Better Late than Never

Sam kindly brought round his SD card with the OMM photos from 2010 this week whilst we were planning for the RAB MM this weekend.

So should have something new to write up following this weekend

The OMM - Dartmoor

It's taken me a bit to put this together, was feeling very worse for wear last week after the OMM. Important lesson learnt, to check water carefully from streams, especially during heavy rain causing surface run off. Or carry some puritabs or similar. I spent most of last week doing sprint sessions to the loo after managing to pick up gastroenteritis, 3 out of the 4 of us who travelled together were affected. ON a positive note though I did manage to lose 10 lbs, the best crash diet I've tried !!!

Friday - The weekend started with a packed train to Manchester, John was picking me up from Piccadilly at 9:00 to go back to his house, check the gear, familiarise ourselves with the tent and agree the plan of action. The tent is relatively simple to put up, we decided it would be easier to leave the inner tent and fly sheet fastened together in John's sack and I would carry the pegs, poles, gas and stove. I don't know if you have ever seen these pegs but they don't really look that strong, they weigh 1g each, but used in the right way and pushed right into the ground they are pretty effective.

Ben and Sam joined us and we compared sacks, mine was, by far the smallest with an 18l sack John, Ben and Sam were all using the Terra Nova Laser 20l pack, We had all managed to get everything inside our sacks and were all carrying <5kg !

After chucking all the gear in the car we hit the road, as usual the M6 was rubbish, one giant, slowly moving snake of traffic. It seemed to take an age to get to Hilton Park services, where we stocked up at M&S on munchies for lunch and for breakfast, bananas & scotch eggs, the food of champions! We eventually reached the M5 and after a final toilet stop at Exeter services we headed off to the OMM HQ at Okehampton Camp. John took us on a merry excursion through the narrow country lanes to an alleged short cut, that turned out to be a muddy track, but we made it in the end after climbing a very steep hill up to the camp (I didn't think there were any hills down here ?).

After pitching our tents we set out in search of the Up & Running shop and some food. The shop was packed, but I did manage to pick up a bargain pair of Saucony leggings for £10 (RRP £45). I decided these would be perfect for the weekend as they are tight fitting round the ankles so would not go baggy like other leggings, and hopefully keep my legs pretty warm. Dinner was Carbonara, bit of a shame that Wilfs (or Scotts) were not on site as their fare is ideal and tasty. We went and registered and picked up the dibber (I was the dibber boy), then after a couple of pints in the bar we hit the sack, alarm set for 6:00 ready for our 8:03 start.

Saturday - After getting up and having some breakfast in the car, we changed into our gear, had a final kit check, then dropped the tent, wished Ben & Sam all the best and headed off for a cup of tea before heading to the start. I was feeling slightly nervous, it was a while since I had done any serious distance carrying kit, but I hoped that my light bag and experience would prevail, I didn't expect to finish highly but I expected to finish.

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I don't know how but we missed our start by two minutes ! We rushed up as they were just calling the 8:05 starters forward, we were pushed through, dibbed and handed the map, the straight line distance was quoted as 44.7km, I chose to ignore this and just concentrate on the first control location. We picked this off relatively quickly and then you know the script "Try and pick the best line across bloody awful terrain, dibbing the controls as you go". I was surprised at how undulating the ground was, the tussocks everywhere made it hard going, occasionally you would pick up a trod where you could get up a bit of momentum but these inevitably turned the wrong way and it was back to tussock bashing.

There were times when we could see plenty of other teams, snaking their way to controls, which took a bit of skill out of the navigation. It was a clear bright day with a head wind most of the day, we were moving okay but not quickly, I think the terrain was getting to us both, John put his ipod on at one point to try and find the "Zone" but I don't think it was happening for him.

Just before the penultimate control, Ben and Sam caught us up, it was good to see them and it gave us a bit of a lift, we ran all the way into camp with them, it did mean they had made up quite a bit of time on us though. Our route taken for day 1 can be seen on Route Gadget ('A' Class - John Roberts & Karl Taylor) It was a long hard day and we were all tired, we pitched the tents, grabbed some water in the sandwich bag and then dived in the tent to sort ourselves out. The results had us 62nd out of 89 starters, several teams appeared to have dropped out during the day and there were 79 teams going into the second day.

The tent was cosy indeed, it is definitely not possible for you both to do something, like getting changed, at the same time, so we took it in turns to sort gear, change clothes etc. Once we were sorted and dry/warm we got the stove going, dinner was a doddle to cook as planned, I had also slipped a small hip flask of brandy in my bag so we had brandy custard and ginger sponge, gourmet!! John had brought a chocolate protein shake to share so we warmed that up to help with the overnight recovery.

The fun then started when it came time to start blowing up the balloons for the balloon beds, with the limited room, cramp and general knackered ness this was entertaining. It took us about an hour to get both beds done, all we could hear from Ben and Sam's tent was popping balloons!! but eventually we had managed it. It was probably about 19:00 when we went to bed, so, with the clocks going back an hour it made it 18:00, 12hrs sleep ahead! We topped and tailed and managed to find a comfortable, not too contorted, position to sleep, I was boiling and had to take my hat off and unzip my tops to feel comfortable, the balloon bed was like luxury, so comfortable. John was okay till he turned on his side, his bag only has down on the top, when he felt a bit of cold. Sleep was okay, intermittent with the noise of the wind and rain lashing against the tent, but I felt pretty refreshed in the morning.

Sunday - We were woken by the 6:00 wake up call for the chasing starts, It was a bit of a struggle to sit up, but taking it in turns gain we sorted our stuff out and got some breakfast on the go. I could feel my calves were stiff when I walked across to the toilet, day 2 was going to be tough, the weather was looking like it was going to test us.

We managed to make the start early this time, we dibbed and grabbed our map, the straight line distance was 31.6km, a shorter, but no less difficult day. I spotted river crossings and some contours very close together between two of the later check points, something to look forward to !

The first couple of controls were okay, a bit of climbing but not bad ground, the 3rd control though was "miles!" I expect this was a low point for all teams but the ground was tussocky, boggy and just energy draining, the Tor where the control was just seemed to get further away, everywhere you looked in each direction there were teams stretched out all heading in the same general direction. Eventually we reached the control, after here we had two river crossings before the next control, something that doesn't really phase me but there was a lot of water about, did I mention it was chucking it down!

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The stretch after this control was tough going again, I think by this point neither of us wanted to see a tussock again. Ben and Sam caught us just before the control, we all had a quick stop to put on an extra layer, the rain and wind were having an effect, and the photographer caught a couple of great shots especially the 'thumbs up' one of Ben.

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The next control was across was the steep section I had spotted earlier in the day, I had promised myself mentally that I would treat myself to a rice crispie square at the bottom of here, mind games, after dropping down to the river we linked up to cross the river as a foursome, it was pretty wide and strong but we got across OK. We could see other teams heading up stream as we started climbing, it was a steep climb but not that long, the bar worked and I felt pretty good as we dibbed the next control. Ben was limping now and struggling to run, we could maybe have made back the time deficit at this point but it wasn't the honourable thing to do, we stuck with them as we dibbed the last few controls together.

Our route taken for day 2 can be seen on Route Gadget ('A' Class - John Roberts & Karl Taylor)

We all had a bit of a John Wayne swagger coming down the road to the last control and the finish line but did manage a bit of a burst for the finishing photo. Final positions we came 60th, Sam & Ben 50th, 72 teams finished. Results

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Summary - To summarise on what was a tough weekend, Dartmoor is pretty hard terrain, quite picturesque with all the Tors, but a bugger under foot. More training would have benefited us both and perhaps provided a higher finish but, I don't think we did too bad to finish the two days. The kit was about right, I had just enough day food, plenty to eat at night and a really comfortable nights sleep. The cooking equipment could maybe be lightened by using foil trays but I do like how the mess tin can accommodate the food, protecting it. I was warm enough during the day and night and did find my windproof useful on day 1. Water sources should be checked thoroughly and peaty run off water should be avoided! I have got a full 12 months to train for the next one now, think I'm a bit off the pace for winning but definitely feel we could challenge the higher places with some decent training behind us.

I didn't take my camera but Sam has got some pictures which hopefully he'll forward to me and I can supplement this post with something nice to look at.

The OMM Final Kit List

With only a few days left till the drive down south to Dartmoor for the 42nd OMM/KIMM  the kit list is coming together.

Things may change at the last minute but I think this is pretty much it.

The Team - Myself & John Roberts

Class - A

Following the OMM kit list these are my choices of kit

Clothes

During the day I will be wearing my trusty Decathlon 3/4 length leggings, they are a little worse for wear, with a few holes here and there but they do the job. I have a choice of base layers dependant on conditions, but I think I'm going to go with a medium weight top with zip neck and long sleeves so I can roll them up if it gets warm and un zip the neck. Then my breathable pants underneath to stop the jingy jangling and some lightweight Bridgedale socks. Gloves are some old North Cape ones(59g) My hat is a buff, I'm taking two though so I have a dry one for the overnight camp (30g each).

For the overnight camps I then need extra full leg cover, I was going to use some Spray Way microfleece trousers (250g) but they are a bit bulky, although light, so I think I will need to go with some Helly Hanson Lifa Long Johns instead. My additional warm top is an X-cellerate fleece lined windproof (256g) that packs down really small. Then some dry socks(62g), if I need to leave the tent I have two large sandwich bags for my feet so they stay dry when I put them inside my trainers. The wet socks will go back on in the morning as the dry ones will be lighter to carry and would end up wet after 10-15 mins anyway.

Tent & Sleeping

John has invested in a Terra Nova - Laser Photon Elite (720g) it will be a considerably cosy night, at the widest point the inner tent is 87cm, the term 'spooning' has been mentioned in conversation. My sleeping bag is a Snugpak Travelpak (680g) I bought it originally for camping in Thailand so it's not exactly suited to October in Dartmoor, but I'm sure it is going to be cosy in that tent and it kept me warm enough in the barn after the storm of OMM 2008 ! I am sleeping in luxury this time as well as I have bought a balloon bed (120g). I could probably do with investing in something like a RAB top bag or similar but I'll leave that till next year.

My only concern is how much room there is in the porch of the tent for cooking if the weather is bad but I guess we'll have to take the risk.

Food & Cooking

Using my scientific "OMM Food Calculator" that I developed in 2008 I figure I have a fraction over 1.5kg of food for the two days. Providing me with 5258.7 KCal of energy, 738.7g of Carbs and 145.3 g of Protein.

During the days I'll be eating a combination of Trek, Clif, 0 and Power Bars, Rice Crispie Squares, Shot Bloks, Jelly Babies and Nakd bars, I have tried to use mainly natural energy bars with minimum additives as these tend to disagree with my stomach! I'll also be adding Nuun to my water during the day, I will just carry a 500ml bottle in a shoulder strap holder, and drink from streams.

Saturday night's food will be 200g of wholemeal cous cous with chorizo, pepperoni, sun dried tomatoes, stock cube and some spices this basically just requires hot water to cook so very easy and light on gas. I have a small Trangia mess tin the mix will go in here with the hot water, the lid goes on and after 5 mins or so it is ready to eat. This should give me plenty of carbs, protein and salt and then will be followed by Jamaica Ginger Cake and Custard, luxury!

I will take a 5l sandwich bag as a water carrier as well for drinking and cooking, we are borrowing an MSR pocket pocket (85g) as it is slightly smaller and lighter than my Coleman stove, this will be used with a 100g gas canister, together with a tin foil heat shield/wind protector, this should be pretty efficient.

Breakfast Saturday is 75g of Ready Brek made with hot chocolate, this will all be supplemented by cups of tea and warm Nuun. The food handily fits inside the mess tin together with the foil, handle, lighter and spork.

Waterproofs

My waterproofs are an old pair of Spray Way Horizon leggings(238g) it is highly unlikely I will wear them, my jacket is a Marmot Precip Ladies Large (It was cheap in the sale) (316g) depending on conditions on the day I may run in a windproof but I'm undecided.

Anything Else

I have got a Heatsheets Survival Bag(113g) this is compact and light, and if I get cold in the tent I could always put it over my sleeping bag. Emergency rations are a small tablet of Kendal Mint Cake and my adequate first aid kit is a couple of plasters, vaseline, safety pins, a small bandage/dressing and a few pain killers, plus a bit of gaffer tape round my rucksack strap, the latter can be used for repairs to coat, tent etc as well. The pencil and paper are inside the first aid kit, small pencil from Ikea, inside the bag this should be able to be used in the wet.

Torch will be my Petzl Tikka (75g) and all of this will be in a dry bag inside my inov8 Race Pro 18 (470g) with my day food in the mesh pocket at the front. I have picked up a top tip to have my food in the front of John's bag and his in mine for easy access, the only problem being that he doesn't have a pocket on the front of his bag ! Most of my day food fits in my waist pockets so I should be okay.

I really wanted a thumb compass but I'm going to leave it for now and make do this year, but having used one last in 2008 they are really easy.

Weight

This brings me in at about 4.5 - 5.0 kg so pretty happy, just wish I was a bit lighter and fitter now, I don't think we have much chance of winning I'm just looking forward to a good weekend.  I think I'm going to take my camera as well, I know it's more weight, about 200g but I think it would be good to take some time and get some good pictures.

Any thoughts on kit ?

Langdale to Pillar Rock

Had a great day out with Ben & John, we camped over at Great Langdale on the Friday night, John and Ben in the camper van and me in the boot of John's car, luxury! Had a good chilli, rice and chips and a couple of Old Peculiars from the ODG before retiring. The valley was looking fantastic on the drive in Friday night.

The plan was to run from Great Langdale up Rosset Ghyll, over Esk Hause and drop down to Sty Head Pass, before following the climber's traverse round Great Gable and then over Kirk Fell and from Black Sail Pass follow the traverse path to Pillar Rock. There was a memorial service scheduled for 14:00 for Dave Ridout, mentioned in a previous post, an old scouting and caving friend who died last month. The last top he had to complete in the Lake District was Pillar Rock, unfortunately he died befor he managed it. So West Lancashire Scouts Mountaineering Group were taking his ashes to the top.

So that was the loose plan run there and back.

John & Ben crossing the ford at the head of Great Langdale

Looking back into Langdale from Esk Hause

John at Angle Tarn

We were moving well and probably a bit too quick, we realised  when John announced he thought the memorial was 13:00 why we were moving so fast!  We took it a bit easier and just enjoyed the scenery as the sun started to burn the cloud off. By the time we got to Sty Head Pass it was warming up nicely and we were basked in sunshine on the climber's traverse.

Sty Head Pass with Wasdale in the background

We decided as we were doing well for time to "thread the needle" the scramble up behind Napes Needle, a bit hairy in fell shoes as you can see above.

Looking down into Wasdale from Napes Needle

Napes Needle

Scafell sun bathing

We had run out of water by this point so skirted round Kirk Fell to use the spring to top up our bottles, before picking up the traverse route to Pillar Rock from Black Sail Pass. We caught up the rest of the group, that had walked up from Wasdale, the memorial was thoughtful, we held a silence and a few people said some words about Dave. Then here you can see Dave being transported to the top of Pillar Rock. By this point we had started to get a bit cold as this North side of Pillar was chilly, we made our apologies and dropped down to Ennerdale.

We followed the beck to Windy Gap between Great and Green Gable before dropping down to Sty Head and following the route back we had taken in the morning. I was struggling by now and not moving as quick uphill as I would like, but I'm sure that fitness will come back as I increase the time on the hills.

Looking back into Ennerdale

A good day out and 22 miles plus about 7500ft of climbing. After making our way back to Great Langdale we grabbed a quick pint of lime and lemonade and the stopped for fish and chips in Bowness on the way home. Excellent.