Ultralight Hiking:
See also:
THE ULTRALIGHT HIKER
Ulralight Hiking
Ultralight
Hiking Advice
The
Upper Yarra Walking Track
Hiking 2019
Hiking 2018
Hiking 2017
Hiking 2016
Hiking
2015
Hiking
2014.htm
Hiking 2013
& Earlier
Steve's
Blog
World
Travel Kit for Son
Finnsheep.com
NEW MOBILE
FRIENDLY SITE: THE ULTRALIGHT HIKER
Della & I (combined age then 120) heading
off from Freney Lagoon on the second day of our walk across Tasmania
All about light weight, ultra light
hiking, backpacking, bushwalking, hunting, tracks, trails, adventures, gear,
reviews…
I have been hiking/hunting now for over sixty years, a little more
slowly than I once did, walking in the Victorian Alps & elsewhere often in
winter and in all weathers. I have camped out a lot, more than two years of my
life in toto. I have seen the failure of just about every type of gear, and
experienced most disasters which can befall you in the wilderness, and survived.
So, if you dream of doing a bit of camping/hiking, maybe I can offer some
useful advice?
This is a ‘work in progress’. I will be adding to it on a regular basis
adding new photos, adventures, product/ideas, suggestions, etc. You should also
look at HIKING
ADVICE WORLD
TRAVEL KIT FOR SON . Hiking 2017 . Hope you find something interesting.
PS: UPPER YARRA TRACK: I have recently created this site The
Upper Yarra Walking Track
Now, complete with Track
Instructions
ULTRALIGHT HIKING BLOG:
31/12/2019: Cheap Down: These
folks have ultra-cheap down sleeping bags, pants, jackets, socks etc on
Aliexpress for unbeatable prices. What’s not to like about an 800 fill power ultradry
down jacket for US$76.76 (Jan 2019) including delivery, or down pants for
US46.41, socks for US$16.24, balaclavas for US$24.85 or 480 grams +5C
sleeping bags for US 75.88! Certainly worth a look – they seem to have plenty
of positive reviews.
If you needed a bit more warmth you could easily add some more yourself, as
we did here: Adding
Down to a Sleeping Bag
You can buy the down quite cheaply from eg
Aliexpress Just be sure to buy eg 800 ‘fill power’ down. The fill power
means eg the amount 1 ounce of down will expand to fill (in this case 800
cubic inches). So around four ounces (or around $20 worth of such down added to
a bag will make it OK to say -10C. $100 is pretty cheap for a sub zero bag
which weighs around 600 grams.Think about partnering it with one of these cheap
backpacks and some other
budget items
.
See Also:
Aegismax
Budget Pack Mods
Ultralight hiking on a Budget
PS: Summer
this year (2019) there is not much water anywhere in Gippsland (and of course
fires everywhere) but there is still enough to enjoy a trip down the Thomson.
You can have an enjoyable journey from about .2 metres on the Coopers Creek
gauge though you might have to get out at a few pebble races. Looks more like
.3 on the video.
Also there is
water in the Latrobe eg from Thoms Bridge (Yallourn North-Morwell Rd Rd) down
to Sale (swing bridge) is approx five days of delightful flat water paddling
(take a water filter; this section of the river is muddy).
The last
section (shown below) from Kilmany South (two days) is arguably the most
scenic: the river is bounded by a strip of magnificent riverine gums on
both sides, though there are some quite large sections of forest too. Bird life
is particularly varied and plentiful. There are vast numbers of perfect camping
spots along the river.
The section
from Noojee down to Willow Grove is probably the best but will need some
clearing. Get cracking. Also the Tanjil is worth considering (eg from Costins
or Rowley’s Hill Rd down to Blue Rock).
See:
Long and Lazy River
Tanjil River
PS: The cover
photo is of Steve coming down one of the Thomson’s better rapids (The Chute –
which can be inspected from the T1 track 4WD only) the same year (2006) but on
a different trip (when we put in from the end of the T9 track (off Stoney Creek
Rd) for a day trip. (NB Road ‘officially’ closed but it could be re-opened by
determined canoeists. I did it last time – now your turn).
I have
improved the photo as much as I can. Alas that I can never take it again, Steve
has been gone now for ten whole years. Seems unbelievable: ‘ The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all
thy Piety nor Wit. Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears
wash out a Word of it.’ Omar Khayyám
See Also:
Canoeing the Thomson River
Only the Moon and Me
How Green Was My River
29/01/2019: The Arch – Update: Della: ‘The new
archway is beginning to settle in and look much less stark with the lower
plantings taking off now and the roses starting to climb the uprights. What a
difference a few months make in the garden (especially when spring and summer
are also involved!) Thanks Steve Jones for the structural work and for laying
those tedious pavers: Every glance out the front door now makes me smile!’
Xmas 2019:
August 2019:
See Also: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/31/the-arch/
29/12/2019: Marvelous Mitchell Day 3: What a
wonderful ruin - like something from Ozymandias. Construction of this weir at
the junction of the Mitchell and Stoney creek commenced in 1881 but the weir
was destroyed by floods in 1893 soon after completion and has never been
repaired. Two other attempts to dam the river at Billy Goat Bend and Tabberabbera
both came to nothing so that the river remains the last great 'free' river in
Victoria. In winter it is common for enough water to be flowing down it to fill
one of Melbourne's large catchment dams in a single day, so that a weir like
this much higher up such as the one at Swinglers on the Thomson would guarantee
Melbourne fresh water for a long while to come. Mind you I am not sorry that it
runs free. Dams in Tasmania already built could just as easily supply Melbourne
via a pipeline across Bass Strait.
I'm afraid I
just kept snapping away at it.
And camped
right in the shelter of it overlooking a swallow-filled billabong.
Here the
jungle seeks to reclaim it like Angkor Wat.
This Banyalla
is growing right out of the wall.
And these two
seem to have it surrounded.
You can walk
right out along the top.
What a huge
pool it still is above the weir. it would have provided very good water for the
Lindenow Flats.
The Stoney
Creek on the left of the photo was clearly used as a diversion while they built
the weir.
The stones
from the weir lie scattered below it making a very complex rapid.
My camp is
quite dwarfed by the weir.
It was lovely
to wake in the morning to this enchanting view.
The weir's
stones have been worn quite smooth by a century of rushing water.
Next to last
view.
A dragon
watches me pass.
The very last
viwe of the weir as I head downriver on mostly flat water.
Two dragons.
But there are
still a few difficult rapids.
But only 1-2
spots to camp below the weir.
One of the
last siltstne cliffs is riddled with caves.
These look as
if they contain ancient rock art.
But it is an
optical illusion. They would have long since washed away.
A beautiful
noxious weed?
The first
glimpse of 'civilisation'.
But still a
couple of tricky rock gardens.
The reed beds
quiver.
At last the
'Final Fling' rapid.
A dead stag
had fetched up here. Despite his being more than somewhat overpowering I could
not pass up the chance of a trophy without even a gun!
You can walk
around this rapid on the right hand side - recomended.
Ony a bit
over half an hour to go mainly on flat water.
And real
willows hove in sight. What a delight they are!
On the
car/bike shuttle I chanced upon a family of emus.
It was a
truly delightful three day trip. Younger folk could probably do it more quickly
particularly in higher water levels - but what's the hurry. Unfortunately the
summer has turned hot and dry and there is now not enough water to follow in my
footsteps but put it on your bucket list for when the autumn break comes along
- or you might chance to Catch the Wave
River
Heights: Glenaladale Weir: Began Trip .65 ended .66;
Waterford: 1.63-1.57; Crooked River: 1.31 - 1,26. These figures probably give
you some idea about the comparability of the three gauges. Adventure Pro claimed the river was canoeable from .6 on the Glenaladale Gauge. This
is probably about right - for packrafts anyway, but you would expect portages
across many rapids. I know I just managed a few and portaged 2.3 at nearly
2" more water than that. That being said this section of the river is
characterised my very many long still deep so you might enjoy the
experience even when river heights are low - as they are at the moment.sections
where you might have to paddle against a headwind. It would be much more
enjoyable with a couple more inches of water eg .8 on the Glenaladale Gauge.
Times:
Angusvale
Camp Ground to Jorgensens 4 hours
Jorgensens to
Amphithesatre Rapid 3 hours
Amphitheatre
to Den of Nargen 2 hours
Den of Nargen
to Glenaladale Weir 2 hours
Glenaladale
Weir to Final Fling 2hours
Final Fling
to Glenaladale Bridge 3/4 hour.
Portages
approx 1/2 hour.
Campsites: are not wonderfully numerous on this section of the river., though they
are to be found. There are hardly any between the Amphitheatre rapid and the
Den of Nargen for example, though there does appear to be a bench a chain up
from the river on the true right bank which might provide some good spots.
There are also not many spots after the Glenaladale Weir, but there are some.
Mostly folks have been camping on the lovely sandbars along the way and at the
confluences of major creeks. There are shadier spots a little further away from
the river which you really need to look out for (look for the benches I
mentioned earlier). There is a delightful spot on the true left bank just above
the Roaring Mag Creek, for example.
The
Glenaladale Weir camping spot is a delight. I camped there and above and
opposite Jorgensens. The trip took me 14 hours on the water, so it would have
become fairly tedious if done over only two days. You would have to make an
early start and a late finish at very least. If you are packrafting you can get
out at the Den of Nargen and walk up to the Caravan Park.. Doing so would cut
nearly five hours off the trip making it much more suitable for an overnight
trip. Of course with more water (and fewer years of age) it might be done much
more quickly. You should allow some leeway so that you can perhaps wait an hour
or more for a suitable camp to show up.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For River
Heights: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-wonnangatta-catching-the-wave/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/23/marvelous-mitchell-river-day-1/
28/12/2019: Marvelous Mitchell Day 2: I spent a
wonderfully restful night under the huge walnut tree lulled to sleep by the
noise of the river rolling past - and surrounded by deer! The walnuts are a
great magnet to them. They clearly check them daily to see whether a leaf or a
nut has been discarded for their delectation. I notice that on the map this few
acres has a National Park boundary around it on the map so that it may be a
remnant of private property for all I know. What a weekend retreat!
Going...
Going...
Gone.
Such an
enchanting river. I would be paddling for nearly eight hours today. Quite a big
day for me.
There are
some big carp in the Mitchell, and I'm sure more desirable fish too.
A relict
brachychiton (kurrajong). They are a feature of the lower Wonnangatta/Mitchell
though nearly a thousand km South of where they are much more common. A
beautiful and very desirable tree.
I got out to
take a look at a beautiful campsite just above the Roaring Mag creek on the
true left bank. A lovely honeyeater joined me.
What a great
camp in the midst of this tiny piece of temperate rainforest.
Cobbanah
Creek on the true right bank would be a pleasant campsite so long as there were
no flash-floods. On my map there is a small lake (or dam) about 200 metres long
about 200 metres up the creek. I will check it out when Iwalk the Mitchell
River Walking Track which parallels the river on the true right bank.
The rock
faces at the entrance to the creek look almost as if they were man-made which
they weren't.
What a
beautiful limpid pool!
It goes on
and on forever.
Unfortunately
it means (as such things always do) that there is a major drop ahead. And here
it is: the Amphitheatre rapid. It started way up there. I walked it - on the
true left bank)
And it is
still going on way down there.
And some more.
It would be quite a thrill and/or dangerous iof there was a bit more water.
I put in
again at the bottom.
Here is a
look at the wonderful siltstone cliffs of the amphitheatre. There is a walking
track to a lookout on the tops of them.The river becomes quite gorgey for a
couple of km - and there are about 5 Grade 3 type rapids.
Like this
one, but I just bumped on down it.
Another one.
Could be quite
exciting in higher water.
Time for a
lunch stop in a shady spot on the true right bank. It was quite easy to pick up
a few bits and pieces of smashed canoe (centre)!
Another Grade
3 rapid.
Then just
deep slow pools and pebble races till we get to Woolshed Creek and the Den of
Nargun.
Some ducks
enjoying the river too.
Woolshed
Creek and the Den of Nargun. You can camp here or walk up the creek for car
access if you want a shorter pack rafting trip. You need to keep a sharp
lookout on the true right bank. There is a nasty drop right after it which you
can portage on the right bank.
That was it
up there.
What a treat
to see these two little guys. It was a hot afternoon so there were lots of them
out having a drink to cool off.
An
interesting monolith.
What a
spectacular rock-face.
Finally the
ruins of the Glenaladale Weir loom into sight, like something out of Ancient
Egypt. A fine spot for an overnight camp - and a but of an explore of an
interesting piece of Gippsland's history.
What a wonderful
place for swallows to nest: there were dozens of them wheeling and curving
around the ends of this buttress.
I will have
lots more photos tomorrow after I have spent the night relaxing and cooling
down.
River
Heights: Glenaladale Weir: Began Trip .65 ended .66;
Waterford: 1.63-1.57; Crooked River: 1.31 - 1,26. These figures probably give
you some idea about the comparability of the three gauges. Adventure Pro claimed the river was canoeable from .6 on the Glenaladale Gauge. This
is probably about right - for packrafts anyway, but you would expect portages
across many rapids. I know I just managed a few and portaged 2.3 at nearly
2" more water than that. That being said this section of the river is
characterised my very many long still deep so you might enjoy the
experience even when river heights are low - as they are at the moment.sections
where you might have to paddle against a headwind. It would be much more
enjoyable with a couple more inches of water eg .8 on the Glenaladale Gauge.
Times:
Angusvale
Camp Ground to Jorgensens 4 hours
Jorgensens to
Amphithesatre Rapid 3 hours
Amphitheatre
to Den of Nargen 2 hours
Den of Nargen
to Glenaladale Weir 2 hours
Glenaladale
Weir to Final Fling 2hours
Final Fling
to Glenaladale Bridge 3/4 hour.
Portages
approx 1/2 hour.
Campsites: are not wonderfully numerous on this section of the river., though they
are to be found. There are hardly any between the Amphitheatre rapid and the
Den of Nargen for example, though there does appear to be a bench a chain up
from the river on the true right bank which might provide some good spots.
There are also not many spots after the Glenaladale Weir, but there are some.
Mostly folks have been camping on the lovely sandbars along the way and at the
confluences of major creeks. There are shadier spots a little further away from
the river which you really need to look out for (look for the benches I
mentioned earlier). There is a delightful spot on the true left bank just above
the Roaring Mag Creek, for example.
The
Glenaladale Weir camping spot is a delight. I camped there and above and
opposite Jorgensens. The trip took me 14 hours on the water, so it would have
become fairly tedious if done over only two days. You would have to make an
early start and a late finish at very least. If you are packrafting you can get
out at the Den of Nargen and walk up to the Caravan Park.. Doing so would cut
nearly five hours off the trip making it much more suitable for an overnight
trip. Of course with more water (and fewer years of age) it might be done much
more quickly. You should allow some leeway so that you can perhaps wait an hour
or more for a suitable camp to show up.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For River
Heights: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-wonnangatta-catching-the-wave/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/23/marvelous-mitchell-river-day-1/
28/12/2019: Watch Betelgeuse – this could be the show
of a lifetime: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/12/26/is-betelgeuse-in-orion-about-to-explode-in-a-supernova/
25/12/2019: Naturehike Carbon Fibre Walking Pole 135
grams: $38 each with free shipping (to Australia). US76 per pair. What’s
not to like about this? I received a pair for Xmas. Stripped of the strap and
its aluminium screw mine weighed 128 grams each on my scale and fold down to
just under 50 cm (20”) – 51/110cm according to the Specs. They come in three
lengths. Mine are Short – the shortest and lightest. The other
two lengths are Medium 54/120 cm $ 140 grams and Long
57/130cm & 145 grams.
The hand grip
is very positive but is longer than either of us need, so that I think I could
trim a few grams off that weight, probably bringing it to under 120 grams – if
I wanted to foresake the screw fitting at the top – which is bigger than a
camera thread anyway.
This is just
marginally lighter than the new Gossamer Gear LT5 poles at 130 grams stripped
(though they are longer – 60/130cm)) . However they cost US$195 per pair, plus
shipping. I/we have been quite happily using Massdrop’s Fizan poles
I really like the look and feel of
these Naturehike poles. The three sections seem very solid and the locking
mechanism is wonderful. They come with a lightweight strap and one basket. It
is a ‘standard’ (Leki) thread so you should be able to replace it anywhere
if/when you break it. At 20″ they will clearly slip inside any pack your
are using.
Available
from Aliexpress here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33057690090.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.34174c4ds7SbS8
See Also:
Extempore Hiking Poles
Ultralight Compact Hiking Pole
Fizan Compact Hiking Poles
Rutalocura Hiking Poles
24/12/2019: Marvelous Mitchell River Day 1: I
canoed this lovely section of river from Angusvale Camping Ground to the
Glenaladale Bridge over the last three days in my Alpacka packraft. The river
heights were at the bottom end of this section’s canoeability (see note below)
and the smoke from the huge bushfires the environmentalists are having in East
Gippsland spoiled the visibility (of the photos) but all in all it was a
wonderful trip.
I left my car
(and trailer) at the Glenaladale Bridge (plenty of parking on the North bank)
and rode my motorbike to Angusvale where I parked it under a shady tree with a
note affixed on both saying, ‘Canoeing the River’. This was a precaution
against campers calling the police over an abandoned motorcycle as happened to
us when we canoed the section Waterford to Angusvale
Setting out
from the Angusvale Camp Ground.
I have
included a lot of photos to give a clear indication of the conditions
likely to be found along the river. They are in order. The canoe height shown throughout
was approx .65 on the Glenaladale Gauge. People claim the conditions are ‘best’
at 1.3 metres which I misdoubt I would survive any more. I think .8 or
thereabouts would be preferable. This is a common river height in the summer
months – but not this year!
This section
of the river is characterised by many long, slow deep sections
Such as these.
Pebble races.
A couple of
km below Angusvale the inconspicuous 4WD Mitchell Track parts company with the
river. From here on the river flows through a splendid wilderness. You can see
that it is 9 1/2 hours walking the Mitchell River Walking Track to the Den of
Nargun (cave). The track continues another 7-8 km (3-4 hours) to the end of
Findlay Alexanders Rd (Glenaladale Bridge). If you are walking it you generally
have to slip off the track (down a ridge here and there) to get water (in
summer). More details later.
There are a
number of complex rock gardens, some of them stretching hundreds of yards. Most
you can just bump on down in your packraft at this river height, except or the
two biggest: the Amphitheatre and Final Fling Rapids. There are quite a few (as
the next photos show just below the sign (on the right bank) above
If you have
been noticing the unusual trees along the river (in the photo above for
example) they are Water Gums or ‘Kanooka’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristaniopsis_laurina
NB: Later in
the season they have these attractive flowers too:
A shady lunch
stop under similar shade.
And time for
a ‘selfie’.
And then
onwards.
Beginning to
see some beautiful silt-stone cliffs which are a feature of this section of the
Mitchell.
You will see
many reminders that the river can be a trap for the unwary:
This one is a
bit trickier.
After four
hours I camped right under a spreading walnut tree on the right bank – what
could be better?
A spiker
creeps down to the river for his evening meal:
Some other
creatures seen along the way:
What a deer
magnet a walnut tree is. Every tree in this grove had the remains of a deer
under it – like this one!
River
Heights: Glenaladale Weir: Began Trip .65 ended .66;
Waterford: 1.63-1.57; Crooked River: 1.31 – 1,26. These figures probably give
you some idea about the comparability of the three gauges. Adventure Pro claimed the river was canoeable from .6 on the Glenaladale Gauge. This
is probably about right – for packrafts anyway, but you would expect portages
across many rapids. I know I just managed a few and portaged 2.3 at nearly 2″
more water than that. That being said this section of the river is
characterised my very many long still deep so you might enjoy the
experience even when river heights are low – as they are at the moment.sections
where you might have to paddle against a headwind. It would be much more
enjoyable with a couple more inches of water eg .8 on the Glenaladale Gauge.
Times:
Angusvale
Camp Ground to Jorgensens 4 hours
Jorgensens to
Amphithesatre Rapid 3 hours
Amphitheatre
to Den of Nargen 2 hours
Den of Nargen
to Glenaladale Weir 2 hours
Glenaladale
Weir to Final Fling 2hours
Final Fling
to Glenaladale Bridge 3/4 hour.
Portages
approx 1/2 hour.
Campsites: are not wonderfully numerous on this section of the river., though they
are to be found. There are hardly any between the Amphitheatre rapid and the
Den of Nargen for example, though there does appear to be a bench a chain up
from the river on the true right bank which might provide some good spots.
There are also not many spots after the Glenaladale Weir, but there are some.
Mostly folks have been camping on the lovely sandbars along the way and at the
confluences of major creeks. There are shadier spots a little further away from
the river which you really need to look out for (look for the benches I
mentioned earlier). There is a delightful spot on the true left bank just above
the Roaring Mag Creek, for example.
The
Glenaladale Weir camping spot is a delight. I camped there and above and
opposite Jorgensens. The trip took me 14 hours on the water, so it would have
become fairly tedious if done over only two days. You would have to make an
early start and a late finish at very least. If you are packrafting you can get
out at the Den of Nargen and walk up to the Caravan Park.. Doing so would cut
nearly five hours off the trip making it much more suitable for an overnight
trip. Of course with more water (and fewer years of age) it might be done much
more quickly. You should allow some leeway so that you can perhaps wait an hour
or more for a suitable camp to show up.
For More
About the Wonnangatta/Mitchell River, see:
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/remote-wonnangatta-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnangatta-spring-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-wonnagatta-spring-day-three/
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For River
Heights: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-wonnangatta-catching-the-wave/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
23/12/2019: Deer Wars: Kim Hollows reprises his
role as Executive Producer for the first time since creating Ata Whenua. This
is a story of men and machines, of incredible daring and unprecedented
ingenuity set in the dangerous and unpredictable New Zealand mountains. Over a 20
year period these helicopter pioneers turned a national ecological disaster
into a major export industry – but at a cost. Over 80 men died in the pursuit
of deer and many more seriously injured. This film celebrates this unique time
when through innovation and sheer guts a few hundred Kiwis did the impossible
and created the legend that became the deer wars. Please note that some scenes
may offend. Rating: E (Exempt from classification) Duration: 30 mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUq4K478fYM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1TF6J6icQMIBJNPOUg_IPTOFk1SbhZDC2OKdpTkMf498Ncw-RVrK7_7BQ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/24/shadowland-fiordland-video/
Della
particularly loved the donkeys. Here is a donkey train passing by in the main
street at Lukla:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbCPK43ZltQ&feature=emb_title
Another
donkey train crossing a swing bridge near Phakding Nepal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KU_FQkSeeQ&feature=emb_title
She also
loved the yak trains. She just had to buy a cow bell as a souvenir. I will have
to figure out how to make it ring like this at home at Jeeralang Junction. Here
is one passing by near Benkar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU-i3P5vI4U&feature=emb_title
A popular
game in the backstreets of Lukla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwD0FgV1nns&feature=emb_title
Arriving in
Namche. I was full of excitement from the climb (as you can see): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEK0Rlt7MNo&feature=emb_title
Most of the
way you are following the Dudh Khosi River which is always too rough for fish
to live in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkNtshhEOp0&feature=emb_title
Lots of
wildlife along the way, like these lovely plump birds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PTgx6mIu8c&feature=emb_title
A rickshaw
ride at night through the back streets of Kathmandu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viVDp2CDpJM&feature=emb_title
Here is what
we were seeing. I have turned the sound off to spare you from Della’s noisy
laughter and etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nigQDqyaJG4&feature=emb_title
At the end of
the rickshaw ride we ended up at the Yak and Yeti restaurant which is in one of
the royal palaces. It is one of the best places to eat in Kathmandu (apparently
in the world) though quite pricey. In Thamel we usually ate at the Green Olive.
This
wonderful man, Guillaume Maurel from Mauritius (whom we met during a long wait
at Lukla Airport) took us there (by rickshaw). Many thanks for a delightful
night
PS: If you are thinking of walking the EBC you should go soon. When I was
there in 2016 you would see 1-2 helicopters a day fly by. Now there are several
in the sky pretty much from dawn to dusk flying by carrying building supplies.
They are building heaps of multi-storey ‘hotels’ along the way which they
clearly anticipate charging you like wounded buffaloes for (when you can stay
in the existing guest houses – which are often nearly empty for a couple of
dollars a night. Pretty much all the donkeys and yaks are carrying helicopter
fuel so that when that when they have finished building these wonderful
features may disappear. Also they are building (using just private
donation) a road to Lukla which will be completed in a few months. This
too will change the character of the Trek (but you will be able to get there by
bus, perhaps this time next year – if you dare!.
For more
about the EBC See:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/12/01/ebc-gear-list/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/20/ebc-4-5-and-so-onwards-and-upwards/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/19/dos-and-donts-on-the-ebc-and-elsewhere/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/18/ebc-3-and-onward-to-xanadu/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/17/preventing-batteries-from-going-flat-at-high-altitudes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/16/ebc-starting-out-kathmandu-to-lukla/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/15/9-days-trekking-the-ebc/
From my
previous trip, see:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/to-the-roof-of-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-followed-my-footsteps/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thatendlessskyway/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-diamond-desert-everest-base-camp-trek-8/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/everest-base-camp-three-passes-trek/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cold-weather-face-masks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/my-life-was-wide-and-wild-and-who-can-know-my-heart/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/26/the-diamond-desert-everest-base-camp-trek-8/
Here are
Google’s Page Speed Insights for desktop speed for this morning 10-12-2019:
Loading in .7
of a second is great!
And here is
Google’s mobile speed test result:
2.3 seconds
is also great for mobiles but as you can see, there is still room for
improvement! Nonetheless these speeds mean the page is taking about a quarter
of the time that it did this time last year
I can make
the file size of the images on the home screen smaller – but I can’t figure out
how. Also, though gzip (a compression tool) is loaded it does not seem to be
outputting (according to W3 Total cache). It should compress the text part by
nearly 80% if I can get it working) so I should be able to squeeze these page
speed seconds a little shorter still! I am also not sure whether Lazy Load
Images is working for mobiles.
Reducing the
size of the page (and the images) helped. W3 Total Cache is one of the
important answers. (Seems much better than WP Rocket to me). Getting rid of the
sidebar (mobile users will appreciate that!) and turning off Google Ads (half
the load time!) also. The Jetpack plugin has been holding me back for years –
it clearly slows your site down. It was also costing me A$455 per year!
Some of the
(all free)plugins I am now using: W3 Total Cache (most important), Short Pixel
Optimiser (vital), All In One SEO Pack, Updraft Plus (for backup), WP
Statistics and Google Site Kit (both for traffic information), Akismet (for
spam) and Classic editor (because I refuse to learn how to use WordPress’s new
Gutenberg format). I may add back in a couple more such as Google
Language Translator if they don’t slow the site down. I should also add extra
security. PS: Added Wordfence.
I hope you
enjoy the new ‘look’ of the site – and come back lots of times. I have removed
the side bar which spoiled the appearance of the page when you turn your
phone/tablet on its side (Sorry!). I have also tidied up all the ‘suggested
page’ links at the bottom – as you can see. After I have finished a few
necessary farm jobs I will be completing some (I hope interesting) new posts.
For example, I have been working on backpacks – I have the beginnings of over
100 new posts. So, Check back later.
Cheers, Steve
& Della.
PS: I am
happy to hear from any ‘tech heads’ out there with advice!
14/12/2019: Poor Little Pumbaa the Poochie. Bad Mountain
Lion: https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2019/12/10/desperate-woman-punches-mountain-lion-as-it-attacks-later-eats-dog-she-could-hear-her-baby-dying/23878095/
03/12/2019: Remember this poem. We need these
sentiments even more today:
Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow - The Village Blacksmith
UNDER a spreading
chestnut tree
The village
smithy stands;
The smith, a
mighty man is he,
With large
and sinewy hands;
And the
muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as
iron bands.
His hair is
crisp, and black, and long,
His face is
like the tan;
His brow is
wet with honest sweat,
He earns
whate'er he can,
And looks the
whole world in the face,
For he owes
not any man.
Week in, week
out, from morn till night,
You can hear
his bellows blow;
You can hear
him swing his heavy sledge
With measured
beat and slow,
Like a sexton
ringing the village bell,
When the evening
sun is low.
And children
coming home from school
Look in at
the open door;
They love to
see the flaming forge,
And hear the
bellows roar,
And watch the
burning sparks that fly
Like chaff
from a threshing-floor.
He goes on
Sunday to the church,
And sits
among his boys;
He hears the
parson pray and preach,
He hears his
daughter's voice,
Singing in
the village choir,
And it makes
his heart rejoice.
It sounds to
him like her mother's voice,
Singing in
Paradise!
He needs must
think of her once more,
How in the
grave she lies;
And with his
hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of
his eyes.
Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward
through life he goes;
Each morning
sees some task begin,
Each evening
sees it close;
Something
attempted, something done,
Has earned a
night's repose.
Thanks,
thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the
lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the
flaming forge of life
Our fortunes
must be wrought;
Thus on its
sounding anvil shaped
Each burning
deed and thought!’
NB: The
'Smithy' stood underneath the chestnut tree. The C18th American forest was full
of these giant trees (such that Indians had to do very little work, such was
their abundance). An accidentally imported disease wiped (almost) every last
one out in the twinkling of an eye (C1904): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_blight
11/12/2019: Non-Lethal Protection; Things We Can’t Have
in Oz: https://byrna.com/
03/12/2019: Squanto. Good Heavens – what an astonishing story: http://ericmetaxas.com/media/articles/miracle-squantos-path-plymouth/
02/12/2019: EBC Gear List: A
number of people wanted to know what we took on the EBC since we carried all
our own gear and did not employ the services of a guide. I have answered some
of their questions in the post Dos and Don’ts on the EBC
I carried more
than some people might and a lot less than most people do. When my pack was
weighed at some point (checking in for the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla I
guess) my pack weighed 6 point something kg – which sounds about right. Della’s
was lighter than this, though she had more of some things (clothes) and less of
others (communication equipment, safety, first aid, repairs etc).
Well, here
goes (I have added links to some of the things mentioned):
NB: Surplus
or unused in (brackets)
Grams
Worn:
Columbia
Silver Ridge
Trousers
288
Icebreaker
Icebreaker
Darn Tough Socks
Hankies (2)
(Microfibre Towel cut into six
pieces)
28
Keen
Samsung
Galaxy S4 Mini Phone (inc battery, cards,
protectors)
124
Watch & Compass
Sony Camera
(inc battery, wrist strap & card)
CybershotDSC-TX200V 131
Camera
Accessories: String Tripod Stickpic
Gossamer Gear LT4
Kathmandu
L/Sleeve Light Wool Top (as
needed)
220
Gloves (as
needed – rarely): MLD mitts 26 & Icebreaker Wool Liner
25 45
Hat/s:
Sub Total: 2547 (19)
Pack: G4 Free from Amazon (<US$20)
439 (100)
(with some mods
and DIY shoulder pouches)
Waterproof Sea to Summit Liner
Air Flow Sitlight Camp Seat
Sleeping Bag Montbell Super Spiral #3 added down
(in Sea to Summit Waterproof compression bag
(Much
repaired) Thermarest Neoair X-Lite Womens
Emergency Shelter alternative 253 grams
DIY Pillow
Sub Total: 2176 (187)
Weather: Montbell raincoat
214
Rain Pants
(Zpack)
100
Gaiters
Montbell Down Coat
Montbell Down
Vest
186
Down Socks
Jardine
Bomber
Hat
33
Compression
Sack (Insulated
Clothes)
65
Dry Bag
(other)
Clothes
43
Dry Change: 3
spare hankies (as
above)
42
Icebreaker
Longjohns
(Pyjamas)
158
Kathmandu
L/Sleeve Wool Top (as
above)
220
Columbia
Trousers (as
above)
288
Icebreaker
Shirt (as
above)
223
Icebreaker
Knickers (as
above)
58
Darn Tough
Socks (as
above)
73
Microfibre
Towel
83
Sub-Total: 2152 (0)
Drink: 600 ml empty soft drink bottle
(water)
29
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Emergency
Communicaion: (old) Iridium Sat Phone (inc
battery)
378
Spare Samsung
Galaxy S4 Mini (inc Battery)
(124)
Delorme
Inreach Poor Man’s Sat Phone
GoTenna
2 Litre Sea
to Summit Waterproof Bag for
above
17
Sub-Total: 769 (124)
Electronics: (batteries carried in three Aloksaks which
weighed)
21
Another stuff
sack
(17)
2 x Single 18650 Power Banks
Spare Electronics
Bag (spare hearing aids, cables
Surplus
Charging
Cable
(26)
Unnecessary
AAA Torch inc
battery
(26)
Unnecessary
Spare AAA
Battery
(12)
Unnecessary
rechargeable
Torch
(24)
2 x Rechargeable Torches
Spare Sat
Phone
battery
(65)
Spare camera
battery (camera not
taken!)
(28)
2 spare phone
batteries (one
used)
66 (33)
2 spare
camera batteries (flat – altitude,
unused)
26 (26)
Sub-Total: 562 (329)
Other:
Toilet Bag
(4 dry 2 wet)
plus nano head net and insect repellent)
Chemicals
Repairs
Spare Glasses
First Aid
Bag
297
Chewing Gum
Bag (inc hearing aid safety and glasses
cleaner)
35 (17)
(Sore Throat)
Lollies (unused! Available on
track)
(175)
2 Unnecessary
Knives (1 used) 36 +
45
(81)
Knife Sharpener Micra
Combination
Padlock
(39)
Sub-Total: 1183 (322)
Total: 9499 inc 2547 worn so: 6962 grams inc unnecessary (981); Needed: 5981
As you can
see I ‘needed’ a 6 kg pack weight though it included things others might not
carry (eg a sat phone plus a Sat Messenger (378 grams right there), a shelter
(253 grams), glasses, a camera, etc.
If I had been
going on from Dingboche to Base Camp (at this time of the year), I might have
carried an extra pair of Longjohns/ Down Trous (Della took hers – she feels the
cold more = not enough adopose!) and a woolen T-shirt. It gets colder (and
nastier) up there, but you can put all your clothes on when necessary. You get
quite a good enough view though from the top of the hill at Dingboche and along
the way.
Della’s pack
was substantially lighter (around 5 kg). Between us we had under 12 kg to walk
the EBC.
As you can
see, I accidentally had on board a pile of junk I usually carry (hunting etc)
which I had forgotten (in the rush) to leave behind. Still, I am still young
and fit enough (at 70) to carry this and more, and to walk 7 hours a day a few
kilometres in the sky – and I am overjoyed to say, so is Della – who had a
simply swell time. Cheers.
BTW: The (sub
US$20) Amazon Packs Backpack Tricks ‘!
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/25/riding-on-the-sheepss-back/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/25/camo-merino-wool-for-deer-hunting/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/10/21/guaranteed-for-life/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/03/keen-shoes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/13/watch-bands-for-hikingbushwalking/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/09/4-gram-string-reverse-tripod/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/01/01/stick-pic/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/03/ultralight-compact-hiking-pole/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/03/down-socks/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/11/07/i-just-love-hats/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/06/29/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/06/04/gotenna/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/24/budget-pack-mods/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/14/dry-bags-sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-nano/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/25/gossamer-gear-air-flow-sitlight-camp-seat/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/11/adding-down-to-a-sleeping-bag/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/23/a-tardis-folding-space/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/08/15/womens-are-great-in-bed/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/19/survival-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/12/thermoplastics-101/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/27/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/17/preventing-batteries-from-going-flat-at-high-altitudes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/03/20/lightest-cheapest-powerbank/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/23/ultralight-charging-cable/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/04/29/ultralight-rain-gear/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/17/ultralight-mitts-and-gaiters/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/09/21/montbell/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/22/smallest-rechargeable-flashlight/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/20/ultralight-personal-hygiene/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/16/small-is-beautiful/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/12/cuben-tape/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/21/ultralight-glasses-case/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/06/12/ultralight-knife-sharpener/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/14/leatherman-micra-multitool/
For more
about the EBC See:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/20/ebc-4-5-and-so-onwards-and-upwards/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/19/dos-and-donts-on-the-ebc-and-elsewhere/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/18/ebc-3-and-onward-to-xanadu/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/17/preventing-batteries-from-going-flat-at-high-altitudes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/16/ebc-starting-out-kathmandu-to-lukla/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/15/9-days-trekking-the-ebc/
For my
previous trip, see:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/to-the-roof-of-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-followed-my-footsteps/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thatendlessskyway/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-diamond-desert-everest-base-camp-trek-8/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/everest-base-camp-three-passes-trek/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cold-weather-face-masks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/my-life-was-wide-and-wild-and-who-can-know-my-heart/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/12/26/the-diamond-desert-everest-base-camp-trek-8/
30/11/2019: Colin Dowler Fought Off a Grizzly with a
Small Pocketknife: https://neveryetmelted.com/2019/11/26/49489/
28/11/2019: Thinking of a 12 Gauge for Deer Hunting?
The Maximum Practical Range of Slugs & Buckshot: https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/2/15/the-maximum-practical-range-of-slugs-buckshot/
24/11/2019: The G4 is Back: An updated version of
this iconic pack is now available in 70D & 100D (as in the Gorilla) DWR
coated Robic Nylon in three sizes from 578 grams & US$153 (Nov 2019),
the G4-20 Ultralight 42 Backpack
Features
include: 'Extendable roll-top with dual closure options, Waterproof zippers,
Removable molded cushy sitpad, Fixed hip belt with unique hip belt pocket design'.
The 'new' G4
is up approx 100 grams from the original which was mostly a much less durable 2
oz nylon) and down about 10 litres in size (from 60 to 50) NB There are approx
8 litres inside the extension collar – the spec. of 42 litres doesn’t include
this (nor does it on any other of GG's packs).
It has
a roll-top closure which you might modify if you don’t like them (I
don't) – they do reduce the storage of the pack (compared with the simple draw
string of the original) but their intention (along with the side compression)
is to ensure that the contents exactly fill the volume of the pack so that you
don’t need a frame. The contents of the pack are the frame. I would prefer to
have 2-3 draw strings going down so that you could shrink the pack to achieve
this 'frame effect' but without reducing its volume when full. This would also
be (fractionally) lighter
This is a mod
I will be adding to the Amazon packs we used on the EBC. They lack an extension
collar altogether. I will be able to increase their volume (eg up from 42 to 50
litres) by adding this small rectangle of material. A few minutes work at most.
At about 1-1.5 Ft2 it will only add 5-10 grams to the pack (eg 5 in silnylon or
closer to 10 eg in 3.5 oz/yd2 Dyneema) but make them more suitable for
multi-day trips. 8 litres of dry food is quite a lot.
If you like
this type of wide hip belt, then you won’t be unhappy with it – but I would
probably cut it off and add a 12 grams gross-grain strap and buckle as I did on
the Amazon packs as I think that hip belts that are wide and start at the side
really make load transfer more difficult and unnecessarily inhibit the natural
movements of the wearer - however neat they may look..
You really
only need to make the pack swing into the small of your back (with a waist
belt). The pack weight actually sits on your bum, not on the strap. A too wide
strap starting from the sides of the pack will never achieve this comfortably
as it never does up around your torso properly - if you try to tighten it, it
only cuts in. Bad design. But practically everyone does it! If you keep it make
sure you don't quite fill the pack across this point of attachment so that the
belt can better pull in and conform to your waist. And make sure it is at your
waist and not lower.
The mods I
would make to the new G4 would take probably 100 grams off the pack. Lids are
just a waste of material as far as I am concerned. Then I would perhaps
substitute an Air Flow Sit Light Pad
The straps
and buckles on the lid (there are three where there only needs to be one - as
on the original) are also about twice the weight they need to be. If there are
going to be three, 1/2" wide is adequate (and if the pack had a draw
string closure) the three straps could be used to attach another item to the
top (a compression bag, a pack raft or a bear canister perhaps). I do not
see that these three straps achieve anything other than the effort of carrying
them, though perhaps like many things in 'pack design' they 'look nice'! (Just
like the inappropriate and heavier than necessary hip belt folks are always
attaching to packs nowadays.
I like the
asymmetric sizing of the side pockets – one can carry your shelter, which is a
good idea. I long ago modified all my packs for this purpose. Usually you only
need to add a light strap less than 5 grams to achieve this. I run an
ultralight carabiner through the draw string of the tent and this strap so you
never lose your tent!
The
waterproof zip compartment will probably attract a lot of people, but I would
have put this compartment's entry inside the pack (because I just don’t trust
zippers at all; when they go where are you?) – and if you really want
waterproof, go for Sea to Summit Ultrasil liner bags or Aloksaks.
I would
prefer a ring of small pockets heading downwards inside the pack from the
extension collar join for quick access to small things on the trail if you
can’t cope with having a drawstring ‘possibles’ bag at the top of your pack
inside the liner bag (where nothing gets wet). Frankly this is a much better
idea. You can build too many 'gimmicks' into a pack. Keeping it
simple is best.
The shoulder
straps on Gossamer Gear’s new (Robic) line of packs all seem to be about ¾”
narrower than on the old G4s, Mariposas etc though they are softer and lined
with a wicking material. In general though I think narrower is a backwards step
even though they are now better shaped than they once were. The greater the
'bearing' surface area, the easier it will be to carry the pack. I would extend
this bearing area rather than reduce it.
I would have
made the straps wider even though the pack is only intended for relatively
light loads (well under 15 kg). If the straps are wider and the pack only
carries under 10 kg, then I think you can dispense with the chest and waist/hip
straps altogether as they only impede walking anyway - and add weight.
I would have
aimed for a pack under the weight of the old G4 (460 grams) rather than over it
but made with the improved materials. Robic is about 50% stronger than an
equivalent weight standard nylon. Reducing the pack to nearer 50 litres than 60
is not such a bad move either, but maybe a compromise would have been to have
reduced the dimensions of the pack (which they have done) but gone for a
slightly longer extension collar (say nearer 12 litres - or a 54 litre pack),
but with the aim being sub 400 grams. I know this is possible because I own
such a 52 litre 390 gram by 4.8 oz/yd2 Dyneema pack - and am about to make it a
little lighter still in one direction and a little heavier (and bigger) in
another. Always tinkering...
Incidentally
they have eliminated the distinctive bulge at the bottom of the old G4 pack. I
found this quite an attractive feature. It also possessed a certain utility. It
was intended that you could allow your sleeping bag to spread out there and
form a cushion or shock absorber for other contents in the pack - though some
folks think you should load the heaviest items at the bottom. Strictly the most
important loading decision you make with a frameless pack is putting everything
soft towards the front of the pack so you don't have hard objects jabbing into
your back.
I have a
Medium Gorilla which is exactly 18” from bottom of the shoulder strap
attachment points to the bottom of the hip belt) which I removed and replaced.
18” is just about right for me (though 17” would be better) but is much too
long for Della who is better under 17".
The Specs for
this pack say that the length of the Small is 19 ¼” to the extension collar
seam (which I am assuming is about 2” above the shoulder strap attachment point
- as on my Gorilla) making the pack approx 17 ¼” long. Gosssamer Gear needs to
provide more precise detail on sizing to fit different hikers. I would probably
want a 'Small' which (if the above is true) would be far be too long for Della
(who is only 5' tall). As I say, more precise buying information necessary. I
know there are lots of bigger people than us! The pack comes in three sizes but
it would be good if one of these was for 'little' people and children.
I do not like
the stretchy material in the back pocket (though it is a lot more robust than
that used by most hiking pack manufacturers). I would prefer a solid material
here. I know the intention is to dry socks in the pocket (which does not work
well under compression anyway). You are much better to add a clothesline to the
pack and peg your washing to that.
The stretchy
material tears (especially) in blackberry patches and you then have to worry
about losing the pocket’s contents (or attempting a trail repair). I own
several packs with torn stretchy material pockets awaiting ‘repair'. The
difficulty is that the material is almost always caught up in the seam so that
a very elaborate unpicking and resewing is necessary. Might as well just about
make a new pack.
I note that
the Silverback
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/02/24/the-silverback/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/20/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/08/30/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/27/pimping-a-gorilla/
PS: You can
still make your own (original) G4:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/14/diy-hiking-gear/
23/11/2019: Ultralight Charging Cable: Tired of
lugging around that long (heavy) charging cable – which maybe weighs all of an
ounce? Ouch! You can do better than that. For example:
Anker 2-Pack Powerline Micro USB (4 Inches) – Durable Charging Cable, with Aramid Fiber and
5000+ Bend Lifespan (Approx) 11.3 grams A$11.48 (x2) Nov 2019
USB (Male) to Micro USB adaptor (approx) 7 grams A$ 2.49 (Nov 2019) May not be suitably flexible for
your purpose.
Urbo Keyring Charger
You just have
to have 1-2 of these for Xmas.
22/11/2019: A Real Invisibility Cloak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZMyWEWHCTM&feature=emb_title http://joannenova.com.au/2019/11/an-unpowered-invisibility-cloak/
20/11/2019: Dos and Don’ts on the EBC (and Elsewhere):
I intend this post to apply to lots of other hiking destinations, but at least
it should improve your experience and expectations on this iconic walk. ‘You
live and learn – or you don’t live long’ – as the man said (ie Lazarus Long,
‘Time Enough For Love’).
I have lived
long, and intend to live even longer. In contrast, both times I undertook the
EBC I witnessed dead bodies being unloaded from helicopters! I also saw many
folks much younger than myself getting themselves into serious difficulties
which might well have led to just the same outcomes if I had hung around being
a fly on their walls. I have seen young folks dead many times before
Setting out
from Lukla:
Should you
carry your own gear &/or should you employ a guide? If you are into ‘virtue signalling’ – as about half the population seems
to be nowadays, (Myself – as Red said – ‘I couldn’t give a damn!’) you will
have lots of reasons why you should employ someone else. Delegate
responsibility for your life to someone else if you don’t value it overmuch.
Myself I value my own hide too highly to trust someone else with its
responsibility.
Crows will be
into your pack if you leave it unattended:
If you want
that important piece of gear (without which you are just a frozen corpse) when
you need it, best make sure it is in the pack on your own back ,
not perhaps many miles away on someone else’s, no matter how much more
comfortable that may seem to be. Most people on the trail had off-loaded
everything (looked like the kitchen sink too) onto someone else. Certainly all
the (few) older people such as ourselves had. I have direct experience on both
trips of numbers of folk who regretted it!
About that
Pack: We both took the Amazon packs I wrote about back here with some further
mods I will detail later. The packs each weighed around 350 grams (for 40
litres – quite enough!) Della’s cost A$10.90 from Amazon. She bought four so
she would never run out! She likes purple! Fully loaded they weighed 6-7 kg at
most.
Della loves
that purple pack:
Aside: I have discovered that hip belts are in the wrong place (ie not at the
waist – your narrowest part) and should not weigh more than 12 grams (including
clip/buckle) and should be sewn on to the pack only at the middle (approx) six
inches of your back – so they do up all around your waist. The belt will then
cinch up comfortably all around your waist, your narrowest part, making it impossible
for your pack to move down from the small of your back, and so its weight will
be supported by your bum instead of your shoulders even though the waist belt
(and shoulder straps) are quite loose as they should be – by comparison with
whatever you are doing now. More about this later…
The Sit Light Air Pad wrong, wrong, wrong !
I have
further decided that you ought not need a hip/waist belt or a chest belt at all
if the pack is well-designed (which I suspect none are!) and not too
heavy – shouldn’t be. These extra straps and other gee-gaws just restrict your
body’s natural walking movement and rhythm and tire you out unnecessarily
without adding one jot of comfort! As I said, more about this later….
The way
ahead:
Shelter? I would always carry an emergency shelter/tent anywhere you might get
caught outside in the rain/wind/snow, ie practically everywhere. Most places I
go I usually carry one of my ultralight DIY tents or a hammock and fly (or sometimes both – my new tarp doubles ). Even on day trips I will have a space blanket bag or poncho. Just something to save your life if you get caught out – yet I am proficient at constructing emergency
shelters from found materials and lighting fires in the wet – are you?
Of course I
would recommend that like most that you visit the EBC at the most (weather)
opportune time (late Oct-Early Nov for example). Temperatures, wind and
precipitation are then at their best. Even so (just like anywhere) disastrous
‘weather’ can strike – and don’t forget the awful earthquake of just a few
years back (which flattened whole towns – Think Thame) where you may have been
intending to stay!
People have
put considerable thought into the design of these ultralight shelters (which
are not dependent on soft ground (not much of it around on the EBC) to drive
tent pegs into). This one (from Terra Nova
In an
emergency both of us could cram into this shelter, inflate our mats (good to
‘Comfort’ at -10-20C), climb into our -10-20C sleeping bags (plus all our down
clothes) and ‘enjoy’ a safe night out in the most extreme conditions if
necessary. You just don’t know when/whether such an emergency will occur. Be
warned: the ground is often frozen, or nearly so!
I already
mentioned earthquakes. Everywhere on the trail there is evidence of (immense)
earlier landslides. (There are warning signs everywhere that) glacial lakes can
burst and cause inundations which would sweep whole villages away. You might
simply lose the trail, be beaten by darkness arriving earlier than you
expected, be sick, twist your ankle and be unable to complete your day’s
journey, and so on…Prepare for the worst and be grateful when it does not
occur. Even after a lifetime of experience in the bush we can sometimes be caught out
First view of
Everest as you ascend the Namche Hill:
Sleeping? Should you take an insulated mat and sleeping bag? Again, if you want to
live – and this survival equipment should be on your person at all times . Wherever you are, go nowhere without your pack (and its essentials).
Many (inexperienced) folk meet with disaster because they put their pack down
on a trail just to step off it a few metres eg to answer a ‘call of nature’, an
interesting euphemism.
Separated
from their pack and alone in the wilderness…not long before things can start to
really unwind! Not everyone has the ability eg to lose one of their hearing aids yet be able to backtrack
themselves through several hours of the trackless bush until they find it
You need a
mat anyway even when staying in tea/guest houses and ‘hotels. Particularly as
you travel higher up the (provided) mattresses will ‘strike’ colder and colder.
Probably this is because of condensation which has not had a chance to
evaporate away (actually at this altitude water/ice does not evaporate;
it ‘sublimes’ – there’s a new use of that word for you). If your body (heat) is
trying to warm up (perhaps several kilos) of sub zero ice/water in your (quite
likely uncomfortable) mattress, it will not matter if you have a minus 100C sleeping
bag; you will be cold! An ultralight inflatable mat such as
the Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite Women’s superb Exped Synmat
Rain Gear? Yes, it might rain/snow etc, though it is unlikely at this time of year, but you never
know . We carried both coats, pants, gaiters and
waterproof shoes, though I (but not Della) usually do not bother with more than
just a coat. Adipose is good insulation! If you get wet at this altitude (and
night-time temperature/s) you are likely to be miserable (at best). Frostbite
is not much fun either. We did not need them, but an extra layer is good
insurance. We are looking at something like 300 grams (each) for the three
waterproof clothing items (plus a bit for Keen Targhees instead of Voyageurs).
Safety first.
Food and
Water. You really don’t need to carry either. There is
somewhere you can buy either every few hundred yards on average, though there
are some longer sections where you might get a bit thirsty if you started out
without a full water bottle – climbing the hill up to Tengboche for example on
a warm day. ‘Safe’ bottled water is available from (approx) US$1-2 per litre.
We also carried a Sawyer Mini filter and squeeze bottle in case we needed to
drink from other sources, etc. This is just sensible insurance.
You will
inevitably meet with (very ill) folks who think they can (safely) drink the
water or that water purification tabs ( iodine etc) work. There is one born
every minute. Disinfection takes time (more than an hour) and only removes a
handful of the pathogens which your Sawyer with <1 micron filter)
automatically removes. It can/should regularly be backflushed like this (2 grams
NB: Do not clean your teeth or wash you mouth out with the water. Also carry
antiseptic wipes (or similar) and use them religiously. There are lots of
invisible nasties you do not want to succumb to. Do not pat animals!
When you contract diarrhea from bad water/food you will need Imodium and
probably Stemetil for vomiting. If it persists (Typhoid perhaps?) you will need
Cipro (antibiotic). It has saved my life! (from Pneumonia ) I gave some of
my supplies to a young British backpacker at the bottom of the hill at
Tengboche. He was leaking badly at both ends. His guide was completely
unprepared (common) and insisted he continue (to gain altitude) when his
symptoms (I was trying to alleviate) might well prove to be the beginning of
altitude sickness as well – in which case he needed to descend (fast!) or
maybe die! Be warned! I hope he survived.
You should
also have a prescription for Amoxycillin for pneumonia. There is a pharmacy in
Namche and also one at the French Bakery/Snow Lions in Dingboche where you can
obtain these things. There is a small hospital in Pariche (near Dingboche).
Your first aid kit should also contain blister pads – you will likely need
them!
I suggest you
do not eat meat after you leave Lukla. Even in Lukla not everyone has a
(working) refrigerator. Animals cannot be slaughtered within the National Park
so all meat is carried in on someone’s back (perhaps in the hot sun for days)!
Eggs or beans are good alternative protein. Food poisoning is not much holiday
fun really. Be warned!
You can buy
Snickers/Mars/ Bounty bars pretty much everywhere (US$1-2). Most/all of the
food on the trail is just absolutely awful. I would never pay for such food
anywhere else. Expect to lose weight! There is very little variety, but even
with the few ingredients they mysteriously seem to be able to grow/carry in
Della or I could make many delicious meals. Instead expect every meal to lean
towards inedibility. It is possible too that you may not like oily.
If you carry
your own food in (or decide to eat elsewhere than where you are staying) your
accommodation costs will be bumped up – and the quality of the food will not be
very different. The Dal Bhat, Momos ‘Tuna Burgers’ and fried eggs on chips
appear to be about the height of fine dining Nepali style. I could just about
choke down two slices of ‘toast’ with ‘butter’ and honey for breakfast. If you
are a ‘coffee snob’ forget it! They do sell sore throat lollies practically
everywhere. You will likely need them. If you have a preference maybe bring
your own. Butter Menthols are great (and Werthers caramels – you will lust after
these before you return to Australia. You can buy them in Kathmandu airport!)
Do look
forward to having ‘Black Forest Cake’ at Hermen’s Bakery (Northern outskirts of
Phakding). It will not be anything like Black Forest Cake, but it will probably
be the best thing you eat on the trip. You would not look at it elsewhere. (Tip:
When you are back in Kathmandu, do try the Yak and Yeti
Lots of people (most?) get diarrhea
or pneumonia (or both) above Dingboche. And of course Altitude Sickness. Lots
of very expensive helicopter evacuations. There is also much less
accommodation. You may (even/likely) end up sleeping on the (forzen) floor –
where you really wish you had that minus 20C mat! One reason why Della and I
decided before we left Australia that the Nagarshang
Hill, Dingboche would be our destination. This is as high as Everest Base Camp
but can be climbed on a pleasant sunny morning with tea and cake in the French
Bakery Dingboche afterwards. (They also have rooms for rent with their own
toilets!) Even in Dingboche all the water freezes overnight. Above that hardly
anything thaws ot, so if you venture there be on the lookout (eg) or toiletry
fiascos you had never imagined possible.
French Bakery Dingboche:
It has pretty
much as good a view (of Everest, etc) as you are going to get elsewhere without
venturing into the permanent sub-zero regions where there is not a single
living thing to break the dismalness and monotony of the view. It will shorten
your trip by 3-4 days too and enormously reduce the chances of your getting
sick and/or dying.
View from the
Hill, Dingboche: NB: Behind that grey hill on he left
is just such a one of those glacial lakes perched up there held in pace
only by scree and ready to let go and drown towns downstream like Phariche
(below) immediately. Della os enjoying herself anyway. Steroids and being alive
again, when last time I was there she was just so flat with he poor old heart
(seemingly) all played out. She is good as new (almost) now – as you can see!
Altitude
Sickness and Acclimatisation: Pay attention Everywhere we
met (even fit young) people who had gone up the same day as us (or before)
coming back down with Altitude Sickness, and looking very unhappy and worried.
If you are going to enjoy the walk you must do everything you can too avoid
this nemesis. You need to increase oxygen transfer in a much lower oxygen
environment. Get a prescription from your doctor before you leave home for
either Diamox or Dexamethasone (Steroid Della needed instead because of her
heart condition – it seemed to work somewhat better).
Take the time
to enjoy the donkeys:
And the yaks:
These guys
were making heavy going of it:
I took half a
tab of Diamox twice per day from when I was leaving Kathmandu to when I arrived
back there. This was as a preventative. It is normally carried as a treatment
for Altitude Sickness, but if you wait till you have symptoms it is too late
for this trip: you will have to go down, fast!
You also need
to take the time to acclimatise. If you don’t you will very likely get sick
(and you can even die suddenly eg from an embolism! Be warned)! You will have
come up from 1`400 metres at Kathmandu to 2900 metres at Lukla. That is quite
enough stress for the body in one day. Stay the night in Lukla. Spend the day
on some little acclimatisation walks around the town. For example, walk around
the airport, or go down to the hydro plant in the valley below and back, climb
up the hill above the town (past the army base and the school) into the
wonderful rhododendron forests etc. Over 3,000 metres when you have ascendeded
500 metres you need a day to acclimatise. You can spend this day climbing
higher so long as you sleep lower. You need an acclimatisatiion day at Namche
and again at Dingboche.
Take a break
in Namche:
If you skip
these days you are risking your life. All the people we saw who were sick from
the altitude had skipped one of these pieces of advice – or both. It has
probably cost you at least A$1500 just to get yourself to Lukla (return) plus
insurance. It is foolish to just waste that investment.
You get a odd
view of Everest during your acclimatisation day at Namche:
Vaccines? Yes you should. Everything available eg Triple Antigen, Hepatitus,
Typhoid, Cholera… and Rabies? Yes. It is 100% fatal. look at the photo of Della
(above) to see just how easy it would be to contract it by such an innocuous
thing as feeding the monkeys! Get the best advice from your country’s foreign
affairs department about what might be required in Nepal and have yourself
protected against them all. There are quite enough other dangers as well. (Untreated)
eg cholera can rob you of your entire body weight in fluid in a single day!
That must be something to see, but I will eschew it! Doesn’t sound like much
fun, does it? And it is preventable.
Don’t feed
the monkeys:
More About
Guides/Outfitters: I already stressed why we would
determine to carry our own (at least essential) gear. In fact we carried all
our own gear – but this only came to 5-6 kg each for a ten day trip! This is
more than we would normally carry, because it was colder. We would normally
begin a 10 day (unsupported) hike where we camped out the entire way with pack
weights including food of well less than 10 kg each.
I would
normally wash my clothes and dry them on a line across the back of my pack (and
then in front of the night fire) on such a trip but this is not possible on the
EBC because it is too dusty. In half an hour your clothes will be coated in
mud! You can have your dirty clothes washed and dried (eg) in Namche and
Dingboche during your rest days. This way you only need one change of clothes
to be quite clean enough.
I have often
enough gone for ten days at a time in the past without washing my (wool)
clothing without becoming offensively smelly. Of course I usually go where
there is no-one else about. There are lots and lots of people on the EBC. You
have to wait for them all the time eg to cross bridges or at narrow points in
the trail, or just because the large groups are just bloody rude and want to
take up the whole width of the trail. There is no credo of ‘age before beauty’
amongst them I assure you! The donkeys and yaks are more polite, believe me.
Still they should not be challenged for passage on bridges, and you should
always pass them on the uphill side in case they accidentally bump you off.
The ‘give
way’ rule in action:
No doubt
there are competent guides and outfitters, but you really don’t need to spend
the money. Nor do you have to pre-book the accommodation. You can just pretty
much walk into any guest hose unannounced and there will be a vacancy – at
least as far as Dingboche anyway. It is incredible just how much building has
been going on there in the last three years since I was there before. Then you
were lucky to see two helicopters a day but now there are usually 2-3
helicopters in the sky above you from dawn to dusk. Mostly they are ferrying
building supplies up the valley. They are too impatient (etc) to wait for
porters to carry the supplies up, so why should you feel guilty if you chose to
carry your own (survival) gear? You will have to eat the food etc that the
porters have carried up from Phaplu anyway.
The
outfitters can add A$5-6,000 to a couple of weeks’ trek. You do not need them.
Nor do you need guides. You can download maps and save instructions on ‘Pocket’
etc. Besides most everyone is going the same place and you can always ask a
local: ‘Namchi?’ That way.
Last time I
rescued’ a woman (from Pangboche to Lukla) who had been deserted by her
outfitters, guides and porters. She had become sick above Dingboche (where I
first started noticing her and saying ‘Hello’) and she had just been left on
the side of the track to fend for herself. Presumably the many wild(-ish) dogs
would have cleaned her up quickly enough if she had succumbed. I hate to think.
In Kathmandu there is a temple you can visit (This is a tourist attraction – we
avoided) where they are openly burning 50-100 human beings all the time. Not to
be missed! This is the Third World.
Guides are
more like US$25 a day. No doubt there are good ones – but how to tell? I have
seen them desert their customers. For example leaving a man who was clearly
beginning to suffer from Altitude Sickness struggling up the hill into
Tengboche in the dark. Then asking me as I arrived in Tengboche, ‘Have you seen
him?’ ‘Not since you left,’ No doubt he will be along in a little while’…Or
letting someone decide to walk to EBC and back in three days (next to
impossible – and suicidal to boot) yet not being prepared with the necessary
medicines, telephone numbers, a satellite phone or epirb. Or even adequate
local knowledge. Wow!
If you go
with a group you will see less wildlife. Musk deer (below) are in plague
proportions in the forest along the way. Soon their
predators (snow leopards and wolves) will be too. Then there will be another
interesting risk associated with the EBC!
And miss lots
of fascinating wild birds:
And
Acccommodation: Most ‘guides’ obviously have some
sort of ‘cumshaw’ deal with a hotel up front if they take you there (regardless
of the cost to you)! It is just not possible for them to switch you to a closer
hotel etc if you are not traveling quite so fast as they had planned. They will
chivvy you along. Myself I like to just make my own way at my own pace,
stopping when I am tired or when I want to. I am an old bushman and could
easily have found my way to the EBC and back again by myself even if there were
no road or buildings along the way – and I would prefer that sort of trip in
any case. Mind you there are probably very few places you can go where the
scenery is quite so stunning though!
We had no
trouble walking into the first piece of accommodation we came to and securing a
room for the night (usually at between US$0-2 at most) providing we ate in – we
always did. Some of these guest houses were a bit ordinary but most now have
solar showers (which was not the case three years ago) so you can get decently
clean anytime you want to. One night coming back from Pangboche towards
Tengboche we stayed (for free) at the first place we came to, the Evergreen
Lodge Milinggo (Debuche). The company was pretty much all sherpas. This was the
most enjoyable night of the whole trip (despite the pretty daunting toilet
facilities!)
Entering
Pangboche:
And of course
if you chose to go with a guide or an outfitter you are going to have their
company (and that of the rest of the awful company) all day every day for such
a long time. If you are some sort of lonely misfit this might suit you, but it
does not suit me. I have said many times in these pages, ‘No company is better
than bad company’. Anyway, I have/had Della for company, (these last nearly
fifty years) and there is no better than that!
Can you tell
whether we are enjoying ourselves?
Buffs:
There is lots
to see – Is Ama Dablam the most beautiful (if not the worst named of) of
mountains?
This time of
year there is lots of bright sunshine (too much probably – take lots of
sunscreen). They will dry quite quickly in this was – or if they are not
finished you can hang them over the back of a chair in front of the fire in the
guest house where you stay to finish off. This works well with towels,
handkerchiefs and undies, for example – even when it is only a dung fire
(common).
Take a break
every now and then and smell the flowers:
There are
other devices you can use to heat up the air your are breathing it (and hydrate
it). The Cold Avenger
Warm Clothes:
No doubt you can underdo or overdo it in this department.
I have mentioned the wonderful Montbell down garments many times before. They are our ultralight standby for warmth on the
trail. I took a down vest and jacket. (Never needed the vest – but it could
have been colder). Della also took her down pants. Used sometimes of a night or
when she felt cold. (Not enough adipose). We both had (light) woolen shirts and
Icebreaker or Kathmandu long underwear (top and bottoms). I took one bottom and
two tops. Bottoms only worn (some) nights so could wash on rest days. Tops worn
(sometimes) during day) and as pyjamas at night. Two pairs of Icebreaker woolen
undies (one in the wash). Two pairs of medium wool socks (Darn Tough) and one
pair of down socks (cold nights). I had my dyneema moccasins for a dry change. Shoes get a bot sweaty by the end of the day. Most
toilet trips (nights) needed shoes on again. Water hazard! I used a Montbell
sleeping bag to which we had added 9 ounces of down .
Bits and
Pieces: There is mobile phone coverage pretty much all along
the EBC now. You can buy a Nepalii telecom card with data for approx US$20
before you leave Kathmandu Or probably at Lukla and Namche where they sell most
everything. Most guest houses etc have Wifi available for maybe US$1-2 a night.
Free at Hermens Bakery Phakding where you can call your beloved on What’s App –
or chat to her across the rable if you are as lucky as me!
Permits: You can buy the necessary permits on the way (providing you fly in to
Lukla. One permit as you exit Lukla (Approx US$20) and one when you get to
Monjo (Approx US$30). it will be checked lots of times. The Nepalis are keen as
mustard on bureaucracy. It is all they seem to have mastered. Otherwise they
are mostly like children playing at ‘real life’. Nothing is ever organised the
way you expect it would be. But the army do have some pretty fancy guns and I
suspect know how to use them – and they are everywhere. Don’t know when the
open season on tourists is – not when we were there anyway!
To Avoid
Batteries Going Flat at High Altitude , do this. https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/11/17/preventing-batteries-from-going-flat-at-high-altitudes/
Yet another use for Aloksaks!
Toilet Facts: You need to get yourself prepared for the toilets – or the lack of them.
Be prepared to squat. They will (likely) freeze above Dingboche. Carry handy
(12) packs of tissues instead of toilet paper (and antiseptic wipes for your APC – a very important precaution ). You can buy them at every town. You can clean yourself up well after a
toilet stop with only 1-2 tissues. Wipe and fold, wipe and fold. You can get
5-6 wipes from a single tissue. Saves a lot of paper, weight – and does not get
wet and disintegrate in the rain, etc. Carry an ultralight trowel.
What’s For
Sale? You could begin the trek in a pair of thongs and a T
shirt and buy everything you need along the way. Lots of shopping in Lukla and
Namche, and lots of other shops with nick-nacks and groceries along the way.
You can buy cans of tuna and canned ‘Spam’ in every town – if you are craving
protein.
Lots and lots
to see:
So we
continue our journey through life:
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/23/the-ultimate-hunting-trip/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/27/new-ultralight-survival-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/18/raincoat-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/07/31/if-you-could-only-carry-two-things-in-the-bush-what-would-they-be/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/24/10-by-10-tarp-update/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/24/budget-pack-mods/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/01/25/gossamer-gear-air-flow-sitlight-camp-seat/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/09/cold-season-pads/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/10/21/sawyer-water-filter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/07/cold-weather-face-masks/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/07/are-you-beautiful-in-the-buff/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/08/10/the-pocket-poncho-tent/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/04/14/19-gram-dyneema-camp-shoes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/09/21/montbell/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/11/adding-down-to-a-sleeping-bag/
20/11/2019: EBC 4 & 5: And So Onwards and Upwards:
‘Tengboche, Pangboche and finally Dingboche – the end of our ascent. 4,410
metres at Dingboche, but we climbed higher to look down the valley to Everest
Base Camp, 2 more days ahead. These 2 days of cold and hardship were not on our
agenda. A medley of pics following, some with explanatory notes.’ (Della Again)
‘Sherpa baby
chewing on a 100 rupee note
Dung patties
drying in the sun for cooking fires
Yaks becoming
more prevalent
A welcome
stretch of newly made road
Entering
Pangboche
Between
Pangboche and Dingboche
Just one more
corner before Dingboche:
Our
accommodation at Dingboche: The Snow Lions Lodge
View from our
window in the morning
Such
organised and tidy lives!
Gotta love a
yak
Dining room,
Dingboche
Mission
accomplished!
A view up the
valley towards Base Camp.
Some solid
climbs!
Leaving
Dinfboche’.
19/11/2019: EBC 3: And Onward to Xanadu: ‘I
confess to having bored countless Eng Lit students of mine with my passion for
Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan”. Little did I suspect that I would one day
discover Coleridge’s Xanadu in the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazar. I saw so
many parallels to the poem, but perhaps the most relevant is the fact that
Coleridge was writing about an opium dream he had just awakened from, whilst I
felt as if I had stepped into a waking dream’. (Della again)
‘Nestled on
the sides of a hill, Namche is reached after a fairly tough climb. At over
3,400 feet, sensible trekkers spend an extra acclimatisation day there,
climbing higher the next day and then returning to Namche to sleep, thus hoping
to prevent altitude sickness. So we had plenty of time to enjoy this amazing
town as well as wander over the nearby hillsides and villages.
Entering
Namche Bazar after a day of solid climbing
One of those
“stately pleasure dome”(s) that Coleridge rattles on about! It also looks
like “Alph, the sacred river” has been put into service here!
View from our
bedroom
More pleasure
dome stuff
I love a busy
bazaar
My “local”
hairdresser in Namche. A shampoo and dry sure beats the discomfort of wet hair
in a cold climate. Melanie Cardillo , they will
never replace you, though!
‘Caverns
measureless to man…Oh that deep romantic chasm”
18/11/2019: Everest – Days 1 & 2: Lukla to Namche
Bazar with overnight stop at Benkar’. (Della)
‘Main street
of Lukla
The road out
of town
Other trekkers: The person in front is carrying a largish day
pack whilst the hired porter behind is carrying the rest of his/her gear. This
was normal procedure for almost all trekkers. We, in contrast, proudly carried
our own packs with everything we would need for the 9 days apart from food.
Not such a
large pack: all bedding, warm clothing, wet weather gear, change of clothes,
toiletries, medication, communication, safety.
The first of
many road trains: Donkeys, cows, yaks…these were constant and colourful
traffic. These donkeys are carrying empty fuel drums back to Lukla to be
refilled with aviation fuel and carried back to Base Camp again.
Such a
sweetheart! You could always hear the bells as the animals approached, so that
you had time to stand out of the way. I had to bring a yak bell home with me so
that I can be transported to Nepal every time the wind blows in the garden.
A proud
Sherpa woman selling her produce outside her home.
Despite the
shortage of good, cultivable land, almost all houses devoted space to flowers.
Our first
night in Benkar with the hospitable Neema Sherpa. We were her only guests.
Suspension
bridges everywhere.
Approaching
our lunch stop at Jorsalle’.
17/11/2019: Preventing Batteries From Going Flat at
High Altitudes: This is my ‘Poor Man’s Satellite Phone recent EBC trek my first time on the EBC
That time I
also had a 5 watt solar charger which was supposed to be charging Nicads or
Nickel-Metal-Hydrides pretty much all day. The days were perfect sunshine all
the time but the batteries just went slowly flatter as they lost charge to the
air more quickly than the solar could replace it – something I had never
experienced before.
Pretty much
everyone who hikes this trail (or that elevation) finds the same phenomenon
many blaming it (incorrectly) on the cold – but it was not cold. I wore just a
simple light short sleeved wool jersey polo shirt pretty much all day every day
and placed all my batteries in my sleeping bag of a night though it never got
so cold of a night as I am used to winter camping in the Victorian mountains
where my batteries never go unnaturally flat.
I reasoned
that it must be the altitude, but Googling it found that no-one had a solution.
Extraordinary! First I thought up lots of elaborate ways to place the phone in
a space which would emulate sea level air pressure (no doubt dreaming of
receiving millions for such a clever invention,,,) when I realised that Aloksak
had already beaten me to it/them!
They make
waterproof and airproof zip-lock bags – much superior quality to the
supermarket variety (which will not suffice for this purpose – they leak). If
you place your phone/battery in the Aloksak bag (they come in a variety of
sizes/shapes) and inflate them slightly as you seal them, then place them
(gently) in your pocket or pack so that they are under ever such slight
pressure all the time the battery/phone just stops going flat. Simple as that –
but you can send money if you so desire:
https://www.paypal.me/theultralighthiker
Beware too much pressure or you will
burst the bag at the seams. They can be repaired eg with cuben tape two red power bank batteries
A Note on
Charging on the EBC: Since I was there three years ago
they have installed many micro hydro systems along the trail so that most of
the small villages now have A/C power but it is often not enough to charge any
larger battery than the single cell ones I took (in the photo below – 18650
batteries of approx 3.5 amp hours). Be warned.
Aloksak also
make waterproof ‘gun bags’ which are very handy for canoeing/hunting trips: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/11/17/aloksak/
Here in
Australia I bought mine from Injinji
A selection
of bags below. The two at the bottom are the small and large phone size.
17/11/2019: EBC Starting out: Kathmandu to Lukla.
Flying to Lukla is the adrenaline-filled beginning to the Everest Base Camp
Trek. Reputedly the most dangerous airport in the world, Lukla Airport has a
landing strip just 500 metres long, with a sheer cliff on one end and a brick
wall on the other. We took videos of both our landing and takeoff to share. The
flight only takes 30 minutes, but believe me, Nepali disorganization manages to
make the waiting last almost all day. And seats at the airport? Why would you
need those? When they finally decide that it is time to fly, you have less than
5 minutes between frenzied waves towards the plane and being launched into
space! Who needs to bungy jump for thrills?’ (Della Continued)
Aside: The cover photo was taken at Phaplu Nepal. Tara dropped us off there to
wait for 4-5 hours instead of flying straight to Lukla. Our return flight was
delayed by the same amount. Even so it was much better than the 4-5 hour each
way bus trip to Ramechhap (from Kathmandu) which most visitors are having to
endure ‘at the moment’. In Nepal nothing happens according to schedule!
Lukla
Landing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uzYeZiyNVc&feature=emb_title
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qKs7znCRL0&feature=emb_title
Lukla Take
Off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdPoT5fSiQ&feature=emb_title
16/11/2019: 9 Days Trekking the EBC: Della: ‘And
so we are back! 9 days trekking along the Everest Base Camp trail, Lukla to
Dingboche. Our final climb above Dingboche was as high aa Everest Base Camp,
but I never wanted to experience the cold and privation of the last 2 days of
the trail, so we were happy to call Dingboche our goal. And it was beyond
amazing: I never expected it to be the journey of a lifetime, but it was… The
soaring beauty? The time, whilst walking, to contemplate my life…? I only know
that I felt more energy and happiness than one small, imperfect heart can hold,
and each day that heart swelled further with gratitude for all the people whose
loving support put me there: my husband and lifelong guide, my family
support-crew back home who kept our home base running amidst their already busy
lives, my friends who cheer me from these Facebook pages daily, and my
outstanding cardiologist who saved me just moments from death exactly a year
ago and then solved (though not quite “cured”) my heart problem. So many people
– giving so much: No wonder my heart soared. The cynic that usually inhabits my
soul might suggest that all this emotion was a side-effect of the steroids that
I was prescribed to help prevent altitude sickness.. Who knows?! Nepal was
certainly a fitting place for such a spiritual experience, whatever the
trigger, and my gratitude will be a golden nugget that I treasure for the rest
of my life.
I will bore
you all further with some more pics over the next few days, but feel free to
flick on past if holiday snaps are not your thing!’
Lukla-Chheplung:
Pangboche to
Dingboche:
Nagarzhang
Peak Dingboche:
15/11/2019: Global Tree Cover Has Expanded More Than 7
Percent Since 1982: https://reason.com/2018/09/04/global-tree-cover-has-expanded-more-than/?fbclid=IwAR2CZ1K4FpCZ0uS5ZpsC5w9zm0Zo_vxvP0aq1yuD2mDV21W-VP9HnJbQyR4
30/10/2019: Namaste from Kathmandu! We were unaware
that Nepal would be in the middle of a religious holiday festival when we got
here, but it sure adds a little extra colour and mayhem! Local sightseeing
today, then flying out to Lukla at first light tomorrow to begin our 9 day trek
along the Everest Base Camp trekking route.
28/10/2019: Face Painting one day, tree planting with
Dad the next. Another 20+ trees down today! Now they just need to hurry up
and grow!
26/10/2019: Never Get Lost – With Google Offline Maps:
So long as you have a smart phone (with GPS and Compass – be sure it does
before you buy it!) you don’t need a Garmin or any other GPS device, and you
don’t need to pay for any maps. You can organise your phone so that you
need never get lost.
However you
do need to download the particular area you want to explore onto your phone as
an offline map before you venture out into the wilderness . You
should try this with your home area first so that you are sure you know how it
works, then with a different area you are also familiar with. You need to be
sure of yourself and your phone.
Now you can
go offline. So you can turn off your Wifi or data and be in flight mode and
still view the downloaded map. You just open the App, go to Offline Maps (as
you did before) and select the appropriate map you want the phone to display.
It will open. With ‘location’ selected, by pulling down the menu at the top of
the phone, the phone’s GPS will locate your position on the offline map (by
tapping on the round ‘location question mark’ icon below right. , so you should
never be lost again. You can view the Map as ‘default, satellite, Terrain’ etc
by selecting from the menu icon on the op right hand corner of the map. You can
tell your phone to default its ‘Location’ service to the phone’s GPS (rather
than towers etc if you are in a remote locale. This will save some battery
usage.
I use this
App all the time to navigate my way around the bush both in Victoria and in
distant countries. It works brilliantly when you have the map open (in offline
mode).
It will even
speak and tell you how to get ‘Home’ or to any described point just like Google
online maps which you probably use in your car.
Enjoy your
journey.
PS: Be sure
to close the App and turn off ‘Location’ and put your phone in ‘Flight Mode’
when you are not navigating as it will eat through your battery.
Please tell
your friends.
TIP : You need to be sure that you have opened all
the bits (they are technically called ’tiles) of the map you want before you
download it then after you have downloaded it you need to check
(offline) that it is all there in the detail you want and need before you head off into the wilds. It takes a bit of practice.
24/10/2019: Cooking for Two: My wife, Della and I
used to carry two complete cook sets but we have shrunk that down a bit. Mostly
we carried two pots because it simplified heating water for a shower a sponge bath
Another
reason we carried two cook sets were in case we became separated in some accident
or disaster each would still be able to cook his/her own food. For the same
reason we used to have two shelters, a fly and a poncho for example and two
satellite communicators ( a phone and a messenger).
We think it
is essential to have two utensils (spoons/sporks, two cups and two receptacles
for eating out of. The first two were easy enough to just double up on but we
have done some experimenting with the dish/plate. Quite a bit of shopping went
in to getting one which came in at an acceptable weight.
These are the
best three we have come up with. The aluminium one on the left is a plate which
came in a cookset I bought back in the early 1960’s and which I rescued from
one of my hunting camps recently (See: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/30/the-seventieth-birthday-platypus/
So the
(Della) addition to my cook set now weighs 8 grams for the spoon/spork Wildo cup
I should
mention that I have also started to carry an ultralight titanium pot lid (13
grams) to use as a stable base for my burner. It is much better (and safer)
than a spilled meal, and handy for doing some food preparation on too if you
need to. It is from Trail Designs, the Evernew Multi Dish wonderful mug I have talked about before
See
Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/01/26/cookset-woes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/22/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/06/03/ultralight-cutlery/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/20/ultralight-folding-coffee-cup/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/05/23/bathtime-on-the-trail-the-one-gram-platypus-shower/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/17/the-apc-and-the-sponge-bath/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/20/ultralight-personal-hygiene/
20/10/2019: Light from Heat: Although they are not
(at present) ultralight, I really like the concepts behind these wonderful
lamps. Lumir-k: Cooking oil fueled LED lamp Lumir-C Candle Powered Led lamp
Lumir C:
Lumir K:
This is a
similar concept, power from heat: https://drop.com/buy/biolite-campstove-bundle#overview https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/20/power-from-heat/
PS: You
should be able to make this system work with a Peltier on a chimney as in: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/29/tim-tinker/
20/10/2019: Ultralight Folding Coffee Cup: This cup
has been officially classified as a work of art in its home country, Sweden –
which it certainly is. It is a folding coffee cup which folds down to
just 1″ (2.5cm) high but it weighs just 25 gram (which is well-nigh
impossible to beat for hiking). It holds 237 mls just shy of a ‘regular’ cupful
(250 mls) If this is a bit small for you it does have a ‘big brother’ (or
sister) which holds nearly two cups full (591 mls = 46 grams). It costs less than A$5 their range
It would make
a great companion piece to those showcased in my last two posts: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/19/best-coffee-on-the-trail/ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/10/19/most-beautiful-ultralight-windscreen/
And of course
you need something to boil the water in such as https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/01/26/cookset-woes/ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/18/ultralight-cookpot/
20/10/2019: Best Coffee on the Trail: While you are
over at Tier Gear https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/09/29/the-ultralight-barista/ Wildo’s famous 24 gram folding cups
Available in Polypropylene at Tier Gear
Over at
Munieq it also comes in Stainless Steel or Titanium (and in two sizes: 1 1/2
and 3/1/2 cups) Titanium is heavier (16 grams) a mere nothiong if you have a
fetish for this remarkable metal!
20/10/2019: Most Beautiful Ultralight Windscreen:
This brilliant 14 gram windscreen by Munieq of Japan (and available at Tier Gear Tasmania here
‘Flame
visible ultra light outdoor stove windscreen and pot stand from Munieq in
Japan.
Micro meshed
0.2mm thin stainless steel sheet.
Assembles in
a cylindrical shape
Alcohol stove
or solid fuel compatible
Only 14g
Can be
stacked in a mug or cup.
Multiple
connect system – connect two for bigger pots or stoves
Single
Diameter: 62mm x H:67mm for alcohol stove with diameter smaller than 55mm
Double
Diameter:124 x H:67mm for alcohol stove or solid fuel’
It looks like
it would also work well (and beautifully) with an ultralight esbit stove
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/07/23/tinnys-gnomes/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/09/windscreens/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/22/ultralight-windscreen/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/06/27/clever-titanium-windscreen/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/09/21/ultralight-esbit-stove/
11/10/2019: A Radio Controlled Paper Aeroplane: (from
US$49 – Oct 2019) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/393053146/powerup-40-smartphone-controlled-paper-airplane/?utm_content=TRS_82&utm_term=e2337218-6860-47a1-8369-e3ed1b20ecc0&utm_campaign=TRS&utm_source=TRS_82&utm_medium=FB
03/10/2019: Canoeing the Macalister Again:
Yesterday was the first decent day of Spring: 28C and with enough water (1.73
at Licola – ideal) for a decent trip down from Basin Flat to Cheyne’s Bridge.
This is one of the few sections of river that you can canoe alone (as you can
readily hitch a lift back to your canoe after dropping it off at Basin Flat.
Aother is Hernes’s Spur to Eaglevale ont the Wonnagatta – but you will want a
pack raft for that (See: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/20/pack-rafting-the-remote-wonnangatta/
I made the
trip in 3 3/4 hours allowing a quarter hour for lunch and three small portages
(a small log jam and the two grade 3 rapids where I am loathe to come to grief
alone at my age – though I have shot them a hundred times in the past. The
first one just below Burgoyne’s Track still has a log stuck in it but is now
canoeable. The second one has a (hidden) rock in the chute which has had me out
a few times. Once I spilled my old Mauser 30:06 into the river there and it
stuck between two rocks right in the middle of the rapid. It was some trick to
recover it! You can try and imagine diving in this. (I was younger then!)
I was very pleased
with my sub 4 hour time. I was not racing though. I used to complete the trip
in under four hours when I was in my late 30’s so it is good to see that my
upper body strength is still OK at 70. Now to get that knee fixed!
The riuver
starts out sun-drenched, flat and wide. You just know you are going to enjoy
this trip!
Could have
avoided this log jam by taking the left fork. Many people have drowned side on
to logs like this in shallow water. The canoe tips upriver, fills with a tonne
of water and you are trapped in it (particularly if it is a kayak) with your
nose two inches under the water! If in doubt, get out! I always have an open
canoe, either (the current Old Town Pack Angler) Canadians or kayaks with holes
which are open to below your knees (like the Perception Minnow). Inflatables
may be safer. We have a couple of Alpacka pack rafts which we love.
A real Huck
Finn day.
Lunch stop.
There are dozens of delightful spots where you can camp for the night. The
river abounds with of deer, trout and red-fin perch.
The only
thing I needed to make the day perfect were Della (away crafting) and the dogs
– need a second person to look after them through the car shuttle. There will
be another day!
It is a great
section of river for white water training purposes (for folks who already have
some experience in canoes). It begins with wide slow flat water and the
occasional pebble race, then gradually moves on to Grade 2. Some of these are
tricky and require you to develop navigation skills. Then there are the two
Grade 3 rapids (below Burgoyne’s) which can be shot again and again on a lovely
fine day such as yesterday was.
Things to
remember:
Stay in the
centre of the current.
Lean in
towards rocks (plastic boats – the reverse for inflatables).
Never get
side on to the current (or logs).
Beware of
overhangs, logs etc – stick to the slower edge of (such) bends.
If in doubt get
out and check first.
Don’t be
worried about portaging. Better to be a live mouse than a dead lion – better
still to be a live lion! If you hurt yourself badly alone in the wilderness you
will be sorry! Why you should not do silly things like take your shoes off in a
river or cross on logs! And never jump! Softly, softly, catchee
monkey.
I only took a
few snaps. You can view more detailed pics and instructions eg here:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/10/18/silver-river-endless-sky/
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/01/canoeing-the-macalister-river/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/11/02/canoeing-the-macalister/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/01/07/macalister-river/
29/09/2019: Ultralight Waterproof Fabric: I am
after some light waterproof fabric to make one of my new 10 x 10 Tarps Pocket Poncho Tent Deer Hunter’s Tent
If I can
purchase it cheaply enough (eg for less than US$2/metre) I will then see
whether I can have some whipped up (eg by someone in Vietnam) into tents etc to
sell on the website…In the meantime I will source some eg from the suppliers below,
possibly using a shipping agent to save on freight.
I will make
the silpoly version of the 10 x 10 Tarp out of some of the .93/yd2 (above) or
the 1.06/yd2 4000PU (but I will certainly use this for a groundsheet – for its
extra waterproofness). As I will need 9 metres to build the tarp the material
for the tarp will weigh 284/326 grams. I expect the tie-outs and guys to add
less than another 50 grams to this, so I should have a very light tarp (approx
330 grams).
The Tyvek
model was made out of 1.85/yd2 Homewrap (ie 2.21oz/m2 or 63 gsm) so the Tyvek
must have weighed 568 grams of this, therefore my tie-outs and guys only added
44 grams.
I like the
‘Dark Olive’ colour. I made my Pocket Poncho and Siligloo
I will probably
make a simple 7′ x 4′ (2.1 x 1.2 m) groundsheet for it (for Della
and me) – as I say out of the 1.06/yd2 material. It should weigh 87 grams. 330
+ 87 + approx 10 x 6 gram stakes = 447 grams for the complete tent/shelter! Not
bad for the size and flexibility this has. It can also be used as a hammock
tarp.
Because this
fabric has polyester on one side (instead of silnylon) you can tape or
glue to it, so that I will finally be able to make my inflatable bathtub groundsheet raham pillows DIY Pack raft
I am going to
make a slightly bigger Poncho Tent (one which will accommodate taller people –
and in a pinch two; at least Dell and me!) I will use the .7 oz/yd2 fabric for
this. As the original weighed 185 grams (complete), I expect the new one
will weigh somewhere above .7 times this – somewhere between 130-150 grams
perhaps. Quite a spectacular weight for a completely enclosed shelter, (nearly)
big enough for two! Of course I have to add a space blanket or piece of polycro
to that (<50 grams) for an ultralight groundsheet
The Deer
Hunter’s Tent should come in at under 400 grams in the .93 oz/yd2 fabric,
including floor.It is a lovely little tent.I have really enjoyed the Tyvek
model. Time to finish it off in a lighter material.
Below are
some of the waterproof fabric products I am looking at:
1.4
oz/yd 47.46gsm 1 silpoly https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/waterproof-polyester-fabric/products/1-1-oz-silpoly-pu4000?variant=11054730177
1.3 oz/yd2
silnylon https://www.questoutfitters.com/Coated_2.htm#SILNYLON%201.1%20OZ%20RIPSTOP
72”
wide 1.3 oz/yd2 44gsm silpoly https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/waterproof-xl-wide-fabrics/products/1-1-oz-silpoly-xl?variant=35045467469
1.24 oz/yd2
42gsm silnylonhttps://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/waterproof-nylon-fabric/products/1-1-oz-silnylon?variant=11168938177
1.06 oz/yd2
36 gsm: https://www.extremtextil.de/en/ripstop-nylon-tentfabric-silicone-coated-20den-36g-sqm.html?number=70777.SAND
1.07 oz/yd2
36.28gsm https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/waterproof-polyester-fabric/products/membrane-silpoly-pu4000?variant=10662993601
.93 oz/yd2
31.5gpm US$7.50/yd: https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/waterproof-polyester-fabric/products/membrane-silpoly?variant=21841469185
.7 oz: http://rockywoods.com/7D-Ultralight-Coated-Ripstop-Nylon-Fabric
.51oz/yd2
17.29gsm cuben https://ripstopbytheroll.com/products/0-51-oz-dyneema-composite-fabric-ct1e-08?variant=1030734849
See Also:
10 by 10 Tarp Update
The Pocket Poncho Tent
The Deer Hunter’s Tent:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/22/ultralight-ground-sheet/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/02/25/inflatable-bathtub-groundsheet/
24/09/2019: The Valley of the Deer: I guess every
hunter dreams of some secluded valley where it feels like you are the first
person to have ever trod – at least where the deer are as plentiful and tame as
rabbits and there is no competition from other hunters. Where you can arrive at
your camp after a couple of day’s hard slog getting in and notice at once that
no-one else had been there. For years this was ‘my’ such valley deep in the
Gippsland mountains. I guess it is a wonder I had it for so long undisturbed.
But, one
should be very careful who you tell about such a magical spot. And perhaps even
more careful of making a path in which is easier for you to follow without
stooping with a pack on. I confess my bad back has made me guilty over the
years of breaking a branch off here and there so that I can smoothly thread my
way through the tall timber.
Other sharp
eyes are ever looking out for such give-a ways, so that one day I arrived to
find my usual pile of wood burned (I always leave a pile against a late
arrival), rubbish strewn everywhere, bones left near camp. Toilet paper! Some
people really annoy me. Can’t they carry a 12 gram trowel
My new spot
is way down that very steep hill. Nearly a kilometre vertically in only about
the same distance horizontally! There are very few ways through the tangle of
precipices. I want to hunt the other side of the valley, and you can’t get to
it from the other side – or from this side without a pack raft.
There I go
again leaving signs to show me the cleft in the rocks where I can clamber down.
At 70 I don’t think I will have many more years I can make it there and back
again anyway really.
I have always
chosen steep country (because others eschew it), but this country is steep by
even my (young) standards, and a hard fall at my age could be very nasty
indeed! Still, I think I would rather someone find my beached bones underneath
some grass tree on a steep mountainside somewhere in the Victorian mountains
than die in bed incontinent and incoherent.
Stupidly (I
know) I have broken off the odd branch to ease my passage. This time I found my
way down in half the time because of it, and annoyingly where I have been
others are bound to follow. This (along the river) stood out to me like a
beacon – because I did not carry a machete either time. It could have been
canoeists. I will hope so. No other sign of hunters.
This time
Della could not come and I did not get bluffed out (like last time
At least
no-one else had come along and shared our precarious camping spot (below) since
I was there before. Does Spot remember? Of course he does.
I carried this little raft now US$110 – Sept 2019 this half kg paddle 282 gram life vest https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/02/new-diy-pack-raft/
There were a
couple of swans at camp to greet me – the first I have ever seen on a
white-water river. Migrating perhaps?
I set up camp
for the night. My new tarp arrangement (610 grams) needed no pegs or a pole to
erect. Spot and I were as snug as bugs in there,
and so cosy
with that delicious warm fire out the front.
Right behind
my camp was this beautiful brachychiton – with pittosporum understory. There
are some beautiful sights in the Victorian bush. These Brachychitons are
hundreds of kilometres from where they are supposed to grow. Don’t they know?
Climate change perhaps? Get real. I have had a rare enough resident of the
Northern territory travel all the way to my back fence to die
Next morning
all we had to do was paddle across to where that creek joined the main river.
Over there. Downstream of the confluence the creek had changed its course over
the years creating a flat nearly a kilometre long and as much as 300 metres
wide. Further up that very long remote creek are other magnificent flats – to
be explored on a later trip. As I mentioned it is just about impossible to
access from the other side of the river.
We are across
the river and looking back (upstream) at our tent amongst the manuka opposite.
I can just make it out – but I know where it is. You would never spot it from
the river. I like to have my camp invisible from the river, as you never know
what kinds of two-legged snakes will came along and maybe even steal your
paddle (as happened to me once!) I had found a way down between the two cliffs
centre. As you can see it is extremely steep, such that you can only just stand
up on it.
The view
downstream from the same spot. That ridge looks much better and leads to the
other end of the flat (and another flat downstream). I will explore it on a
future trip. I could not find where the ridge started at the top on this trip.
You can get around that vast precipice near the top (I think), but there may be
others!
This shot
shows better just how far this flat extends along the river.
There is lots
of grass to eat. If I was sheep farming there I would ‘carry’ about 3-4 ewes
per acre – and this flat is at least a couple of hundred acres! A sambar deer
eats 2-3 times what a mature ewe needs, but you get the point. There are lots
of deer here. Hundreds!
It is a very
beautiful creek – and has trout.
With its own
small grassy flats
Well grazed
pasture on the main flat here.
And here.
A high
traffic area.
Along the
back of the flat is a string of billabongs, each containing many wallows as in
the foreground. I was able to see this from Google Earth – and the deer tracks
going to and from them. Spot sees something at the far right end of the photo.
He knows not
to go for these fellows. We have blue tongue lizards in the garden he was
trained not to chase, and then moved on to not chasing red-bellied black snakes
(as shown here). I have not trained him not to chase sambar deer – quite the
reverse. Hence the shortage of photos of deer. He sees them off before I notice
them usually – but we are here to both have fun! And I prefer eating lamb
anyway. My sheep farmer prejudices showing there.
The
billabongs are quite extensive – and beautiful.
Stretching
downstream underneath that ridge. I naturally expected that the deer would be
bedded along the ridge and not on the flat itself, but I was quite wrong about
that. The deer here are quite undisturbed and have no reason not to be lazy.
Spot and I may give them reason in the future to be a bit more wary!
Lots of
‘preaching trees’ along the flat. Lots of thrashing, rubs etc. Lots of stags
hereabouts.
This is the
bottom end of the flat looking across at another flat downriver. If I can get
down the gentler ridge (right) to here this will make a better base and camp.
It is also easier and closer to get across the river here. There is a good
screen of bushes opposite behind which I can set up a camp.
That is the
same precipice seen from the bottom of the flat. As you can see there is a way
down the ridge behind it. There may be other unseen precipices as one ascends.
One foot after another and I shall find out in the future.
And where are
the deer, you ask. The flat positively reeked of deer. I have never smelled
such a strong scent of many deer except where there is a plague of red deer in
the leatherwood fringes of the snowgrass tops in Fiordland (where I go
sometimes to hunt moose
A dozen times
Spot put up groups of deer who leapt up, honked at him and crashed off – with
him yapping in pursuit. No time to get a photo. Precious little time to even
get off a shot – had I wanted to anyway. I will need to clear a few walking
trails though the flat so that I can creep along without stooping under thick
vegetation or making a noise if I want to shoot any. The grassy clearings here
and there and wallows would be fine places for ambush hunting (if you did not
have a dog with you!) but which I prefer not to do. Unsporting for the deer I
feel. As I said earlier I prefer lamb anyway. And i really prefer to just see
the deer nowadays. I would not enjoy hauling bits of them up those steep ridges
anyway. Perhaps if i make a permanent camp down here – a drum with an Intex paddle shelter
The only
other thing to report was that as I was driving down the precipitous 4WD track
my rear brakes let go. I had spat out a brake pad as one of the pistons in the
caliper had seized. You should never drive in such a manner that you cannot
stop without brakes. I had a long drive back (over 50 km) without any other brakes
than the hand brake (and engine) to somewhere my lovely Della could bring me a
spare part to fix it. 50 years yet she never ceases to delight me!
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/05/23/the-ultimate-hunting-trip/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/03/05/the-lure-of-the-moose/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/24/10-by-10-tarp-update/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2011/12/15/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/04/the-intex-double-paddle/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/06/two-great-poly-tarp-configurations/
24/09/2019: 10 by 10 Tarp Update: I sewed the
tie-outs onto the Tyvek tarp on Friday night and headed up the bush to give it
a try-out on Saturday morning. Completed it weighed 610 grams. An acceptable
weight for such a commodious and versatile shelter. In silnylon it would weigh
under 350 grams.
To reiterate
(just in case you have not read my earlier post
I am using a
piece of Polycro here as a ground sheet
You can also
pitch the tarp as a simple floorless diagonal which will span 14 feet and have
edge cover of 10′ either pegged out from from a pole or tree to the
ground (as shown) or as hammock tarps between two trees. Or it can be pitched
as a completely enclosed hammock shelter spanning 10′). If you are using
it as an open shelter pitched much as above except from the corners instead of
half way along the sides (as shown) it will accommodate several people. I would
use a ridge pole with such a span. (You can get away without one to 10′).
Anyway plenty
of room for me and Spot (who is hiding under my sleeping bag).
Spot has come
along simply to smell the flowers.
Looks good
down (a very steep kilometre vertically) by the river, doesn’t it?
You don’t
need to bring pegs or a pole. The bush is full of sticks which can be used
instead. A foot long forked stick like this will give the tent better purchase
especially in sand than any bought peg anyway.
And it is a
simple matter to tie the shelter to a tall stick.
It always
looks even better with a fire out the front I think.
Especially at
night.
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/06/two-great-poly-tarp-configurations/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/22/ultralight-ground-sheet/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/09/07/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
20/09/2019: A Magical Day: (Della) ‘yesterday
revisiting Tongue Point and Fairy Cove at Wilson’s Promontory with friends. The
beautiful spring weather, the good company and the 8 km walk were all very
pleasant indeed, and we were warmly welcomed by the appearance of some winged
luncheon guests at Fairy Cove (not actual fairies) as well as a killer whale
surfacing just below the cliffs of Tongue Point’.
09/09/2019: 60 DIY Ultralight Hiker Ideas: It has
been quite a while (over two years) since I first posted this. Time for an
update. There are now over 100 ‘ideas’ to try out. Most will save you money or
at least improve your outdoors experience; nearly all of them are my own ‘inventions’.
Hope you find something useful to you.
99. Two Great Poly Tarp Configurations
98. The Intex Double Paddl
97. A Hiking Bidet
96. Thermoplastics #101
95. A Wider Lighter DIY Sleeping Pad
94. Even More Free Stuff for Hiking
Seamless Tyvek Tipi
The Ultimate Camp Shoe
Extempore Hiking Poles
Embryo Wire
Stop Losing Your Pillow
More Free Stuff for Hiking
Free Stuff for Hiking
Best $5 Spent on Camping Ever
Fire Umbrella
DIY Dry Back Pack
How to Carry a Saw
Make Your Sleeping Pad Warmer
Whoopie Sling Guy Line Tensioner
Electric Drill Earth Auger
DIY Air Frame Pack
New Fancy Feast Stove
Budget Pack Mods
Self-Cleaning Pet Water Bowl
More Bird-Brained Things
Trees and Tree Guards
Ultralight Bathtub Floor
Convert a Car to a Camper for $50
Nightcore Tube Hat Clip
A Cure for Slippery Mats
The Siligloo
Simple Hammock Double Up
The Pocket Poncho Tent
Raincoat Shelter
Ultralight Hiking on a Budget
Ultralight Cups
Knee Pillow
Bathtub Groundsheet Chair
Ultralight Poncho Tent
Simple Hearing Aid Safety Clip
Fun With Sticky Tape – Mylar Poncho
A Ball of String and a Feed of Cray
Repurposing Camping Gear
More Fun With Sticky Tape – Mylar Vest
Fishing With Floss
Securing Hearing Aids
Four Gram Fishing Handlines
Hammock Side Insulation
An Open Shelter
4 Gram String Reverse Tripod
Linelock Tie Downs
Attaching Tie Downs to Your Pack
DIY Head Torches
Impregnable Gun Safe
Toughened Foam Flip Flop
The Ultralight Fisherman
Hand Line Fly Fishing
Cold Weather Booties
Pimping a Gorilla
Adding Down to a Sleeping Bag
Windscreens
How to Avoid Being Wet and Cold While Camping
World’s Lightest Tarp Clip
15 Gram Blue Foam Flip Flop
Tyvek Jack Russell Rain Coat – 13 Grams
Ultralight Trail Baker
Folding Staircase for Camper
11 Gram Rechargeable Head Torch
Enginesaver – Low Engine Water Alarm
Ultralight Glasses Case
Hole-less Poncho Shelter
The Ultralight Bush Chair
Pitching the Poncho – This May Save Your Life
Faux Packraft Vs Alpacka Raft
Fire Tent
Honey I Shrank the Tent
Tyvek Twin Fire Shelter
New Decagon-Octagon Igloo Tent
Home made Pack Raft
Poly Tent by the Ultralighthiker on the Cheap
DIY Hiking Desalinator
No Sew sandals
New Tyvek Forester Tent Design
Tray Top Camper
How to Light a Fire in the Wet
Catenary Curves
Bathtime on the Trail – the 1 Gram Platypus Shower
Ultralight Clothes Pegs
Tarp Bathtub Groundsheet
The Egg-Ring Ultralight Wood Burner Stove
Inflatable Bathtub Groundsheet
Tyvek Tent Designs
Tyvek Bivy
The Deer Hunter’s Tent
Tyvek Solo Fire Shelter
Ultralight Chair – Groundsheet
Mobile Phone Antenna
Trowel Peg
Some other
people’s great DIYs:
Tim Tinker
Transparent Tent Instructions
Brawny’s Tarptent
DIY Crampons
DIY PFD 114 Grams
The DIY Gunsmith
DIY Stun Gun
DIY Netless Hammock
DIY Side Burner Metho Stove
08/09/2019: The Rapid Raft: Cheap, light, quick,
simple and tough – and almost self-inflating. What’s not to like? Here are the
two most outstanding features.
Wonderful.
15″ x 5″
when deflated. 33″ x 72″ inflated. 3 lbs. Tubes 200 denier. Floor
400 denier. The nearest competition I guess is the Ultralight version of this
one: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/01/02/new-diy-pack-raft/ https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/04/23/klymit-packraft/
Winner Best
New Gear Outdoor Retailer Summer 2019: Buy now from A$365 (Sept 2019)
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/uncharted-rapid-raft-world-s-lightest-pack-raft#/
07/09/2019: Harbingers of Spring at Jeeralang Junction:
‘Snapped late yesterday as the cold front approached!’
(Della)
In other
developments the Ring-Tailed Possum I thought a victim to Brer Fox
07/09/2019: Still only two swallows. They are now
over a fortnight late, but I am heartened by this old post: 13/12/2016: Swallow
Update: The missing birds have at last returned.
06/09/2019: Two Great Poly Tarp Configurations: I
know most people can’t sew (and probably don’t have much money either) so I
suggest either of these two simple poly tarp ‘hacks’ for en excellent dry
shelter (which you can also enjoy a fire out front with). They both also feature
‘stand-up’ room (at least if you are shorter than 6′) which I think is so
much more comfortable than crawling around on your hands and knees on wet
ground entering and exiting (eg to put another log on the fire).
Both can be
closed in case rain decides to come from every direction at once. I recommend
(if you can sew) sewing gross-grain tie-outs to them and cutting off any excess
material. You don’t need the hems or useless grommets for example (and
especially if they have rope in them as some do). If you can’t sew I suggest
you buy some tarp clips. These ones make a kayak
The 8 by 8: This can be made from a 12 ‘by 12′ tarp. When I began this post I
own that I intended to dig out a 12′ x 12’ model I used to use for years
while waiting for hounds to wander back in from sambar deer hunting. It i s
hidden in the shed somewhere. I rediscovered a couple of them I had made in my
drums along the river where I went recently and spent a couple of delightful nights camped in them – I only regret I
did not take any photos!
Well, I did
find one:
While we were
waiting for hounds, cooking our sausages etc (Brett Irving shows how) I
would set it up like this (in the rain). When I went to bed, I would drop it
down, fold the back flaps under to make a ground sheet and bring the front
‘wings’ across a bit so I stayed dry all night. Of course I could also keep the
fire going so I stayed toasty warm. Half a dozen could shelter safely under it
during our ‘cook-up’ at day’s end.
As it
eventuated I was keen enough to try out a smaller model (& in Tyvek!) that
I went ahead and made it instead of continuing my search through the labyrinth
of the shed:
This diagram
below is for the smaller one therefore and is in feet but I actually cut the
tarp out of a 3 metre roll of Tyvek, so the intermediate points are actually
1.5 metres. If you are making the 8′ x 8′ above instead you will
begin with approximately a 12′ x 12′ tarp. Halving the sides will
give you a 8′ by 8′ diamond in the middle with 12′ diagonals
and the flaps will be approx 6′ long. The size below is likely all you
will need – unless you have lots of friends!
Once I used
to carry just a 7′ by 7′ nylon tarp (and my raincoat). I had a few
uneasy rainy nights when the wind wanted to shift a bit, but I never got wet. I
even used it quite successfully as a hammock tarp many times – and again never
got wet. You can get too excitable about size and ‘making sure’. Most nights it
doesn’t rain anyway – and how often do you go camping when it is going to?
This 10 x 10
tarp can also be pitched as a hammock tarp (and with closed ends on both
sides!) It will definitely keep you dry under the most extreme conditions. I
may add a couple of extra pieces of Tyvek to the floor (with some Tyvek sticky
tape) instead of the 6 x 4′ blue poly tarp you see in the pictures below
– or I will use a piece of Polycro instead. I will post the dimensions of the
floor pieces when I have cut them out.
And here it
is:
There will be
more tie-outs.
The front
flaps can be configured in a variety of ways depending on conditions. I have
only altered one side in the photos. I will take it down (tonight?) and sew all
the tie-outs on as I am intending a (return) trip to a new spot fire umbrella ultralight saw A$40 Intex raft paddle
I also need
to work out a way to fire-proof my drums (as I lost so many in the summer
fires). My initial idea is to bury them standing up so that the top of their
lids is level with the ground (in a grassy spot). The deer will keep the grass
short in the warmer months. I will then peg out a 1 metre by one metre fire
blanket over it. I will have a go at dyeing it. I know that the white fire
blanket will attract attention, but I am hoping that folk who get to such
remote places will be civilised enough to simply use the shelter etc if they
need or wish and put it/them back in the drum. When there is a bushfire it
should go out at the edge of the fire blanket and not be hot enough to melt the
drum.
On this trip
I will see if I can find a small cave in a rocky cliff to stow it. I may take a
makeshift piton and some string to secure it there.
The front
opening is an equilateral triangle 7′ on a side, meaning its height is
approx 6′ . You can either tie to a piece of wood (as shown) or to a
small tree (if available) – which obviates the need for front guys. You could
pitch it lower (and so wider) but the flaps at the front would not join.
My grandson
enjoyed it.
As well as
his mother and our dogs, Spot and Honey.
PS: I usually
have two guys at the front instead of the one shown so that I can peg out to
the ground at the side front thus making room for a fire immediately in front
of the shelter (say about 5′ away).
In Tyvek the
tent in the photos above will weigh about 650 grams in the 1.85 oz/yd2 Tyvek
Homewrap. A lightweight blue poly tarp I bought locally yesterday had a stated
fabric weight of 90 Grams Per Square Meter ie 2.6544 Ounces Per Square Yard (or
43% more) The 12 x 12 model is 44% heavier than the 10 x 10 model, so you might
want to reserve it (in poly) for car camping, as I used to. Nonetheless I think
you should give one a try. If I made the one above out of 1 oz silnylon it
would weigh under 450 grams (under a pound) including pegs and guy lines!
Pretty good for a tent with a floor you can stand in which can double as a
hammock tarp.
It will cost
you very little, and I’m sure you will be mightily pleased with it particularly
when you want to sit in front of a warm fire out of the wind, and especially on
rainy days. One advantage of such a shelter is that your back does not get cold
when you are sitting in front of the fire as the heat is reflected off the back
walls. I usually find that I am sitting around when the temperatures are below
freezing in just my shirtsleeves!
The Forester
Tarp: I haven’t got time to finish the second section of
this post just now so it will become a future post. I must finish the tent
above and get a few other jobs done around the farm or else I will never get
away up the bush. What I have in mind is to add ‘wings’ to the front and back of
this basic Forester design (cut down a little in size as in the second link
below) so that the front will close (as in the tent above) and the back will
also close with overlapping flaps from either side – so that the whole tent can
be cut from a single piece (Tyvek is not quite wide enough – I think). This
design will make a roomier tent than either the 12 x 12 or the 10 x 10 models
above with more stand up room.
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/05/11/col-townsend-whelens-forester-tent/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/02/12/new-tyvek-forestertent-design/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/01/the-dawn-of-ultralight/
Note on
Tie-Outs: I would sew a piece of reinforcing material at the
front tie-out (which takes all the weight of the fabric -and any flap) and also
at the rear one (particularly on the Forester – for the same reason). Otherwise
I have found that simply hemming the material then sewing the gross-grain
ribbon for the tie outs along the hem for 2’3 inches then forming an approx 2″
loop, giving the material 180 degree twist (like a Mobius strip) – so it is
easier to get the pegs through, then sewing along the hem for a for a further
2-3″ on the other side works well. As this one may also be used as a
hammock tarp I might also reinforce the corners.
BTW: You can pitch either of these tarps as simple floorless diagonals where
the smaller of the two will span 14 feet and have edge cover of 10′
either pegged out from from a pole or tree to the ground (as shown) or as
hammock tarps between two trees. (Obviously if you were going to use it like
this, you would need to carry a piece of Polycro as an ultralight groundsheet You can buy a piece 5′ x 9′ from Amazon.com.au for A$11.46).
So, something
like this (or the photo of the blue tarp at the top):
Or you could pitch it like thi
DIY Hiker: You can find over 100 of my other DIY hiker ideas here: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/07/13/60-diy-ultralight-hiker-ideas/
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/02/01/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/05/29/brawnys-tarptent/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/28/tyvek-solo-fire-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/05/27/an-open-shelter/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/03/03/fire-tent/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/11/22/ultralight-ground-sheet/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/06/25/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
https://www.shelter-systems.com/product-category/gripclips/
01/09/2019: Snow Day: The photo of me standing in
the snow in front of the archway in the last post
Back in 1983
there was an even bigger dump. I remember it even snowed at Tarwin Lower where
we were then living within 10 metres of sea level – our driveway here at
Jeeralang Junction is exactly 200 metres above sea level, so that we are safe
from the Poles melting.
There was
substantial snow on the road all the way to Mirboo North back in 1983 where we
then worked. It was so heavy it broke the tops of the old cypress trees on our
farm here at Jeeeralang Junction and they have been falling down ever since. Of
course we were not living here then (1991 on) so we didn’t see it but the dump
in 2005 we did see. We kept the kids home from school (as it was very cold and
might become even more dangerous) so I took quite a lot of photos of it, after
I had been around the lambs on the flats first thing in the morning.
This was the
view across the road from our driveway as I drove down.
The Maremma
sheep guard dog, Brandy wasn’t fazed by all that white stuff. He grew up on our
old Dobbins Hill farm on the top of the Jeeralangs several hundred metres
higher up where it often snowed in winter.
Here is the
old archway again with my oldest daughter Irralee posing in front of it.
The snow was
still falling intermittently throughout the day – here along the front of the
house.
Looking down
towards the front gate through Della’s extensive gardens.
The snow
falling in front of the hills opposite.
Irralee again
in front of the other archway. She must have been the first of the children up
that day. She seemed very happy to see the snow (or because it was my
birthday!)
We used to
have a lot of this model Subaru (1981-4) -around a dozen of them! Someone had
built a snowman on the bonnet of this one.i used to fit five canoes on one set
of those roof racks in summer!
Mid-morning
but the snow was still falling heavily. We didn’t know whether Della would be
able to get to or back from Mirboo North where she worked at the time – but she
did!
Brandy
decided discretion was the better part of valor and sheltered under the
archway.
Della’s rose
garden.
Rams on the
hill looking forlorn.
And others
just lying around in it.
These two
look quite blizzarded in.
At various
times during the day I took one family member or another up the road to look at
our old Dobbins Hill farm where the snow lay much heavier. This is my son, Bryn
at the front gate.
And again.
My daughter
Merrin.
The snow was
really coming down for her. Even when she was a small child she never needed to
wrap up from the cold.
But her
husband, Matt did.
After Della
returned from work, she wanted to have a look there too.
And took a
photo of me also standing at our old front gate. Some days the snow was thick
enough up there to toboggan.
The road back
down was looking a bit icy.
Looking down
on the home farm from the top road.
And again.
It was
snowing heavily as Della and I drove back down.
This old plum
tree in the paddock looked quite magical.
There was
lots of snow waiting for us in the driveway.
View of the
bottom dam in the creek below the house.
And across
the creek.
Heading down
to the Hazelwood Flats farm the snow was much lighter though there had been
more ice and snow when I first arrived there to check the lambs at daybreak.
The warm water of the power station pondage just across the road helped melt it
into icy puddles quite quickly.
But the
surrounding hills had practically enough to ski on.
By the time Della
and I got there to re-check the sheep in the afternoon the snow was pretty much
all gone.
Just vast icy
puddles.
And ewes
standing around looking forlorn and bereft.
The worst
part about such a cold day was all the stock losses. We actually lost no adult
sheep (They were all in good condition – and we had plenty of hay I could put
out as well) but one farmer in South Gippsland lost 300 Jersey cows. Another
lost 3,000 sheep. My losses for the day were (approx) 200 newborn lambs which I
found (mostly) lying dead in 6″ deep icy puddle of water when I was going
around the lambs as I did first thing every morning at lambing on our property
then on the Hazelwood Flats.
Of course
there were others which were near expiring. I did everything I could for them,,
but it was not to much effect. The best thing was putting out several dozen big
round bales of hay which the sheep could tear at – in the process making warm
dry beds for the surviving lambs. It was pretty distressing (on my birthday) I
can tell you to be losing around a fifth of my annual income; somewhere above
$30,000 (gross) worth!
Something
like this: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/27/anguish/
See
Also: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/31/the-arch/
31/08/2019: The Arch: Which I built in a morning
(for $27) over thirty years ago is no more. Back on 08/06/2014 I posted this
about it: Invisible worlds: the archway: Straight outside our front door we
have this archway: you’ve probably seen it before in family photos, as it makes
an interesting backdrop. Around here we have often been too busy to notice
things, but as we are slowing down we maybe have more time for noticing and
less for doing…anyway, we were sitting in front of it the other night watching
the pigeons fly…And hearing them too: since a have had my new Siemens
waterproof hearing aids I can once again hear the wondrous ‘whoosh’ of pigeon
flight…we noticed a fair sized flock of starlings circling as well. It was just
on dusk. We were wondering what they were doing.
Well, Della
put the pigeon food in the loft and opened the trap. The pigeons dropped into
the loft like stones. A chill was creeping in, so we turned to go in the front
door. Suddenly, literally in the blink of an eye I guess, 100 starlings fell
out of the sky into that archway. They must have done this several thousand
times since I built it many years ago, but we had never caught them doing so.
They are quiet neighbours, obviously up at sunrise and off about their
business, returning swiftly at dusk, and making no outward noise to advertise
their presence. I am sure the potato vine has benefited enormously from their
residence over the years though. So much in nature is virtually invisible to us
even if it is right before our eyes.
The arch was
very simple to construct, and we do need more of them, one leading down to the
shed, for example – a job for another day…I marked it out, drove 3’ lengths of
¾ gal water pipe into the ground vertically to half their length, then slipped
the required length of concrete reo inside them (to form a hoop), and lengths
of 1 ½ inch poly water pipe over them, Surprisingly each arch is strong enough
like this for a large person like me to swing on. Having made a row of them, we
simply clad them with light gal weldmesh (attached with cable ties), planted
the potato vine/s, and voila! You used to be able to walk up pavers through it
from the ‘guest’ parking below to our front door, but over the years Della has
so cluttered it with interesting decorations this may no longer be possible…
Della had
this to say about its demise: Underneath the Arches: Some Garden
Nostalgia .
The
accompanying pictures, beginning with a 3-year-old Merrin cradling her kitten
“Blackie”, document the aging of that archway. Within 2 years, when the 3
children are pictured on their first day of the school year, the sky has been
all but obliterated, and from then on, despite my constant battle with shears
and secateurs, the potato vine took over, smothering the roses and creating a
dense, tunneled thicket that became home to dozens of starlings.
A couple of
years ago, the weight of all that vine began crushing the structure, so that it
was impossible to even crawl through it. Something had to be done, so we added
it to the jobs planned for our recent excavation work.
This was the
famous ‘Snow Day’ Aug 10th 2005:
Its removal
was the work of less than 5 minutes: one large munch, a roll of the jaws and a
lift up and out. And while the excavator was here, Steve arranged to have it
dig in the supports for the replacement walkway which he later finished with
some carpentry.
So: the sky
has returned, I have 10 new climbing roses ready for planting, and I have
learned an important lesson about avoiding potato vine! The old pavers will
need replacing, but I will get the garden cleaned up and replanted first.
Meanwhile,
Merrin and a 3-year-old Milo (complete with a puppy, this time) posed today for
a photo of our archway for the next generation.
See Also:
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2017/05/08/invisible-worlds-the-weir/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/04/30/invisible-worlds/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2018/02/28/hidden-worlds-nocturnal-ants/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/11/15/boojums/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2015/07/26/water-babies/
https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2016/10/24/the-wildlife-seems-to-get-wilder-everyday/
21/08/2019: The Dragonfly Knife: I know I posted
about this remarkable knife some time back, but mine arrived today and it is
the most astonishing knife I have ever owned. Only 10 grams but razor sharp and
capable of butchering a deer. It is also absolutely beautiful: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2019/08/20/the-dragonfly-ultralight-titanium-knife/
19/08/2019: Unusual Locking Folder: Opinel make
some pretty unique knives. I guess I came to the party a bit late on this one,
but I have two of them in my hand right now and they are magnificent! First I
bought the Opinel No 6: because a reader (Tim) recommended it (in this https://www.opinel.com/en/tradition/stainless-steel/n6-stainless-steel https://www.opinel.com/en/tradition/carbon-steel/n6-carbon eBay
Then a friend
(Jock) happened to give me a No #8 stainless
The first
thing I discovered was the unique blade lock. I had seen them in the shop and
passed them over as I thought they didn’t have one. Instead they have what
might be a superior one. At least there is no way this blade lock is going to
fail and leave you with severed fingers – as can happen. You can see in the
photos I took below how the ring-type lock they have works. They call it the
‘Virobloc safety ring’. You just need to rotate it to make the bade stay
in the open or closed position. Just hook it around with your thumbnail (as
shown) though as it wears a bit it will become easier to rotate.
You can see
how it moves into place completely blocking the movement of the blade in either
the open or closed position.
Now
completely blocked.
This is the
No 6 Carbon). It has a 7 cm (2 3/4″) blade.
My hands are
still pretty scratched up from nearly a week of bush-bashing
It is a very
attractive little knife with its distinctive and comfortable beech handle. A
rounded handle like this is great on the hand
Here we are
enjoying ourselves, none the worse for wear from our trek (or rickshaw ride).
If this doesn’t work, try this:
Everest View Namche:
You
need the Google Maps App from the Play Store installed on your phone and when
you are downloading the map you need to be connected to the internet. . When
you open the Maps App you will see three parallel lines on the top left hand
corner. Click on them. A menu will open. Scroll down to ‘Offline Maps’ and
select that. At the top of the page you will see ‘Select Your Own Map’. Tap on
that. A map of the world will open. (probably it will already be centred on the
area you re in now). You can navigate to any area of the world you want to
download. Google will tell you how much space on your phone the download
will take up. Obviously you need to have the available storage. Click
‘Download’ to transfer the map selected to your phone. It will stay on your phone
for a year. You have to refresh or ‘Update’ it before it expires.
