Becoming a Walking Group / Mountain Leader

Roadmap

• Skill up navigation (NNAS Silver Award: done, Gold training: Oct 10/11)
• Get outdoor first aid certificate (Apr 19)
• Obtain D1 license
• Do 20+ Quality Mountain Days
• Book Mountain Leader Training (prerequisite: 20+ QMDs)

Step 1 of errrr... many

I think I'm a person who is very comited and focused once I've set a new goal for myself. Learning an instrument, moving to the UK or climbing Kilimanjaro. Somehow there was never a doubt I wouldn't achieve any of those goals.

I've always secretly wished I would one day lead groups through hills, moors and mountains, but never really pursued the idea. One of the many "I wish I'd be doing this some day."-dreams all of us have. With the outdoor industry still on the rise and the possibility to even study outdoors at university these days I still figured, I wouldn't really stand a chance of actually becoming a leader. Risking my well paid job to vanish for a couple of weeks for an un- or badly paid trainee leader position somewhere... well, if I'd be 20 I would jump at that. Not so now.

With that wish in my mind and the frustration of knowing that the cost of going along that path would be too high, all I really needed was a spark to ignite my ambition, to push me over the edge into a full commitment. That spark hit me late last year when I was asked by a friend who's running week-long walking holidays if I could imagine being a guide for those groups some day. I was rubbing my eyes, read that email a couple of times, just to be sure it wasn't a dream and I didn't misunderstand it.

After an enthusiastic happy-dance and a few bounces around my room, I sat down to catch my breath and type my answer along the lines of "Dunno, yeah... maybe. Sounds cool. What's going to be expected of me?" Inside I was still rejoicing, laughing happily, thinking "Hell yeah!!!!"

So I agreed to stay in touch, get some navigation skills under my belt, a first aid course and the D1 license. On top of that I would now really pursue the Mountain Leader Scheme and get at least to the stage where I can do the training course. Then do a trial week and see how I feel on the other side of the screen, haha. So far I've been a regular customer, not the guide. So here's my plan:

Skill up Navigation

I decided to follow the National Navigation Award Scheme up to the highest level and have recently completed the Silver which was great fun and I am now able to take a bearing (and back bearing), know how to figure out grid references and how to pace. So far I've used map and compass more to align features on the map to features around me. Now I have a few more cards up my sleeve and will certainly practice them before I do the Gold course in October.

This one will be the masterclass of navigation with relocation, night navigation and navigating around bigger obstacles with emphasis on being absolutely precise in everything I do. Will go to South Snowdonia near Dolgellau for the course and already looking forward to it.

Outdoor First Aid

I'll attend a 16 hour course in the Peak District mid April and I already have a lot of questions and potential situations in my mind where I'd be unsure what would be the best way to go forward. Someone breaks a leg in the middle of nowhere in bad weather... there's more than a broken leg that a guide needs to think of. There're a dozen wet and freezing people that can't be standing around for hours. Learning about what can and has to be done is not only valuable knowledge for leaders but also for me as a walker who goes out with friends.

D1 License

Literally down to time and money. I LOVE driving and will greatly enjoy this, but I need to save up around £800 to see this through. Hopefully will manage at some point later this year.

The Mountain Leader Scheme

This is more a by-product of my efforts to get the necessary skills for leading groups for my friend. In order to be allowed to the training course I need 20 Quality Mountain Days (QMDs) which means any day I spend at least 5 hours outdoors, learning something new, practising skills or being exposed to difficult conditions. Getting access to the assessment and hopefully Mountain Leader Award will need another 40 QMDs. But I'm not even thinking about that yet, haha.

So a lot to do over the next few years. I'll do it bit by bit, concentrating on the next step ahead. Just like climbing a mountain. Speaking of... there are a few mountaineering adventures coming up next year as well, so I'll be hard pressed to fit all this into my diary.

More Bearings, More Pacing

I hadn't slept well in my fancy hotel room. The bed was way too soft. I even considered sleeping on the floor. Really. A mattress twice as thick as a normal one. Strapped on top some kind of duvet, then a cushioned blanket... ahhhhh! The cushion was too thick, so I just took my fleece shirt to place my head on. At least that was easy to sort. I stripped off that duvet thing and hoped my back wouldn't be too sore in the morning.
In the middle of the night the heating started making funny noises. Very LOUD funny noises. I turned it off, which stopped the disturbance... for about an hour. Arg. Plus: Even turned off it felt as if on full blast. So I was sweating on a too soft bed with a loud heating. I had a fantastic night.

Breakfast options were the usual, at least they had gluten-free sausages. They still tasted like there was some kind of grain in them, but I'm being picky here. I was just knackered craving for a cappuccino when there was only normal coffee. Blergh.

Headed back from Hathersage to Foolow for my day two on the Navigation Award Course. New people on it. A walking group from Sheffield and guess what... two Germans among them. Ha!
Spent about 5 hours outside walking up a hill and then over another moor practising more pacing and taking a bearing.

Me and Steve with whom I teamed up for an exercise found the stone circle we were supposed to find in the middle of a sea of heather after pacing 350m metres, taking a bearing from the map first. We were pretty much bang on right in the middle of the stone circle after 350m. Wow. And you could really only see it, when you were right inside it. No way you can find it any other way. Was good fun, although a bit nippy, but no rain or the promised snow shower.
I got my Silver certificate at the end and feel now a lot more confident using my map and compass to navigate to a certain point. Still, there's so much more I'd like to learn. Like adjusting my bearing when I have to circumvent obstacles or navigating in zero visibility. I have more options now for those situations, but still want to keep on learning, going for the Gold award later this year to make me a navigation pro!

Taking a Bearing and Counting Steps

I had slept reasonably well at the YH in Stratford being all alone in a room with three bunkbeds... until late when I got a fellow inhabitant who was coughing loudly halfway through the night. Arg.
I've seen quite a few of the YHA hostels now and have to admit, they've all been spotlessly clean with good facilities, very friendly staff and a bargain price. Many feature bars and restaurants and I'm akways happy to book with them. The only downside is that you don't know who's sharing a dorm with you. 99% of people I met where very nice and had some interesting stories to tell and you can always book a private room.

Set off at 7:30am and arrived almost exactly two hours later in Foolow, a tiny village near Eyam. Every single house built with limestone it reminded me a lot of those beautiful Cotswolds villages.
Met our instructor on the green in the centre and spent the next hour an a half in the small village hall learning about maps, scales, compasses and how to take a bearing with four other students. We then headed out over some fields, put our knowledge of how to take a bearing to good use and learned how to measure 100 metres by counting our steps and getting familiar with our own stride.
The promised rain didn't show up and after lunch br.eak at the class room we were out again further practicing our newly acquired skills on a walk over moorland.
I've used maps before but mainly to match features on it to my surroundings and I used a compass only to walk into a general direction. I know how long I take on a stretch of a 1:50k map, but now I'm able to do this much more efficient. I can uses features around me to more or less judge exactly where I am on a map and can navigate to certain places that are not yet visible over pathless ground.

Drove over to Hathersage, checked in at the Little John Hotel, which is all Robin Hood themed to occupy Maid Marian's Room, ha! People who are familiar with my former alter ego will understand why I was quite excited about this. The room is absolutely amazing and spacious. Watched the rugby as it was too busy downstairs in the pub and went there for food afterwards. Plates looked generally good. The steak I ordered was a disappointment though.  Dry and nearer to well done than to medium-rare a ordered. Boo. Still, nice place. Will retire now to my posh room and watch some telly, not giving in to the urge to play some pool at the table here, hehe. Such a good cloth they have on it.

Another Box Checked

Having been in my new job for only two weeks so far I enjoyed my first short Friday in ages! I had collected a few hours of overtime so that I could leave no later than 2pm headed north for my first of a few trips  to the Peak District. I had booked my weekend well in advance not knowing if I'd be still in my old job which would've made an early finish close to impossible. So I had only booked me a hotel for Sat night. Getting accomodation now on short notice for a reasonable price was looking for a needle in a haystack. I ended up choosing the YHA hostel in Stratford-upon-Avon for Fri night.  This way a very early start from Bristol on Sat changed to an early start from Stratford. Plus I could visit another place I've never been to before.

Arrived at the hostel which is situated in a massive white manor house at 4pm sharp, put a shirt on my bed to render it mine (couldn't find my towel) and walked half an hour into town in beautiful sunshine. They had given me a map at the hostel, but I only quickly glanced at it, then tucked it away and just walked around. I've seen far more British towns and cities than German ones but Stratford was still special in its high number of well preserved 16th century buildings.
I roamed the few streets that make up the centre as shops were closing, paid the Holy Trinity Church a visit as the sun was vanishing behing the rooftops. Past an authentic looking Chinese and saw some people sharing a hot pot inside. Ever since I saw one of those on a tv food program I wanted to have it. But so far no Chinese had the real one. Arg.
Went for a pint at The Old Thatch first and enjoyed a pint of Seafarers Ale, the first ale I liked enough to drink a whole pint. After telling my boyfriend - who is as keen on having  hot pot as me - about that Chinese, I went back there to get a menu leaflet. We decided to pay them a visit on our way from home the Peak District over Easter.
Walked back to the hostel in the dark. Was good to see another place, but unless you want to see Shakespeare's birthplace and his theatre and his daughter's house and his tomb, there's not much to see and do. Still good opportunity to tick Stratford off the list.

Tomorrow I'll head to Foolow near Hathersage for a two day navigation course. Will go home with the NNAS Silver Award as proof of my skills. I feel quite confident in using map and compass but am more than happy to fill some gaps and learn how to navigate in bad conditions when a map is of little use.
Looking at the weather forecast we may get lucky with heavy rain and moderate visibility at most on Sunday. Haha.

2015 - The Year of The Peak District

Now that I am as keen as mustard to go onto my next mountaineering expedition, I have yet to wait for more than a year to head out for my next adventure of this kind. A year of getting my equipment for higher altitude and colder regions together... bit by bit. Doesn't mean I'll be sitting on my arse online shopping all year.

Instead I'll be concentrating on working towards my Mountain Leader Award. I need half a dozen more "quality" days out on the hills to be allowed for the training course, so with my new job in Newport starting in March I'll be hopefully a regular in the Brecon Beacons and North Wales with easier/shorter access to those fantastic hills.

But I have a few things planned so far and as it turns out I'll be spending a lot of time in The Peak District. Never been there so far, so I figured it's a good idea to concentrate on this place.

So what's going on then?


Mid-March
Peak District: Weekend in Foolow on a Navigation Course getting the NNAS Silver Award in the end.

Easter - First Weekend of April
Peak District: Staying in Buxton, my boyfriend and me will enjoy four days of riding all over the Peak District on our road bikes, going out for a walk if our bums hurt too much.

Mid-April
Peak District: Staying in Bakewell over another weekend, I'll attend an Outdoor First Aid Course, giving me all the skills a mountain leader needs.

Mid/End-May
Scotland: Heading up to Glasgow on a Friday night I'll pocket another munro near Loch Lomond on my way to Crianlarich Saturday, where I'll be picked up by a mini-bus for another one of those lovely wandern-schottland.de hillwalking weeks. This time we'll be exploring Argyll while staying in a fantastic manor house, enjoying a wee dram by the fire after a day out on the hills.

http://www.achnacloich.com/

Afterwards I'll hop off in Crianlarich again to meet up with a long lost friend for another 2-3 days of munro bagging in the area, getting some mountain leader practice under my belt as I'm the one planning our tours and I have to get us both back in one piece.

Autumn
"The North": Week-long mountain bike tour with my boyfriend on the Pennine Bridleway, riding from the South-East of the Peak District all the way up to the North end of the Yorkshire Dales.

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/pennine-bridleway

Early-December
North Wales, Capel Curig: Week-long Winter Mountaineering Course with the National Mountain Sports Centre gaining valuable experience using ice axe and crampons.
http://www.pyb.co.uk/courses-detail.php?coursecode=WWM04&irisref=247

So that's it. Lots going on though it doesn't really feel like it, haha. I'll keep you posted!

My Kilimanjaro Trip - Conclusion and Outlook

Conclusion
What a memorable trip that was! I'm happy everything went so smoothly in the end and my mind was fed a whole lot of wonderful memories.

Africa/Tanzania
My first time in Africa I didn't really have time to get to know the people and the culture of Tanzania. What I have seen and experienced was very much like India in terms of infrastructure/hygiene etc. People are very friendly and open, they ask for your name straight away and shake hands. You will hardly see an unfriendly face.
I don't know if I ever want to come back though. Don't get me wrong, it's worth a visit for sure and I'd like to get to know the country and the people better, but there are just too many things on my agenda that I'd rather do first. :)

Travel Organisation
I chose to pay a bit more for my trip on purpose. I could've gone with a local organizer and succeeded but I picked Jagged Globe for one reason alone: They always have a UK guide coming along. As soon as any kind of issues come up, be they health related or organisation related, a UK guide will fully understand me in language, culture and way of thinking.
They also take a day longer for acclimatisation and the whole package they provide is superb! I always got a timely answer to my inquiries, communication was very friendly and they provided a load of information beforehand. I got a call a few days before my trip started, they asked me if I had any last minute issues/queations. And last but not least did they honestly try their best to cater for my dietary needs and I simply felt very well cared for. Perfect customer service.

Their local partner - namely The Keys Hotel - and the porters, camp helpers and guides were absolutely fantastic, too. Camp was set up when we arrived, we got warm meals and more food than we could eat in ten weeks and everyone was just very friendly and helpful. Thumbs up!

High Altitude
The great unknown for me when I set out. What would it feel like? How would I be affected. Apart from that one cracking headache on Lava Tower I can proudly say I hardly felt a thing. Seems like my body can generally cope with it quite well.
Above 3500m I felt the need to take a very deep breath every now and then and had a mild pressure behind my forehead but otherwise felt fine. On summit day I felt a bit dizzy very much like after 4 quick pints, haha. Can't complain about loss of appetite, lack of sleep or even nausea.

Still this is no free ticket to the peaks of the world. It can be completely different next time depending on my fitness and general condition when I start another adventure. I've also only been close to 6000m and not above it. I think that's when the "fun" really starts.
Still, my trepidation about the whole matter was unnecessary. I feel more confident and self-assured now to take on more challenges.

Gear
There was nothing I missed on my trip. The sleeping bag was not as warm as promised but with warm baselayer and liner I could easily cope.
There's still a number of upgrades I need for future trips. Namely boots, sunglases/goggles and a down jacket to fit under my hardshell.

What's Next?
With the feeling of a full success and the knowledge that my body is not unable to cope with high altitude the whole world of mountaineering is wide open for me. Options are more than plenty. It's not only The Seven Summits that tempt me, there are dozens of other adventures that I would take on immediately if I had the money and the time.

Skill Up
But before I venture further I need to gain some ice axe and crampon experience. A Scottish Winter Mountaineering course at the end of the year is the most obvious choice here, combining my love for Scotland and my ambitions to conquer all munros with gaining essential skills. Win-win, ha! After that I'll just decide what fits best for me in 2016.

Gear Up
Apart from crampons and ice axe there's a few more bits and pieces I need to get. I should be fine down to a temperature of -30C using both of my sleeping bags and my liner. Some decent goggles and glacier sun glasses are high up on the list.
But most of all I need decent double boots, that keep my feet warm. Will probably buy the warmest ones that fit, haha. If my feet freeze on Kili, what will happen on proper snow? I'd rather not find out without getting new boots before.

Make a Choice
2016 will certainly see me on another mountaineering adventure. The Seven Summits are very tempting and I will do them one by one only deciding if I dare going further when I have ticked one off. So it's either going to be Elbrus (which I want to do together with Kazbek) or Aconcagua next.

South America is more than tempting to me since I've never been there, so I may go to Equador or Mexico to do some of the volcanoes there before I attempt another one of the Seven Summits. 

Too many choices, ahhh. If I can get the time off and the funds I may do two adventures next year. But until then.... I'll stick to my beloved British Hills.

Kilimanjaro, Hakuna Matata - Part 3

03.01. Barafu Camp - Uhuru Peak (5895m / 19341ft) - Mweka Camp (3100m / 10170ft)
Step by step

Summit day!!! Whoohooo!!!! I woke up 4 minutes to midnight after only two hours of sleep and perfectly on time. Had packed the night before so I simply put the last layers of clothing on and took care to stay warm. After a quick and simple breakfast we set off pretty much on time at 1am. Sandwiches and chocolate bars had been provided, but I only took two small packs of nuts from the pile of food with me. It's said you need sugar at high altitude, but I was determined not to stray from my diet. Had found some protein bars a few weeks before at Boots which only have a few carbs and would feed on some of those.

With head torches alight we set off in single file and could already see other groups ahead. One setting off from camp and several more on the big black lump that Kili was in the middle of the night. The almost full moon shed a good deal of light, so I wasn't too worried when my head torch went out not long after we had started our long summit day. I could turn it on again, but it just seemed to me it didn't like the cold/altitude at all since it just went dark again five mins later. Boo!

We walked super slowly out of camp and up the first steeper part. It was too slow for me to get my body really working and producing warmth. After 45 mins we stopped for a short break, nibbling a bit of food and having a few sips of water. I could feel the cold seeping through my boots and winter socks and after only five minutes my feet where rather cold. Luckily we continued soon.
Every 45-60 mins we took those short stops and after the third my feet were numb lumps of ice. I tried rubbing them, putting feet- and hand warmers into my boots but nothing worked. In the end - dreading frost bite -  I decided to just put a second pair of socks on and hope for the sun to come out soon and warm my feet through the leather of my boots. I would rather have my toes amputated than turn back now, hahaha.

Around 5000m one of our group had to walk back down with one of four local guides that accompanied us. I heard and saw others suffering and staggering too, but felt pretty good myself. So far a walk in the park.
Concentrating on my breathing time passed quickly and it was 5:30am before I knew it. The first rays of the setting sun behind Mawenzi fuelled my determination even more. It is hard to find words for the most beautiful dawn I have ever witnessed. Longing so much for the sun after such a long night, its rays were completely encompassing and imbuing me, planting an overwhelming feeling of peace into my mind.
With tears in my eyes I just knew that everything was going to be okay and there was nothing that could stop me now.

The most beautiful sunset behind Mawenzi

As were got closer to the crater rim, we met more and more people going down already, many of them encouraging us to keep going. Two of our small group were lacking behind when the rest reached Stella Point around 8:30am. We understood why some people turn around here. It's almost as high as the "real" summit and many are just completely wasted after the long and steep last bit of the climb.

I couldn't stop looking back over to Mawenzi

Stella Point, almost there

We had a short break to recover our strength and were just about to head off along the rim to the "real" peak - Uhuru Peak - which is not much higher, when our two missing companions made their way to Stella Point. Our oldest member Tim (71) and his wife whose asthma made it all the harder for her dragged themselves up to the sign post. What a great achievement!!!

We waited for both to recover and made our way together along the rim now. Not much elevation gain but at this altitude it took us another hour to finally, finally reach the highest point of Africa! Uhuru Peak.

We gathered just a few steps away from the signpost and made our way there all together as one group. No one suggested that. We simply did it without the need to agree on it. The second most memorable moment on this trip. What an expression of the comrade- and honest friendship that this group had developed over such a short time. In our hearts we felt for the one who hadn't made it and he was truly missing.

9:30am on the roof of Africa. Finally!!! After a whole year of looking forward to this single moment after days of approaching and 8.5hrs of walking 1200m/4000ft uphill on this summit day, this moment was only the icing on the cake. It was only one of many I will remember from this truly amazing trip.

Up here at almost 6000m/20000ft I finally felt the altitude. I had been the only one left (apart from the local guides) feeling fit and well and relaxed where others where stumbling and fighting to keep going. But now a headache was building up and I felt a little dizzy, almost drunken.
After a hearty sip of fine whisky form my flask and the usual photos we went back to Stella Point and with three others and one of the guides I was in the first group to start the descent down back to Barafu Camp, I just longed to lay my exhausted body to rest.

Down a steep scree slope we more skied than walked and were back in camp just after noon after 11 hours on foot. I crawled into my tent, slumped prone onto my bed and literally passed out within a second.

Looking down on Barafu Camp

Woke up an hour later when the last members of our team arrived in camp. We had a small lunch at 1:30pm, packed and started our long decent down towards Mweka Camp. All of us were happy but very exhausted. Still we had to keep going for a couple more hours.
Downhill may not be very strenuous in itself and the path was quite easy to walk for about an hour and a half to Millenium Camp. But we had to press on for another two hours on a very rocky and in our state quite difficult and thus almost dangerous path down to Mweka Camp.
My legs felt like butter when we finally arrived just after 6pm. I wasn't sure if I could've gone much further anyway. 17 hours with maybe two hours of rest in between. That was easily the longest day of walking I've ever done. EVER! Not counting the elevation even.
Again I slumped face down onto my bed, but couldn't really sleep. We had dinner when the others arrived an hour later and went to bed after around 8pm, happy and completely exhausted.


04.01./05.01. Mweka Camp - Moshi - Amsterdam - Bristol
Heading home

After a good night's sleep we left camp 7:30am for our last walk together. Although we had stood on top of the highest mountain not yet 24 hours ago, it felt like it had been a couple of days in the past.
For about three hours we walked through the magnificent sub-tropical forest. I found myself a spot in between groups walking alone most of the time enjoying the sounds and smells of the forest, marvelling at the plants, the high trees and the solitude only slightly disturbed by porters coming up from behind.
My legs were aching big time from yesterday's strenuous descent. But I didn't mind at all and simply enjoyed a fine walk. A shame I couldn't stay longer.

Bye bye Kili

Back at the gate we were also back in the heat. Within little more than 24 hours we had passed four (?) vegetation zones. Wow! Not to mention the temperature difference. We chilled a bit until our bus was loaded, said good bye to our porters and helpers who performed the famous Kilimanjaro song for us and after an half an hour ride we were back at the hotel. Had lunch with the group and three of our local guides and loads of beer!!! We all got our summit certificates and had some time to kill.

I decided to go into town with three others and delay my hard earned shower for a bit. We just walked around for a bit trying to fend of the fly-pitchers again and found a very lovely souvenir shop in a side street where we could just snoop around without being talked into buying something. Still we did get some stuff. I had to have two shirts which were a real bargain at $7 each.

This is how people in Moshi carry their shopping bags

Walked lazily back, had my much longed for shower at the hotel and was brought to the airport with our guide and three others. The rest of the group stayed for a safari.
Boarded the plane around 10pm, had a change of passeners in Dar-es-Salam and off we went towards Amsterdam. I slept like a log through the first on-board meal and most of the night. Change in Amsterdam was just relaxed this this time. Had a chat over a coffee with one of my new found friends before we said our final goodbyes.

Was back home on the 5th way before noon, changed and craved so much for meat/protein that I walked straight over to one of my favourite burger places to have a supersize double-patty burger, yeah.