New Kit Ordered

Took advantage of the January sales to get things from my mountain kit list ticked off. Its very expensive and I have spend about half as much again as the trek itself cost in kit. It would have been much worse had I not got them at sale prices though!

With the average temperature at 6pm on Everest in October being -10 degrees celcius, its probably not a good idea to scrimp on the things that will keep me warm and dry. My sleeping bag should keep me warm down to -20 and should keep me dry from falling ice on the inside of my tent. The ice is formed by either accidentally touching the tent sides in the night, or frozen condensation caused by breathing!!

The only major item still to buy is a new pair of boots.

A Day In The Dales

After getting up at 4am and driving for several hours we arrived at Dent ready for a day in the hills!

And several hours and much pain later, the summit was reached.

Very Wet. Very Cold. Very Windy.

Can't say it was enjoyable but as a training excercise it was absolutely invaluable.
It highlighted several deficiencies in both kit and skills but nothing so major that it cant be quickly rectified.

Thanks to Rick and the rest of the gang for inviting me to tag alone. Very much appriciated and I look forward to coming along again with you in April.