Summit and Valley

Waiting time for USA outdoor equipment:

2012-01-31T18:44:00.001Z

I often get a email, or asked how long did you wait for your Mountain Laurel Design Trailstar? My answer is why worry about the time. Good things come to them that wait.

We are not talking off the shelf equipment. When buying often from cottage manufactures you wait. Lead time. They get orders and then do a run of shelters, quilts , etc. For me the wait is worth it.

I can't fault the kit I have got from small cottage firms. Oookworks, MLD, and others. But the kit sometimes is not what I thought it would be in terms of performance. My DuoMid was for me not right and I sold it. I still am not over awed with the MLD Prophet pack.

Yet the Trailstar and Spirit quilt are kit I can't fault. "Just superb". Now the Spirit Quilt is a case of a wait worth waitiing.

As the weeks went by I noticed the new lighter material option on the MLD website. I emailed Ron Bell and with a small additional payment purchased the lighter outer material option - when they got round to making my quilt I got a better spec than when I placed the order. So waiting can pay off for you.

So don't worry about the wait. It's worth it for the performance and off the peg kit you can get from the small firms. Excitement and desire to get out there and use it is fine. So is waiting as the small guys have a certain capacity of what they can make in one go.

Hill Fit Strength by Chris Highcock:

2012-01-25T23:35:00.001Z

Google Chris Highcock and you will find a lot of writing on fitness and getting fitter. He is a prolific blog writer with his Conditioning Research blog, with its huge following, not letting up with advice and training tips.

So when Chris sent me a copy of his new book Hill Fit Strength to review I got stuck into reading it.

Chris wrote this book as a hill walker, for hill walkers. For you, for me. His aim:

"This booklet is focused on something that every walker, hiker and backpacker needs. It weighs nothing but will make your pack lighter. Equipped with this, your trips to the hills will be safer; each walk will be easier and more fun"

Chris builds up his case with forensic evidence. He focuses in on the key aim of this book - as he sees it, the overlooked element in fitness for the hill walker and backpacker - "strength."

The first part of the book takes you through the science and understanding why strength is important and how to get stronger.

Chris wants us to have more fun outdoors in the hills. Fitness and strength facilitate that. I agree with him.

As the book unfolds you see a well-put and cohesive argument unfold. Strength leads to better performance, to less injury and thus we have more to enjoy the hills with when we go.

I met a 71-year-old backpacker on the 2011 TGO Challenge. A hard ex-Para. He went to the gym three times a week. Lifted weights and kept fit. He also had a large pack and could walk day after day with it. Keep fit, keep strong and hill walk at 71 and beyond.

Chris raises the argument for strength and its benefit with his next main point: it fights ageing. Carry more muscle and you benefit in later life, as we all lose muscle density as we get older.

As you read on, the case for the benefits of strength training roll on. Blood pressure, bone density, flexibility and balance to name a few.

Once you've read why, the book takes you to 'how'. Chris explains the science behind muscle growth and how we build muscle and strength.

One area he picks out is 'skill'. I was really glad to read this; he says:

"Hill walkers, hikers, backpackers need to develop strength through exercise, but also practice and develop walking skills as strength facilitates walking. The skill-set of good gait, balance and posture must still be central."

Practise is key and this book helps you to build fitness to add to this and therefore be better prepared for the hills.

Before Chris gives you the training regime to help you to the next step, he gives you the 'how'. How to breath, how you only need to do one set to exhaustion. No more - for example you do one set of press-ups to exhaustion, then you rest; you don't then go on to repeat more press-ups during that work-out. Work hard and rest.

Once you have the knowledge and the how, Chris then gets to the heart of why this book is so good. It's free training. You need only to be at home. You only need you. That's right. No need to buy anything else. No weights, no gym fee.

As he says:

"Convenience is a massive determinant of how well people stick to training programmes. People are more likely to stick to their programme if it is something that they can do at home without needing to go to a gym: 68% of home based exercisers were still training after 2 years while only 36% of gym based trainees kept at it"

Be a 68% hill walker and beyond. I get hill-fit training at home.

Chris has a simple approach. He lays out the plan for you.

A push, a pull, a squat, a bend, and walk. The whole routine is built around those movement. Built for you. Easy movements and done at home.

Each exercise has illustrations and instructions. There are progression aims - for example, you can learn how to do push-ups from a kneeling position and work up to a full position with your whole body stretched out.

Learn how to use a towel and a door to do rows to build your self up. The training is well explained and the illustrations are helpful and clear.

Chris at the end explores some myths about stretching and gives you links with this eBook to learn more.

It's an excellent read. Well-researched and simple. I recommend it; as the end goal is so well put by Chris:

"Get stronger, then get into those hills and enjoy yourself"

The price is £9.95 and available as a download PDF HERE

Links:

"http://www.hillfit.com/

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/

Kicking the year off:

2012-01-14T14:02:00.000Z

Trip report. Roaches 6-7th January 2012

I was enjoying the dawn as I grabbed my kit, heading up on to the Roaches for a planned meet up with Mike and Terry. I had over-slept. The evening before I had driven up to hopefully walk up into the hills to meet Terry and co to wild camp.

The drive had been slow. Fog, and driving rain had made conditions scary at times. When I arrived at my destination the wind was buffeting me and rain lashed down. I had phoned Terry to say I would be sleeping in the car and would see him and Mike in the morning. I had slept well and through my alarm.

The dawn was a good one. The rain had stopped - but it was cold and windy. The sun rising over Hen Cloud looked superb. I took the path up onto the edges heading to find the lads up by Doxey Pool.

Climbers with bouldering mats walked towards the old keepers cottage, now BMC bothy of Rockhall.

I took some photos and got moving to meet the others.

Terry and Mike were still taking tents down and packing up. A 'Hi,' and a catch up chat were mixed in with the packing and finishing off breakfast.

We decided - based on the bad weather looking like it would be coming in again, along with the strong wind - to walk the edge for a bit, and then loop back to the car. A short walk, but based on the conditions a good idea.

We took off to Doxey Pool. On a nice day it would be a good wild camp location. Today it was a windswept and desolate looking location. We did not linger.

From the pool we walked the edge, buffeted by the wind. I stopped to take a photo and had to brace myself to stop being blown around.

As we dropped down off the ridge for a few minutes the sun broke in between the dark clouds, lighting the valley below. Cameras out and photos taken. Terry was a bit slow setting up and cursed when the light went. I could not complain too much.

From there we took sheep tracks and the like below the ridge. The views were not too bad and the walking and chat top class. A very Social Hike.

We did meet one problem. Based on my aversion to walls, I convinced the others we needed to follow it down to the road - then finish our short stroll along the road. By then the rain was lashing down and I was not worried about a short walk - even after a long drive to get there.

The walk was short and the time was well spent. I gave lifts to bus stops and took Terry home. I had a good time. The year ahead will bring big walks and new horizons. I can't wait.

It has been many years since I walked on the Roaches. The white peak is a place I need to visit more again. As for my Social Hiking map.....well I have a lot to learn. Like turning on View Ranger at the start of it.