May 19, 2013

Future tense

You can schedule blog posts for future publication on Tumblr. By the time you read this I’ll be long gone; just a quick overnighter in Urumqi, then back to the hills before I lose acclimatisation. I had a problem, so I popped the illusory bubble of ‘adventure’ and returned to the city to sort it out. That won’t be so easy to do in the coming weeks, but it kind of makes my point about the (ab)use of words like ‘expedition.’

It’s not just semantics. Things that would’ve been difficult or dangerous even 10-15 years ago are now much safer and easier due to modern communications and infrastructure (and yes, gear). So by what criteria could one define a journey as an ‘expedition,’ let alone an ‘adventure?’ Is there a minimum level of risk/hazard attached, or at least a threshold of unavoidable suffering? Does it require a certain level of skills, fitness and competency be acquired beforehand? How easy is it to just step away from the venture when the going gets tough - and is that even important? Is it just about how much kit and money is thrown at a trip - and are they acceptable substitutes for basic human resilience and ingenuity? Are terms like ‘expedition’ and ‘adventure’ relative or absolute?

I admit these questions bother me. I’m almost tempted to open up a comments box to see what people think…

But then again - nah, can’t be arsed.

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May 15, 2013

The young Mongol herdsman came cantering in on his pony at 8pm to check me out. Basheng told me I was the first foreigner they’d seen in this area, and he was interested in my kit. Not unusual; I’ve been offered quite large sums of money for stoves in the past. He was concerned I was going to be too cold, and was inviting me to stay the night with him and his parents, in the homestead I’d passed earlier further down the valley. Tugging the flysheet hem of the Moment, he pursed his lips; “Too high, not low enough…” And he’s right!

I actually do like the Moment. It handles wind surprisingly well when nailed down as in the top picture. I’d reinforced weak peg points at each end by weighing down my axe and pole with rocks, and the new MSR cordlocks I picked up in HK do a good job of tensioning the side guys. The extra peg point I had added to the door panel stops it swinging in and dumping water/snow into the inner tent when you zip it open.

However, when allied with a marginal sleeping bag, it’s just too cold in the conditions I’m experiencing here. The little red Tiger Moth (pictured last year) is not perfect, but the flysheet comes down lower, and the two-skin design means it’s warmer. Two entrances, more internal space, fewer issues with condensation raining down on me. Weight penalty? About 800g.

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May 14, 2013
No, I didn’t come back because I’d run out of toilet paper - it’s because I’ve hardly slept for the last four nights! I need to carry more weight, either in the tent and/or the sleeping bag. Given that a new sleeping bag will cost me money, it’s got to be the tent, so I’m changing out the Moment for the little Luxe Tiger Moth. The problem is that the Moment is only a single-skin shelter, with a high-cut flysheet hem. It’s not a bad tent, but it is what it is, and it’s not suited to exposed sub-zero conditions when the wind gets up and it starts snowing…

No, I didn’t come back because I’d run out of toilet paper - it’s because I’ve hardly slept for the last four nights! I need to carry more weight, either in the tent and/or the sleeping bag. Given that a new sleeping bag will cost me money, it’s got to be the tent, so I’m changing out the Moment for the little Luxe Tiger Moth. The problem is that the Moment is only a single-skin shelter, with a high-cut flysheet hem. It’s not a bad tent, but it is what it is, and it’s not suited to exposed sub-zero conditions when the wind gets up and it starts snowing…

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Nah, I haven’t bailed yet. There are just three roads crossing the Tian Shan, and I hit the first of them, G216, early this morning. I decided to take the opportunity to nip back to Urumqi to sort out a kit issue. I crossed this 3630m pass yesterday, having passed through an ethnic Mongol enclave (hence the Buddhist prayer flags; the Islamic Kazakh don’t go in for them). Interesting, varied terrain, climbing up out of scorching stony desert onto freezing (and I do mean freezing) high grasslands. So why the return to the city?

Nah, I haven’t bailed yet. There are just three roads crossing the Tian Shan, and I hit the first of them, G216, early this morning. I decided to take the opportunity to nip back to Urumqi to sort out a kit issue. I crossed this 3630m pass yesterday, having passed through an ethnic Mongol enclave (hence the Buddhist prayer flags; the Islamic Kazakh don’t go in for them). Interesting, varied terrain, climbing up out of scorching stony desert onto freezing (and I do mean freezing) high grasslands. So why the return to the city?

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May 8, 2013
Standing on the shoulders of giants

I’m in  the desert oasis town of Turpan, awaiting an early morning bus to my start point tomorrow - and my hotel room has a computer in it! Checking the BBC news, I found this - now that WAS an expedition…
 

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I am just going outside now

Right, that’s me away for a bit. This is not an expedition. I’m uncomfortable with that term; there are quite enough beardy types appropriating the word to help fund their holidays already, thanks. I’m just off for a wander. It’s a continuation, an extension of what I do, and have done before. There might be an interesting tale to tell when it’s over, but don’t hold your breath for a motivational lecture tour on the back of it. Current thinking is I might take a quick break after a month (it makes logistics a lot easier). If there’s a blog update inside the next three weeks, something’s probably gone wrong. If there’s no blog update after six weeks, something’s gone BADLY wrong…

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May 7, 2013
Last minute addition - half a kilo of walnut, date and raisin bars to throw in the pack, just been given them! They’re very tasty, I won’t be carrying that extra weight for long…

Last minute addition - half a kilo of walnut, date and raisin bars to throw in the pack, just been given them! They’re very tasty, I won’t be carrying that extra weight for long…

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Packed and ready, all my gear and 10 days’ food/fuel, weighing in at 24.5kg. Finalised kit list as follows: Tent: Tarptent MomentSleeping Bag: Montbell UL Downhugger 2Bag Liner: S2S Thermalite ExtremeMat: Multimat Expedition Summit XL (CCF)Cooking & WaterPrimus Trek Kettle panset; home-made pot cosyVargo Triad stove & dropper bottleWhitebox stove (backup, plus snow melting duties)Foil windshieldMisc alcohol bottles (plastic & aluminium), 2 litres totalEvernew titanium mugAluminium spoonOrtlieb waterbag (4 litres)Sigg 600ml waterbottle (mounted in Lowe bottle holster)Flint/steel plus two lightersPan scrubClothing (including that worn)ME Kongur jacketBuffalo WindshirtPatagonia Primaloft smockThin fleece x1Rab base layer x1T-shirt x1Haglofs Rugged Mountain Trousers x1Ron Hill Tracksters (double as long johns)Underpants x2Thin socks x2Thick socks x1Sealskinz x1Merrell trainers, 1 pairOR short gaitersCroc clones, 1 pair (river crossings, camp shoes)Buffalo mittsBeanie hatBuff snoodSunhat & glassesWatchHardwareBlack Diamond Expedition pole x1Black Diamond B-rated ice axe x1Kahtoola steel crampons, 1 pairHealth & HygieneTravel towel; toothbrush & paste, soap, hand disinfectant gel x2Toilet paper: one roll only - hence the nail scissors & hand gel…Suncream, 50ml bottle; Nivea, 75ml tubePlasters, Compeed, ibuprofen & paracetamolChlorine Dioxide solution: 5 pairs/bottles (water purification)Vitamin pillsEarplugsMiscellaneousOpinel #6 knifeAAA MP3 player (Muvo V100), plus 2 spare batteries: chiefly for audio recordingNail scissorsCompass & Google Earth printsLumix LX3 camera, 2 spare batteries & SD cards, in cheap padded case; GorillapodNeedle & thread3mm cord x 3mTent repair kit (McNett Silfix)Araldite (possible shoe repair duties)Petzl Pixa 3 headtorch, spare batteries (4xAA)Documentation (passport, cash, credit card): keysNotebook & penMesh stuffsac x1 (various uses) Note: the extension straps and uncluttered exterior of the Lowe pack mean you can organise stuff in a number of ways. I usually prefer to have my CCF mat running down one side, but there are occasions (narrow gullies, negotiating public transport) when it’s better running down the centre. Versatility is good.

Packed and ready, all my gear and 10 days’ food/fuel, weighing in at 24.5kg. Finalised kit list as follows:

Tent: Tarptent Moment
Sleeping Bag: Montbell UL Downhugger 2
Bag Liner: S2S Thermalite Extreme
Mat: Multimat Expedition Summit XL (CCF)

Cooking & Water
Primus Trek Kettle panset; home-made pot cosy
Vargo Triad stove & dropper bottle
Whitebox stove (backup, plus snow melting duties)
Foil windshield
Misc alcohol bottles (plastic & aluminium), 2 litres total
Evernew titanium mug
Aluminium spoon
Ortlieb waterbag (4 litres)
Sigg 600ml waterbottle (mounted in Lowe bottle holster)
Flint/steel plus two lighters
Pan scrub

Clothing (including that worn)
ME Kongur jacket
Buffalo Windshirt
Patagonia Primaloft smock
Thin fleece x1
Rab base layer x1
T-shirt x1
Haglofs Rugged Mountain Trousers x1
Ron Hill Tracksters (double as long johns)
Underpants x2
Thin socks x2
Thick socks x1
Sealskinz x1
Merrell trainers, 1 pair
OR short gaiters
Croc clones, 1 pair (river crossings, camp shoes)
Buffalo mitts
Beanie hat
Buff snood
Sunhat & glasses
Watch

Hardware
Black Diamond Expedition pole x1
Black Diamond B-rated ice axe x1
Kahtoola steel crampons, 1 pair

Health & Hygiene
Travel towel; toothbrush & paste, soap, hand disinfectant gel x2
Toilet paper: one roll only - hence the nail scissors & hand gel…
Suncream, 50ml bottle; Nivea, 75ml tube
Plasters, Compeed, ibuprofen & paracetamol
Chlorine Dioxide solution: 5 pairs/bottles (water purification)
Vitamin pills
Earplugs

Miscellaneous
Opinel #6 knife
AAA MP3 player (Muvo V100), plus 2 spare batteries: chiefly for audio recording
Nail scissors
Compass & Google Earth prints
Lumix LX3 camera, 2 spare batteries & SD cards, in cheap padded case; Gorillapod
Needle & thread
3mm cord x 3m
Tent repair kit (McNett Silfix)
Araldite (possible shoe repair duties)
Petzl Pixa 3 headtorch, spare batteries (4xAA)
Documentation (passport, cash, credit card): keys
Notebook & pen
Mesh stuffsac x1 (various uses)

Note: the extension straps and uncluttered exterior of the Lowe pack mean you can organise stuff in a number of ways. I usually prefer to have my CCF mat running down one side, but there are occasions (narrow gullies, negotiating public transport) when it’s better running down the centre. Versatility is good.

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May 6, 2013
Map addict crack

Type a location into the search box, go; click the topo or relief buttons - zoom in, drag it around, hook up your printer…

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May 5, 2013
Xinjiang maps

Wish I’d known about these some time ago…

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May 3, 2013
Fancy a dip? Walking out this morning; it’s a beautiful valley, but a new bridge has gone up where it meets the road, and I dread to think what the Chinese tourist industry will do to this place if they realise it’s here. (Stitched together from nine pictures using Microsoft ICE, then reduced in size to fit on Tumblr).

Fancy a dip? Walking out this morning; it’s a beautiful valley, but a new bridge has gone up where it meets the road, and I dread to think what the Chinese tourist industry will do to this place if they realise it’s here.

(Stitched together from nine pictures using Microsoft ICE, then reduced in size to fit on Tumblr).

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I didn’t have time to walk out for the last bus back to Urumqi, so I headed downstream and picked a nice spot by the river to relax for the evening. Lots of twigs available below the treeline for someone with a wood burning stove…

I didn’t have time to walk out for the last bus back to Urumqi, so I headed downstream and picked a nice spot by the river to relax for the evening. Lots of twigs available below the treeline for someone with a wood burning stove…

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And that’s the supply dump in place, buried under rocks at 3700m! Not paranoia on my part; I don’t want the critters ripping the bag open to get at the kilo and a half of beef jerky that’s inside it. There are wolves in this area, I’ve seen the paw-prints and heard the howling… Depending on how much food I have in hand when I get here, that peak behind looks a bit tempting.

And that’s the supply dump in place, buried under rocks at 3700m! Not paranoia on my part; I don’t want the critters ripping the bag open to get at the kilo and a half of beef jerky that’s inside it. There are wolves in this area, I’ve seen the paw-prints and heard the howling…

Depending on how much food I have in hand when I get here, that peak behind looks a bit tempting.

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However, there is a reason not to wait for warmer weather. The rivers higher up remain frozen until mid-late May, which makes getting in a lot easier - no river crossings, no ankle-breaking stream-beds, just a quick stroll up nice, granular, snow covered ice…later in the season, snowmelt makes river crossings problematical.

However, there is a reason not to wait for warmer weather. The rivers higher up remain frozen until mid-late May, which makes getting in a lot easier - no river crossings, no ankle-breaking stream-beds, just a quick stroll up nice, granular, snow covered ice…later in the season, snowmelt makes river crossings problematical.

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That’s the supply dump in place. It was a chilly camp at 3100m, setting me up for the next day’s there-and-back with the Ortlieb bag and bottles of stove fuel. The Moment isn’t the warmest tent around which, coupled with my ageing 2+ season down bag, means I usually end up wearing all my kit by morning when it’s this cold.

That’s the supply dump in place. It was a chilly camp at 3100m, setting me up for the next day’s there-and-back with the Ortlieb bag and bottles of stove fuel. The Moment isn’t the warmest tent around which, coupled with my ageing 2+ season down bag, means I usually end up wearing all my kit by morning when it’s this cold.

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