container to store them in, tomatoes, bananas and avocados can last a couple days. Liquids weigh the most so go sparingly on those little boxes of soy and rice milk.

I know someone who brought nothing but canned food for every meal the entire trip. He had the heaviest boat in the beginning and the lightest at the end. We were lucky to find campsites with garbage disposal. He had no meal preparation, and very few dishes to ever wash. If I liked canned foods better I might consider this option.

Peanut butter and jelly on pita bread gives you carbs, protein and sugar — everything you need for paddling energy. This combination gives you the energy you need when you need it. Our bodies burn sugar very quickly, carbohydrates more slowly, and protein takes the longest for us to use. Breakfast is especially important when paddling long distances. Think in terms of time-release food. Depending on your metabolism, the activity you are doing, and the actual meal you eat, this time-release will vary. In general, sugar is immediate fuel, carbs last a couple of hours, and protein is good for 4 to 6 hours of fuel.

Use your stove and camp cookware at home before embarking on a trip. Just because it worked last summer doesn’t mean it still lights every time. I know my “Whisperlight” needs to have its cork oiled before it will function. Don’t wait until you’ve paddled all day and are eagerly expecting a great meal to find out your cooking system doesn’t function the way you thought it would.

Do be sure to bring a good combination of protein and carbohydrates. Bring high-energy snacks such as trail mix to munch on while paddling. It is possible to eat really well while kayak camping.

ALCOHOL

While we don’t want to drink and paddle, it is nice to have something to relax with at camp after a day of paddling. Bring a bottle of wine or spirits to share with the group. I know it’s not the first choice of wine snobs but bag-in-the box wines can be removed from the box and then stowed in front of your feet against the forward bulkhead. If you bug the sailboats and yachts for cold beer then be sure to offer to pay twice what they’re worth—you don’t want to give kayakers a bad name!

CLOTHING LIST
- Light weight Trail shoes for onshore wear
- Warm socks—synthetic or wool
- Shorts
- Pants
- Underwear (silk!)
- Long Johns
- Fleece pants
- Fleece shirt
- T shirt
- Long-sleeve light weight sun shirt
- Warm jacket (fleece is good)
- Rain jacket—with hood
- Sun hat
- Warm hat (wool or synthetic)
OPTIONAL CLOTHING LIST
- Neoprene gloves or pogies for paddling
- Warm gloves for onshore
- Rain pants
- Rain hat or hood
- Bandanna
- Fleece vest
- Tank top
- Bathing suit
GEAR LIST
- Synthetic sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Tent with good rain fly, mosquito net, and tarp (to set tent on)
- Para-wing or tarp
- Water bottle
- Collapsible water container (s) (at least one gallon capacity—old “bags” from bag-in-the box wine work very well!)
- Personal eating gear—fork, spoon, knife, bowl, cup
- Cook set
- Pot scrubber
- Headlamp or flashlight w/ extra batteries and bulbs
- Waterproof matches or lighter
- Pocket knife or multitool w/ knife
- Repair kit—needle/thread, safety pins, duct tape, wire, etc—fiberglass repair kit for composite boats
- First aid kit, personal medication, waterproof band-aids, antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, scissors, moleskin, adhesive tape, anti-inflammatory (aspirin or Motrin, etc), antacid
- Enough small stuff sacks to waterproof all your gear plus four extra small garbage bags and several medium zip-lock freezer baggies (they’re handy)
- Camp towel (not cotton) or chamois
- Biodegradable soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper
- Waterproof sunscreen
- Lip Balm with sunscreen
- Brush/comb
- Polarized sunglasses
- Trash bags
OPTIONAL GEAR LIST
- Mesh gear bag to carry gear from kayak to camp
- Tarp
- Inflatable lumbar pillow
- Thermalounger (converts Thermarest into a chair)
- Small frameless day pack (for hiking trips)
- 50 feet of light utility cord, misc. carabiners, pulley
- Mosquito repellant
- Mosquito net
- Camp shower
- Fishing pole or jig line (on a stick) and gear
- Bungee cords
- Waterproof Binoculars
- Waterproof camera and extra film
- Field guides
- Book, deck of cards, journal, sketch book
- Sleeping bag liner. Fleece binky
KAYAK GEAR LIST
- Touring Kayak 16’ to 18’ long
- Paddle
- Spray skirt
- Comfortable clothing—appropriate for the water temperature. Whatever you decide to wear be sure it is water wicking
- Dry suit or wet suit if paddling in cold water
- Bilge pump
- Bilge sponge
- Paddle float
- Whistle (Coast Guard requires an audible signaling device—bullhorns are kind of large to carry) Small air horns work well
- Booties or sandals for kayaking
- Type III Coast-guard approved PFD
- Splash jacket or windbreaker
- Flares, other signaling devices (camp mirror, strobe, flashlight)
- Marine radio (at least one person in group should have one)
- Spare break-apart paddle (at least one for every two kayaks—one each in extreme areas)
- Compass
- Charts
- Deck bag
- Cell Phone (check for service)
- Paddle leash
- Helmet for surf landings

Rome

2013-06-26T14:57:00.000+01:00

Rome

August 2010

We landed at Rome's Fluminicio around 1pm, it was a scorching hot day and we had to make the short trip across country to Romes historic center, we hopped on the Terravision bus (amazing service, used quite a lot in my travels - http://www.terravision.eu/ ) and for 6 euros each return we set off, not much to say about the journey into Rome i must admit, it was mostly a motorway then through some suburbs till we got to our hotel, we had looked around online and decided we wanted to stay in a hotel over a hostel. We found this little beauty for a very modest price.

http://www.ghtiberio.com/en

That afternoon we set off.

We had our Lonely Planet guidebook from Amazon and decided to start by spending the day exploring the Vatican State, I and my partner were completely taken aback by how beautiful the place was, thriving with people a lot of different nationalities, all here to visit the heart of the catholic church, i am not religious at all but i had to admit to being blown away by the grandeur of it all. It's hard to put into words and as people say a picture speaks a thousand so...

Hope you guys enjoy the photos, all taken on my Nikon D5000.

Arrivederci!

Sunset in Florence

2013-06-26T14:55:00.000+01:00

This photo was taken form Piazza Michelangelo, an amazing spot over looking the whole of the city of Florence. We found it from our guidebook which was the Lonely Planets guide to Florence and Tuscany, we used this book lots and lots throughout our stay. Florence was probably my favorite city in Italy, It's not too much hustle and bustle and remarkably it is surprisingly cheap.

The Money Pit - In recent years!

2013-06-21T15:33:00.002+01:00

The pit was untouched until 1849. A new corporation was formed with the financial backing to continue the dig. This group ran into the same flooding problems that occurred back in 1802. However they did manage to use a drill to probe what was below the money pit floor. A platform was constructed in the shaft just above the water level and the drill operated from there. The drill seemed to bore through levels of oak, spruce and clay. One sample recovered what appeared to be several links of chain made of gold.

While the drilling was going on, someone noticed that the water in the pit was salty and rose and fell with the tide. This led to speculation that the builders of the pit had conceived a clever trap designed to flood the pit with water if someone got to close too the treasure. Just who built this and what is it guarding?

The existence of the flood trap was confirmed by the discovery that the beach of Smith's Cove, located some 500 feet away from the money pit, was artificial. Examination showed that the original clay of the cove had been dug away and in its place laid round beach stones, covered by four or five inches of dead eel grass, which was covered by coconut fiber two inches thick and finally the sand of the beach. At the bottom of all this were five box drains that apparently merged somewhere well back from the coast into a single tunnel that ran the distance to the money pit. The system was apparently designed so that the filtering action of the coconut fiber and the eel grass would ensure the drains would never be clogged by sand or gravel from the beach. It worked well.

Attempts were made to put the flood trap out of business by building a cofferdam around the cove to by holding the tides back. Later, pits were dug to intersect and plug the tunnel on its route to the money pit. These failed, and this try at reaching the treasure was given up in 1851 when the money ran out.

The next attempt in 1861 cost the first human life. The searchers tried to pump out the money pit using the steam engine-powered pumps. A boiler burst and one worker was scalded to death while others were injured. Further fatalities were barely avoided when the money pit's bottom, weakened by attempts to get at the treasure by digging up underneath from other shafts, collapsed. If there were any treasure chests they were probably carried much deeper by this crash. This dig did succeed in discovering where the flood tunnel entered the money pit, but there was still no way to turn off the water. By 1864 these searchers were also out of money.

In 1866, 1893, 1909, 1931 and 1936 additional excavations were started. Extreme methods were used including setting dynamite charges to destroy the flood tunnel, building a dam to keep the water out of Smith's Cove, and bringing in a crane with an excavation bucket. None of these approaches recovered a single coin while costing the backers a small fortune and one worker his life. One of these efforts did manage to block off the flood tunnel from Smith's Cove, only to discover more water was pouring in from the opposite direction via a natural or man-made route from the south shore. Drilling also indicated that there might be some kind of cement vault at the 153-foot level. By this time the south end of the island was full of old shafts, though, and it was increasingly hard to tell were the original money pit was located. Searchers often ran out of money just trying to figure out where the old shaft had been.

First time using Photoshop in a while!

2013-06-20T08:34:00.002+01:00

I have not used any kind of image editing software in a while, however i managed to get myself a copy of a very old Photoshop, so thought i would have a go at editing these, I have not done much to them but i think i have made these photos slightly better than the originals.

Before

After!

For a first timer, i'm happy.

"What do we say to the god of death....Not today!"

2013-06-19T14:55:00.001+01:00

For you Game of Thrones fans out there i'm sure you will appreciate and love this tattoo as me, after surviving painstaking heart surgery a man had this tattooed just above the scar, in reference to Syrio Forel's quote from the first book in the ASOIAF series A Game of Thrones. I miss season 3 already....oh well another year to wait.

Oak Island Mysteries

2013-06-19T14:43:00.000+01:00

For hundreds of years, treasure hunters have ventured to Nova Scotia, Canada and tried to recover the treasure lies in the Money Pit, protected by a series of ingenious traps. As treasure hunters have attempted to recover the bounty from the Money Pit, cleverly engineered flood tunnels flood the shaft with sea water.

Strange man made artifacts have been recovered from the pit over the years, but to this day, the treasure still remains buried. Pirates, the Knights Templar or Francis Bacon - no one is sure exactly who created this mysterious Money Pit or why. With excavations now taking place, discover the World's greatest treasure hunt for yourself.

Oak Island

Lets go back to the beginning and retell the whole story.

The year is 1795 and a young Canadian called Daniel McGinnis has been seeing strange lights coming from nearby Oak Island, a few days after the event he travels to the island and after a bit of exploring he finds an impression in the ground, with a tackle block rigged to a tree branch above it. Daniel returns to the island a few days later with 2 friends (Anthony Vaughan and John Smith) to begin digging for what has been disturbed in the ground. On the pit walls there were visible markings from a pick. As they dug down they discovered layers of logs at about every 10 feet (3.0 m). They abandoned the excavation at 30 feet (9.1 m) as they did not have the equipment or man power to continue.

Roughly eight years after the 1795 excavation, according to the original articles and the memories of Vaughan, another company examined what was to become known as the "Money Pit." The Onslow Company sailed 300 nautical miles (560 km) from central Nova Scotia near Truro to Oak Island with the goal of recovering what they believed to be secret treasure. They continued the excavation down to approximately 90 feet (27.43 m) and found layers of logs or "marks" about every ten feet (3 m) and layers of charcoal, putty and coconut fibre at 40, 50 and 60 feet.

According to one of the earliest written accounts, at 80–90 feet (24–27 m), they recovered a large stone bearing an inscription of symbols. Several researchers apparently attempted to decipher the symbols. One translated them as saying: "forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried." The symbols currently associated with the "forty feet down..." At 93 feet deep, the floor of the pit began to turn into soft mud. Before the end of that day the crew probed the bottom of the shaft with a crowbar hoping to find something. They hit a barrier as wide and as long as the shaft. The group speculated that they'd finally reached the treasure vault and went to bed with the expectations that tomorrow a fortune would be theirs.

Returning the next day, the crew was shocked to find that overnight the pit had filled with 60 feet of water. Bailing was useless. As soon as water was removed from the pit, more flowed in to take its place. An attempt was made to dig another shaft nearby and get at the treasure by running a tunnel underneath the pit, but the new shaft flooded as soon as the tunnel got close to its objective.

GoPro 3 Black Edition

2013-04-21T14:47:00.001+01:00

Just purchased the new GoPro to take on a camping trip to Ashbourne, here's a snippet of my first still with it.

Medicine Hat - Canada

2013-02-21T12:52:00.001+00:00

So after a couple of days of getting my bearings in Calgary, i decided it was time i visited my buddy, Dave, who lived with his parent sin the next city across, still a 3 hour drive to get there...here are a few pictures of Med Hat, i'll update with what i did there tomorrow.

Canada - The first day.

2013-02-19T22:04:00.001+00:00

So as my post 2 days ago told you I have recently spent a bit of time traveling around western Canada, I literally booked a flight into Calgary city in Alberta, then a return flight a month later from Vancouver in British-Columbia. So my plan was to gradually wind my way through Canada, exploring as I went. I landed around 2pm local time in Calgary and after a lengthy search in customs I was finally let into the country, here are my pictures from my first day in a snowy Calgary.

I have drawn you!

2013-02-18T11:39:00.001+00:00

Here is a little black and white drawing of Batman I have done, i used a black Sharpie marker for this. It came out pretty well to say I'm not really a drawing kind of guy. I've added in another picture I've had in the archives for a while that makes me laugh, I usually see it put up when people draw other things. Anyways I hope you enjoy laughing at my effort.

A long overdue update

2013-02-18T00:21:00.002+00:00

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure too many people are reading what i'm writing but just on the off chance, i'm sorry I've not been very active with my blog since well before Christmas. I happened to be away traveling in Canada for a while, it was the most amazing trip i have ever undertaken, i'm going to write a full debrief on everywhere i went but until then i wanted to give a sneak peak of some of the pictures i have taken.

Checking out day 1 of the Pennine Way

2012-09-25T12:15:00.001+01:00

Had a spare day today, so myself, my girlfriend and her amazing Dog Ruby, decided to take a trip to the first stage of the Pennine Way, the route over England and Scotland that i am planning on walking for charity as soon as i get the dam time.

Here are some pics!

Adrian's Images

2012-09-14T19:10:00.003+01:00

Just a little heads up for you guys, i have followed this blog with interest for a long time since i found a Waterfall Adrian had blogged about in Derbyshire. His work is very good and consistent. Give him a look.

http://adriansimages.blogspot.co.uk

Florence - 2012

2012-09-14T08:54:00.000+01:00

As a lot of you may have guessed now, i really reaaaalllyyy like Italy, I've been there three times in the last two years for Christs sake. But all joking aside i Love the place, i can't get enough of the history, architecture, food, ice cream, people, ice cream....ETC.

So we decided to visit Florence or Firenze to the Locals, a small city north of Rome. Florence boasts the Golden Bridge and a fantastic Duomo. here i have put together the best shots i got with my Nikon D5000. A few are edited to HDRI cause i think it really brings out the landscapes of Italy.

Please enjoy.

Falling very fast from a Plane!

2012-09-13T17:35:00.000+01:00

The coolest thing i have ever done in my life!

What i look like! Yikes...

2012-09-13T13:49:00.000+01:00

This is me, on a recent trip to Florence in Italy. I had not shaved for a while so be kind.

Getting a few kills at Airsoft

2012-09-13T13:21:00.000+01:00

Here's me with my G and G Combat Machine M4 rifle dropping 3 guys at Anzio Camp in Leek.

Captured with My GoPro

Lake Garda 2012

2012-09-13T12:22:00.000+01:00

We woke up at 3AM for the long drive to London Gatwick airport, 3 hours when you have had no sleep is nasty and not much fun, at least the roads were clear all the way down the motorway. We got to Gatwick around 6AM with a departure time of 10AM, Carly my girlfriend didn't know where i was taking her, it was a complete surprise. We checked in, our flight was to Verona so naturally she thought i'd booked a city break, she was pretty happy with that. So when our flight landed and a small Italian guy was stood waiting with my name on a board she got a little bit confused again, around an hour later we rounded a corner to what can only be described as a "horizon filled with water" she exclaimed..."It's Lake Garda isn't it!" "You got me" i replied.

Anyway enough of this ridiculous chatter, this is what you really want to see. I've put together the best 6 photos from the trip.

We stayed in Toscolano Maderno

Our hotel was http://www.hotel-villamaria.it/ and i could not recommend it high enough.

Peace guys

The Girl Got Talent!

2012-09-13T11:55:00.000+01:00

Two weeks ago i was by the shores of Lake Garda in Italy, an amazing place i will be posting pictures of my trip very soon. Here is one my Lady snapped of me whilst i was deep in concentration mode. The Girl did good.

A Big Ass Fire

2012-09-13T11:48:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago we were called to a big heap of wood burning, it was so big the bosses decided to let it burn itself out, unfortunately we had to sit babysitting it all night, i being the professional chap i am took this opportunity to snap this shot.

What do you guys think?

New Lens!

2011-12-12T16:18:00.001+00:00

Ive gone and done it......

This won the Europeopn Lens of the year last year, so im going to be trying this out over the next few weeks, im really interested in getting some wicked shots of the moon.

Here she is:

I'll be posting a few shots with it when ive got some that are worthy to be here.

Ghosts in York...

2011-12-09T15:48:00.001+00:00

My trip to York.

Got to share these photos from my recent trip to York.

York Minster

The Shambles

The Ghost Walk Man (Cool guy)

A New Direction....

2011-12-09T15:41:00.000+00:00

Hi Folks,

Over the past week or so ive been planning things for next year, the big 2012. Im planning on starting Scuba Diving, Possibly taking up Archery again, Completeing my Mountain Leaders qualification, Playing Airsoft, Doing a lot more photography and Hopefully going on a cruise to see the Northeren Lights in the Artic Circle. So im thinking how cool it would be to make this blog bigger and have posts on pretty much my adventures into different things, Especially Scuba Diving.

In January im going to my Local Scuba Diving Club, they are offering Try Dives for ten pounds, im going to take advantage of this and see if i enjoy it, if i do i'll sign up for the year and start training. Hopefully ill get some pictures of the first time i dive and i'll be able to upload them, will be pretty funny i imagine.

Id like to be able to post some of my photography on here too, I went to Rome recently and took loads of pictures. If you ever get the chance to go there....GO!

Anyway for now i'll leave you alone.

Surprise from Crisis

2011-11-20T19:58:00.002+00:00

Tomorrow ill be throwing up some pictures, as this morning i had a nice surprise from Crisis come through my letterbox.