Prospective wild camp

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I'm still hoping to go up to the Lakes next week for 4 or 5 days. I've
not quite decided what to do yet: a circular route of my own design, a
circular route of long-standing or a 4 or 5 day bimble, arranged on a
daily basis, in accordance with how I feel, and the look of the
weather.

What I do know, though, is that when I look forward to the prospect of
spending 4 or 5 nights alone in the hills there's more than just a
frisson of anxiety mixed in with the familiar feeling of excited
anticipation, and I'm not sure where that anxiety comes from.

It's not unfamiliarity with my kit, or fear of encountering a lunatic.
I know I can hike from A to E via B, C and D, and so it's not a
concern that I don't know what I'm doing. I know that fundamentally I
enjoy backpacking, which is why I keep returning to it, but there's no
doubt that when I lock up the car, fasten the car key into the lid of
the rucksack, turn my back and walk off into the hills for a couple of
days or more there's a part of me that feels as though I'm embarking
upon an uncertain encounter with a vast unknown. The experience is far
more than the simple, mechanical process of erecting a tent in a
sheltered spot, preparing a meal, sleeping through the night and
walking home again.

Does anyone else feel this way? I can't quite put it into words, but
if you get a slightly odd feeling in the pitt of your tummy at the
idea of disappearing into the hills with your tent then you're
probably feeling it too...

Yes, but to a lesser degree. I tend to get it more when on exposed
ridges - Crib Goch in a howling gale and torrential rain such that you
couldn't safely stand upright springs to mind. It's what makes it so
much fun!!

If there was no sense of apprehension there would be no adventure,
thrill or challenge to it. And that to me is a major part of the
appeal of all things outdoors and extreme.

--
Darren
mail to darren not ng

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:35:43 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Does anyone else feel this way? I can't quite put it into words, but
if you get a slightly odd feeling in the pitt of your tummy at the
idea of disappearing into the hills with your tent then you're
probably feeling it too...

Earlier this year I went to the northern Carneddau. I got the train
to Penmaenmawr and walked south. (The "arty" shot on my website was
taken on that trip.)

I was never more than a couple of miles from civilisation and I was
only going to be away for ONE NIGHT!

However, once I'd put up my tent, and was waiting for the tea water to
boil, I thought I'd switch on my mobile phone and see if I'd had any
messages. I couldn't get a signal. Panic! I got a horrible feeling
in the pit of my stomach and I felt like crying. It was wierd; I
could have walked back to the station in 3 or 4 hours if I had set my
mind to it. Heck, I could have walked to Llanduddno Junction (and had
a chance of getting a train!). The feeling soon passed once I had
made my tea but I often get a similar feeling on my first night away
from home.

It happened in Switzerland. I flew into Geneva and wandered round
looking for somewhere to stay. I found a reasonable Pension (in the
red-light district) and paid for two nights up front. (Yes, I was
expecting them to only let the rooms by the half hour.) Later that
night I got really really miserable and decided I hated Geneva. I
went back to the desk and explained (in schoolgirl French) that I had
changed my plans and I was going to Lausanne instead. I think I
prefer the travelling to the arriving!

(By the way, if you ever go to Genf/Geneva, the scenery gets much
nicer as you head east round the lake. By the time you get to
Montreux it's really beautiful .... but I did it in winter/spring, so
I can't vouch for what it's like during the touristy season.)

By eck, what a ramble this post has become!

Judith

I noticed that Message-ID: <[email hidden]>
from Judith contained the following:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Does anyone else feel this way? I can't quite put it into words, but
if you get a slightly odd feeling in the pitt of your tummy at the
idea of disappearing into the hills with your tent then you're
probably feeling it too...

Earlier this year I went to the northern Carneddau. I got the train
to Penmaenmawr and walked south. (The "arty" shot on my website was
taken on that trip.)

I was never more than a couple of miles from civilisation and I was
only going to be away for ONE NIGHT!

Well I'm dead impressed with both of you. The thought of wild camping
on my own fills me with far more than apprehension and I'm supposed to
be a roughty toughty bloke. With a dog.

Plus I'd have to buy all the gear, which I imagine doesn't come cheap.

--
Geoff Berrow (put thecat out to email)
It's only Usenet, no one dies.
My opinions, not the committee's, mine.
Simple RFDs http://www.ckdog.co.uk/rfdmaker/

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:35:43 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

What I do know, though, is that when I look forward to the prospect of
spending 4 or 5 nights alone in the hills there's more than just a
frisson of anxiety mixed in with the familiar feeling of excited
anticipation, and I'm not sure where that anxiety comes from.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Does anyone else feel this way?

Oh yes, every time! In my case it's a mixture of excitement,
expectancy and slight apprehension. I reckon it's due to leaving my
nice cosy day-to-day life and reverting to something much more
'primitive'. It's definitely an addictive feeling. :-)

Al
--
[This space intentionally left blank]

Peewiglet said:

Does anyone else feel this way? I can't quite put it into words, but
if you get a slightly odd feeling in the pitt of your tummy at the
idea of disappearing into the hills with your tent then you're
probably feeling it too...

I'd done lots of backpacking weekends in the Lakes, and last year
decided to do a 7-day walk of my own design (climbing a Wainwright from
each of the books on the way). I'd always felt perfectly happy and
confident on one- or two-night trips, but after the first few hours of this
one, I started worrying about what would happen if (say) I had a critical
health problem: I was on my own, and there would be no-one to help me.
The feeling passed quite quickly, but it was really new to me.

And then on day two I slipped crossing a stream, split my lip, and
had to stay in hotels for a couple of nights while the shock wore off. :-(
But I'm off to do the same trip (I hope successfully this time) just after
Easter, in the reverse direction, all being well. I'm expecting to have
the same "vulnerable" feeling at the start of that walk, too.

Enjoy your trip, Peewiglet; I'm going to be in the Lakes just after
New Year, and am *really* looking forward to it!

Mark
--
Mark Manning [email hidden]

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:26:15 +0000, Geoff Berrow <[email hidden]>
wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

[...] and I'm supposed to
be a roughty toughty bloke. With a dog.

Dog?? I need a dog...

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

I'm v. glad I asked about this, as I now feel quite reassured. I
thought it was probably just me who experienced this sort of
apprehension: I'm very relieved to discover that I'm not alone 🙂
That knowledge actually makes the apprehension itself less scary, as
now I've been able to relegate it to "inevitable" in my mind.

Thanks, y'all :-)

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 22:38:19 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>
wrote:

| On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:26:15 +0000, Geoff Berrow <[email hidden]>
| wrote:
|
| [...]
| >[...] and I'm supposed to
| >be a roughty toughty bloke. With a dog.
|
| Dog?? I need a dog...

No! Pigs will face down a dog any day. ;-)
--
Dave F

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:35:43 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>
wrote:

<fx: gulp at tales of t*rror>

[..snip..]

Quoted message said:

Does anyone else feel this way? I can't quite put it into words, but
if you get a slightly odd feeling in the pitt of your tummy at the
idea of disappearing into the hills with your tent then you're
probably feeling it too...

Yup. I think its down to anticipation (because you've been "there"
before) of being in a metaphorical wide-open space, the antithesis of
day-to-day living.

You can witness the reverse when you get back to "civilisation" after
a long period (LDW?) outdoors; akin to how you must have felt after
doing the PW.

Your "apprehension" sounds normal to me ;-)

SteveO
--
NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 00:49:34 +0000, Chris Street
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Mind you I once saw a guy walking in the Lakes being followed by a pair of
Siamese cats with natty little jackets on......

Truly?? How lovely :-)))

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 07:34:51 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

| Dog?? I need a dog...

No! Pigs will face down a dog any day. ;-)

Piglets love puppies :-)

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 17:31:02 +0000, Chris Street
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Mind you I once saw a guy walking in the Lakes being followed by a pair of
Siamese cats with natty little jackets on......

Truly?? How lovely :-)))

Quoted message said:

Siamese and Burmese can be trained to walk to heel and are comparable in
obedience levels to a disobedient dog. They cannot take the cold however so
he only used to walk with them in the summer.

I used to have a Manx cat who liked to follow me up the lane when I
went for a winter walk, but it didn't occur to me to take him further
than that.

Quoted message said:

I bet they made great hotwater bottles though!

What a wonderful idea! I'd love to take a cat walking - much better
than a dog :-)))

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

I noticed that Message-ID: <[email hidden]>
from Peewiglet contained the following:

Quoted message said:

What a wonderful idea! I'd love to take a cat walking - much better
than a dog :-)))

grrrrrrrr...

--
Geoff Berrow (put thecat out to email)
It's only Usenet, no one dies.
My opinions, not the committee's, mine.
Simple RFDs http://www.ckdog.co.uk/rfdmaker/

Peewiglet said:

I'm still hoping to go up to the Lakes next week for 4 or 5 days. I've
not quite decided what to do yet:

Does anyone else feel this way?

Yes, certainly. In fact, to some extent every time I go out. Well
articulated! Your short post explains in a few words pretty much what
this is about. For me, anyway.

Nice one...and have a good 'experience' next week! :-)

Steve

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 00:58:38 +0000, Steve
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

Yes, certainly. In fact, to some extent every time I go out. Well
articulated! Your short post explains in a few words pretty much what
this is about. For me, anyway.

Nice one...and have a good 'experience' next week! :-)

Many thanks :-) It was rather wet, but there's already next weekend
to look forward to!

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk