Dave Mycroft: TGO Challenge

Not the best start

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 10:10:07 GMT

Not the best start this morning! On checking last night's vacuum sealing, an essential part of the TGO planning, it was immediately evident that something's not right. OK when the bags were sealed last night most of the air had been removed - but not quite all. I wasn't expecting full professional quality from something bought for £10, and most of the excess air had been removed. Looking at them again this morning it was instantly obvious that there's more air in them now than there was last night - so the seal isn't working. The only exception to this is the one experiment where I used Lakeland's Boil in the bag bags. these are a thicker plastic, and to be honest a lot more useful for the challenge when it comes down to it as it removes the need for extra bags if they can be used for reydrating and cooking. The thionner bags, cut from the roll all seem to have allowed air in, however.

On the digital mapping front there's been serious problems with Quo. The latest core engine update last week was corrupt, and has caused all sorts of problems. First I couldn't Repair it, or remove it. Then I couldn't overwrite it. Now I've been able to remove it and install a newer version but although it installs as soon as I try to run it the application comes up with an unrecoverable error. Uros was working till 11pm last night trying to sort the problem, but so far there's been no luck.

Planning Part 2 - Equipment

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:38:48 GMT

20 miles a day walking is nothing much, but when you think of it as 2o miles a day, then 20 miles the next day and the next and the next it starts to take onb a different meaning. Throw in carrying everything you need to survive in the Scottish wilderness and it starts to take the form of a challenge. The lighter the amount you lug around on your back the better, but somewhere there has to be a compromise between the Ray mears minimalist living off the land and making shelters as you go approach and the carry everything you're ever going to need and be totally comfortable approach. So kit selection has been a major issue for the TGO Challenge. After much sole searching and even more internet searching a few decisions had to be made on what would be an acceptable weight to carry for 12 days whilst still being able to enjpy the experience. The final decisions were:

Rucksack: Gregory Baltoro

Now this may come as a surprise to many, and it's by far the biggest compromise in favour of comfort. Darren's pack weighs in at under 1Kg yet this giant scales a massive 2.7Kg! At the end of the day though you have to be comfortable with whatever you're carrying and when it comes to load bearing in comfort I've yet to come across something as good as this. It handled the trip to the MacGillycuddys Reeks last year without even noticing I was wearing it, so it stays despite the weight - savings can be made elsewhere.

Tent: Hillberg Akto

Again it's not the lightest peice of kit, but it deserves its place. It's unbeatable when it comes to knowing you're going to get a good night's sleep no matter what the weather throws at it. From a hurricane in Ireland to winter in the Cairngorms this tent has never let me down. Equally important I'm familiar with it putting it up in seconds in any conditions.

Sleeping Bag: PHD Minim 300

A last minute change here. I was going to go with my trusty Snugpak Softie Chysalis, another tried and tested stalwart but when PHD decided to make this ultralightweight bag for their winter sale I just couldn't resist. Tipping the scales at a tiny 570 grammes it's half the weight of the Chrysalis and suitable to 5 degrees lower.

Sleeping mat: Thermarest Z rest

I'm sick and tired of Thermarests and punctures, so when it comes to reliability there was little option but to go for the Z rest. Not only is it more reliable, but it's lighter and actually a better insulater due to its egg shell construction. A few grams are saved by cutting off the excess length to drop it to 326 grams.

Coking: Jetboil and MSR Kettle

The jetboil really comes into its own when you're doing a trip over several days. Being an all in one unit with stove and cooking pot it's not as light as the titanium options, but the fuel efficiency outweighs those savings in terms of gas carried. Taking the MSR Titan kettle adds flexibility and the option to have a brew at the same time as cooking a meal. Throw in a Titanium spork (both spork and kettle sourced through the famous Podcast Bob at Backpackinglight) and you've got a versatile lightweight system ready for anything.

Other cooking related items:

Nalgene bottle - 0.108 Kg - for rehydrating food

Platypus 1 ltr - 0.028Kg - for on the way drinks

2 Ziplock bags - 0.014Kg - for reydrating food

2 Boil in the bag bags - 0.010Kg - Why wash pans when you can rinse bags?

1 aquapure traveller - 0.172Kg - On the move water filter

Clothing:

A few compromises here, but warmth and comfort are important so I've gone with a mix of trusted friends like the ME Changabang (no better GoreTex jacket in the world) and ultralight options (Merino wool, GoLite windproof etc)

1 Golite windproof/showerproof pullon - 0.074

1 pr ME goretex Gloves - 0.164

liner gloves - 0.042

1 pr Berghaus waterproof overtrousers - 0.388

2 pr driflow socks - 0.076

2 pr Calvin Klein boxers - 0.170

1 Berghaus long sleeve base layer top (driflow) - 0.192

1 Ron hill short sleeve base layer top (driflow) - 0.116

1 merino wool roll neck jumper - 0.300

2 Buffs - 0.072

1 ME Changabang Goretex - 0.710

1 microfibbre towel - 0.302

1 wash kit (shaver,toothbrush,multi purpose liquid, sponge

scourer, sunblock, toothpaste) - 0.124

1pr Georgio Armani sunglasses (in case) - 0.068

Extras:

1 Silva 4 compass - 0.035

Full set 1:50k waterproof maps - 0.096

1petzl tikka plus (inc batteries) - 0.0741

ipod, Phone,Camera,Batteries,Notebook/pen,GPS

Food:

The vast majority of food is dehydrated using a L'Equippe 6 tray dehydrator then vacuum sealed in bags. Essentially it's Oatso Simple for breakfast with assorted mixed fruit from Mango, Banan, Kiwi, Apricot and Sultnas. Lunches are a mix of fruit with noodles or Soup when something warming's needed. Main meals are the usual home food like Stri Frys, Chilli or Pasta and Tuna bake - all rehydrated throuh the day using a ziplock bag inside a Nalgene bottle. Drinks include 3 coffees and one hot chocolate a day along with 1 litre of water made up with Energy powder.

Total weight, adding in a Kilo for water in the platty and 5 days food is 13Kg.

Planning part 1- The route

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:59:52 GMT

The planning started many months ago, when a casual conversation with Darren about the TGO Challenge turned into a more concrete desire to actually take part. The hardest part of course was just getting onto the list. The challenge is always oversubscribed, and to cut a long story short we scraped in as first reserves.

The Route

The early part of this year was taken up with the actual route planning. You start on the west coast at any one of a number of sign in points, and finish somewhere on the east coast between Peterhead and Montrose - the rest is down to personal choice. Some people take a low level route and some take a high level, crossing as many Munros as they can in the time allowed. The important thing to remember is that it's not a race and the TGO Challenge is about the journey and the people you meet. We eventually looked at our experience, as first timers, and plumped for a medium difficulty route starting at Mallaig and finishing in Montrose itself.

It wasn't long before friends who've done the challenge before changed our minds! Why finish with a walk into Montrose when our plan allowed us time to finish in Stonehaven - a popular end point for "challengers". This is a much more aesthetic ending and allows a final day more in keeping with the overall route instead of a walk through town. A finish on the beach also has a certain appeal, and a final night sharing a camp site with ten or twenty other challengers was the final deciding factor. We can then just catch a bus down to the sign out point in Montrose in time to take our place at the end of challenge dinner.

So Mallaig to Stonehaven it is! Now what to do in between? The first thought was: Ben Nevis, Mamores, Ben Alder, Cairngorms, Lochnagar........then sanity dropped in for a visit. Taking in all the highest points inbetween is a bit to much to take on this year - maybe another year. But with all those Munros waiting to be climbed we have to leave something in, after all we don't want a totally low level walk that we could replicate pretty much anywhere in the UK. We need to make the days relatively equal in terms of distance and height gain, and not have seriously hard days following each other. Given the nature of Scotland, with big mountains on the west and east and a lower central section there's bound to be some inequality - but that's part of the beauty of the place and something to take advantage of.

After much deliberation, and not a little in the way of strong suggestions from our route moderators we finally got a route aproved:

Day 1:

Mallaig to Sgurr Mor - 22 Km 1250m ascent

A reasonable start as the first 3 days will be the hardest, before the fitness kicks in and the aches and pains are something you become accustomed to. If we're going well and feel up to it we can always add a few extra Km on and camp a little further along the ridge - making successive days slightly easier

Day 2:

Sgurr Mor to Loch Arkaig - 17km 742m ascent

Another day where we can add on a few extra Km if we feel up to it, with day 3 being one of the hardest, but we need to be careful not to overdo it too soon before fitness and routines really kick in.

Day 3:

Loch Arkaig to Clunes - 33Km 1822m ascent

Now this could be the killer day, it's probably the hardest on the whole route with our first real mountain day. Anything we've been able to add to the previous days will be of benefit here.

Day 4:

Clunes to Lairin Leachach Bothy - 24Km 762m ascent

A bit of a respite after the previous day, and hopefully the fitness will be kicking in now. With it being a short day we may just push on an extra 8Km at the end of the day to Loch Treig.

Day 5:

Lairig Leachach Bothy to River Ossian - 20Km 395m ascent

Another easy day, and one where we may catch up, or make up time on other legs. Possibly the easiest day on the route and the option of dropping in for something to eat from the cafe at Corrour, along with collecting a postal drop from Loch Ossian SYHA.

Day 6:

River Ossian to Loch Pattack - 23Km 934m ascent

The big highlight of the day, and one of the highlights of the whole route, will undoubtedly be the ascent of Ben Alder. Anything we've added on previous days will be of benefit here, although we should have strong legs by this point.

Day 7:

Loch Pattack to Glen Tromie - 29Km 544m ascent

Creeping back up towards the 30Km a day mark and hoping that kind of distance is now becoming easier with hard days ahead. This is really wild camping, but we'll have had a chance to remember civilisation as we pass through Dalwhinnie on the way. By pure coincidence Dalwhinnie just happens to be one of my favourite single malts and the distillery just happens to be on our route.

Day 8:

Glen Tromie to Corrour Bothy - 32Km 1672m ascent

For me this will probably be one of the highlights of the trip. Carn Toul and Bod am Deamhaim (The Devil's Point) lie between the start and end of the day - with one of the finest vistas in the Cairngorms. Corrour Bothy is also one of those iconic locations with a long and venerated history in the annals of Scottish mountaineering.

Day 9:

Corrour Bothy to Lochcallater Lodge - 30Km 504m ascent

This is one of those days that could get cut short, or make use of some of our spare days. Braemar lies in our path and Braemar is well known for it's gathering of challengers for an evening off in company. After miles where Darren and I will only have each other for company it's a chance to catch up with others, as well as collect our postal drop.

Day 10:

Lochallater Lodge to Invermark - 36Km 1472m ascent

Another contender for the hardest day, but by now we should be well attuned to a routine and fit for what should be a special day. Lochnagar awaits us on this day, and with good weather and good fortune we'll be treated to one of the finest views in Scotland as we start to leave the high ground behind us and head on the final stages for the coast.

Day 11:

Invermark to Little Kurloch - 35Km 1101m ascent

Not far to go now and we leave the mountains behind as we drop down towards civilisation.

Day 12:

Little Kurloch to Stonehaven - 24Km 258m ascent

The final day, and I wonder whaether it will be relief or sadness as we walk the last few Km into Stonehaven. With a relatively short day and very little ascent we should be in plenty of time to find a place to camp on the traditional site where challengers gather - but not until we've dipped a toe in the water of the North Sea. Tomorrow we sign out at Montrose and the challenge is complete.