Getting the basics wrong!

[M1EYP]

Cadair Berwyn backpacking trip. An excellent outing up until reaching the 832m ASL summit of GW/NW-012, but a catalogue of schoolboy errors thereafter!

I was wide awake at 5am on the Tuesday morning, so I got on the road to make the most of the day. The opportunity was taken to bag 4 easy summits before the main one.

Long Mountain-Beacon Ring GW/MW-026

7 QSOs, all 2m SSB

Y Golfa GW/NW-061

7 QSOs, all 2m SSB

Stingwern Hill GW/MW-030

4 QSOs, 3 on 2m SSB, 1 on 2m FM

Mynydd-y-briw GW/NW-060

4 QSOs, 3 on 2m SSB, 1 on 2m FM

Running a bit late by this stage, but still got to Tan y Pistyll cafe in time to book in secure overnight parking and grab a hot meal.

The ascent went really well. I reached the 832m summit of Cadair Berwyn in 1 hour 55 minutes. Won’t win any fell races - but not bad at all for me!

All good so far, but then the problems - and the mistakes - started! In fact one might have already happened. I hadn’t really checked the maximum gusts on the weather forecast. If I had, I would have realised I’d be in for a very poor night’s sleep in a backpacking tent!

I should have perhaps pitched the tent in a lower more sheltered spot, and walked up to the preferred contest site position. But I pitched the tent very close to the summit, and operated from there. Carefully hanging onto everything and trying to keep the inside of the tent sheltered and dry was hard work, and really slowed my over rate down, thus negating any advantage from my position with excellent take-off to the East.

102 QSOs made, 33 on 2m FM and 69 on 2m SSB. Was hoping for 30-50 more than that really!

The fierce wind was forcefully blowing the outer of my tent onto the inner. Coupled with very heavy rain in the middle of the night, and plenty of wet got inside the tent. My pillow and sleeping bag were soaked by dawn - yuck! I managed just under three hours sleep - which was actually more than I was anticipating to be honest!

The rain was still heavy early morning, so I waited before unpitching the tent. 5 QSOs were added - 4 on 2m SSB and 1 on 2m FM.

I got packed up pleasingly swiftly, and my rucksack didn’t feel as heavy as the previous day. I got into a good stride and was soon on Moel Sych and looking forward to a nice cooked breakfast in about an hour.

Cue the next mistake. A really bad and stupid one. Being on my own, not responsible for anyone, and hugely overconfident, I didn’t check the map or take a bearing, I just marched on down the path. Only 30 minutes later, and having descended around 200m did I start suspecting I’d gone the wrong way. I checked the map and sure enough I was way off course.

Cue the next mistake. Instead of taking the soul-destroying but sensible option of retracing my steps back up the hill, I tried to contour around the hill to pick up a marked path back to the waterfall.

This only led me onto really horrible ground, difficult underfoot, some steep muddy descents, three tricky river crossings, fence climbs, bashing through dense shoulder-high ferns etc.

By the time I’d eventually rejoined the correct path, close to the top of the waterfall, I was an exhausted, defeated and broken man. And I must have looked it too - when a young lady in white trainers with the tiniest of backpacks asked me if I needed some help getting over a stile…

When I did reach the cafe, I couldn’t decide between the homemade vegetable soup or the homemade vegetable samosas and chips. So I had both, and devoured them with two cans of cold pop.

Moral of the story? Don’t get complacent. Don’t make stupid rookie level mistakes when you’re experienced enough to know better!

Anyway, one possible positive outcome - I went to my local Go Outdoors yesterday for a couple of pairs of desperately needed new walking trousers. My waist size is down two inches! So maybe the unintended extra exercise is good for me

[DL1CR]

@M1EYP

69 on 2m SSB.

Tom, your stamina is very impressive. Hats off to you!

I’m also impressed that you once managed 69 SSB QSOs. Up here in Northern Germany, we’re happy if even one chaser comes back to us on 2m SSB. That might be different in Southern Germany, near the Alps.

But 69 QSOs as an activator outside of a contest? Wow! Has a SOTA activator in DL ever managed that on 2m SSB?

73, Chris

[M0MZB]

The recent interface updates to the Met Office mountain weather forecast remove the peak gust to an optional “detailed view”. In my view, the peak gust is the more important of the wind speed values presented, and should be much more prominent. I’m not even sure what the normal wind speed values are supposed to represent?

Anything above 25mph and I’m taking a Hilleberg tent so ensure a decent nights sleep!

[M0JLA]

@DL1CR

But 69 QSOs as an activator outside of a contest?

I think Tom was participating in the UKAC 2m Tuesday evening contest - I was doing so from home , a very poor VHF location and failed to hear him.
73,
Rod

[M1EYP]

@DL1CR

But 69 QSOs as an activator outside of a contest?

As Rod @M0JLA says, this WAS in the monthly UK activity contest. But I am making plenty of 2m SSB contacts outside of contests too.

[M1EYP]

@M0MZB

The recent interface updates to the Met Office mountain weather forecast remove the peak gust to an optional “detailed view”.

Yes, I’ve noticed that change too - and it is rather inconvenient!

[M0MZB]

The old format is still available through an option you can select at the top of the page. I got caught out when it was first introduced during last Winter, spending a night atop Seatallan G/LD-025.

The old format of display allowed you to see everything at a glance, the new format is really very poor.

[G4TGJ]

@M0MZB

The old format of display allowed you to see everything at a glance, the new format is really very poor.

I have given my feedback to the Met Office. I hope you have too. I also use the old format on the website but, unfortunately, you are forced into the new format by the app.

@M1EYP

I didn’t check the map or take a bearing

I made this mistake coming off Kinder Scout G/SP-001. I did check the map and thought I was on the right path. Fortunately doubts crept in very quickly and I stopped to take a bearing and realised my mistake. If I had just taken a bearing on the summit I would have saved a lot of time. I think retracing my steps was more embarrassing than taking a bearing.

[G4AZS]

@G4TGJ

I made this mistake c

Me too, coming off Arenig Fawr gw/nw-011 in thick cloud. Back up to the trig and take a bearing. Lesson learnt. It was born of complacency as I had walked the route before and “knew it well”

[G4AZS]

@M0MZB

Met Office mountain weather forecast remove the peak gust to an optional “detailed view”.

I’m just on the ferry at Holyhead. I checked the weather for the Irish Sea yesterday, and Met Eireann helpfully point out that peak gust is the best indicator of wave height…

[G8CPZ]

@M1EYP

having descended around 200m did I start suspecting I’d gone the wrong way

We’ve all done it on those summits where there are multiple similar-looking paths. You usually can’t go wrong following a lone path going up to the summit. And that’s what lulls you into a false sense of security.

Having done it a few times on unfamiliar summits, I now take the time at those summits to stop, turn round and look to get a mental picture of the path down and the landscape beyond. Of course, taking a compass bearing is another option.

[G7ADF]

@M1EYP

Stingwern Hill GW/MW-030

Oddly I could hear you working Gerald (WML) while you were on Singwern on 144.315 but oddly nothing when you were on your working frequency of 144.290.

Theres no obvious birdies on that frequency at my end (144.280 is a write off for me) so it was very odd. Shame to as it would have been a new multiplier for me.

Obviously a cracking signal from GW/NW-012 later on especially when you turned the beam in my direction. True 59 even cross polarised. My Tuesday evenings are booked up for a while but hopefully I can escape for 10/15 mins in the SSB section to work any sotas that are knocking about (just the 2 this week) and a couple more strong ones so I appear in more than 1 log (or is that not a thing any more).

Ian

[MM0EFI]

@M1EYP

I tried to contour around the hill

Oh, I’ve done that so many times, and still will, despite it always being the worst option possible!

[K7GUD]

Great report. My favorite part is the young lady asking if you need help getting over the style.

I think that sort of adventure happens to everyone if we do this enough.

[G4IPB]

Hi Tom

I usually consider myself to be quite good at navigation, but that doesn’t stop me from making mistakes. the last one was going top the “wrong” top on Ben Venue - made worse by previously confirming that the peak with the trig on isn’t in the AZ. (Yes I counted the contours…). I also memorably too took a detour up Red Pike - which wasn’t remotely on the way to Pillar where I was aiming for… I’m sure there are others.

When I have through some of my cock-ups they seem to happen when I am getting a bout of “Getthereitis” which I understand can be problem for pilots too when the desire to just get there, this is usually followed by a good dose of confirmation bias ( It doesn’t quite look the the path I was expecting but it might when I get around the corner… ) leading to - well the wrong place.

I suppose the solution is that particularly when tired, and short of time it is more important to stop and check. All this is much easier said than done and while I am still walking I’m sure I’ll continue to make the same mistakes but at least I’ll know why I’ve done something stupid…

PS An old friend used to work at Eskdale Outward Bound (In the '80s). I believe they ran quite a business for those walkers from Langdale that had developed conformation bias and were now conveniently in Eskdale miles from their car…

[G4OIG]

A salutary tale Tom, but it can happen to the most experienced of us. At least you didn’t leave your boots in the car ascending in flip-flops… oh yes, I’ve seen flip-flops worn on the hills. Only once mind you, but trainers are almost de rigeur for some.

[G8CPZ]

@G4OIG

trainers are almost de rigeur for some

I remember reading in the introduction to The National Trust Book of Long Walks (1981) that Reinhold Messner - the first person to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen - famously wore lightweight, flexible sneaker-boots to hike the entire rugged rocky trail up to Everest Base Camp. It completely upended traditional ideas about trekking gear.

Two points: 1) They weren’t your typical trainers (sneakers) but custom-designed by Adidas 2) I regularly wear trainers on familiar lower-level hills in dry weather but have been grateful I was wearing full boots on some G/NP and GM/SS hills when my foot went down an inconspicuous hole boggy even in mid summer.

[MM0EFI]

@G4OIG

trainers are almost de rigeur for some

Not de rigour, but on local known hills in summer, why not? Well, apart from that time @GM5ALX Alex and I crossed the snow pack on Mount Keen this April. Wearing our best trainers.

[M5RJC]

Reminds me of the time (long ago now) we went for a gentle stroll on the Malvern Hills with 2 young-ish children one Autumn day. We knew the hills like the back of our hand(s) - we thought.

All went well until a dense fog descended. Within minutes we had completely lost what aviators call “situational awareness” and had no idea where we were.

I can’t remember now how we found our way down, but it was scary for a while …

Rick

[M1BUU]

I’ve succumbed to the modern practice of wearing trainers this year. My Mountain Rescue friends tend to favour trainers as they’re lighter and more comfortable than boots. Trainers tend to be softer too and more likely to conform to a surface, meaning better grip than stiff boots.

I have Scarpa SL (super light, yeah right!) boots and also Scarpa Manta Pros for winter bonus period. I bought some Scarpa Rush GoreTex boots for Mull a few years ago but quite frankly they have been disappointing, I wouldn’t buy them again.

Ben More summit G/SI-003 this year in my INOV8 trail shoes.

73, Colin