Taking on the Red Ridge

It's not often that we get blessed with weather quite as fantastic as now, and it's been pretty grotty since I got home, so I thought I should make the best of it. While I was hanging around on Idwal Slabs yesterday, being a guinea pig on an MIA assessment, I thought I really should get back on Crib Goch. After all, it's been at least 2 years since I graced her with my presence. So, over dinner with my good friend Jo, it was decided. I would drive to Cwm y Glo, drop my car off, get a lift with her husband Dave to the pass and then disappear off up the mountain, ringing later to get a lift back with Jo - isn't it nice having friends with nothing better to do :)

What a glorious morning it was. The car park at Pen y Pass was heaving already at 8.20am so I didn't waste any time and made a quick dash up the Pyg Track. Overtaking one couple I found myself with no one in front. Excellent. I hate having people in my photos! Unless they are specifically of people of course...

I made quick time up the face only stopping briefly when I managed to drop the sun shade from my camera. As it bounced back down the way I had come I decided it wasn't worth it and continued on, not wanting anyone to overtake me. Not yet anyway.I arrived at the start of the ridge at about 9.30am and had to stop and take stock. I had forgotten just how beautiful the winding double ridge of Crib Goch and Crib y Ddysgl were. Especially with Snowdon in the background just shrouded in a candy floss of cloud. Magnificent.

So off I trundled. Oh how I wish I wasn't quite so clumsy. I would love to be able to nimbly pick my way along the ridge in a dainty fashion but it is never to be. I trip over my own feet far too many times to be careless on a knife edge ridge like Crib Goch. I wanted to make it through this gorgeous day rather than lose my life following a clumsy fall! Slowly did it, finally allowing the gentleman that had been slowly catching up to me to overtake (once I had taken the important photos that was). At 11.00 I reached the summit of Garnedd Ugain after keeping strictly to the ridge line of Crib y Ddysgl and sat down to take in the view. Snowdon was covered in people already - I had seen the train go up a couple of times full to bursting - so I made the conscious decision to give it a miss. It will always be there and it's not like I've never been there before...It was a toss-up between the Pyg or the Miners Track for the descent but I went with the Pyg thinking it would be more gradual and therefore better for my knees. I don't think my knees are agreeing having done it :0 Back at the carpark for 12.35 which made my morning jaunt a total of 4 hours and 10 minutes. Now I have set myself the challenge of getting it done in under 4 hours. I'm not sure quite why and my knees are already protesting just at the thought of it. Still, what is a life without challenges? :)

Sea Kayaking, Anglesey

I have a love hate relationship with kayaking. It all started back in 2001 in New Zealand when I went on a four day sea kayaking trip in Doubtful Sound. What a beautiful place! The weather wasn't great, and the sand flies were horrendous, but just being there, with the dolphins, and no one else except us in our little sea kayaks was inspiring. So much so that I came back to the UK, applied to go to university to study Outdoor Education, left the life of London and the office and became an outdoor instructor! Obviously it didn't happen quite that quickly but, in a nutshell, that is the story of my big life/career change.

So the story began with a love for kayaking. Getting my Level 2 Coach and then working in centres teaching kids to go in a straight line soon brought upon the hate. It's a shame, but working at that level, your personal skills never improve and the repetition just wears you down. The time I had spare I focussed on other activities and poor old kayaking got left by the wayside. The only time I gave it any focus was when I went to Chile in 2004 with Raleigh International and assisted leading a group round the Chilean Archipilaego for 17 days. Since then, I can probably count my days in a sea kayak on one hand.
Last year I decided that this had to change. Kayaking on rivers doesn't appeal to me all that much, mainly because I lose the feeling in my ankles and feet and, more so, because I invariably end up swimming. So, back to the sea. This is where the love started and, therefore, this is where it should be rekindled.

It always pays to have friends who are better than you at what you do, that way you can use them to help you :) A fine example is my friend James, owner of Adventure Elements in North Wales. He is an excellent sea kayaker and is an aspirant Level 5 Coach. This means that he needs long term students to mentor and coach and that's where I step in.
So, after a few sessions out on the water earlier in the year I found myself signed up for the 4 Star Leader's Award. Training, may I add! Having been away for over 2 months over the summer, I was a little nervous stepping into my kayak in Bull Bay on Anglesey on Saturday. Especially with the force 4 winds blowing offshore the way they were. The trip had been planned that we would be paddling to Cemaes Bay with the ebb tide the whole way, despite going into wind, so it shouldn't be too tough. No one bloody mentioned the effects of the back eddies though!! I was knackered. Not only paddling against the wind, but also against the flow of the water! Still, I didn't fall out and I didn't get wet. In fact, I found the whole day very enjoyable and really quite manageable. Maybe I wasn't as rubbish as I thought...

And then came Sunday. Off we headed to Treaddur Bay where the winds were blowing a force 5, maybe 6, onshore and there was a good 4ft swell rolling in. My stomach was doing flips before I even got on the water! Heading out of the bay wasn't too bad. Paddling into wind is hard work but you are very supported. It was when we turned right out of the bay and were suddenly broadside to the wind and the swell. Oh my goodness!! James then asked me if I'd like to lead a leg, at which point I let him know that my confidence in my own ability was pretty poor so being responsible for others was possibly not a good idea :0

I managed to keep it together and get through the worst, avoiding all the rocks and keeping myself upright to the lagoon we were headed to. Phew. Pete asked me if I wanted to lead back. Feeling much more confident, I agreed. Actually, I don't think I did that bad a job. My communication to the group was good. I identified the hazards well. I kept between the group and the danger. Nearly went in twice but that's by the by ;)Rescue time. We knew it was going to be a wet day so I came dressed for the occasion. Wet suit under my not-really-so-dry trousers and gimp hat to keep my little ears warm. I volunteered to go swimming first. Jimbo did an efficient rescue and I was back in my boat in no time. The water wasn't actually that cold. Thankfully! Then it was my turn to effect a rescue. In Jimbo went, over I went to rescue him, in I went. Hmmm, that wasn't the plan. I got a little over cocky, reached out for the boat, just as a wave came and moved it out of my way. Once you're leaning that far over, there's not really a lot you can do. So poor old James had to rescue us both!! I did it a little better the next time.

So, a four star leader I will not be any time soon, but my love for sea kayaking has been rekindled. I now need someone to give me lots of money so that I can go and buy a Romany Surf from Nigel Dennis. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Kenya with Langley Park Girls - Final Post

Our project phase involved working alongside a UK charity called African Promise. The work was to build a new school block for the primary school in a village called Bungule in southern Kenya. It was very labour intensive and the girls (and me) worked hard moving bricks, sand and stones and breaking up stones to make gravel.

The community were very welcoming and we stayed in a lovely thatched cottage belonging to another charity, ABE. While there we also learned to make Chapati and Mandazi, a useful skill for all to take home!

We stayed in Bungule for six nights in a lovely cottage owned by another charity ABE. Abraham was our fantastic host and everyone was sad to leave, especially having to say goodbye to Boots the kitten! The villagers threw a celebration for us on the final day and performed traditional African song and dance and cooked us some local food. It was a fabulous send off and really appreciated by the group.









We are now at Tiwi beach, just south of Mombasa, where we will be until Sunday. Hmmmm.... rest and relaxation, my least favourity part of expedition. Yes it's nice to be by the sea. Yes it's nice not to have to get up early. Yes it's nice not to have to drive anywhere. However, when are things most likely to go wrong? Now. When do the group drop their guard? Now. When is it most boring? Now. When do I have the most to do? Now. Need I continue?

Anyway, moving on... On Sunday we are getting the overnight train to Nairobi. First Class! Really looking forward to this - it is meant to be Africa's great train journey. And with silver service!! And then maybe I can relax :)

As a footnote to this blog... Actually, the beach wasn't all that bad. And nothing did go wrong, apart from a room key that nearly went missing on the beach in the dark. The weather was great, most of the time, and the food was good. As was the beer :) The train, on the other hand, was a little less first class than I had hoped. Still, it was an experience and an enjoyable one on my part. The final dinner at the Thorn Tree restaurant in Nairobi was fantastic. The food was absolutely amazing - as it should have been at the price we paid! All in all, a fantastic expedition. Thank you girls.

Kenya with Langley Park Girls Part 2

Well, a lot has happened since I last blogged. It has certainly been a rollercoaster ride! I left you all in the town of Nukuru following our exciting game drive to see Rhino. From there, we did a trip to the Menengai Crater, a 90km square cauldron with black lava flow winding through like a massive tongue. The walk down into the crater was fun. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the ascent. I think I managed to break half the group! However, once at the top, after many tears and requests to be flown home, the group settled back to normality and some local jewellery was purchased. There’s nothing like a bit of retail therapy ;)

So, all preparations done, it off to face The Mountain. Mt. Kenya’s highest peak, Batian, stands at 5199m but can only be reached by technical climbers, as can it’s second highest peak, Nelion, at 5188m. Our goal was Point Lenana, the third highest peak, standing at 4985m.

The jaunt (ha ha ha) up to nearly 5000m (I’ll get there someday!) took us five days. First day we headed from the Naro Moru Gate at 2500m, to the Met Station at 3050m where we had an interesting encounter with some sleeping bag liner stealing cheeky monkeys. The next day was a long day, taking us all the way to Mackinder’s Camp at 4200m. We stayed here for a couple of nights, taking in an acclimatisation trek to Two Tarns on the 3rd day. We also met our summit leader, Al, at Mackinder’s.

Day 4 saw us attacking the scree slope for five hours, arriving at the Austrian Hut, 4790m, just after lunch. Everyone was tired and emotional, we had one suspected case of HACE (thankfully only suspected!) and it was bloody freezing!! The sunset was amazing – I think the girls were too busy playing cards to notice so I took some quiet time to watch it and take a couple of snaps.

Summit day we were up at 3.54am, having tea by 4.30am and away by 4.55am. Our path was illuminated by the moon and the stars (and our headtorches) and the peaks of Batian and Nelion looked majestic in the night sky. It was a steep climb up, once having to use the rope for assistance, but we arrived at the summit triumphant and in plenty of time to see the sun poke his head above the cloud inversion. What a spectacular 360 degree view. It actually brought a tear to my eye. There are times, usually when I’m dragging a group of petulant teenagers around Snowdonia in the pissing rain, that I question my career choice. Being there, however, at the top of the world, there was no doubt in my mind. I am a very lucky and privileged person and I love my job :)

Kenya with Langley Park Girls Part 1

So, with an overnight flight from Heathrow to Nairobi, and my inability to be able to sleep on planes, I was pretty tired when we rocked up in Kenya. And I don't think I was the only one! Still, I did finally manage to see Slumdog Millionaire - what an excellent film. We certainly hit the ground running, travelling directly to Lake Navaisha with a mega quick stop-off to change money and buy lunch on the way. Then it was tents up, cook dinner, fall asleep, get up and go walking up a mountain!! Not a bad way to start expedition...

Mount Longonot is a dormant volcano and stands 1,000m from the floor of the Rift Valley. We were a little late getting started (understandable on our first full day having had not much sleep) and therefore were walking in the heat of the day. It was a hot, dusty and steep ascent and we made it up to the crater in about 2 hours. It was a lunch rest there and then off around the 2km wide crater reaching the 2,776m summit about 2 hours later. The scenery was stunning and a great introduction to Kenya with zebra, buffalo and giraffe wandering wild. Unfortunately it was also quite a tough first day leaving everyone pretty exhausted.

Day 3 in country and we were off again, leaving at 7am for Hell's Gate National Park. Why it has such a severe name when it is one of the most beautiful places I have been I do not know! I met my first Rock Hyrax and he seemed very happy to pose for me. There was also a plethera of zebra, buffalo, baboons, warthogs, dik diks and gazelle. And on top of all that, we were able to trek through the magical lower gorge and experience boiling hot water seeping from rock.


Day 4 and we all had a well deserved lie-in. Well, 8am is a lie-in for me!! So after I sneaked off to the restaurant for a cooked breakfast (shhhh, don't tell the students) it was time to pack up, take a few shots of the lake, lie about in the sun for a while and then head to the restaurant for lunch. There's a restaurant?? :) After a delicious and highly filling buffet lunch (and yes, I did go back for seconds on dessert) we got into the minibuses and travelled the 1 1/2 hour journey to Nakuru, where I am now.

Today we went on a game drive in Nakuru National Park. Unfortunately, after only having had 3 hours sleep last night - the hotel bar was a little noisy until about 2.30am!!! - I was not in the best mood as we set off at 7am. Still, the sight of pink flamingos in their thousands over the lake soon changed that. No big cats for us today, but I saw my first white rhino which I am very pleased about, along with buffalo (there are a lot of them about!), zebra (and them!), impala, gazelle, waterbuck, giraffe, warthogs, baboons, vervet monkeys, hyena, hippo and dik dik. That's along with the flamingos, pelicans and storks and many other birds. It was quite a morning.


Now it's raining. Good time to be on the internet then ;) We're off to the Menengai Crater tomorrow which is supposed to be spectacular so no doubt I will be ranting about that soon enough. From there it is on to the big guns of Mount Kenya!!

Borneo with Douglas Academy

Just back from Borneo, well, Sabah to be exact. It is interesting that in Borneo they don't refer to it as Borneo at all. That is just a name that we, as outsiders, use. There is plenty of history that I could go into but the basic fact is that now the island is divided between other countries with both Sabah and Sarawak being states of Malaysia. Kalimantan is a state of Indonesia and Brunei is one of the smallest countries on Earth. Anyway, I digress...

So, along with 13 students from Douglas Academy in Milngavie, Scotland, a geography teacher and an assistant leader, I set off for Sabah in the afternoon of Monday 22nd June 2009 from Glasgow airport. Hmmm... I say I set off for Sabah, we actually flew from Glasgow to Heathrow. Then we sat about for a few hours. Then we flew from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur. Then we sat about for a few hours. Then we finally flew to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, arriving in the evening of Tuesday 23rd June 2009. Jeez, I really hate travelling. It's not the flying so much, I don't mind that. Although, it has to be said, airplane seats are not the easiest to sleep in! It's more the waiting around, the queueing, the rapid temperature changes, the crying babies, the bad films - need I go on? Not the food? I hear you ask. Actually, strangely, I really like airplane food :) It's something about the neat and tidy packaging and the tiny vegetables. It appeals to my OCD side.

After a couple of days organising ourselves in KK it was off to the jungle for a couple of days of sleeping under a basic shelter, trekking through the rainforest, making things with bamboo, learning to use blowpipes and slingshots and eating frog. Oh yes, that's right, frog. But not like frogs' legs like you get in France, quite disguised and heavily seasoned. These were whole frogs, eyes, skin, little arms and legs - EVERYTHING. Actually, they were quite tasty. Well, the legs were. I didn't go any further than that. Trying to get the meat from the legs was quite a feat though. One of my students couldn't be bothered and just crunched through the whole thing. Nice one.

From the jungle we headed off to our project phase - living and working in a small village near Tambunan called Kampong Monsok. It was a great opportunity for the students (and the leaders!) to learn about Sabah culture, living with host families and attempting to learn some Malay and the local language Dusun. We were the first group to ever stay in the village so it was not only a great experience for us, but also for the villagers themselves. We were treated with amazing hospitality and certainly never went hungry - I have never eaten so much rice and noodles in my life!! But I'd just like to say a huge terima kasih to everyone there :) I had the good fortune of living with the head of the village, Helena, who had a lovely house opposite the school, a hot shower (think this might have been the only one in the village), three dogs and four hilarious cats, two of which bore an uncanny resemblance to an unpopular German leader...













Unfortunately the project work itself was a bit wishy washy but then I have come to expect this with expedition projects. The main problem is the locals not understanding just how much work a group of 16 people can complete in a short amount of time! And, that as a group we were more than happy to work all day. This is a concept that they don't really understand. Having said that, we did break for second breakfast, then again for lunch and then finish by 4.00 so that football could be played. And in the two whole days that we managed to work the students (I just hung around with my camera) manged to paint the outside of the community centre, build and paint 4 shelving units and design and paint 4 murals for the primary school. We were originally supposed to be working in the school but because of the threat of H1N1 (???!!!) this was scuppered. Still, it all worked out well in the end and I hope that the students will keep in touch with their host families and perhaps, one day, return the favour.

So with our jungle experience in the bag and our project phase over, it was off to conquer the mountain. Oh, and what a mountain. It just looks so unclimbable with it's jagid granite peaks and steep sides, looming over the country from wherever you are. It was going to be a challenge, that was for sure.

Mount Kinabalu, at 4095m, is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It is a tough climb, uphill all the way, up ridiculously large steps, tree roots and piled rocks. Some sections of the summit climb involve hauling yourself up steep granite slopes using a thick rope. Going up was the easy part it has to be said. When you've got knees like mine just the thought of going back down was painful! Unfortunately only 10 of the 13 students made it to the summit, 1 having to drop out on the first day due to illness and 2 being stopped 700m from the summit suffering from the altitude. This meant that both my assistant and teacher also were unable to make it to the summit meaning there were only 11 of us at the summit when we finally arrived, puffing and panting, at 7am on Thursday 9th July 2009.

So, with all the hard work of the expedition done, it was off to Sandakan to visit the orangutans and macaques at the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, head down the Kinabatangan River to see the wild probiscous monkeys, then back to KK to go white water rafting on the Padas River. We then spent three nights camped on Mamutik Island, part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, enjoying some sun, sea, sand, serious sandcastles, snorkelling and just general rest and relaxation to finish off an excellent four weeks. Thanks to everyone in the team for making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience :)