hill walking

[Gonzalez]

On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:32:06 GMT, McBain_v1
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Kim wrote:
> > What equipment will i require

>* Rucksack (about 10litre capacity should be enough)

Do they make them that small?

I have 5 rucksacks: 25L, 35L, 45L, 50-75L and 70-100L.

For a six hour summer walk the 25L rucksack just about suffices. Last Saturday and Sunday, winter
day walking in Snowdonia I managed with the 45L rucksack. A two day summer hike, involving a wild
camp can be managed with the 50-75L rucksack. A full expedition, lasting several days, including
camps, would require the 70-100L rucksack.

 

[Soup]

Soup just had to say

<snip>
> A hill is probably useful as well.
>
> Arthur

Bit of a bummer getting it in a rucksack tho'. lol

--
Yours S. addy not usable (not that you would try it) ( ) Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam
suffodiant! / \ www.killies.co.uk/forums/index.php

 

[Soup]

Soup just had to say <snip>
> Mobile phones usually work on the tops in the Yorkshire Dales (but not in the valleys) and I
> suspect they might most high places in the UK. Always let someone know where you expect to be
> especially if you are alone. I do nearly all of my walking alone on Fridays and especially at this
> time of the year I can often see noone all day. Not great if you twist an ankle.

The only caveat to that is the number of people who have a GPS aswell, then they 'phone the
'emergency services' saying where they are but due to the (usually) inherent error with GPS they
MAY be on the other side of a valley so basic map reading skills are a must. Batteries can and do
"die" a route card left with the police/MR /a friend is still the preferred option (reduces your
options on the trail though). Seem to remember there was some research that over a day the shock
loading to your knees are reduced by 20% if a walking pole is used, I could be wrong with the
figures but I would say a walking pole is a 'good thing' , if a ski pole must be used the basket
should be removed.

--
Yours S. addy not usable (not that you would try it) ( ) Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam
suffodiant! / \ www.killies.co.uk/forums/index.php

 

[MatSav]

On 1 Mar 2004 05:40:52 -0800, [email protected] (kim)
wrote:

>What equipment will i require

First, you will need a ring binder to print and keep a copy of this message. Why? So that you can
pass the Scottish "Higher Still" Education Certificate in IT.

For those of you in urc not familiar with news:uk.rec.walking , that particular newsgroup has been
plagued for years by students who need to post a message to a newsgroup and get a response. I must
apologise if I've got this wrong, but I suspect "kim" is one such student, from Glenrothes College.
He or she probably has no real interest in hill walking (or cycling)!

--
MatSav

 

[Vernon Levy]

> What equipment will i require

A long lead and a well trained hill.

 

[Tony Raven]

Soup wrote:
>> A hill is probably useful as well.
>>
>> Arthur
>
> Bit of a bummer getting it in a rucksack tho'. lol

Nah, lots of walker bag a few peaks in a day ;-)

Tony

 

[Trevor Barton]

Soup <[email protected]> wrote:
> Soup just had to say <snip>
>> Mobile phones usually work on the tops in the Yorkshire Dales (but not in the valleys) and I
>> suspect they might most high places in the UK. Always let someone know where you expect to be
>> especially if you are alone. I do nearly all of my walking alone on Fridays and especially at
>> this time of the year I can often see noone all day. Not great if you twist an ankle.
>
> The only caveat to that is the number of people who have a GPS

*Shudder*. I can't think of a good reason for using GPS anywhere in the UK when walking or even
riding for that matter. It's not like you're going fast enough to get lost if you can read a map. If
you can't read a map enough to localise yourself to within 1 or 200m or so on a 1:25000 map you
ought to seriously consider figuring out how.

Admittedly I walk mostly in the Dales which has plenty of landmarks but it's not rocket science. But
then I'm old fashioned ;-)

However, if I was trekking anywhere there weren't high quality maps I'd be tempted, although to be
of any use you have to know good coordinates for the places you want to get to, anyway, which
implies maps?

> aswell, then they 'phone the 'emergency services' saying where they are but due to the (usually)
> inherent error with GPS they MAY be on the other side of a valley so basic map reading skills
> are a must.

Surely they're accurate to much less than 100m in the UK even in handheld versions?

> Batteries can and do "die" a route card left with the police/MR /a friend is still the preferred
> option (reduces your options on the trail though). Seem to remember there was some research that
> over a day the shock loading to your knees are reduced by 20% if a walking pole is used, I could
> be wrong with the figures but I would say a walking pole is a 'good thing' , if a ski pole must be
> used the basket should be removed.

 

[Graeme]

Gonzalez <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> For a six hour summer walk the 25L rucksack just about suffices. Last Saturday and Sunday, winter
> day walking in Snowdonia I managed with the 45L rucksack. A two day summer hike, involving a wild
> camp can be managed with the 50-75L rucksack. A full expedition, lasting several days, including
> camps, would require the 70-100L rucksack.
>

There are people out there who can do a several day trip with a 35L or smaller rucksack. All I can
say is they must be very organised, used to hardship and don't have to carry half a ton of extra
clothing for their wife!

Graeme

 

[sdorrity]

Originally posted by advise against the purchase of those daft "ski-poles" that I've seen some walkers with. If you stumble, you don't want to be flapping around with poles in either hand, you want to be able to get your arms out in front of you!
[/B]

I use daft ski poles and have done ever since I did my winter MLC training and all the Instructors were using them they were very new then ('84 ish) and one definately felt self concious using them.

They are probably not for everyone but I like them. 'Never had a problem with stumbling while using them, if it looks like I will need my hands on a scramble I just put them away.

Using them is a skill like any other and they have saved the odd stumble on slippery ground.

Happy trails

Steve D

 

[Peter Clinch]

McBain_v1 wrote:

> Unless you've got some knee problems I would strongly advise against the purchase of those daft
> "ski-poles" that I've seen some walkers with.

Yeah, that Reinhold Messner doesn't have a clue...

see http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/poles.htm for if you might benefit and thoughts on
how to get the most out of them if you do.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Peter Clinch]

Trevor Barton wrote:

> *Shudder*. I can't think of a good reason for using GPS anywhere in the UK when walking or even
> riding for that matter. It's not like you're going fast enough to get lost if you can read a map.
> If you can't read a map enough to localise yourself to within 1 or 200m or so on a 1:25000 map you
> ought to seriously consider figuring out how.

This assumes the only reason to carry one is not to get lost. It's like saying there's no reason to
use a cycle computer because they're not necessary to ride from A to B. If you happen to like
logging information about your journey then that's reason enough in itself to use one.

> However, if I was trekking anywhere there weren't high quality maps I'd be tempted, although to be
> of any use you have to know good coordinates for the places you want to get to, anyway, which
> implies maps?

Mark a waypoint of where you put your tent in the blizzard-prone wilderness and it'll be a damn site
easier to find it at the end of the day as the light fails, even if you've no map at all. But you
also assume you will be trekking. I don't generally use my GPS for walking, but it can be *very*
handy skiing, where your hands are full, changes of direction to control speed make following a
bearing difficult and speed is highly variable, all of which make traditional navigation techniques
much less workable. I also like the GPS in the sea kayak where the "ground" can move underneath me
and landmarks may all be out of sight.

> Surely they're accurate to much less than 100m in the UK even in handheld versions?

Yes. Originally the service was deliberately compromised by "Selective Availability" which was built
in to affect commercially available receivers to prevent their accurate use by non-NATO military
units, but SA was turned off years ago now and the accuracy is down to a few meters with a handheld
unit. The more satellites you can "see" and their relative geometry, the better the accuracy of your
location. Leave it on to help the lock and you'll typically get within 10m.

Soup said:
>> pole is a 'good thing' , if a ski pole must be used the basket should be removed.

Why? I leave the baskets on mine, stops them sinking into bogs... A full powder basket would get in
the way, but hardly anyone has them anyway.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Colin Blackburn]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 11:30:18 +0000, Peter Clinch <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Trevor Barton wrote:
>
>> *Shudder*. I can't think of a good reason for using GPS anywhere in the UK when walking or even
>> riding for that matter. It's not like you're going fast enough to get lost if you can read a map.
>> If you can't read a map enough to localise yourself to within 1 or 200m or so on a 1:25000 map
>> you ought to seriously consider figuring out how.
>
> This assumes the only reason to carry one is not to get lost. It's like saying there's no reason
> to use a cycle computer because they're not necessary to ride from A to B. If you happen to like
> logging information about your journey then that's reason enough in itself to use one.

This is exactly why I use one. I've done a few fell races with a GPS in my bumbag and have then
transformed the data into a plot for no reason other than curiosity. I'm going cycle touring
later in the year and I'll probably do the same then. The plots isolated from amap can be
interesting shapes.

I'd like to use one at orienteering, to record the route taken rather than to navigate, but it means
finding an open moorland event rather than a forest run, it also means the run not being so
important that I can't run non-competitively.

Colin
--

 

[Tony Raven]

Trevor Barton wrote:
>
> *Shudder*. I can't think of a good reason for using GPS anywhere in the UK when walking or even
> riding for that matter. It's not like you're going fast enough to get lost if you can read a map.
> If you can't read a map enough to localise yourself to within 1 or 200m or so on a 1:25000 map you
> ought to seriously consider figuring out how.
>
I've been on some pretty desolate moorlands in fog, rain and wind where I could have got out a paper
map and dealt with it but it was a lot easier to use the GPS. Its no subsitute for being able to map
read though

Tony

 

[Alex Ferrier]

Colin Blackburn wrote:
>
> On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 11:30:18 +0000, Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Trevor Barton wrote:
> >
> >> *Shudder*. I can't think of a good reason for using GPS anywhere in the UK when walking or even
> >> riding for that matter. It's not like you're going fast enough to get lost if you can read a
> >> map. If you can't read a map enough to localise yourself to within 1 or 200m or so on a 1:25000
> >> map you ought to seriously consider figuring out how.
> >
> > This assumes the only reason to carry one is not to get lost. It's like saying there's no reason
> > to use a cycle computer because they're not necessary to ride from A to B. If you happen to like
> > logging information about your journey then that's reason enough in itself to use one.
>
> This is exactly why I use one. I've done a few fell races with a GPS in my bumbag and have then
> transformed the data into a plot for no reason other than curiosity. I'm going cycle touring
> later in the year and I'll probably do the same then. The plots isolated from amap can be
> interesting shapes.
>

Indeed.

http://www.gpsdrawing.com/

Though anyone finding they've developed a track log of this nature out in the hills is either very
drunk, very lost, using a novel search pattern for an avalanche victim or looking for the trig
pillar on the Ben in a white out (hoping your not going to take an unplanned trip down Gardyloo ;-).

--
Alex BMW R1150GS DIAABTCOD#3 MSWF#4 UKRMFBC#6 Ibw#35 BOB#8 http://www.team-ukrm.co.uk Windy's
"little soldier"

 

[Colin Blackburn]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 12:44:41 -0000, Alex Ferrier <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Colin Blackburn wrote:

>> This is exactly why I use one. I've done a few fell races with a GPS in my bumbag and have then
>> transformed the data into a plot for no reason other than curiosity. I'm going cycle touring
>> later in the year and I'll probably do the same then. The plots isolated from amap can be
>> interesting shapes.
>>
>
> Indeed.
>
> http://www.gpsdrawing.com/
>
> Though anyone finding they've developed a track log of this nature out in the hills is either
> very drunk, very lost, using a novel search pattern for an avalanche victim or looking for the
> trig pillar on the Ben in a white out (hoping your not going to take an unplanned trip down
> Gardyloo ;-).

They found Ben, http://www.gpsdrawing.com/workshops/banbury_school.htm five or so drawings
down the page.

Colin
--

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Gonzalez wrote:
>On Mon, 01 Mar 2004 14:32:06 GMT, McBain_v1 <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Kim wrote:
>> > What equipment will i require
>
>>* Rucksack (about 10litre capacity should be enough)
>
>Do they make them that small?

Yes - including ones sold for cycling as basically a water carrier that you can also fit a little
bit of stuff in, and for children.

It is small for a hill walking daysack. But there are people who fit everything for a two day
Mountain Marathon in 20 litre sacs, including tent. Beginners are unlikely to have good expensive
ultra-lightweight kit though.

 

[Peter Clinch]

Trevor Barton wrote:

> I guess you can get them that'll download route data to a PC then?

Or upload things the other way, which is very handy if you want to put a route in to follow in
advance. To mark a waypoint you'd click it with a mouse in your mapping software and upload it,
which is much neater than manually entering the grid ref a digit at a time with an interface akin to
texting on a moby. You'll typically need an optional extra interface cable, and though these are a
tad overpriced they're not stupidly overpriced.

> How accurate are they in altitude?

If you just turn it on and ask for an altitude reading as soon as you've got a 2d lock then they're
hilariously **** (testing this out, my house varies in height by up to 100m, including stints below
sea level!) but if you leave them on (which of course you will if you're data logging) then they do
rather better. But note that Garmin's Geko 301 unit includes a barometric altimeter as well as plain
GPS functionality, so if you want altimeter use then something like that will do you better.

One thing to note if you do decide to get one is that outdoor shops are usually rather more
expensive. You're better off looking in marine suppliers (GPS has been a commodity item for
marine navigation for ages now, while they're still A Bit Trendy for the walking crowd) or a
GPS specialist. GPS Warehouse (http://www.gpsw.co.uk/) is where I got mine, and a couple for my
XC ski club.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Colin Blackburn]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 12:44:41 -0000, Alex Ferrier <[email protected]>
wrote:

> http://www.gpsdrawing.com/

Looking further at the site there are some pretty pictures of bike rides combined with HRM data done
by a Japanese guy:

http://www.gpsdrawing.com/gallery/contributions/hrgps.htm

Colin
--

 

[MatSav]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 12:52:41 +0000, Peter Clinch
<[email protected]> wrote:

> GPS Warehouse (http://www.gpsw.co.uk/) is where I got mine...

And they're very close to where I live! I didn't need a GPS to find their shop.

I was given a hand-held GPS as a present. I hunted everywhere for a cable to connect it to my PC -
then I found that web site! A quick detour on my journey home from work, and I had what I wanted.

--
MatSav

 

[W K]

"Colin Blackburn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...

> They found Ben, http://www.gpsdrawing.com/workshops/banbury_school.htm five or so drawings down
> the page.

No Nasca children in Banbury then?