Jumping the Shark

New edition of Trail was delivered today. For a reason that I won't go into, the phrase "jumping the shark" came to mind.

Back to Reality

In the last 4 weeks I have been mainly keeping my left leg elevated and following the doctor's orders. She's been a great doc, and my leg is merely itchy now, and breathing a lot better. Enough for me to get back to work yesterday (with the obligatory "welcome back" interview with HR), and thank my workmates for picking up 4 weeks of classes. Strange how much work changes in that time of absence, even when keeping in touch via emails.

So, I've a pile of things that I haven't tested yet.

The TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR trail shoes, bought on 12 hours before I phoned NHSDirect (no link implied). I refuse to wear them on my short walks that I have to take in the last week after my meds changed.

The Blackfly#3 that I bought from Tinny in the USA  - kindly resent when the original never arrived.

The doc was concerned that I couldn't look after myself - I did point out some of my recent hikes, and how much food I had in the flat. But I've still to try some FreezerBag recipes, as I'll need to find storage space in my kitchen for all the ingredients currently living in a box on the floor.

The Aquagear Survivor water filtration system needs another trip out before I write up my report. I have a Nalgene bottle carrier to strap it onto my belt, so I can access it when walking. It should allow me to carry less water in Camelbak, as I like to drink without stopping. It is important to keep hydrated, otherwise strange things happens to the body's systems.

Mike collected the Akto's inner from Tiso's. Good repair job, good price. Oh, and I measured the cord length again, and it is the recommended 165cm.

Dawn's had another clear-out, and I've a pack-full of excess gear to collect on my way down to Dartmoor later in the month. I'll need a dust-off before then, especially to make sure that my leg is up to a weekend of exploration.

In week 2, I was able to elevate my leg and use my computer at the same time (footstool with 4 cushions on it did the trick). I caught up with some tech podcasts, mainly from the TWiT stable. I lodged my interest in the new iPhone with O2, and was really enthused watching Steve Jobs' keynote speech, but was less enthused the more I listened to podcasts like MacBreak Weekly and Today in iPhone. I gave up on Trail magazine and will not be renewing my subscription, but have been reading the BPL.com forums - I haven't bought a membership there, merely the magazine subscription.

Watched a pile of dvds, highlights "Doctor Who: The Beginning" (first 13 episodes from 1963), and "The Day the Earth Stood Still", lowlight "King Arthur" (not as bad as Braveheart, but sodding close. Great kit, good sets, poor - really poor - story). Finally bought a copy of "Scottish Hill Tracks" and can see why people on the TGOc like it, and why it was useful for Gayle and Mick in route-planning their country-long trek. Also realised that I didn't have Paddy Dillon's "The National Trails", so rectified that as well as buying "Walking on Dartmoor" by John Earle.

As it is impossible to paint while keeping leg elevated and major dosage of anti-biotics setting the daily routine, I've been unable to paint figures. I have, however, been planning my trench system, and would love something as detailed as this, but doubt I can achieve that level of realism. I treated my research to a blast of the "Charley's War" reprints - I forgot how realistic they were. Pat Mills answers his critics with research.

The Palmolive bottle still hasn't been eaten by the meths/water mix, so that's another piece of kit for the dust-off test.

As to the blog, I've added some 'non-ads' to the sidebar. Unpaid, unsponsored, unasked, just highlighting some companies that do a good job. The only other change I made was to change the type of "map-amung -us" to show where about current readers are.

Think I might get the iPhone 3g as I think Web2.0 has reached it's limit for me. It becomes just noise rather than information. Despite being laid up for this time, I've still got piles of podcasts and blogs to read, as well as programmes to clear from my recorder. As people require log-ins before comments can be left, or become protective about the purity of comments (see podcast about responsibility), as there are more media-podcasts being set up in direct challenge to the dire terrestrial broadcasting schedules, will we see an end to the lowly ramblings on forums, newsgroups, blogs? Is the term "friend" being demeaned by its use in social networking? Is the brain being rewired by the reliance on the Net (or is that, shudder, the "cloud").

TGO just dropped through letterbox, time to get a move on.

These are not the words you are looking for

The new edition of Trail magazine came through the letterbox today. Promising tests of ultra-light tents and backpacks, plus wild camping, plus a 9-page 'mission' on going lightweight.

As I'm not allowed to saw anything negative that may affect sales, all I will say is that there was no Akto tested in their test of lightweight tents. Heavier tents are tested. More expensive tents are tested.

As 'mission' - I couldn't get beyond the introduction. The wild camping laws are, again, incomplete. I felt my BP start rising and my leg twinge. Not a good sign. So I put the magazine away.

I feel the urge to thumb through "Lighten Up" by Don Ladigin and Ryan Jordan's "Lightweight Backpacking and Camping", heck, even Chris Townsend's "Backpacker's Handbook". I just can't be bothered with the over-dramatic stance that is taken. Hike your own hike. If you need someone else to tell you how to pick your own nose, you probably shouldn't be trekking out of site of a main road.

Trail End

The new edition of "Trail" magazine came through the door. There's a photo of Claire Maxted wild camping on the front cover. Inside there is an article on lightweight hiking (PTC*'s first full length article, I think), and the promotion of gear reviewer, Graham Thompson to a lightweight guru.

But, with one day left before the ePetition calling upon the government to legalise wild camping in England and Wales, I scoured the pages to find any reference to it.

There it was on page 50.

Amazing.

Really amazing.

4 1/2 column inches of "Eco-Savvy wild camping". Did it cover recycling gas canisters? Nope. Did it talk abut using public transport instead of cars, or trekking at home rather than flying away for a weekend? Nope. It states the following:

...

Well, you know what. I really can't be bothered writing what they say before they write about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

For me, their inability to state clearly where you can legally wild camp in England and Wales is just poor hake. Even if they do not agree with the campaign, they could have mentioned it in their roll as outdoor journalists. But it is the nail in the coffin for my readership. As I'm not their target readership, it is no great loss all round.

--

Today's the last chance to add your name to the ePetition. The more names, the more right we have to move to Stage Two of the campaign. With your support, we can make it work. Despite the ignorance of the "UK's best-selling hill-walking magazine"

Add your name to the petition here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/wildcamp/

Read the background at the official website: http://www.legalisewildcamping.com/ - you'll also find out what Trail aren't telling you about where you can legally wild camp already in England and Wales.

Cross-fertilisation

Cross-fertilisation.

I noticed with interest that "Live for the outdoors" (Trail/Country Walking) have an advert in a photography magazine (Digital Photo, March 08). It's not great, as it isn't tailored to that market especially, and the graphic used is badly pixilated....but, in the same way that Bob's TOS allowed him to move away from 'just' being sticky content for BPL.co.uk, so this rebranding allows L4dO them to market their online content to people who are interested in the outdoors, but not the magazines.

As this involves a lot of user-generated content, I wonder how people who participate in it feel about being 'used' in this manner. No doubt, so long as there are still meets and competitions, and a feeling of community, they are happy that the hosting of photos, and cross-fertilisation of ideas and gaining of new ones is worth it. Of course, as magazine sales drop in favour of online content, one also wonders how long it will take before revenue generation becomes a bigger part of online companies. The usual way of doing this is to have basic (free) access, and additional (subscription) content. Just look at BPL.com for this model.

The fight is on, not for you to buy their magazine, but for them to get you going to their one-stop-shop for all your <insert interest here> needs. If you take photographs of the outdoors, go to <insert name of site> and you'll find content that you can customise to give you the information that you want and need. Of course, there'll be advertising tailored to this, but it will not be spam, because you might find some of it interesting.

The hunt is on. The customer is the prey. You can always switch off, escape from it all, but you'd better not go near a digital media service of any sort. Artificial intelligence and marketing. All for your benefit. Just don't eat the soylent green.

Trail Forum MakeOver

Trail's parent site is now under "Live For The Outdoors". I don't know, or care about the corporate changes behind the scenes. If the magazine stops giving me the information that I expect, then I'll stop subscribing. Same with any of my other memberships.

Their forum has been given a makeover. I sometimes have a looksee, but I picked this up from OM, where I lurk regularly.

Link

In the aim of balance, TGO magazine also has a forum. As do the Mountain Bothies Association,  Wargames Illustrated and Digital Photo magazine.

Trail Call

Just had a nice sounding lass call me about getting Trail magazine for just 1 pound for next 3 issues? I asked as a current subscriber, does that mean i'd be getting a couple of quid off my next 3 issues if i took them up on the offer? We laughed, she said she'd love too, and i went back to watching a packed episode of Landward. And having an evening off from the computer.

No Prior Warning

Upon returning to the AktoCave, I was surprised to see a parcel from R&R Enterprises. I didn't recall ordering anything from BackpackingLight.co.uk, but maybe I'd forgotten. Maybe it was a present. Maybe Darren felt guilty and bought me something - but Alpkit sell through their own site. Opening the packet, it turns out I'd won a Colin Prior "The Wild Places" calendar (yup, 2008) from The Outdoors Station. Huzzah. I hadn't had a chance to listen to this week's podzine yet, so missed the draw.

I've copied the player here in case you too had missed it. I think I heard Metric's name in the draw too.

The Podzine 26/11/07

Download MP3 File

Hmm - a bit negative start to the podcast news. Having ID when travelling between one part of UK and other part of UK on ferries as well as aircraft - all done via statutory instrument (SI) rather than debated laws. Starting with Northern Ireland, no doubt expanded thereafter. Then on to phone messages being sent from stores directly to your mobile phone (hmm - Data Protection implications? do they have an opt out/opt in clause?). I'll need to find more information on these.

On a more positive note, an interview with Expedition Foods. Yeaaa.

(More geese heard flying over AktoManor)

Bob lives dangerously with his language translation (from female to male).

The 2008 range of AKU boots are then discussed.

--

Oh, and Trail magazine came in post, with some artistic photos of Christmas wishlist gear. Love the effect of light on Cerro Chaltén.

Ask Not for Whom the Dog barks

I posted this comment across on BG!'s blog. Not sure if there's a prize for the longest comment, especially when OP was only 4 lines long. I've repeated it here, and added in some hyperlinks.

----

Often the growling dogs are difficult to detect. Especially if the howls are across various streets. A comment here, a post there, and a dig somewhere else. If a wolf beys for blood, they should expect the huntsmen to come after them. A bite here, a nip there, a rip somewhere else.

Orwell was warning against the evils of the Soviet totalitarianism. Pastor Niemoller warned of the silent majority allowing the Nazi regime to grow. No-one was talking about people arguing about outdoors forums, blogs or magazines.

Unlike the world of the past, we are more at risk from getting snippy comments than being made to disappear by the NKVD or the Gestapo/Abwehr. The worst that happened to me was taking some snippy comments into the Cairngorms with me in the summer. The worst that seems to have happened on the Trail forum is that some jerk called up and cancelled a campsite booking. Hardly events that merit writings by a modern Eric Blair, is it?

“Each human mind’s an outpost
And the frontiers of Freedom expand
Conquering minds and hearts
Prelude to the conquest of cities and of states
Till the world is wholly free
And then?
We will strive for higher freedoms still”

Bob Cooney wrote that some years after his return from fighting fascism in Spain in the 30’s.

I await a report in TGO or Trail or Country Walking in to the conditions that factory workers in China and other non-EU countries are working in. The evils aren’t who said what on blogs or forums or magazines, but on the morality of outsourcing.

Then maybe, just maybe, the hounds could be unleashed not on the desire to pay less and less money for the goods, but on outsourcing work to countries where workers do not have the legal protection that EU workers have - one of the many reasons that the goods are cheaper. Perhaps then we will have “higher freedoms” instead of merely lower costs, higher unemployment and our own industry can start on equal terms.

Every time I hit return on the keyboard, another child worker has been crushed my machinery in a factory somewhere in the world (¥). Next time you buy your cheap jeans or cotton t-shirt, think on the kid cotton-pickers who’s hands have been scarred by the hand-picking techniques caused by the lack of machine parts to fix the post-Soviet era machinery.

Life is a bitch. Let’s not forget the true evils being hidden by the real growling mutts of the world. Not some keyboard commandos, but some people who don’t give a damn where products come from, and what hardships people went through to make them and ship them, so long as they’re a few quid cheaper than the ‘ethical’ ones.

But I’ve obviously missed these editions of the outdoors magazines that investigated these issues.

{¥   I made that bit up.}

Trail Bites

Claire Maxted left her routes post and went bivvying in the Lakes. PTC is now Trail's lightweight expert. Trail photographer, Tom Bailey, gives some advice and takes some cracking photos to illustrate an article on Robert Macfarlane's book "Wild Places".Simon Ingram gives the lowdown on his Summer ML training and Graham Thompson tests the new MSR Reactor stove in the open.

Trail Nov 07

There's something different about this month's Trail magazine. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe a change of colour repro companies has made the photos look different. The cover has 2 chaps enjoying themselves out of doors,  map in hand, with the geekish-looking chap looking straight out at the reader, unable to hide his enthusiasm.

The first article proudly points out that more people watched "Mountain" than "Big Brother", and gives hints and tips to folk new to the outdoors. With great timing, "The Mission" is about boosting your navigation skills, and the next main article is about the hiking scene in the USA.

Sadly, my magazine was vandalised by trying to remove the glue that had been used to stick two cards to the pages. A silly move by the publishers, and just soooo last century. Luckily you don't have to tear your magazine apart to enter the various competitions.

"The Knowledge" has a column by Pete Macfarlane "a lighweight expert". Asterisk or no asterisk. Also some more information on gear shown at Friedrichshafen European OutDoor trade fair.

And Claire looks like she's being stalked in the photo on p111. Overleaf, there is a range guide to Arran, showing that there is plenty to do on the island.

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish

I've gone and done it. Joined the Trail (on Country Walking in meantime) forum, just so I could ask if they could give ptc* some column inches. In the magazine.

Well, I am subscribing, so it'd be good to see articles that are of use to me. As folk know, anything to do with scrambling, or mountaineering is no use to this wimp. And I'm tired of gear. Endless gear. Lets see some information about the little things in life, the wee items that get added to a rucksack "just in case", and then some more, and, "well, I've some space, so I might as well add in ...." - what really needs to be taken in a repair kit, or a first aid kit, or a shtkit.

People seem to think lightweight kit is expensive, but I spent more money on synthetic sleeping bags, trying to get warmer and smaller until I bought my down bag. That's all I've used since getting it. It is probably not going to last years and years, but it is going to be used for more nights than any other bag I've owned. And probably already has.

Your own gear list is as personal as you - maybe fun to read and see photos of people's kit, with rationales as to the strange bit of kit that is never being left at home. Ever.

Shape of things to Come

I'm not sure what to make of this thread where AngryDarren got angry about money being taken out of his account. But he quickly got help and was contacted by the publishers about it.

The title of the post? Well, seeing some of the replies to the angry post, reminds my why I post little on any outdoors forums these days. I'm at the stage in my cycle where negativity is magnified disproportionately and then levelled squarely between my eyes. So I tend to avoid things that are likely to cause me suffering. I wouldn't have bothered writing an angry post like Darren did. Not to a forum.

Some people see having lots of sources of opinions as good, others see it as bad. What is the place of the expert in a democracy? People see others as information nodes to be tapped for knowledge, and people offer that up freely. Sometimes the offering isn't what you want to hear, but is constructive. In a free society, the strongest, most popular, best run, most adaptive communities grow. They attract more members, more sponsors, can offer more prizes, more features, bigger servers to store more articles, photographs, etc. A growing artificial entity. It has its own morals, its own codes of conducts. Some stated, some unstated.

Outcasts are just that - cast out. Lawbreakers, with or without fair trial, are chastised. Challenges are organised and deeds of derring do are done. Tales from events, real or online, are circulated, and legends are born. People leave, people join, there are good times, there are bad, there are lean times, there are bountiful times.

Like any community - there are natural sizes before the community needs to reorganize. Do the same rules apply online? I don't think so, but I think it depends on how you view - and interact - with the community.

Simply put, if you keep track of the people replying, know their backgrounds, who they like and dislike, etc, then I'd guess that the standards of real world social modelling would apply. Otherwise, if you read posts, reply to those that you can help with, no matter who is asking, then you are interacting less with the society, and so different rules apply.

Web2.0 allows more interaction with people rather than the processes. People. Happy or sad. Tired or awake. Today or tomorrow. Vindictive or paranoid. Home or away. With you each day. Someone you can rely on. Closer each day. Home and away.

Lightweight Tents

When catching up on the TGO Gear pages about the European OutDoor Trade Fare, I also noted Cameron's posting on the lightweight (sub 2kg) and lower-priced tent (approx £120) from Wild Country for 2008. (link)

--

The new edition of Trail scrambled through the letter-box this morning included an item about a "reader whose ultra-light tent had collapsed in really wild weather". So some calls were made and a few manufacturers of lightweight tents were asked what speed their tents can cope with.

Golly. I didn't realise that wind speed only affected lightweight tents?

Looking back, to June 2007's Trail, with sub-2kg 2-person tents, wind speed is not rated. However, Trail's Graham Thompson did talk about the stability of the tents in his reviews.

I note that Craigdon Mountain Sports have a tent show advertised this weekend in Duthie park, I wonder if they will have a note of the wind speeds that their tents can stand up to? I think the public should be informed. Oh, they do - they have staff on hand to tell people - how handy is that?

As Mr Thompson rightly says "You need to know what you and your kit are capable of".

Doesn't everyone?

The outdoors can be a dangerous place - get it wrong, and you can die. Much like driving to work.

Be safe, be alert, be turned on to your place in the scheme of things - if you screw up, it's usually you that suffers. The rain doesn't care that you only took a showerproof jacket. The wind doesn't care that your tent can't cope. The sun doesn't care....well, you get the gist.

In a blame-centred society, it is good to have no-one to blame but yourself. Puts things in perspective.

Wild camping? He was bloody furious. Boom tish.

European OutDoor

Friedrichshafen. They have a zeppelin museum. Nice.

Oh, and the annual outdoor gear show is happening there shortly.

Air pirates. Outdoor gear. Is there a link? I blame Studio Ghibli

Trail will be there (Gear blog), not sure if Chris Townsend is going. I don't have my copy of TGO here to check.

Trail Price Improver

I saw this on the Trail Gear Blog:

Every month we scour the internet to find the best prices on the gear featured in the new issue of the magazine. Where we find savings over the rrp, we let you know here.

(link)
Sounds great, and a lot of work done by Trail...err, Foundem.com?

Hey, BG, fancy a bivi/bivvy from GearZone? 70 quid cheaper than Field & Trek are selling it.

Me? I'm saying nothing, nor shall you infer anything from my comments or silence.

--
Settling on spelling: bivouac ; bivvy .

Trail Forum

The Trail forum seems to be going well. A lot of active banter across there. 9,770 posts since February this year.

A way to go yet to beat Ninja Pussy Cat's 24,600 posts on OutdoorsMagic.

Trail August 07

"Wild nights: camp high and wake up to the mountains"

Claire Maxted gets out wild camping, and writes a good article. Her tent-mates gave different perspectives on the trip, and it was good to be reminded of other people's experience levels.

The kit range was varied, but maybe recommending a 3-person 7kg tent for newcomers was over-the-top without explaining that you could spread the weight over the 3 hikers rucksacks.

Good advice on decanting tins to tupperware - this was aimed at newcomers (others might use ziplock bags instead). Using a urine bottle as a hot water bottle. And "do we take pyjamas". Cracking stuff, and the ladies deserved a front cover (why weren't they there?).

One failing - the law. As I recently said, I'm big on the legal side of things. So, what was the advice from the magazine (I assume they've run it past their lawyers): "The rights and wrongs of wild camping are hazy. From a legal point of view you should obtain permission from the landowner - though in many areas, such as the Lake District and Snowdonia, it is tolerated in the high mountains...". I've said enough on this law-breaking recently. If any of the magazines want to start a campaign to get civilised wild camping in the rest of the UK, then I'll happily sign a petition. In the meantime, the law isn't hazy, people just chose to ignore it for their own convenience. If you don't agree with the law, fight to get it changed or amended.

--

The second big article was on scrambling. I'll need to read that, as I'm off to Transition Extreme on Thursday for a taster session on their climbing wall. Shiver.

--

Around the edges are lists of 6 train stations handy for the hills; 6 bivvy bags; hydration sacks; 30-40 litre packs (+/-15%).

Strangely, the result of a test on actual volumes of rucksacks versus manufacturers' claims only merited a half page in "The Knowledge". In the rucksack test, a line stating "Trail tested capacity" has been added.

Es Tresidder describes his recent record-breaking traverse of the Cuillin Ridge. 11 Munros in 3 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds. (link to Es' personal site)

Science of the hills seeks to explain questions like why the sky is blue, feet smell, and why we follow paths.

Torridon is the featured range; and the routes section features child friendly treks (sponsored by the 3-person tent from Blacks that Claire featured).

Trail forum

Trail July 07

Trail magazine came through the letterbox this morning.

• Ghyll scrambling - looks fun. I'd never heard of it before. In the photo, Graham Thompson just looks like he's in his element.
• Review of the Furtech Claw jacket - first time I've seen a transparent hood visor. S.I.G.
• Hill zen has that empathic strand that Trail do so well.
• The Knowledge has the usual fill of, well, knowledge. But no information on how to use the rifle photographed on p51.
• Article of 'bikepacking' in Scotland. Good idea, and well-written. Just remember to give us pedestrians plenty of clearance. Photographer Tom Bailey must do a lot of miles in his job.
• Main gear - 4 person family tents, and child carriers.
• Range guide to High Street. I like those guides. I wonder if there's an archive list.
• Fitness academy continues giving out advice and showing the benefits. A dynamic program.
• Trail routes includes Beinn nan Aighenan. The northern-most part of Leg 5-6 is near where Simon and I camped a few weekends back.
• The 'funny' at the end has no changed to "RG Colsterworth's Hill Almanack" - I assume it is lighthearted, as the illustration depicts a walker heading uphill into a lightning storm.

P100 "The wilderness is waiting to liven up your walking this summer". Well said, Claire.

--

Challengers starting to re-appear online. Andy Howell's blog is awakening, and I look forward to reading (and hearing) about the trip. Across on the Challenge message board, 2008 is already being talked about.

--

Caught "True Grit" on television - classic. Forgot that Robert Duval was in it. No cavalry hat, nor talked about the smell of napalm, but his distinctive voice nonetheless.

--

Pause to mourn the passing of BG from the OM forum. His blog continues. I know not, nor care not why he is not welcome there any more, as I had avoided that thread.

Weekend in May

I was planning on heading to the Cairngorms in June, but note that there is an walking festival that same weekend.

The plan was to tab it to Bob Scott's on Friday night (tent if it was full), and on to Carn a' Mhaim on Saturday. Back to the car and relocate to Glenshee to tackle the last 2 Munros there.

I feel the urge to head away this weekend instead, and am wondering about taking similar kit to Matt Swaine. But why should I? I've spent time under the AktoFly in a bivvy bag and can't be bothered with just a bivvy bag to prove someone else's point. I'd rather have a night in a lightweight tent and leave the bivvy behind.

I'd take a stove and cook breakfast instead of fig rolls and pork pies.

In fact, about the only kit I'd take would be the OMM foam mat to try out.

And the Namches and the new carbon-fibre pole for the Akto. The stove would be the new alcohol White Box Stove.

Hmm, I seem to have missed the point of Trail's lightweight Lakes, as that was most of the kit I took out to Glen Etive (once I'd listened to Simon's advice).

Mission accomplished? Not yet.